Cooking and sharing a meal with strangers can turn a chilly evening into a lively gathering filled with laughter, camaraderie, and unexpected connections. From learning how to devein shrimp to swapping stories over a home-cooked feast or dinner table, these experiences show how food has the power to break the ice and create lasting memories.

Fires and ghost stories haven’t prevented the proliferation of Southeast Asian restaurants surrounding a historic shopping center from creating a novel blend of cultures and cuisines. When a fire broke out on Chenggong Road in Taichung’s Central District in mid-November, it brought back vivid memories of a mid-1990s spate of blazes that destroyed property in…