When you go, eat like the locals. Tuck into big portions, don’t waste time standing in line, and enjoy the freshest beef soup in Taiwan. Soft-shell turtle, freshly slaughtered beef scalded in broth, hearty portions, and sugar, sugar, sugar. That’s some of what you’ll encounter when dining in the southern city of Tainan, a prime…
Taiwan’s ubiquitous night markets are cleaning up their act, becoming more environmentally friendly, providing better entertainment options, and exploring new markets to accommodate the island’s changing demographics. It’s twilight and drizzling, and the backlit signs in the Tonghua Night Market flicker as they come to life. Vendors set up their stalls as a motorbike with…
Taiwan’s capital offers some of the best, most affordably priced Japanese food outside of the Land of the Rising Sun. Taipei may have the best Japanese food in the world outside of Japan. The range and quality of the city’s authentic Japanese restaurants are exceptional. In the days before 24/7 mobile internet connectivity, this was…
The mass market is growing fast, driven by Prosecco and Cava, while Champagne still dominates the high end. Red wine has long dominated Taiwan’s wine market, buoyed by the brand power of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Most white and rosé wines have struggled by comparison. Sparkling wine is an exception. Champagne has a strong brand here,…
Taiwan is uniquely placed to benefit from the application of information technology to agriculture, enabling it to help provide food for an expanding global population. After becoming a world leader in semiconductors and other electronic products, Taiwan is now looking to smart agriculture as its next vine to climb. The island aims to supply much…
When winter weather arrives, a soak at one of Taiwan’s many hot springs is an attractive way to ward off the chill. Certain foods are also said to help achieve the same purpose. “Cold” is, of course, a relative term. For those coming from overseas locations with harsh winter climates, Taiwan’s cold season might seem…
The Michelin Guide Taiwan ventured outside of Taipei for the first time in 2020 and explored Taichung. Four restaurants earned Michelin stars – JL Studio, Fleur de Sel, Forchetta, and Oretachi No Nikuya – and the choices revealed the stark differences between the Taipei and Taichung culinary scenes. By Sunny Wu, CommonWealth Magazine Founded in…
In the nearly year-long absence of international travelers, Taipei’s hotels have begun shifting some of their focus to their food and beverage business, offering attractive package deals and coming up with new, delicious ways to draw in the island’s domestic travelers. As international travel to Taiwan ground to a complete halt last spring following the…
It is hard to know what 2021 will bring us, but it appears that travel will not be a big part of the agenda, at least in the first half of the year! As per tradition (Don Shapiro informs me this goes back to 2003), the Wine & Dine edition of TOPICS will help provide you…
By Steven Crook and Katy Hui-wen Hung Families across Taiwan continue to engage in an ancient tradition of offering up ritual feasts to their ancestors. One clan has been performing these rites in the northern city of Taoyuan for over two centuries. Ancestor worship is an ancient and persistent custom among Han Chinese. Traditionally, deceased…
