Fans flock to Taipei Main Station bright and early for bentos

Fans flock to Taipei Main Station bright and early for bentos

2024-06-07

The Formosa Railroad Bento Festival kicked off on Friday, drawing huge crowds to Taipei Main Station. Early birds arrived at the crack of dawn to line up for the hottest bento offerings. The Taiwan Railway Corporation aims to attract some 500,000 visitors, to generate more than NT$10 million in revenue.

Eel, mackerel, and pork neck glisten like gems in a nine-compartment surf-and-turf bento. Even baked lobster and abalone make an appearance, tucked inside this themed ceramic box.

The four-day Formosa Railroad Bento Festival opened Friday. People began gathering early in the morning, eventually packing the lobby of Taipei Main Station.

Member of public
I got to Taipei Main Station when it opened, at around 4:30 a.m. Why so early? This is something of a hobby of mine, because I’m a rail fan and highway enthusiast. And the bentos they’re debuting at the festival have never been sold before.

Member of public
I arrived around 7 a.m. Today I’m buying the E3 and E8 railway bentos for my collection.

One fan arrived at 4:30 in the morning to buy the Yamagata Shinkansen bento, a feast of fried chicken and rice balls. There’s also a beef edition of the Yamagata bento line. Another boxed meal features a Rakuten Girl cheerleader on the cover, to stand out on the shelf.

Member of public
If you buy one, you can take a photo with the Rakuten Girls. I got up really early to come out here.

Tu Wei
Taiwan Railway Corporation chairman
This year’s event is grander than ever. As far as revenue is concerned, we project bento sales of more than 10 million.

Featuring 53 vendors, this is the first bento festival organized by the rail operator since it became a corporation. The Taiwan Railway Corporation hopes the festival will continue to be a prime source of revenue for the company.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

"鐵路便當節"開賣湧人潮民眾清晨4:30就來排隊

2024-06-07

鐵路便當節，今天開賣，吸引大批民眾塞滿台鐵廣場，為了購買日本新幹線便當，甚至有民眾清晨4點半就來排隊，台鐵預估，今年便當節能吸引50萬人參加，希望營收能破千萬。

鰻魚、鯖魚、松阪豬，海陸滋味，全都裝進九宮格便當，就連焗烤龍蝦、鮑魚，也變身列車陶瓷便當。

鐵路便當節開賣，吸引大批民眾清晨來排隊，幾乎把台鐵廣場塞的滿滿滿。

[[民眾]]
“(4點半)那個北車開門的時候就過來，怎麼會想說這麼早，就一個興趣，因為我是鐵道迷和公路迷，再加上說他這一次新出的便當，都是目前還沒販售過”

[[民眾]]
“大概7點(來)，(今天買)E3跟E8(列車便當)，我就是有在收藏”

為了山形新幹線便當，有民眾清晨4：30就來了，仔細看，酥脆炸雞、飯糰，還有山形牛便當。甚至有便當封面，放上樂天女孩照片，搶人氣。

[[民眾]]
“買的話可以跟樂天女孩合照，就是很早起，出發這樣子”

[[台鐵公司董事長杜微]]
“今年規模更盛大，所以在營收的角度，我們應該可以破千萬”

台鐵公司化後，首次舉辦便當節，擴大規模，共有53家業者參加，希望金雞母便當，能成為台鐵後盾。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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