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…
Cage-free eggs at supermarkets and vegan fare at restaurants are just some of the changes taking place as part of a movement spearheaded by local animal rights groups and conscientious businesses. The sound of clucking chickens isn’t something usually associated with shopping in a supermarket. But roll your shopping cart past the egg section in a…
The scenic eastern county offers a wide variety of Hakka, Hoklo, and indigenous foods. By Steven Crook & Katy Hui-wen Hung Like other tourists, foodies often begin and end their visits to Taiwan in Taipei. Some go as far south as Tainan to try that city’s “little eats” (小吃, xiaochi). If they do head over…
What does it mean for a food to be described as “Q” and what is the derivation? A decade or so ago, the restaurant reviews by local writers in the Taiwan newspaper where I was features editor often dwelt at great length on the chewy nature of certain dishes. To vary the wording, the reviewers…
After living in Taiwan for two decades, regular Wine & Dine contributor Mark Caltonhill returned to his native UK at the end of 2013. Now he’s back and looking at what has changed on the food scene. Returning to Taiwan after a five-year absence, my initial reaction was that prices seemed a lot higher. Currency…
Mandarin Oriental General Manager Karan Berry’s 23-year-long career in hospitality has taken him from India to Indonesia, and now to Taiwan. To successfully run a luxury hotel, he says, you need to understand and respect not only the most visible parts of the operation, but also all of the various back-end roles – what he…
