Tainan hosts big banquet to culminate 'Tainan 400'

Tainan, Dec. 30 (CNA) The Tainan City government on Sunday hosted a nearly-500-table banquet featuring dishes showcasing the southern Taiwanese city's cuisine.

Held at the International Conference Center, the large-scale indoor feast represented the culmination of "Tainan 400," a series of cultural events organized by the government to promote the city.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) welcomed guests at the mass event whose tickets were advertised at NT$1,200 (US$36) per diner.

When asked by reporters what his favorite dish was, the mayor said: "I liked every one. There wasn't any one I didn't like."

The massive banquet's menu was a collaborative effort by four renowned Taiwanese chefs -- Wang Yi-yung (汪義勇), Shih Tsung-jung (施宗榮), Hung Chun-nan (洪俊男) and Kuo Yu-hung (郭育宏) -- that leaned heavily on classic Tainan flavors.

Dishes included "Tainan-style Buddha jumps over the wall" (a rich soup), "Shaohsing sea prawns" and "Oily grouper" (a sea bass dish).

Entertainment was provided by Dutch opera singer Martin Hurkens and a musical ensemble from Tainan National University of the Arts that played guzheng, a kind of traditional Chinese stringed instrument.

Organizers had originally planned to serve 400 tables, each seating 10 diners, but high demand for tickets led them to increase the total number of tables to 488.

According to Tainan City's Tourism Bureau, the southern Taiwanese city of nearly 2 million residents has a "unique banquet culture."