此篇論文從歷史與政治經濟的角度，重新檢視一向被認為昀具傳統氣息與地方風味的夜市飲食在近年所經歷的轉變。臺灣社會常將夜市小吃攤視為以家庭成員為基礎的「微型企業」，地方特色、真材實料、家庭傳承的烹飪方式，加上「小吃賺大錢」等論述，更造就夜市小吃的傳奇。這個夜市小吃（攤）的刻板印象雖仍普遍存在於臺灣社會，但臺灣的夜市與小吃在近年都歷經相當顯著的變化，例如，在近十年間，夜市成為臺灣觀光工業裡重要的一環，地方政府廣泛以「觀光」的名義合法化夜市，經濟結構的轉變導致許多中、低階級進入攤販行業，政府放鬆對夜市的管制及中國觀光客大量湧入各大夜市；另一方面，我們也可見到社會消費能力普遍降低、過去生產夜市商品的傳統製造業大量外移、網路商業運作的盛行及消費文化的全球化。本篇文章即是從這些巨觀的政治經濟過程出發，以討論夜市小吃在內容、經營方式與傳統意涵上的轉變。

This article will examine Taiwan’s night market foods, perceived as traditional and local, from an historical and political-economy perspective, and document changes in recent years. Night market food vending has always been seen as carried out by profitable small-scale enterprises formed mainly by family members producing authentic foods with family-based culinary styles. This view is still stereotypically accepted in Taiwan, in spite of the fact that night markets and foods have both undergone significant changes in recent years. On the one hand, night markets have become an important sector in Taiwan’s tourist industry, which has given local governments an opportunity to enact legislation to control this sector and develop the institution of “tourist night markets.” Changes in Taiwan’s economic structure have also led many middle and lower class people to set up night market stalls. The economic downturn has also forced the state to relax its regulations on vending. On the other hand, we also see that as Taiwan’s consumption power decreases, with the manufacturing sector moving out of Taiwan and increasing globalization of consumptive styles, the growing popularity of internet trading is gradually replacing the traditional retailing sector. This paper will discuss how these macro political-economic changes have transformed night market foods in respect to food items, management, and meanings.