Recent years have seen a surge in high-quality pasta restaurants offering diners a taste of authentic Italian cuisine. STORY AND PHOTOS BY DINAH GARDNER When Chiara Colognola arrived in Taipei 11 years ago as an exchange student, she quickly started missing the food of her home country. So when a local friend invited her for…
A guide to the differences among the many dishes confusingly all referred to as “dumplings” in English and some practical advice on how to rate a dumpling restaurant. STORY & PHOTOS BY DINAH GARDNER Served in a bamboo basket or piled up on a plate, dumplings are a staple favorite in Taiwan. They can be…
With an intriguing history and rich culture, Taipei’s Roosevelt Road hosts many more interesting attractions than first meet the eye. This story begins in a bookstore. The sky is overcast, but a soft glow from the overhead lights inside SMC Publishing (南天書局), a Taiwan-focused academic bookshop in Taipei’s university district of Gongguan, creates a comfortable…
A recently completed paved path connecting coastal bike routes in Hsinchu and Miaoli allows both casual and committed cyclists to enjoy a diversity of natural scenery and manmade phenomena, although parts of the trail could use some refurbishing. It’s not the most auspicious start to a trip. My bus driver inexplicably ushers me off one…
An emerging business model in Taipei leverages the high demand for food delivery, the power of big data analytics, and the agility and reduced overheads associated with cutting out the dine-in portion of the restaurant. The rapid growth of these ghost kitchens has raised concerns about their environmental and social impact, however. This must be…
Long devoid of options for authentic Latin cuisine, Taipei in recent years has seen the emergence of several restaurants serving up delicious fare from all over the Americas. With Central and South American countries accounting for more than half of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies (even taking into account Nicaragua’s surprise departure last month), you’d be forgiven…
The launch of Taiwan+ in late August attracted the attention of many observers, some of whom praised the platform for its sharply produced and well-reported content. Yet concerns remain over whether a state-funded media outlet can be a truly objective source of news and information on Taiwan. Britain has the BBC; the U.S. has NPR,…
As more countries, concerned about academic interference, begin to close down the China-facilitated Confucius Institutes on their university campuses, Taiwan is in a unique position to fill the gap by exporting its Chinese-language teaching expertise and drawing more students to the island for language study. At the end of 2020, then American Institute in Taiwan…
Despite the prevalence of satellite data, traditional map-makers continue to tell remarkable stories with historical and contemporary images of Taiwan. In the age of smartphones, satellite data shows us the world in real-time to an accuracy of up to 30 centimeters per pixel with just the tap of an app. How can traditional maps, produced…
For most citizens and long-term residents, Taipei 101 is likely not on their radar as a source of leisure and entertainment, though some recently added attractions may convince even the pickiest of fun-seekers to pay a visit. Photos courtesy of Taipei 101 If you ever get lost in Taipei, you can always orient yourself by…
