[lighthearted music playing]
[Phil] When you hear the word "massage,"
I bet you don't think of this.
-[Phil in Mandarin] Hello. -Hello.
-[in English] Hi, I'm Phil. -Yeah, Phil, today is knife massage.
-Knife massage? -Yes.
It's knife. Don't worry. [laughs]
Don't worry? I'm supposed to lie down here and you're gonna hit me with these?
Yes.
-[Richard] You'll be fine. -She seems happy about this.
[Richard chuckles]
Stupid Richard.
-[Phil] Is that the knife? -Yes.
-[Phil] It is? -[masseuse 1] Yes.
[Phil] Whoa.
-[masseuse 1] Are you relaxing? -[Phil] I'm trying to relax.
[chuckling]
[Phil] Why do we use knives?
[masseuse 2] The two knives represent the positive and the negative energy.
-[Richard] Do you need sharper knives? -[Phil] Shut up, Richard.
[giggling]
[masseuse 2] In the beginning, many customers, they are afraid of knife.
-[Phil] Of knife. There's a good reason. -Yeah, they thought it was sharp.
[Phil] Yes, if it was sharp, I would have been a lot quieter.
[giggling]
[Phil] I think I should describe this for the people.
It's a lot like you're being hit with things.
[upbeat theme music playing]
♪ A happy hungry man ♪
♪ Is traveling all across The sea and the land ♪
♪ He's trying to understand ♪
♪ The art of pasta Pork, chicken, and lamb ♪
♪ He will drive to you ♪
♪ He will fly to you ♪
♪ He will sing for you ♪
♪ And he'll dance for you ♪
♪ He will laugh with you ♪
♪ And he'll cry for you ♪
♪ There's just one thing He asks in return ♪
♪ Somebody please, somebody please ♪
♪ Can somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil? ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪
[traditional music playing]
[Phil] Welcome to Taipei, Taiwan.
I was first here five years ago.
I came to judge an international television festival
with my friend, Melvin Mar, a great producer,
and we had a wonderful time here,
and it's always stayed with me.
Situated in the South China Sea,
Taiwan's always been a place others have wanted to control.
Portugal, Holland, and Japan have all exerted their influence on it.
Even today, China claims the lush, mountainous island as its own.
But here in Taipei, the booming capital of democratic Taiwan,
people would much rather talk about the many things this country has to offer.
Whatever tensions you may have heard about,
are certainly not apparent here in daily life.
This is a big city, a big cultural hub,
a big economic hub.
Taipei might not be the first place you think of
when coming to this part of the world,
but I know one great reason it should go to the top of your list.
How about the street food?
[percussive music playing]
[Phil] I'm going into Xinzhuang Temple Market with an expert.
Charlene Yang, who on Instagram you may know as Taipei Eater.
-I'm a "Taipei Eater" too. -[laughs]
Yeah. This area is called?
[Charlene] This entire area is called Dadaocheng.
-So this started in the mid-1800s. -[Phil] Yeah.
[Charlene] That's when people were importing rice, grain and tea
during the Qing Dynasty.
And this stall is awesome.
I don't know if you have ever had pork knuckles.
Usually, in Taiwan they braise it with soy sauce,
but this is super special because they use a clear broth.
I didn't think we'd be starting with pork knuckle soup, but here we are.
-This place is called... [speaks Mandarin] -[Phil repeats]
[in Mandarin] Piggy. Pork knuckle misua.
[laughing]
-I'll let you say it. -[Charlene] Okay.
Oh!
-Yeah. -That's a lot. That's for one?
[in Mandarin] One bowl is fine.
[in English] So, we'll share.
-[in Mandarin] Thanks. -[in English] Yeah.
That's how you say "thank you" in...
-The most important word in any language. -Right.
The first bite... Should it be the noodles, the broth, or...
Oh, the meat.
[Phil] Here we go.
-[Charlene] Dip it with the sauce. -[Phil] I see. I'll dip like you.
Yeah.
Right?
Pork knuckle soup, turns out, is delicious. Why?
Pork.
A lot of girls like to eat this because it has a lot of collagen.
So it will take away all my wrinkles?
Well, hopefully. [giggles]
-It's not a miracle drug. -Right.
-[laughs] -I get it. So were you born in Taipei?
I was born and raised in Taiwan, and I moved to the States.
-Yeah. -Where in the States?
-I was in Kentucky the first year. -What?
They wanted me to learn English.
-Was there a big Taiwanese population? -Definitely not in Kentucky.
Coming from Taiwan to a place where there's no Asians,
it was very interesting. [laughs]
[Phil] Next, Charlene's taking me to one of Taipei's greatest hits.
[upbeat music playing]
[Phil] This is called black pepper cake.
Doesn't sound like much.
But it is.
Black pepper cake is really not a cake made out of black pepper.
It is a pork bun.
It is made in fresh, homemade dough.
They put this pork and scallion mixture in there.
They sprinkle with sesame seeds.
They stick it on the inside of this oven.
It gets super hot.
-[in Mandarin] Thank you. -[in English] Thank you.
Look how they just came out of that.
-[Charlene] Right. -I can barely touch it through the paper.
-I know. -It's still so hot.
-Careful. -Are you ready?
And you take a bite of this.
All right.
Ah! [laughs]
[Richard laughs]
And you burn the hell out of yourself.
[men laughing]
Unless you're smart, and you wait a minute or two,
but do I look smart to you?
Wow.
You see the juice?
-Yes. -Yeah.
Do you see the Jews?
[Charlene and Richard laugh]
-[Charlene] I could eat this all day. -It's fantastic.
On our way to our next stop, Charlene shows me
the temple in Temple Market.
So this place is called [in Mandarin] Holy Palace.
[Phil] Look at the detail.
[Charlene] Right. And then they say they have 13 different goddesses here.
[Phil] Looks like they bring in fresh flowers every day.
[Charlene] For the heavenly mother, they'd just bring flowers
because that's what she likes.
[Phil] Hey, everybody likes flowers.
Here's a beautiful spot. This is a Japanese-Taiwanese mash-up.
It's a pastry shop called Lin's Wagashi.
-This is the place I want to show you. -[in Mandarin] Hello.
-What we're getting is the wafer. -It's baked on that?
-Yeah. -Wow.
-Oh, and... ah! -And inside, they put in red bean paste.
-[Phil] So it's hollow. -Right. It's super delicious.
-Ooh, look at that. -Yeah.
[Phil] Every one made to order.
They're so popular, there's a window just for that.
-Cheers. -Here we go.
[Phil] Mm.
-Light and crispy, then sweet inside. -It's not overly sweet either.
No, what a treat.
[Phil] By the way, Richard's not always terrible.
-Look at that. -Ooh! What?
-[Phil] You know what these are. -[Charlene] Right.
If you come to Taiwan, you have to get their pineapple cake.
I'm seeing it everywhere.
-[Charlene] Right. -Here we go.
It's my absolute favorite.
-All right. -Yeah.
It's like a beautiful gift for you.
Am-am-am.
-Yay! -[Phil giggles]
[jazz music playing]
It's delightful, right?
-This is very nice. -Yeah.
[Phil] Mm.
-[Charlene] I know you like chocolate... -I do.
Is this like a chocolate mochi? What's going on?
-It's soft. -I guess you will find out.
[laughing]
Careful of that.
[Phil] Don't eat silica packs, ladies and gentlemen.
That's my public service announcement.
[laughs]
Mm! What? What is it?
You know, I have no clue. [laughs]
-It's so good. -It's like a sophisticated Oreo.
-This is the... -Honey cake.
-It should be really sweet and fluffy. -It's like a pound cake.
The crew needs some cake. Come here, you guys.
Emily.
[Phil] Tee-hee!
[Charlene] Oh my God. Please, don't choke on the cake.
Where's Siwai? Siwai.
[Phil and Charlene laugh]
[Phil] Are you a bride and groom?
Come here.
[Charlene] Let them eat cake!
I want you to try this.
Oh.
I don't wanna ruin your makeup.
This is very good luck to have honey cake during the rehearsal of the wedding.
I made that up.
-[Charlene and Richard laugh] -I believe that.
You look amazing.
-Mazel tov! -[laughs]
-Thanks. Thank you, guys. -Thank you.
[Phil] What a day I'm having.
[all laughing]
[lighthearted music playing]
[Phil] One of the hottest tickets in Taipei is called Raw.
-This is a very big door. -A very huge door.
-I'm lucky enough to get in. -Thank you, sir.
And I'm doubly lucky to go with my dear friend, Janet Hsieh.
Janet's a great host, a spokesperson.
She and I met five years ago right here in Taipei.
What is this place? It's gorgeous, look at it.
Yes, you'll see they really try to incorporate nature into the restaurant.
Look at this. Every time I come it's different.
-[Phil] Chess or checkers. -[Janet] We should play.
-Yeah. -[André] Hello.
-Hey, good to have you back. -Good to see you.
-Good. Hi, Phil. -[Janet] This is Chef André.
-Good to meet you. -André.
Well, welcome to Raw.
We were wondering if we play Jenga, or what do we do with this?
[André] All the ingredients that we sourced for this season.
We want the guests to participate in creating the menu.
-Really? -[Janet] Oh!
[André] And all the combinations, in total, we have 729.
-And you can make them like that? -Like that.
-Shall we? -Yes.
I actually like everything. So, I'm just gonna pick random.
Can I do two meats? So Wagyu and toro?
-Yes? -[André] Yes, you can.
[Janet] Ooh, squid. You want to try uni peanut butter?
-I probably am gonna like whatever it is. -[Janet] Yeah.
-Thank you. -[Janet] Thank you.
All right, Janet, we met five years ago in this city.
We did. I've been working here for 20 years as a travel show host.
I've always loved traveling, and when I moved to Taiwan,
I wanted to learn about Taiwan. My parents are from Taiwan.
-But you were brought up... -In Texas.
-Texan Taiwanese. -Right.
And Taiwan has so many surprises.
[Phil] Look at that.
[André] You have your fresh squid, which you picked just now,
together with the peanut butter and fresh sea urchin.
-Please enjoy. -Thank you.
[Phil] I will enjoy. I'm doing it.
Too much, you think?
You have a big mouth.
[Richard chuckles]
[laughs]
How is it?
Amazing.
When you say peanut butter uni squid,
a lot of people are not going to go, "I gotta have that."
But all the flavors are subtle. I'm scooping all this up.
-I want to lick the... -Lick the stone.
Stone.
I'm going to go around and lick all the wood.
I'm very lucky. Like you, I get to do this all the time.
Isn't this the best?
It's all right.
[Janet laughs]
I would love to have you on my show because on my show
we do all sorts of crazy things, like jump out of airplanes.
-Ah, I'm never doing your show. -[Janet laughs]
-Bungee jump, swim with sharks. -No.
-Swimming with sharks? -No!
Sharks are okay. Then everybody can see you in a swimsuit.
Nobody wants that. Anybody clamoring for that?
-That's pretty. -[André] Second course, you picked Wagyu.
And tuna belly.
What you see is the Wagyu cured with kombu salt.
And then we only kept the oil that dripped out from the tuna belly,
so you get the punch from the tuna belly.
-You don't see it, but it's so present. -You taste it.
[giggles]
-Chef. -That's good.
-[Phil] That's amazing. -Mm-hmm.
You can show your kids, this is what a good brother is.
[laughing]
-Watch this, kids. -Like a baby bird.
[amusing music playing]
Oh man.
-[Phil] Right? -Yeah.
-[Phil] It's crazy delicious. -That's gonna make me cry.
[laughing]
I used to joke I could be their dishwasher
because I literally want to lick their plates clean every time I come.
-Ready? -Shall we?
[Richard chuckles]
This is why I love you.
[laughs]
-Not everybody will do this with me. -Oh, really?
Eating with your hands and face is the best.
I wouldn't do this in a full restaurant.
[Janet laughs]
But you'll do it on TV.
-[laughs] -Yeah, I'm not very bright, but...
[laughing]
Boy, I'm so happy to see you again.
[André] Well, you picked something pretty unusual.
You guys picked the goat cheese and caviar for dessert.
-Hmm. We made an ice cream with it. -This is the cheese course.
Yes. And instead of the sea salt, we used the caviar on the top
to bring the savoriness.
Then I made something that's probably closer to your heart. Burnt marshmallow.
-Hee-hee. -Wow.
Chef André, I love you.
[Janet laughs]
[André] You have half of the responsibility for your creation.
-Happy to help. -[André laughs]
[laughing]
[upbeat music playing]
[Phil] Less than an hour from the middle of the city
is the old town of Jiufen.
And to lead me down Jiufen Street
is the beautiful Ivy Chen.
Ivy is a great chef and cookbook author,
and we're getting here early right as Jiufen Street opens for the day.
[Ivy] Jiufen, it's gold-mining village in the early time.
-They literally found gold in these hills. -Yeah.
[funky music playing]
[Phil] People come to this market for, I'm guessing, food.
[Ivy] Of course.
[both laugh]
-You like this? -I like a sweet potato.
-I like chocolate. -[Ivy, in Mandarin] Just like this.
-[in English] Which one is that? Yes. -Chocolate.
Wow. That's...
[Phil] Aha! Ready?
[Ivy] That's yours.
It's a little bit messy.
Yes, welcome to the a-little-bit-messy show!
[laughs]
[Ivy] That's a sweet potato.
[Phil] Mm!
That's a sweet potato. You're a sweet potato.
-You are so sweet. -You are so sweet.
[laughs]
Who doesn't like this?
It's like the best of Paris and Taiwan in one place.
Ivy, where do we go now?
[Ivy] We're looking for delicious food.
-[Phil] Delicious food. I always find it. -More.
[Phil] You know why I find it? Because I go with experts who know things.
-Look out, Mister. -[Ivy chuckles]
What's this? It looks like matzo ball soup.
[laughs]
-[Ivy] This is a fish ball shop. -[Phil] Fish balls, okay.
-[Ivy] They have pork filling inside. -[Phil] Wow.
[Ivy] It's like a dumpling made of fish ball.
[Phil] Okay, do we share?
-You want to share with me? -Of course I'll share with you.
I don't know if I can eat everything.
I like it.
Oh, you get the wrong ball.
-I got the wrong ball. -Yeah. [laughs]
But it tastes good. I like it.
This is a squid.
-Squid. Inside? -Yeah.
I was going to say this soup is very chewy.
-I want to get the one you have. -Yes.
-How's the flavor? -Mm.
Very nice.
-I'm happy you enjoy it. -I enjoy it.
Yeah.
-Okay. Bye-bye. -Bye!
[in Mandarin] Thank you.
[percussive music playing]
-[Phil, in English] What do you call this? -[Ivy, in Mandarin] Rice cake.
[in English] Rice cake. They have so many different flavors.
I think I'll try the mustard green.
Me too. I think you'll like it.
Yeah, a little bit spicy.
-Very soft. -Very soft.
-Yes. -Wow.
[Phil] This mochi is so fresh and so soft,
so you're getting almost a sweetness from the green tea mochi
and the pickled mustard greens.
It's unlike anything I've ever had, and it totally works.
It's absolutely delicious.
It's worth waiting on the little line to get one of these.
I think it's the freshest mochi I ever had.
-[in Mandarin] Thank you. -[in Mandarin] Thank you.
[Phil, in English] We've worked up quite an appetite,
eating all that street food.
We're going to a pretty famous teahouse called the Amei Tea House.
If you think the place looks familiar, you're not alone.
Many people think it's the inspiration for a location in the movie Spirited Away
by Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki.
Wow. It sure reminds you of it, doesn't it?
[Ivy] Yeah.
[Phil] The Amei Tea House is very popular,
so I needed someone to hold the table for me.
[playful music playing]
[Monica and Phil] Ah!
-Welcome! -This is Ivy.
-Ooh! -Oh!
Nice to meet you.
-This is my girlfriend. -[Ivy] Oh!
-Forever girlfriend. -Well...
-Isn't this the big romantic spot? -Where people propose?
Isn't that what I've heard?
I would like to propose... that we have some snacks.
-I accept. -[Ivy] Okay.
-[Phil] Look! Snacks! -[Monica] Look at the snacks!
-Look at them. -Instant snacks.
Look at this view, people.
[Monica] Breathtaking.
[Ivy] Before we have the tea leaf...
-[Monica] Oh yes. -[Ivy] We need to warm the teapot.
-Just warming it up. -Yeah.
-[Monica] Is it heavy? -[Ivy] Yeah.
-[Phil] You're very strong. And then... -Oh.
[Ivy] Now the teapot is warm.
We are going to add a tea leaf in there,
and then you're going to appreciate the fragrance of the tea.
-Lady first. -Oh.
-I wish I was a lady. -You get the fragrance...
Of the tea from the mountain.
[Phil] Beautiful.
Now, I brew the tea, and I will wait for 20 seconds.
[Phil hums the Jeopardy! music theme]
You can sing a song.
[playful music playing]
[Phil] Look at that, look at that, look at that.
You could be sloppy. It's okay with tea.
-Aah! -I'm gonna try this at home.
Look, she's warming up the cups.
-Do you do this every time you want tea? -Mm-hmm.
-Every day. -Have you heard of the bag?
-What is the bag? -Tea bag.
Tea. What is a big tea bag for?
We're American. You go...
-What are you doing? -You want tea? That's it.
-This is beautiful. -So centering.
-A beautiful ritual. -This is very... Very meditation.
That's right. A Hong Kong master told me it may seem like wasting time,
but it's very important every day to waste some time.
-Yeah. -Right?
You deserve to waste some time.
That's right. So stop rushing me, Monica, always.
[laughing]
-[Ivy] Now this tea is ready. -[Phil] Now it's ready.
Now, enjoy.
Is there a Taiwanese toast?
[all speaking Mandarin]
Mm.
-Oh, wow. So many flavors. -A lot of flavor.
-[Phil] What a nice thing. -[Monica] So perfect.
Do you know, Ivy has a book coming out called Made in Taiwan,
'cause she's a great chef?
People of my generation will hear that title, and it'll resonate.
And I am also made in Taiwan.
[laughing]
You're the best thing made in Taiwan.
[Phil] That was such a lovely break, but it was just an intermission.
Monica, are you gonna try the Jell-O?
-[Monica] Yeah. -[Phil] Who wants the cherries?
Ivy's tour has one more stop, and it's a doozy.
[rock music playing]
[Phil] This is Keelung Night Market,
one of the best night markets in the world.
What do you do at a night market or any street festival with a lot of food?
You look for the thing you think you're going to like. Here's one.
Ivy, this says "one-bite sausage."
-Yes. -I can do it.
[laughing]
[Phil] With garlic. Fresh garlic.
Yeah, this is the way Taiwanese food is. Savory and sweet.
-Pop it in your mouth. The whole thing. -[Monica] Okay, I'm ready.
[Richard] Monica.
Mm-mm-mm!
-Next. -Next.
You know, I'm a health nut,
and I'm always on the look for something nutritious.
This is Nutritious Sandwich. Yes?
In case you're wondering what's in a nutritious sandwich...
-It's this. -Meat, vegetables, bread.
-Look, the bread is fried. Right? -Yes.
-With mayo. -Mayo.
[Phil] Deep-fried, sweet bread. [chuckles]
One hundred pounds of mayonnaise.
[Richard laughs]
There's a pickle.
-I'm taking the second bite too. -I'm sure you are.
Because all the nutrition is in the second bite.
You like it?
Wow.
Oh my.
It's so good.
It's hilariously nutritious.
[all laughing]
[upbeat music playing]
You know that Lin-Manuel was expanding?
[in Mandarin] Thank you.
[Phil] This is Pao-Pao Ice.
-[Ivy] Right. -[Phil] Pow-pow!
Wow!
-Oh! -Ready?
It's like ice cream.
Yay! Chocolate!
Get out of the way, Monica!
[in Mandarin] Thank you!
[Phil] I've put on a little weight since I've come to Taipei.
Can you tell?
[rock music playing]
[sizzling]
[Phil] Now it's time for a really great and fun restaurant
with a very special guest here in Taiwan.
You weren't expecting to see him.
Olympic gold medalist, first-round draft pick,
eight-time All-Star,
member of the 2020 Champion Lakers,
ladies and gentlemen, Dwight Howard!
He's playing professional ball in Taiwan now, and made time to meet.
Man, I've been telling everybody to come out here.
-Big change. -It's a real big change.
You know, as an NBA player coming from playing in America,
going 16 hours from L.A. and playing in Taiwan.
-Culture shock. -It's a culture shock.
But by me coming to Asia so much my whole life,
Yeah.
I was kind of used to it, like the foods, the spiciness of the foods.
-You like it? -I do.
-You love the food? -I do.
What's not to like?
Especially in the capable hands of a terrific chef named Kin Lam.
I was born and raised in Hong Kong. Longtail is my first restaurant in Taiwan.
We are really focused on cuisine, but also a cocktail program.
I'm not a big drinker-drinker, but some of this stuff looks cool,
like this bottle right here.
[Phil] Yeah, it's like an Easter Island man, right?
It's like he's calling me, like, "Drink me."
What is that?
This is pisco.
I've never had it, but I would definitely try it.
All right, I don't want drunk Dwight Howard.
I want real Dwight Howard.
I think drunk and real is the same person. That would be good.
[laughing]
-[Phil] Good. -[Kin Lam] So here's the first course.
[Phil] Oh boy.
Here we have the crispy nori rice, the Hokkaido uni,
and on top is osetra caviar.
Just grab a little of the ponzu foam and finish in like two bites.
-Okay. -I could do one bite, how about you?
-Have you had uni and caviar before? -Cheers.
-I have not. -Come on.
This is my first time.
It's good.
[Richard laughs]
By the time I'm finished, you'll have me wanting to eat everything.
That's right. I like your attitude, because a lot of people introduced to uni.
-That's the orange part. -Mm-hmm.
That's sea urchin.
The-the spiny things in the ocean.
-That's what that is? -That's the inside of it.
Aw, I feel bad, but it was so good.
[laughing]
[Phil] Don't feel too bad.
[Kin Lam] This is a pisco sour,
and Dusk 'til Dawn with mezcal and Maqaw pepper.
-Cheers. -Let me know what you think of that.
-Wow. Very special. -And that's from the...
-That was from the stone man, yes. -Okay.
What do you think?
I like this.
[Kin Lam] We have the shrimp slider on a brioche bun
and pickled onions on the top.
[Phil] Beautiful.
Whoa!
-Come on. -Let's get it.
-I love the slider. -It's so good.
[Kin Lam] Next course is the Wagyu beef, and you have scallion pancake underneath.
It's like a beef tartare.
We cut it, so just use your fingers.
-Like a pizza. -This is dope.
-[giggles] -[Kin Lam] Enjoy.
[Richard chuckles]
Mm-hmm.
[Richard laughs]
If you want to come to Taiwan, you gotta come just for the food.
That's right.
-For me, life is just an experience. -Yes.
So why not experience life, you know?
You're going to have some good food, some bad food,
but that's how you know what you like, and I think that's important.
A lot of times when you go to these different cultures...
-Yeah. -And you try the food...
-Yeah. -You talk to the people.
Now you're seeing like, "Okay, we're... we're the same."
-I'm giving my show to Dwight Howard. -[Rich] I know.
You're saying exactly what I say to everybody.
Listen to Dwight.
[laughing]
This is the next course.
We have the foie gras dumpling.
Wow! You ever have foie gras?
-Did you say Farquaad? -Foie gras.
I thought you said Farquaad. That's from Shrek.
That's Lord Farquaad.
[both laughing]
No. Foie gras. It's a French word for...
[Richard] Don't tell him.
-Okay. I'll tell you after. -[Richard laughs]
Here we go.
-Let's get it. -[laughs]
-Dumplings. -Cheers.
That's good.
I'm going to tell you what foie gras is.
-Okay. -That's French for goose liver.
-I like goose liver. -[laughs]
I just gotta say, someone who's as accomplished as he is
doesn't have to be as sweet as he is.
Here's what I like about you, and I read about you.
You're not just one of the world's greatest basketball players.
You're kind of an ambassador of goodwill as well.
For me, another word for charity is love.
I like to spread love no matter where I'm at around the world.
In December, I went through a whole two days
of going to different schools here, and it was called like a love day.
It was my birthday, actually.
So instead of celebrating my birthday by going out...
-You gave out presents. -Having a good time, I went out...
Because I want to show people like, hey, it's not about me.
You know, it's about all of us.
That's wonderful.
If you'd like to donate also to Dwight's charity,
The Good Shepherd Social Welfare Foundation...
I want to thank you for this beautiful meal.
-Thank you. -We loved it.
-[Kin Lam] Thank you. -Thank you so much.
-[in Mandarin] Thank you. -Thank you.
[in English] We need a walk.
I got the door for you.
I didn't realize you were this tall.
-I'm not that tall. -[Phil giggles]
[Phil] Taipei has a subtropical climate,
but there's food to try, so you just got to brave the heat, people.
[in Mandarin] Thank you.
Mm. Let's start with a pork bun.
[playful music playing]
Fried chicken.
[sighs]
Okay, next.
Scallion pancake...
with an egg inside.
Oh, mama.
I'd like to eat this every day, please.
Here's something I need to sit down for.
Pork rice at Wang's Broth.
[upbeat music playing]
[Phil] Chopped, braised pork belly over rice.
It's a classic Taiwanese dish,
and something I've wanted to try since the last time I was here.
What do you get at Wang's Broth? You get a little pork over rice.
You get a little cabbage.
You get a little bamboo shoot.
What do they all have in common? Pork.
[upbeat music continues]
So nice.
-[Richard laughs] -My struggle continues.
[Richard laughs]
[energetic music playing]
[Phil] Oh, wait.
[Richard] Oh!
Got it?
Aww!
[boy] I think it's stuck.
Next time you want to play a claw machine,
take your money and throw it down the sewer.
The Palais de Chine Hotel has a fantastic breakfast buffet,
and you know how Monica is about that.
It's embarrassing, really.
-I'll race you. -[Aaron] No, I'm so excited about this.
I'm usually first at a buffet.
-So this is classic Taiwanese breakfast? -[Aaron] Yes.
[Phil] Luckily, friends Martha Wang and Aaron Yang,
who's the host of a popular Taiwanese singing competition show,
are here to show us the ropes and the buns.
-Hello, chefs. -Hello.
[Monica] So I do have a question about what that is.
That is what we call [in Mandarin] rice dumpling,
[in English] which is like a rice dumpling and it's wrapped in bamboo leaves.
-Oh wait. Oh! -There it is.
-[Phil] Everybody needs this. -[Monica] I need everything, I think.
[Aaron] Over here, we actually have the peanut and sesame cold noodle.
[Phil] Yeah, I need that.
That is my youth in New York City. Cold sesame noodles.
How long ago was that?
A long time ago, Aaron.
[laughs]
[Monica] It was a very specific thing too. Two dollars.
Skippy peanut butter. It was a very American, you know...
It's just reminding you of that time?
It does, but this is the very good version.
I think this is unusual to a Western diet.
-Basically fried bread... -Correct.
-In bread. -[Aaron] Wrapped in bread.
I'm just noticing this is kind of a carb-heavy breakfast.
We walk a lot. [laughs]
I keep telling myself that.
Do you have meat at breakfast? Or eggs?
-We have that. -[Phil] Traditionally?
Like the beef soup that we have?
-Yeah. -Those are a kind of that.
-That's a big protein item. -Mm-hmm.
Or we have... [speaks Mandarin] [in English] ...which is the rice dumplings.
-[Phil] Let's try that. What's in here? -[Aaron] Yeah.
Normally, we have mushroom and shredded pork in them. I love it.
There's your protein. Vegetable.
Sticky rice.
[Aaron] And you get that scent of the bamboo leaves.
-Delicious. -[Phil] This is the winner so far.
I love everything. I couldn't pick. I wouldn't be able to pick one thing.
-Yeah. -I love it.
I put a little chili oil in it, just because I like it a little spicy.
-[Aaron] Are you going to share with us? -No.
[laughing]
[jazz music playing]
Hey, everybody. I've been shopping for snacks.
Here's something called Pea Crackers. Let's hope it's not what I'm thinking.
Wow.
-You can really taste the pea. -[Richard laughs] I knew that was coming.
This is something called patata.
Shrimp strips.
That's very nice. Just a little hint of shrimp.
Delicious, crispy fish skin, salted egg flavor.
That's fantastic.
Slivered almonds with little, tiny fish.
I smell the fish.
Oh.
I don't know what this is, but it's big.
This is well sealed.
Yes.
Oh. Little flaky crispies, it looks like.
Mm. It's buttery.
That's like a pastry. That's like a... Wow.
It's called this...
"Good Luck to You."
Do you like soup?
Do you like dumplings?
Then you're in luck because there's a place here famous
for putting the two together.
Yes. With delicious results.
Plump, folded bites of perfection,
soup dumplings' Mandarin name is xiaolongbao,
or XLB if you're in a hurry to eat them, which I usually am.
-Are you hungry? -[Brian] Yes.
[Phil] This is Din Tai Fung, which started in Taipei
and has since grown to become a global chain of soup dumpling happiness.
I'm going with my buddy, Melvin Mar, great producer of movies like Jumanji
and the TV show American Born Chinese.
And host of the late-night political satire, The Night Night Show,
who also happens to be Taiwan's most famous comedian, Brian Tseng.
We came here five years ago.
We ate at the original Din Tai Fung across the street.
I don't know if they do this everywhere, but they are proud of having
eighteen folds on each xiaolongbao.
-[Phil] Yes. -Yeah, it's precise.
I'm going to count. If there are not 18, heads are gonna roll.
[Melvin] Let's count.
-Hi, Karen. How are you? -Hi.
Very good. How are you?
-Karen remembers we came five years ago. -[Melvin] Really?
Yes. And since then she's served Tom Cruise.
-So it's a step down for you. -That's right.
We asked Karen for things to keep us occupied
until the soup dumplings arrive.
And while we wait...
What's the stand-up comedy scene here?
So there are about a hundred comedians in this whole country.
We all know each other. We're in the same group chat.
This is actually the first year that we're doing Mandarin stand-up
all over the world.
So you can speak in Mandarin in the United States...
-Yes. -And draw a giant audience.
Yeah, we sold out Hollywood's Laugh Factory.
I just did Taipei Arena two days ago.
-How many seats? -Thirteen thousand.
-Wow. That's great. -Melvin.
Not a small number.
No, that's awesome.
Congratulations.
That's really an achievement for a 15-year-old boy.
[laughing]
Exactly, right?
Did you do anything before comedy?
I was in academia before comedy.
So I have two masters in neuroscience.
You have two masters? So you could be a doctor?
Not a doctor, but, like a neuroscientist.
Do you know what my next question is?
-What did your parents say? -[laughing]
I get that a lot, yeah.
They didn't say anything. I tricked them into thinking
that I was applying for a PhD.
-Ah, neuroscientist. -Yes.
So I was like, I'm applying.
But during the night I was going to open mics
and I was telling jokes.
-They didn't know? -No.
You got some traction and had to tell them.
Yeah, then I'd bring home the money, and they're happy.
-So they didn't ask any questions. -[laughing]
He did it the smart way.
I didn't do that.
I told my father I was an intern for free,
and he told me I was a special kind of stupid.
[laughing]
Look at you now, Melvin. To tricking our parents.
There we go.
[all laughing]
-Excuse me. Soup dumplings. -It's Karen, everybody!
Yes, we do.
Please enjoy.
Wow.
[Phil] That's a beautiful sight.
Just going to stare at it before we eat it.
-Are you gonna... -Are you counting the folds?
[Phil] They're so delicate.
I like to take a little bite.
I went one bite, guys.
Oh no, too hot.
I'd like to have my tongue for the rest of the conversation.
I never could figure out how they get the soup in the dumpling.
-Yeah. -Do you know?
No. I'm guessing there's something that can dissolve when it's inside.
Very good. At first I thought it was a frozen cube of soup.
-No. -But it's jelly additive.
[Melvin] Jelly, I'd assume.
-[Phil] It's kind of ingenious. -Yeah.
[Phil] Look at that.
It's amaranth greens with yuba. Please enjoy.
[Phil] When you first took the stage as a comedian,
did you do well immediately?
Yes.
[laughing]
You know why? 'Cause he was a scientist.
-Yes. -[Phil] Yeah.
Most of show business is you're learning while you're doing it.
You start out not so good, and then hopefully get better.
Yes.
If you're gonna be a chef,
you don't start as a chef in the restaurant,
you start peeling potatoes in the basement.
-Unless you're Brian, apparently. -You just walk in and say, "I'm the chef."
[laughing]
[video call chimes]
-[Kevin] Hello. -Oh, there he is.
-Kevin McGahern, as I live and breathe. -[laughs]
How you doing?
You're in Dublin.
I'm in Dublin City, where the girls are so pretty.
They sure are. How you doing, Kevin?
-I'm good. How are you? -You're a dad.
A double father. Yeah.
Why would you do that?
[sighs] It seemed like a really good idea at the time.
Maybe I should ask, how did you do that?
Eh, I mean, I'm not going to get into the weeds...
[Richard and Phil laughs]
...about how that came about.
You know where I am?
I heard that the beef noodle soup in the lounge at China Airlines,
which, by the way, is the national airline of Taiwan,
is so fantastic that I had to have it.
-Your job is to eat food. -Look at the beef.
And you still are like a little kid in a sweet shop.
It's kind of adorable.
-Om! Om! -[Phil and Richard laugh]
-I... I didn't come here to be insulted. -[Richard laughs]
Where do you normally go?
Home.
-[chuckles] -[Phil] For those of you who don't know...
Kevin and I did a scene or two in Dublin when we did the Dublin episode.
I called you here today, Kevin,
because I know you're a fine, funny fellow,
and I knew that you would have a good joke for my father.
[inhales]
[exhales] Um...
Thank you very much. I feel honored.
We have a tradition of Paddy Irishman jokes here.
-Have you heard of these? -No.
They're kind of like racist jokes against Irish people,
but we love them so much that we sort of tell them to each other.
[Phil] Yeah.
It's usually revolving around being either alcoholic or stupid.
Well, I've got a couple prepared for you.
-Here we go. A joke for Max. -Here we go.
So, one night old Mrs. McMillan answers the door,
and it's her husband's colleague, Patty.
Patty's got his cap in his hand. He looks morose.
She's like, "Patty, what's going on? I haven't seen you since this morning,
since you and my husband went off to work in the Guinness factory."
And he said, "I've got some terrible news, I'm afraid your husband,
he fell into a vat of Guinness and died."
You know, no wife of a Guinness worker wants to hear this, Phil, you know?
And poor Mrs. McMillan is so distraught, tears rolling down her face.
She's like, "Oh my God, this is awful. I mean, did he at least go quickly?"
And the guy says, "Not really. He got out three times to pee."
[laughs]
-I'll give you another joke. -Yes.
This one you're probably not gonna be able to use.
I'll be the judge.
Paddy Irishman goes to the zoo.
And the zookeeper says,
"I don't know. I'm pretty worried. Our gorilla is in heat."
"I need someone to sort of relieve the gorilla."
"Would you know anyone who'd have sex with this gorilla for 500 euro?"
[Richard laughs]
And the Irishman thinks.
He goes, "All right, I'll do it, but I got three conditions.
"Number one, no kissing, right?
"Number two, none of my family can ever find out about this.
"Number three, give me a couple of days to come up with the money."
[Richard and Phil laugh]
I love you.
-What time is it over there? -11:35 in the morning.
That's not bad. It's a good gig.
Better than those nightclubs you have to stay out all night.
[laughs]
Of course, the pay isn't quite as good.
I was gonna ask you about that. Who do I...
-Look at the time. Gotta go. -Do I email you directly?
[laughs]
Kevin, everybody.
Good talking to you, man. I'll see you soon.
[bright music playing]
[Phil] Today we're going back to a place I first visited five years ago
and fell in love with.
This is called Mountain and Sea House
because they feature dishes from the mountain and dishes from the sea.
Here are all the people who have been so nice to be on my trip to Taipei,
plus my friend Julia Wang from L.A., who also happened to be in town.
Everybody's here, including my new buddy, Dwight Howard.
Up high.
[laughing]
Here comes trouble. Oh, hello.
-[all] Wow. -[giggles]
Dwight, have you met my friend lobster?
The nice people here start us off with a project.
Make your own spring rolls. What a fun way to eat, right?
Looks so pretty.
[cheery music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[Charlene] It's just so great.
[Phil] And then, the star of the show,
suckling pig.
If you like pork, that's gonna be some of the best pork you ever had.
I still haven't learned how to use these properly.
Give him a chopstick lesson.
You're going to learn in time to go back to Georgia.
[laughing]
Go like this. How you use a pen. Like that.
-[Dwight] It's too far, right? -No. Keep it there.
-[laughing] -This is so hard.
Okay.
This one is going to move.
[Janet] Yes!
[all cheering]
My wrist.
[laughing]
I've been here a week, and I don't think I've scratched the surface
of the food scene.
I've had a show for 16 years, and I haven't eaten everything.
-You know how we greet people here? -No.
To say, "Hello," you say...
[in Mandarin] ...have you eaten yet?
[in English] Which means, "Have you eaten yet?"
-That's hello? -That's hello.
[in Mandarin] Have you eaten yet?
[laughs]
-[Janet] Close. -[Phil] Close?
[both repeating in Mandarin "Have you eaten yet?"]
Yes. That's very good.
If you say that, every single Taiwanese mom will be like... "Ooh!"
[laughing]
That's what I'm going for! That's my demo.
[laughing]
[Phil] So, what did I tell you? Taiwan, right?
This is a great country, a beautiful island.
I recommend you come here.
Not only did I get to spend time with some of my favorite people,
but I met some new friends who've jumped onto that same list.
All while drinking in the beauty and culture of this wonderful place,
and eating.
Well, I'm going to have to come back,
because every single thing I had,
and I had a lot,
was absolutely delicious.
Some things are going to haunt me the rest of my life.
And then, for every one of them, there were a hundred that I passed,
I said, "How about that? "How about that?"
We just didn't have time. I didn't have the belly.
But I need to come back to get everything.
There's just so much to love about Taipei.
It's lesser-known than Hong Kong or Bangkok
or Kyoto or Tokyo,
but I'm telling you, it's as culturally rich
and as richly delicious as any of these places.
And the people are among the friendliest I've met in the world.
Thank you, Taipei.
[in Mandarin] Thank you.
♪ Somebody feed, somebody feed ♪
-♪ Somebody ♪ -♪ Somebody feed, somebody feed ♪
-♪ Somebody ♪ -♪ Somebody feed, somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Oh please, somebody ♪
♪ Somebody feed Phil ♪
♪ Somebody feed him now ♪