Instead ppl counting coins is efficient. Indeed. Might very well be my professional deviation as a director of a credit card dept at an FI, but cash is inefficient tbh. QR codes r inefficient too, contactless via nfc is the most efficient aystem, but Asia really want to do it different.
It comes down to most common tech availability. Years back when many of the payment startups in Taiwan started not every phone had NFC. Apple did not share their iPhone NFC API until EU forced them much later. Apple and Google were using their monopoly to push their payment solutions and hindered other payment providers to adapt NFC.
But every phone has a camera and display to handle QR-Codes for any app to use.
5 years ago I wanted to use Google Pay and some banks were not great about it
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Chinaās effectively cashlessā¦ everyone uses alipay or whatever. I agree cash is inefficient as hell, and having to carry change around is a pain. This is not counting keeping cash secure.
On the other hand, credit card companies and everyone else knows more about your buying patterns than you do if you use other payment methods. One time, I was back in the States, and there were daily credit card offers for me arriving in the mail at my parents house (my address of residence, since a US address is needed). My dad said āI think theyāre tracking youā. No 
theyāre tracking me ā I booked a flight with a credit card to the nearest international airport to their house and every single thing Iād bought since getting there was also bought with a credit card. If I was using cash (and not using any rewards programs) there would be no way for anyone to know that I bought a sandwich at 11:37 AM and then spent $64.32 on groceries at Trader Joeās at 12:56. Cashless is great in theory but only if you donāt care about your privacy.
So in a mom and pop shop they will wash hands between every single customer??
Huge delays and no skin left on hands!
You donāt have one member of staff handling both food and money. If only one person is available then, yes, they have to wash their hands.
This is s standard rule of hygiene.
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As we know, for life in Taiwan ārulesā are overrated.
I can only hope that what doesnāt kill me will help make me stronger. 
Guy
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I was in a large Carrefour restaurant area washroom. After having a leak and grateful there was no old woman cleaning and watching for a change, I gave my hands a good lather before dinner.
And of the 4 other men who used the toilet on this occasion, of course zero washed their hands. But one was wearing a cookās apron and hat. I couldnāt see what restaurant and I did a little tour to find out but couldnāt
So i skipped dinner, and now I donāt eat at any restaurants at that carrefour any more. Fortunately, I almost never did, anyways
People have said I need to learn to appreciate the subtle flavors of Taiwanese food. I donāt think Iāll develop a taste for the local sausage seasoning.
And cooking at home means fewer stomach issues. Seems like an awful lot of food poisonings here, Taiwanese food is great!
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And the rest of the population are germaphobes.
Maybe, kinda. People walk around coughing and sneezing in each otherās faces and nobody cares. The handwashing thing is pretty ubiquitous. The masks are for social anxiety, not germs, thatās why people pull them down and sneeze on handsā¦ and so onā¦
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Just my personal observations. But ya, giving a bill or some change, the counter giving back change is so insanely fast compared to digital lag, connection issues, flaws with internet, people jot understanding 10 different apps etc. Iām not proud to still do retail work sometimes cooperating with various companies, and each time itās the same situation. Same as when I got to 711 to buy say a water, Iām waiting mostly for the phones, not for cash. Maybe that will change. Bring on the hand chips!
There is a far deeper concern is physical currency isnāt legally bound though. I think thatās the main point. No issues with having extra options, even if they cause longer lines 
On the flip side, of course B2B type stuff is all digital. But goes through a bank proxy for safety. Online is also digital, impossible to use cash. There are those exceptions where digital only makes sense.
