This is like saying that there’s no such thing as traditional American or Canadian food because it’s all based on traditional British food. Pizzas and hamburgers aren’t American foods. Corn and buffalo venison are the only authentic American foods.
Well, for one thing I’d say there’s a difference between traditional Taiwanese food and Taiwanese food.
Taiwanese food sucks. Traditional Taiwanese food is academic.
But I regularly say, when people ask me about Canadian cuisine, that there really is no such thing. I trot out a few examples like poutine or butter tarts, but point out that most people eat a lot of pizza and spaghetti and burgers. Perogies are an oddball popularity. Canadian Chinese food is further from mainland Chinese food than Taiwanese Chinese food, but there is a Chinese restaurant in almost every town.
So, yeah, it is like saying there is no Canadian food, which I also say. But the Canadian population isn’t as homogeneously British descended as the Taiwanese population is Chinese descended…
Offering up a few local ingredients, like bison or seal, is the best I can do but doesn’t count as a national cuisine
I think it’s a silly argument. Cuisine is often dictated or influenced by immigration, colonialism, history of trade (ahem, chili peppers in asia) and traditional foodstuffs, etc. Not to mention trends whether historical or current.
This is Canadian food. [Pemmican - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemmican#:~:text=Pemmican%20(also%20pemican%20in%20older,it%20is%20still%20prepared%20today.)
I’m still working on my list. I can think of a few pleasant suprises.
The amateur middle- and long-distance sports scene here is pretty damn good if you are a runner, triathlete, or like cycling. Swimming not so much but that’s changing. I’ll be doing a swim from somewhere in Keelung to Keelung Islet (5-7km, not sure yet).
The school system churns out some very capable people. I know there are many complaints, but if you don’t pressure your kids, and, for example, just ask that they do well in one or two areas, then your kids can be ready to handle most college experiences. My son does decently in math (we don’t ask that he does well in Chinese) and he has time to pursue his passion of playing the drums.
It’s about the only way to defend Taiwanese food, I guess. Say it is good by disqualifying most of it as “not taiwanese food”.
This is very different to my experience. Do you live in the south?
I’m not sure this is a “myth” about Taiwan, but I expected the weather to be hot or warm all year round. Typically the temperature in winter hovers around 10°C in the winter, which shouldn’t be that bad. But there’s something about the climate in winter that makes it feel a good 5° or more colder (or hotter in the summer) than whatever it actually says, so that it ends up feeling like 2° to 5° on a regular basis. The temperature is also very changeable, so you can never adjust to it. I actually find the winters in (north) Taiwan pretty bleak, and it’s definitely something I wasn’t expecting.
Taipei has had computer control system for its traffic lights since 1975.
And in 50 years they haven’t gotten any further in the rest of the island? 1975 technology at best isn’t high tech
I can only conclude that those must be pretty badly programmed computers, based on my experience every day in the capital.
Guy
I very much largely agree. That’s why I “insist” on definitions of words being used properly. Not so much about insisting, more just about respecting a nations cuisine and not allowing a foreign food to over run its deeper historical importance. It’s very acceptable that Chinese food is the norm here. Its also the cheapest and whatvme and TT tend to shit on the most. Becuase its cheap garbage. But that doesn’t represent taiwanese food… it represents cheap common slop available to everyone. I’ve experienced this in every country I have been in. It’s not like Taiwan is unique in the ability to provide low quality food for to people without money or fucks given.
I don’t insist, obviously, but I will respect the local culture and cuisine which is night and day from Chinese cuisine which is the common food available within this country (Taiwan). If we are being honest, Chinese food isn’t even a term as they have such a broad range of cultures that their cuisine types are vastly variable. where i was born (western canada)“chinese food” was a severely bastardized version of Cantonese food made by people escaping oppression. It hardly reflects the cuisine, and it would be disingenuous to pretend that is “chinese food”. Moreso just noodles with sugar and soy sauce, hardly representive of the nations excellemce.
No one can legitimately deny either of those facts. Taiwan absolutely has a very rich proper cuisine. It is, sadly, very expensive for people not involved with said cultures. Price points don’t, however, negate the fact it is taiwans local cuisine.
As we go back and forth (I hope you get the shits n giggles like I do doing this), the semantics are actually quite important. Taiwanese food (ie. Cuisine) is actually quite amazing. Even Canadian foodie ketchup and kraft dinner addicts can enjoy taiwanese food, although it’s still probably way more expensive than similar quality food in Canada, despite their inflation. That’s just an unfortunate reality, Taiwan is more spendy, we need more money here. Perhaps a hard concept for some people to grasp, but again…objective reality, not an opinion. It’s taken me many years to overcome . My preconceived notions on this point. Hut by now, it’s undeniable…
As can the highest level of Michelin styled chef.
- Taiwnaese food is objectively fantastic.
- Food in Taiwan, is a different story.
Much like Mr. TT, I have massive reservations on the business and rofl out aspects of food in Taiwan. Too many middle men, greed, etc. Much of the food sold is trash. Sadly, out of That trash food is foreign. Namely Chinese cuisine. But I need to point out most of this food isn’t taiwanese food, its chinese food made here and served here. Japanese and americam/western as well. A very important distinction.
If we called some dead rotting fish in Cambodia served raw and called this Japanese food, they would also be up in arms about how that’s not Japanese food. The Joyful style old school American diner style In Japan is also trash, no one calls them on it as “Japanese food”. At least, I wouldn’t. Thus is the point, it’s worth thinking deeper into why a national cuisine matters. French chefs would be angry as fuck with the African land snails being farmed, canned and sold as their signatory dish that represents their country. Same goes for everywhere.
Respect the place. The cuisine. Then let’s get on with logistics and standards like we should of a few thousand posts ago 
Edit. This is all about myth. I also subscribed to Taiwan being shit at certain things, once upon a time. I, reluctantly, had to concede I was wrong eventually because the cuisine was, and is, on point! Now that I have been humbled a bit, removed the ego, I can openly admit I was wrong. Best if i (everyone, actually) can focus energy on improving quality rather than thinking the cuisine sucks. Cause it doesn’t. What truly sucks is taiwans society in terms of demanding quality. If anything, the teachers and parents are more to blame than the cheapo eateries selling garbage chjneae food at low prices. Know better.
They have upgraded in Taipei many times.
I’m sure I could find out many more details of the traffic control systems in other cities in Taiwan with a few Google searches. But I think I have done enough to show that the initial claim that Taiwan does not use sensors and computers to control traffic is inaccurate.
That would not surprise me at all. Taiwan is very good at hardware. As we all know, software is not something Taiwan excels at. To put it mildly.
It’s a little hard for me to judge since I still frequently marvel at how much traffic in general and flow in particular has improved since the late 1980s and early 1990s when Taipei was like Bangkok or Jakarta. I didn’t think it was possible to fix Taipei’s traffic nightmare. But they improved it far more than I ever imagined was possible. Plenty of room for improvement but we have come so far.
Let’s compare notes in a decade. I expect further improvement.
Dear god please yes.
Guy
It was an example of how Taiwan is not high tech, supported by the fact (which we have all seen), that the lights are poorly timed and often manually controlled. If there are computers in the system, they are either not high tech or are so poorly designed that they might as well not exist
My point stands, reality does enough to support my initial claim.
Even living in Italy where it’s regarded as a place having one of the best cuisine the world has to offer, the amount of shit restaurants here is incredible.
When you know what good quality food is supposed to be like whether it’s a homemade style or fine dining restaurant, it’s hard to accept some of what Italy has to offer. Lots of tourists traps open up and tourists don’t know any better. Even Italians will go to these low quality restaurants because of the price.
The best is to cook from home or stick to a few good restaurants we know for us.
The rise of cheap low quality and frozen food is everywhere even in a place like Italy. You’d be surprised to see how many Italians buy things like frozen pizza at the grocery. It’s truly sad.
That’s the issue. But no one says Italian food is shit. Because it is good. Much like taiwanese. You xna certainly buy shit in Italy, and everywhere. That’s not news
I think a lot of people are bitter because they lack the ability to seek out better. Whether it’s a language barrier, social network issue, financial constraints, flavor preference or otherwise.
If people that love loads of msg, oil and sugar and can have fun in say China, myanmar or Thailand. Great. That’s subjectively good. I only have issue with people saying taiwanese food is objectively shit. It isn’t. It’s great. It just isn’t available to everyone, largely due to price points. On the subjectively front, anything goes. In that sense its all fun n games.
Last time I was in Trader Joe’s they had frozen pizza imported from Italy. Maybe it’s the good stuff.