Ever Hear Other Asians Say They Like Food in Taiwan?

[louisfriend]

Ever talk to other Asians while traveling in other Asian countries and they mention how Taiwan is known for delicious food and you wonder what the hell they're talking about?

[Chris]

Ever talk to other Asians while traveling in other Asian countries and they mention how Taiwan is known for delicious food and you wonder what the hell they're talking about?

Depends on where they're from. I have yet to hear a Singaporean, Malaysian or Thai make such a statement. Perhaps for obvious reasons.

[louisfriend]

I have yet to hear a Singaporean, Malaysian or Thai make such a statement too. But when I hear Koreans and Japanese say it it baffles me. Both places have much better food options imo and is the main reason I look forward to visiting those places. Even the lunch boxes from family mart and 7-11 there taste pretty good.

[KeLun]

I have yet to hear a Singaporean, Malaysian or Thai make such a statement too. But when I hear Koreans and Japanese say it it baffles me. Both places have much better food options imo and is the main reason I look forward to visiting those places. Even the lunch boxes from family mart and 7-11 there taste pretty good.

It boggles the mind when it comes to konbini food indeed. Japanese 7/11, Family Mart and Lawson will go over everything at least twice daily when it comes to fresh food in the store, bento, salads, onigiri, pasta, and they remove anything that doesn't look good immediately, never mind about to expire of course. Walking into a konbini in Taiwan you're first hit by the smell(s) ( which by the way, what the hell is it that smells so rotten in so many different ways ? ) and anything in the fresh department looks like it's been there for at least a couple of days -- which I assume it is not the case, but if so, then one has to really wonder why it looks so bad. Salads are downright disgusting.

I remember thinking the first few days in Taipei that I'd never had any trouble with food as long as the konbini chains were the same as in Japan. Boy, was I mistaken.

That said, your best bet to understand the Japanese fascination with the food here is to buy an actual Japanese guide of Taiwan and check the places they recommend. They usually are spot on, and food is indeed excellent. How they find them, I don't know. Best places I've ever eaten in Taipei and New Taipei were shown to me by Japanese, not locals.

[lostinasia]

That said, your best bet to understand the Japanese fascination with the food here is to buy an actual Japanese guide of Taiwan and check the places they recommend. They usually are spot on, and food is indeed excellent. How they find them, I don't know. Best places I've ever eaten in Taipei and New Taipei were shown to me by Japanese, not locals.

That is a fantastic piece of advice. Thank you.

[louisfriend]

Ya, I'll have to try that one, seems like it's worth a shot

[Belgian Pie]

They bring magazines and food travel guids to experience Taiwan's food culture!

[KeLun]

They bring magazines and food travel guids to experience Taiwan's food culture!

In many cases, the guide publishers in Japan just forgo the book form and make a regular magazine out of it. I'm tired of seeing the monthly Taipei one in my local bookstore, hell, it's a tiny bookstore and there's a whole aisle for these things. How many changes can there be from month to month in Taipei ? They're really popular though, and well made, very focused on detail. Pick one of these and you've got an instant list of places to eat, most will be good.

Many of these guides and magazines are made for Japanese women who travel alone and want every little thing worked out in advance, to have a safe and pleasant trip, and not "waste" time looking for things or walking around, just go straight to the right place to eat or the little curious hidden shop to buy.

[Elegua]

I love food. I live to eat, not eat to live. Personally, I think Taiwanese food is near the top of the heap in Asia. It's light, and tasty and I love the flavors of chili, basil, garlic, cilantro and ginger...the one downside is that it can tend to run a bit sweet. While lacking some variety, the quality of product and seafood in Taiwan is really outstanding - and no where have I found the same quality of fruit. In the month that I've returned, I've been eating at restaurants that maybe I haven't been to in 20 years. Some are mere ghosts of what they used to be now that the second generation has taken over. Some are still stars....

When I was stationed in Singapore I made it a personal mission to visit every hawker center on the Island. In a year and a half, I think I got about 80% there. Great flavors, but a bit repetitive and not so subtle. Hong Kong probably had the worst food of anywhere - bland and overpriced...worse even than China. Maybe it was just too subtle for me. Thailand also has great food, but the Thai are food snobs and basically sniff at anything that's not Thai. Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised by Korean food and felt let down by Japanese food. Way too subtle for me.

[tommy525]

Singaporeans blog glowingly bout food in Taiwan.