Imperial Ginger Duck Restaurant 132, Chang Jiang Rd., sec. 3, Ban Qiao, Taipei County (02) 2253-0360 Hours Open:

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      Once, when he was very ill, restaurant founder Tian Zheng De received a Chinese medicine prescription and was told to use it with poultry only. Tian decided to use ducks instead, as these were less expensive at the time compared to chicken. This turned out to be a brilliant choice. For many weary travelers and Taiwanese in general, the aroma of ginger duck is as familiar and soothing as milk and a mother's warmth is to a new-born baby. Tian invented a special way to slice the duck so that it not only looks nice on the plate but also goes down easy. It¡¦s hard not to notice an entire wall lined with rice wine bottles and the rich fragrance of the ginger duck. The specialty soup items on the menu are Ginger Duck (NT$250), Sea Cucumber Chicken (NT$400), and Lamb Milk Chicken (NT$400). Side dishes worth trying include Mocha Bamboo Shoots (NT$120), Golden Vermicelli (NT$30), Yu Shan Mushrooms (NT$50), Duck Intestines (NT$50) and Duck Meatballs (NT$50). -- By Yi-Wen Chen, translated by Aria Chang (±`¦u·ì)

<Healthy traditional Chinese dining for the winter>