What’s the most extravagant banquet you’ve been to? Well, a temple in Central Taiwan’s Changhua County is about to challenge people’s definition of luxury eating.
You’ve heard of the saying ‘a feast fit for a king’, but what would you imagine a feast fit for a god would look like? Well, one temple in Central Taiwan’s Changhua County thinks it might look something like this: an 88-dish banquet that cost NT$4 million (US$145,000) to make.
Each dish is both a culinary and visual work of art. There are sculptures of forests made from ginger and god idols carved from taro. If you want style with your meal, look no further than this roast pig wearing aviator sunglasses and smoking a cigar.
These fascinating food creations are the work of Master Chef Hsieh Wen-fang and his family. Master Hsieh says that his goal was to create a miniature version of an imperial feast that one might have found in the Qing Dynasty.
There’s nothing “miniature” about anything on display here, though. Nor are any holds barred. 24-karat gold cups adorn the table alongside the extravagant creations.
This banquet is an annual event which the temple holds to honor the gods. Each year, organizers seek to do it bigger and better, but at 88-dishes this year, it’s hard to think how they’ll outdo themselves next year.