I’m also gonna miss the Carrefour brand ultra sparkling water… that stuff was ultra carbonated, way more fizz than just the regular ones out there… fortunately, Simple Mart also has a similar product, so will have to get it from there now.
Le Chia Kang (樂家康)? Where does this come from?
Uni-President (the parent company) has clarified that “Le Chia Kang” is only used for temporary, internal corporate/branch registrations. It is not the final, official storefront brand for public use.
Funnily enough I’m European but I was not a big fan of their own brand products such as jams, biscuits etc , I found them pretty processed and watered down. British and Irish have better brands and products in that regard IMHO. But supermarket brands are supermarket brands what can one expect The value and diversity of imported products is what I will miss. For instance my wife is afraid the beetroot will disappear. Sardines are my thing local supermarkets just don’t stock them. Taiwan is not an easy place to purchase many common western foods, which is why I laugh when people say Taiwan is highly Westernised . Oh yes because it has 711 and Family Mart, Japanese convenience stores ?
True story: a couple of weeks ago, I grabbed some Made-in-France Carrefour branded biscuits with milk chocolate as they were being cleared out half price at the Zhonghe store. I nearly choked on their sweetness! Evidently, I’ve become accustomed to the Japanese way of adapting French stuff—effectively cutting the sugar in half.
That being said, I don’t think Carrefour’s exit is a positive development. Would you trust U**-Pres**dent [Adapted to avoid potential lawsuits. 
] more than these guys? They are pretty much the worst in terms of lousy processed goods.
Guy
Uh… Japanese stuff are pretty sweet too.
I am speaking strictly of how Japanese adapt French products relative to their French originals, not commenting on the sweetness of red bean or other popular Japanese concoctions.
Guy
When they change their name to Big 7 they can have the 7-11 branded hotdogs 
Was that the guilin store?
I thought there were more koreans than anyone else. I guess they just stand out the most as they are fairly loud and most koreans look distinctively korean.
The one (big, not express) near Minquan West Rd. station.
OK maybe my assessment was right then. I feel like the customers in that one are not so tourist heavy.
Gui lin carrefor is like a tourist destination in of itself, especially for koreans.
If you are talking about the one in Ximending , definitely Koreans make a beeline for that place.
yeah, probably because of the plastic surgery.
yes, I used to live just around the corner from there. I would hear Koreans all the time, I guess for some reason Koreans patronize the hotels in that area.
back on topic, one thing that I have noticed missing now is real parmesean cheese. There was an Italian brand (not Carrefour brand) that was reasonably priced for its size, could usually get it on sale for under 300… nowhere to be found now, even in the fancy Tianmu Carrefours. Does anyone know what I’m talking about, or has seen it at any other Taipei area stores? Now I have to go to Mia C’bon and pay out the ass for the real stuff… I mean, what they have is good quality but it’s farking expensive.
Plastic surgery and they also just have a look. Very homogeneous looking people. Taiwanese look quite varied in comparison.
The Costco cheese is OK, but a bit waxy.
It was the little Korea of Taipei for a long time (up into Ximending around Changsha St.) I guess the legacy carries on
What approximate years are you thinking of?
All this is new to me!
Guy
Going back 30 plus years, but hanging on for a long while after. Didn’t hear much about it in recent years.