Creative Taiwanese foods calendar to tempt your tastebuds everyday

By Shelly Yang, The China Post, Taiwan |
除了美食插圖外，每張日曆都有對應中西方年曆月份、生肖年、二十四節氣、十二月星座，及其主要食材或製程 | In addition to the culinary illustrations, each calendar features the Chinese & Western calendar month, the Chinese zodiac, the 24 solar terms, twelve constellations, and its main ingredients or recipe.  (Courtesy of 飛行模式Flight Mode)

TAIPEI (The China Post) — Food can help you boost both physical and spiritual strength. When art and food are combined, longing for food can also help relieve your stress.  

Thanks to illustrator Chi Chi and designer Goyen, “Flight Mode” design studio has recently created the “365 days Taiwanese Foods Calendar” with the help of a crowdfunding platform. The calendar features an authentic Taiwanese delight to tempt your tastebuds every day.  

365days台灣美食月曆 | 365days Taiwanese Foods Calendar (Courtesy of 飛行模式Flight Mode)

A total of 365 dishes from across Taiwan — pearl milk tea, big sausage wrap small sausage, stinky tofu, Xiaolongbao, rice dumpling, and Fish Head Casserole — are included in the list, all beautifully illustrated.   

Fish Head Casserole (Courtesy of 飛行模式Flight Mode)

In addition to the culinary illustrations, each calendar features dates according to the Gregorian and Lunar calendars, the Chinese zodiac, the 24 solar terms, twelve constellations, and the main ingredients for each recipe.  

Each date demonstrates the importance of solar terms that guide people’s lives through eating special foods, performing cultural ceremonies to promote Taiwanese food culture.   

更值得一提的是，日曆以手工量身訂做的「便當盒」作為包裝設計，大大提升整體精緻程度。  | It’s also worth mentioning that the calendar is packaged in a hand-made “lunch box”, which greatly upgrades the overall sophistication of the calendar.   (Courtesy of 飛行模式Flight Mode)

The design of the outer frame is based on the edge of the paper-cut for window decorations.   

With a few round elements on the calendar, the design echos the Taiwanese saying of  “round on the outside and square on the inside.”  

Speaking of the colors, the designer said that twelve colors are used to distinguish months for easy identification.  

Speaking of the colors, the designer said that twelve colors are used to distinguish months for easy identification.   (Courtesy of 飛行模式Flight Mode)

It’s also worth mentioning that the calendar is packaged in a hand-made “lunch box”, which greatly upgrades the overall sophistication of the calendar.  

It’s also worth mentioning that the calendar is packaged in a hand-made “lunch box”, which greatly upgrades the overall sophistication of the calendar.   (Courtesy of 飛行模式Flight Mode)

Since the launch of the 365days Taiwan Food Calendar on Oct. 27 of this year, the fundraising platform has raised NT$350,000 (US$12,301), far exceeding the target fundraising amount of NT$200,000.(US$7,016)  

Depending on the combination, each set of calendars ranges from NT$819 (US$28.73) to NT$39,950 (US$1,401).  (Courtesy of 飛行模式Flight Mode) 

Depending on the combination, each set of calendars ranges from NT$819 (US$28.73) to NT$39,950 (US$1,401). 

In response to the design, many took to Facebook, saying that “This is super cute.”  

Some wrote: “Bought it! 2021 Every day I’m hungry!” while another said that with this, you don’t have to worry about what to eat anymore.”  

A foreign social media user also asked: “Who is responsible for getting fat?”