Taiwan has so many oyster dishes, and they are all relatively cheap.
Why is it then so hard to find raw oysters anywhere…
Are the oysters in Taiwan extra unclean, and if so, should we be eating them at all.
Is it a preference of taste for the Taiwanese. Was there some major event where people got really sick and everyone has been scared every since.
I need answers!!! 
Most of the oysters are polluted to the point they need to be cooked. You can get clean ones in Yunlin and Penghu. If you’re desperate and live in Taipei, the Oyster Shed imports very good oysters. It’s at Yuanshan.
Taiwan waters are too warm to grow what people consider quality oysters to eat fresh.
A combination of pollution with small and tasteless oysters so are mostly used as fillers.
Can go to Southwestern Taiwan along the coast and see unlimited oyster farms and women sitting on the side of the road shucking oysters with piles of shells higher than a man can stand.
Japanese restaurants frequently have fresh oysters imported maybe ~$100 and up for one.
I noticed few of the high end buffets have raw oysters now. They used to be much more common.
There are imports from France available, probably less now due to shipping/logistic issues.
You can find raw oysters in any larger supermarket
The already shucked ones in plastic bags? I wouldn’t want to eat them raw.
That’s the typical ones I saw over there and at the markets. Yes, they don’t look like the raw eating type 
I went to a great all you can eat, can’t remember the name but it cost around $1700, and yeah, was surprised they didn’t have raw oysters there. Plenty of awesome sushi and other cools things tho that more than made up for it.
I’ve had nice proper raw oysters twice in the last couple weeks.
Both places were Japanese restaurants and didn’t go looking for them but they were available and good.
aaa BELLAVITA OYSTER BAR has proper oysters
Didn’t they in the basement close like 2 years ago?
I was there about a month ago, so I believe that are still open
Awesome, maybe they only closed for the remodeling and reopened again.
Time to go!
Also near Yuanshan, I’ve had giant raw oysters at the all you can eat buffet at the Santos Hotel on Chengde Road. They had notices on the table warning people not to eat too many. That was a few years ago though, and Google Maps lists it as still closed due to covid. I wonder if it has reopened or ever will…
And they are still open, was there last week. Choice of different origin oysters. 2000 NT$+ for six.
I appreciate that it’s market forces, but that’s a bit pricey
Or you can have a seafood platter for about 1600 NT$ including 3 different oysters, and a bottle of white wine for 1800 NT$.
I see oysters sold at the market for 300 or so per bag, and oyster omelettes aren’t that expensive. What’s so special about these oysters costing nearly 2000?
You can eat them raw without getting the shitters or other nasty belly bugs. And they taste different from the local ones, and even the different origin ones taste different from one another.
So oysters eating raw are raised differently?