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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
One of the best ways I’ve found of exploring the larger cities in Taiwan is simply choosing a location and walking around. It’s through this method that I’ve discovered places like Shuanglian Castella Cake, amazing bakeries, and all kinds of…
Given the choice between a warm or cold dish of the same kind, I will often default to wanting the cold version. I also love eating different types of noodles. It’s no surprise, consequently, that I love Taiwanese sesame paste…
Traveling in Taiwan, I’m lucky to have Mandarin speakers around me. If it was just me exploring the island, I’m not sure that I would have seen all the things I have so far. I’m grateful for this. That said…
Los Angeles has cheese rolls from Porto’s. New York has babka from Zabar’s. Taichung has sun cake? When I first went to Taiwan and asked friends what they wanted me to bring back, time and time again I heard sun…
