What’s the opposite of Japanese or Chinese characters emblazoned on clothing in the western world? English on eastern-sold clothing. One of the things you’ll notice, walking around Taiwan, is the sheer number of clothing sellers. Clothing shops are especially prominent at night markets where they often bookmark the ends of these markets with loud pop and EDM music. Step into…
I previously wrote about how bakeries are big thing in Taiwan. With just how many good bakeries there are across the island, I’m always surprised when one manages to stand out. Driving back from dinner, we made a pit stop at a bakery called Wu Pao Chun (吳寶春麥方店 / wu bao chun mai fang dian). I didn’t know anything about…
Ever since having a sandwich (三明治 / san ming zhi) for breakfast, I’ve been fascinated by how Taiwan has elevated the humble food item into a statement of its connection to the West. Many time over, I’ve found even simple white bread sandwiches remixed into something delicious and even unique. Case in point, located a short walk from Gongguan Station…
Is there anything cuter than the packaging for Asian foods?! Well, maybe mascots are a little cuter. Still, there’s something definitely different about the look of, say, a candy package in the US versus Taiwan. Taking a walk around Poya, a kind of Taiwanese Walgreens, it becomes apparent just how different packaging is in the East versus the West. For…
Towards the top of best meals I’ve had in Taiwan sits places like RAW (a fine dining establishment combining French and Taiwanese cuisine) and Aquatic Addiction Development (a series of restaurants preparing fresh seafood). What else I would add to this list is a buffet in a mall in Taichung called, Eat Together Buffet (饗食天堂 自助美饌 / xiang shi tian tang…
Though I don’t agree with the war, I am intrigued by the history of Japanese colonization of Taiwan and its impact on both culture and architecture. One unique building from this era that I had a chance to check out in Tainan was the Hayashi Department Store (林百貨 / lin bai huo). The Hayashi Department Store is a six story building located…
My first exploration of Tainan (台南市 / tai nan shi) was a little abbreviated, to say the least. Because of a packed itinerary earlier in the day, we didn’t have as much time as we would have liked to explore the city. When we got into the city though, much of the touristy places what we wanted to explore weren’t…
I previously experienced Jiufen during the day. It was fun to look out towards Keelung City (基隆市 / ji long shi) and the rest of the northern part of Taiwan from the various vista points. The many travel blogs I had seen about Jiufen (九份 / jiu fen) though, showed a vastly different look at night. I knew I wanted…
Living in Los Angeles and having Taiwanese friends from college, I was aware of how some Taiwanese food was packaged for an on-the-go meal. More specifically, I knew that bento boxes existed in Taiwan, but I thought they mostly took the form of railroad box meals (台鐵便當 / tai tie bian dang). Granted, I was eating at sit-down restaurants, many…
One thing Taiwanese people like is their steak. From giant chicken steak (雞排 / ji pai) to beef steak with noodles (牛排鐵板麵 / niu pai tie ban mian), a huge slab of meat is never really far away in most major Taiwanese cities. I previously wrote about some of these experiences in Taichung. Here’s a deeper dive into the steak meal…
