Every year, as I weave my way through the chaotic crowd gawking at the colorful assortments on display, some of which are quite overwhelming to my senses, I am reassured time and again that this will be one of the most delightful memories of my "Taipei Days" that I am really going to miss later. Admittedly, the free samplings of seemingly endless varieties of savory treats and yummy candies influence my opinion to a certain extent. However, I love the buzz, the chaos, the color--all of which provide exciting photo opportunities.

So, if you haven't visited this place yet, please do so this CNY, to discover the soul of Taipei that remains rooted in traditions but often gets lost in urban glitz. Be forewarned, it's awfully crowded at night, when the bazaar is at its thriving best--mornings are a lot more sober.

Two weeks prior to CNY, all of Dihua Street is turned into a sort of fairground where temporary stalls are set up to make shopping more convenient and time effective during CNY. This entire area then becomes off limits to traffic, other than pedestrians. The dates are from Jan. 18 to Feb. 5 this year.

Readers must be exasperated by now, reading the term "traditional CNY goodies" a number of times, so here's some helpful information. Chinese society being an agrarian society, food is very important for any celebration, and each one has its own specific traditional types. During CNY festivities, as the family members gather around "the hearth" on New Year's Eve to enjoy the family dinner, or the many snacks consumed over the long CNY holiday, a continuous supply of food is ensured.

One such traditional item is called "Southern and Northern Dried Goods"(南北貨), the name probably given to encompass all dried food items available in the north as well as in the south of China, as well as Taiwan. They are divided into two groups: mountain- or land-produced goods and marine-produced goods.

Mountain or land products include dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, lotus and various other seeds, various nuts, and so on. Marine products include items such as dried scallops, dried shrimps, small salted fish, dried eel, cuttlefish, abalone, shark fins and so on. As fish (yu, 魚) has a similar pronunciation as abundance (餘), it is considered an auspicious dish to have during CNY, and dried fish sales rapidly increase.

One vendor, who identified himself as Mr. Wu, mentioned that the sale of "Southern and Northern Dried Goods" has increased multifold in the past few years. Dried scallops sell like hot cakes--his exact words were "re dangao" ( 熱蛋糕 )--and he further adds that good scallops are golden yellow in color and have minimal salt coating. Considering the Chinese fetish for prosperity, the golden color may have something to do with their popularity. Well, that's just an educated guess on my part.