肉夾饃初體驗 / First Time Trying Rou Jia Mo

近年來，因為短影音強大的傳播力，許多中國小吃漸漸也在台灣遍地開花，我知道「肉夾饃」這道陝西小吃，是在電視節目上介紹的，我還記得，節目中稱它為「中國漢堡」，可能是因為和西方傳過來的漢堡做法類似，都是用麵團發酵後的產品夾著各種肉餡類產品，肉夾饃是饃餅中間夾著肉餡，而隨著餅和餡及料理方式的變化，有不同的軟硬、口感、與風味，因為特色小吃流傳到不同地區後，往往會多多少少根據當地特色加以改良，衍生出在地風味的特色美食。

之前有朋友相約大夥去一間內湖排隊名店，叫做劉老太老潼關肉夾饃的餐廳用餐，這家店除了肉夾饃之外，還有水盆羊肉湯、蘿蔔羊湯、蘿蔔羊骨湯、月牙餅和酸梅湯等這些料理可以組合成單人套餐或雙人套餐，其中最經典的搭配，當然就是經典肉夾饃加上水盆羊肉湯，可惜當時有事未能成行，遺憾沒能品嚐肉夾饃，這次，我在傳統市場閒逛，找東西填飽肚子的當下，剛好看到有家攤販有賣肉夾饃，就買來試試看味道。

我看看，攤販招牌上寫著「你沒試過的東方漢堡」來招攬過往客人，可見得很多人都像我一樣，對肉夾饃很好奇，攤販提供兩種口味，都是七十元台幣，以中部的物價而言，算是偏貴，肉夾饃的話，北部價錢會在九十元台幣上下，中南部則會來到五十到八十台幣之間，都比在地傳統小吃的價錢貴上不少，我猜，它賣的是主要是新鮮感。

烘烤至金黃色澤、外表酥脆的麵包，裹著酥爛鮮嫩的碎肉，鹹香肉汁與香甜麵包的結合，加上微辣的口感，讓我一口接一口的吃，我算是吃個新鮮，比我想像中好吃，我心中暗道，其實它有點像傳統早餐的燒餅油條，但是油條用碎肉取代，也有點像是特色小吃的刈包，不過，夾內餡的麵包用燒餅取代，當然，美味好吃的肉夾饃，一定有些學問，不一定是外行人看看，就可以抓的到精髓的，美食就是最好的語言。

In recent years, thanks to the powerful reach of short videos, many Chinese snacks have gradually spread across Taiwan. I first learned about "Rou Jia Mo", a Shaanxi snack, from a TV program. I remember they called it the "Chinese burger", probably because, like Western burgers, it's made by stuffing various types of meat fillings into a bread product that’s been fermented. Rou Jia Mo is a type of bun with meat filling, and depending on the type of bun, fillings, and cooking method, it can vary in texture, taste, and flavor. When specialty snacks spread to different regions, they often get slightly modified to suit local tastes, evolving into unique local delicacies.

A while back, some friends invited me to go to a famous restaurant in Neihu called "Liu Lao Tai Old Tongguan Rou Jia Mo". Besides Rou Jia Mo, they also serve lamb soup, radish lamb soup, radish lamb bone soup, crescent-shaped flatbreads, and sour plum juice. You can mix and match these dishes into individual or two-person sets. The classic combo, of course, is Rou Jia Mo paired with lamb soup. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it that time, so I missed out on tasting the Rou Jia Mo, which was a bit of a regret.

This time, while wandering through a traditional market, looking for something to fill my stomach, I happened to spot a vendor selling Rou Jia Mo. I decided to give it a try. I noticed that the vendor's sign said, "The Eastern Burger You Haven't Tried", clearly aimed at drawing in curious passersby like me. The vendor offered two flavors, both priced at NT$70, which is a bit on the expensive side for central Taiwan. In the north, prices for Rou Jia Mo tend to hover around NT$90, while in the central and southern regions, they range from NT$50 to NT$80, generally pricier than traditional local snacks. I guess what they're selling is the novelty factor.

The bread, baked to a golden brown with a crispy exterior, was stuffed with tender, flavorful shredded meat. The combination of the savory meat juices and the slightly sweet bread, with a hint of spice, made me keep taking bite after bite. It was tastier than I expected, and I thought to myself, it's actually a bit like the traditional breakfast of shaobing and youtiao (flatbread and fried dough), but with shredded meat instead of youtiao. It also reminded me a bit of the Taiwanese gua bao (pork belly buns), but with flatbread instead of a steamed bun. Of course, a delicious Rou Jia Mo definitely involves some skill—it's not something you can fully grasp just by looking at it. Good food really is the best universal language.

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