The southern approach of cuisine is grounded on the culinary heritage of Guangzhou (Canton). Rice is the staple diet for the Cantonese. Cantonese cuisine is not only abundant with variety, but it is also colorful and unique. Cantonese chefs take pride in their cooking. Fresh ingredients are used daily to retain the unique flavor and texture of each dish, which is only lightly cooked.

Guangzhou's most omnipresent specialties are Dim Sum (snack). Often eaten at breakfast or lunch, dim sum are savory dumplings stuffed with prawns, beef, pork, and other surprises the chefs can think of. Cantonese people would often hound the restaurants or coffeeshops early in the morning for their daily dim sum meal. Trolleys laden with steaming dim sum are wheeled through dining rooms so that you can glimpse and choose. Some restaurants have a menu for dim sum. But the fun of eating dim sum is when you get to delight yourself with the wonderful colors and smells of the various choices of dim sum and choose according to your stomach's desire. While other parts of China also produce dumplings, the Cantonese style transcends all in variety and delicacy.

Besides dim sum, there are other equally inviting Cantonese dishes. To name a few are Roast Duck, Barbecued Pork, Poached Chicken with Scallion Oil, Roast Suckling Pig, Roasted Pigeon, Steamed Fish and Greens with Oyster Sauce, and Shark's Fin Soup with Boiled Abalone being the most expensive dish. Fine southern-style eateries can be found easily in Taipei.