Three Tastes Pineapple Cake (San Wei Su Wu 三味酥屋)
Kulangsu teems with pineapple cake shops, so it’s a competitive market for this product, also a Taiwanese specialty, which would really be more accurately translated as “Pineapple Pie.” The product is a one-serving puff-pastry pie the size of a cupcake, stuffed with a rich, melty stuffing of minced and salted pineapple, coconut, mango, durian, or […]
Sue’s Festival Gift Shop (Su Xiao Tang 苏小糖)
This candy shop is bright and welcoming, framed by a striking outdoor wall of frames with plants growing out of them. As an art installation, this wall is worth seeing in its own right, and the shop inside deserves to be called a museum. It’s staffed by a friendly group of girls in pretty turquoise […]
Li Ji Li Ji (礼即礼集)
The literal translation of the name is “gift, immediately, gift, gather,” and this popular chain, with branches all over China, does not disappoint the gift-seeker, especially if the intended recipient is a child. The highlights of the dazzling store are the immaculately detailed battery-powered wooden dioramas of ferris wheels and park scenes. Address: 103-107 Zhonghua […]
Kulangsu Supermarket (Xian Shang Chao Shi 夏商超市)
Kulangsu’s main supermarket is not huge, but it’s a great store and an essential point of reference on the island. The market is clean, well-run, and well-stocked, with fast and efficient service at the check-out lines. A good variety of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables is always available, along with a modest selection of mostly […]
Listening to Kulangsu (Ting Gulangyu 听鼓浪屿)
My first introduction to Kulangsu was “Gulangyu Zhi Bo,” played by Jing. I had heard it at least fifty times before I ever saw Kulangsu, and before I even knew this was originally a song with words. It was my favorite song on Jing’s CD, which I played obsessively in my car when she was […]