Outgoing AIT Kaohsiung director shares family’s night market favorites

Outgoing AIT Kaohsiung director shares family’s night market favorites

2026-06-04

Neil Gibson, head of the American Institute in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung branch, has reached the end of his three-year tenure. Before leaving for his next post in Tokyo, Gibson invited FTV to tag along as he visits his favorite place in town: Ruifeng Night Market. In an unexpected twist, it turns out that his family’s favorite night market food is none other than stinky tofu!

- Hello everyone, I’m thrilled to have the chance to show you what I consider to be the best night market in all of Taiwan: Ruifeng Night Market.

We followed Neil, outgoing chief of the AIT’s Kaohsiung branch, to his favorite stomping ground during his three-year posting.

The first stop is for a cup of taro sago. The fresh taro blended into a velvety puree is certainly a Taiwanese classic. In a blink, he’s already finished most of it.

Neil Gibson
Outgoing AIT Kaohsiung head
I forget who first told me about it, but my son and I both love it. I’m almost finished!

Continuing on, Neil next stops for some diced steak.

Big chunks of beef sizzle on the griddle before they’re seared to perfection with a hand torch. The scent already has Neil’s son impatient to dig in.

Neil Gibson
Outgoing AIT Kaohsiung head
This is American beef, but made the Taiwanese way. It symbolizes how the US and Taiwan are good friends. Best friends!

Hearing that Neil was headed to the night market, the whole family put in their orders.

Neil Gibson
Outgoing AIT Kaohsiung head
Since Ruifeng Night Market always has new vendors, you can wander around and take your time. When my family heard I was coming, I got a huge list on Line of things to order.

This next stall is his wife’s go-to Taiwanese food.

Neil and the owner are good friends. They start chatting away as soon as he walks up.

Stinky tofu stall owner
Surprised by Gibson’s Mandarin
At first, before he started talking, I didn’t know his Mandarin was so good. He’s been here many times with his wife. They’ve brought their kids, too.

By ordering stinky tofu and asking for extra chili sauce, Neil breaks the stereotype that foreigners can’t stand the pungent dish.

Neil Gibson
Outgoing AIT Kaohsiung head
Cheese is made from fermented milk, right? It’s the same concept. I went to Shenkeng once and bought raw stinky tofu to surprise my wife. I brought it home, got a pot of oil, heat it up boiling hot, and put the raw Shenkeng tofu in. Immediately, my wife shouted, “What are you doing!” Our carpet, couch, clothes, everything smelled so bad.

Time really does fly. By fully immersing himself in daily life here, this outgoing foreign officer forged lasting bonds with the people of Taiwan.

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

#AIT #NeilGibson #Kaohsiung #nightmarket #stinkytofu #RuifengNightMarket #AITKaohsiung #TaiwanUS #USbeef

任期屆滿即將離台 AIT高雄分處長分享”全家最愛臭豆腐"

2026-06-04

AIT高雄分處長張子霖，調派到高雄三年的時間，任期屆滿，接下來要派駐到日本東京，在離開台灣前，他帶著民視的鏡頭，來到他在高雄期間最愛逛的高雄瑞豐夜市，而且大家一定想不到，他們一家人最愛的夜市美食，竟然就是臭豆腐！

“大家好，我很開心能有機會給大家介紹，我覺得全台灣最好的夜市，瑞豐夜市”

跟著前AIT高雄分處長張子霖Neil，走進他派駐高雄三年來，最喜歡的瑞豐夜市。

第一站先來一杯芋頭西米露，新鮮芋頭攪拌到變成綿密芋泥，濃濃台灣味，才一轉眼，已經喝掉大半杯。

[[前AIT高雄分處長張子霖]]
“不知道誰給我介紹，但是我、老三、我們都很喜歡，我已經快喝完了”

繼續跟著Neil的腳步，來吃厚切骰子牛。

大塊原片牛排，在鐵板煎台上加熱，再用噴槍炙烤，撲鼻而來的牛肉香，讓Neil的小兒子迫不及待想開吃。

[[前AIT高雄分處長張子霖]]
“這是美國的牛肉，但是台灣的做法，就是代表美國和台灣，我們在一起都是好朋友，更好”

聽到Neil要來逛夜市，家人早已列出長長清單。

[[前AIT高雄分處長張子霖]]
“因為這個瑞豐夜市，他們經常有新的店家，也可以來就慢慢看，我家人聽到我來這裡，我已經收到我的Line，有很長很長的單”

接下來這家，更是Neil老婆必點台灣味。

老闆娘跟Neil有如好朋友，一見面就是閒話家常。

[[臭豆腐老闆娘]]
“我第一次因為他沒有開口，我不知道他中文講得這麼好，他跟他老婆來過好幾次，他也帶小朋友來”

來一份臭豆腐還指定要加辣，顛覆外國人討厭吃臭豆腐的既定印象。

[[前AIT高雄分處長張子霖]]
“起司有牛奶要發酵對不對，那是一樣的想法。我有次跑去深坑，我買這個生的臭豆腐，我要給老婆一個驚喜，帶回家以後就準備了油，熱熱熱熱熱，然後就放這個生的深坑的臭豆腐，然後就馬上我太太說”你做什麼！”，我們的地毯、我們的沙發、什麼的、衣服都很臭”

時間咻一下就過去，這位超台分處長，用最貼近台灣庶民生活的方式，跟台灣人做朋友。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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I spent over a decade going around to different markets with my wife. Getting my own stall back home was more stable. We didn’t have to move around anymore.

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Many people know about these classic things. It’s just the younger people these days who have never had it.

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Market for zongzi picks up as Dragon Boat Festival approaches

Dragon Boat Festival is still a few weeks away, but zongzi are already selling fast. These sticky rice dumplings, usually filled with meat, are the festival’s signature food. One traditional zongzi store in Changhua’s Lukang Township already received an order of 400, while the Changhua Fisherman’s Association’s eel zongzi are also rising to the challenge.

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- There ae lots of thin bamboo shoots, and lots of mushrooms too.

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This year the Changhua Fisherman’s Association froze the price, giving it cheaply to our customers.

With both traditional stands and the fisherman’s association freezing the price of their zongzi, this year’s market is sure to be competitive leading up to the Dragon Boat Festival.

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Lu Chih-hung
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We could never find the culprit before. But this time, we caught the Kaohsiung City Animal Protection Office red-handed in the middle of releasing these strays.

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He thinks I shouldn’t ask him to wear pants. But I think everyone should be treated with respect, no matter our jobs. It’s his home and he can wear whatever he wants in there as long as he’s not interacting with me. It’s none of my business. But when you’re meeting a stranger, you should show basic manners.

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