San Min Rd is out on the way to Neihu, past the Songshan Airport. Go E along Minsheng or Nanjing and you’ll hit it eventually, then turn left to get to Tescos.
brian
I know this doesnt change your argument re: dodgy offers which must have been a real pisser, but just for the sake of accuracy : Tesco Taiwan senior management here is & always has been British. The Tesco here is directly connected to the “main Tesco” . This is the first time outside of the UK that they have set up thier own stores from scratch rather than buying an existing retailer & converting the stores to Tesco.
I go there about once every 2 months for the Indian Curry sauces (shame on me ).They also occasionally do a home delivery service through th ecommunity services centre. This was great when the nearest shop was in Taoyuan. Now I guess they are esily accessible to all in Taipei.
I’m surprised. I thought that everything we had in Tainan, they had at least 3 or 4 in Taipei. The only problem I’ve had with the Tesco on Junghua Rd. is that the fruit they stock isn’t fresh - cheapest fruit in town but half of it’s halfway the way to rotten.
Anybody ever tried any of those Tesco beers? They sell’em in 4-packs of 440 each. The cheapest are 15 NT a can - can’t beat that for bang for your buck in Taiwan. Of course there’s a catch - it’s about some of the foulest brew I’ve ever tasted. Real bottom of the barrel stuff. But when I was low on funds, 5 or 6 of those would do me for the night - less than a 100-note to get me good and fucked up. And hey, after you’ve managed to cop a buzz after the first can, you barely notice the taste of the remaining.
THe own-brand draught bitter with the widget is OK for guzzling, and the own-brand bottled pils is also not bad. Almost a pity that none of them shall ever again pass my lips. And to think, I used to make special trips just to buy their high-bake water biscuits.
British management, maybe, but they still have to Taiwanese-ify it. My guess is there was no offer.
What does TESCo stand for intialials for what. TES company but is TES? Total England Service Co.?
I heard B&Q is named for Bartleby & Quentin, the original founders.
and fnac is some kind of Frenchy thing. Federation of blah blah blah…
but what is TES CO?
2 questions:
- How do you get to the Taoyuan Tesco store by public transport?
- (The really important question) Do they stock Branston Pickle? I have recently developed a craving for Branston Pickle…aaah, the thought of it is making me drool! Also mango chutney…drool, dribble…
Juba, I’ll be making a trip out there soon. I’ll let you know.
Good new and bad news Juba. First the bad: No Branston. Now the good. Yes, mango chutney, and … Tesco’s own-brand Branston pickle. And picallilli too, if you’re into that. Oh, and Maryland corn relish. And pickled baby beets that’ll turn your piss neon pink.
But none of them will ever grace my table.
Went down to Tesco’s a while back, they were selling off own brand (white label) baked beans for NT$6 a can… i bought a truck load (my guess is noone in Taiwan eats baked beans!!) getting pickled onions here is great too… even weetabix…
Tesco’s also do a good line in Indian curries, just add chicken breast and simmer for 20 mins… voila chicken tikka… I go down there once in a while to stock up with all the old fav’s… the usual local stuff is no cheaper and often a little more expensive than other stores…
Things i could not find include: cornish pasty & sausage rolls 
Tescos has very limited English produce. There are no bangers for instance.
What is with local supermarkets anyway? Be it Geant, Costco, Carrefour, there are always three aisles of snacks and not much else.
But they do have Cumberland and Lancashire links, which are not too bad.
No way!
I scoured the meat shelves looking for anything remotely resembling a banger on Saturday. Dagnabbit!
Lancashire links…uuuuuggghhhh (Imagine Homer Simpson)
Oh well, maybe they’ve stopped doing them – its several months since they stiffed me, thereby ensuring that I’ll never again grace their store with my free-spending presence.
Last time I was there, the links were in the butchery department, beside the local-style sausages.
Formosa:
Yes, I was going to mention wannabe Thatcher corrupt dictator Shirley Porter. I lived in her fiefdom for nine years. I do have to give a grudging nod of approval to her sponsored trash cans. Her Tardis toilets were nice for getting 20 minutes of warmth on a cold winter night, but no replacement for all the public toilets she closed down, leaving people to piss in any alley or doorway they could find.
Apparently New York was about 20 years behind Europe in getting the Tardis toilets.
Tardis toilets - the French had them first!
The Westminster Tories also closed down the public baths where down-at-heels people like me could get a free bath. Because they were always “full of smelly tramps,” they told me. Yes, that was the whole bloody point of them, you stupid Tory morons.
Juba,
Did you do a Down and Out in Paris and London?
[quote=“sandman”]Oh well, maybe they’ve stopped doing them – its several months since they stiffed me, thereby ensuring that I’ll never again grace their store with my free-spending presence.
Last time I was there, the links were in the butchery department, beside the local-style sausages.[/quote]
I checked; only the candy-links were available. I’ll just have to make my own.
I have a feeling that they are just getting rid of much of the real Tesco merchandise, based on the fact that most of the goods look soiled and that they are priced really low.
We’ll be back to our average local supermarket in terms of variety and a trip to Welcome in Kuting will be more fruitful.
Shame really.
This is what has happened with every foreign supermarket chain. They start out great and then gradually turn Taiwanese. 1,000 varieties of instant noodles. 
Is the San Min store open yet?
This is what has happened with every foreign supermarket chain. They start out great and then gradually turn Taiwanese. 1,000 varieties of instant noodles. [/quote]
I have observed this too. Its the disadvantage of being in a relatively small foriegner community here. The new shops start with good intentions , cheese , sausages etc etc. but if the locals wont buy the merchandise then it will eventually disappear because shelf space is expensive & cant be justified for a few foreigners. This leaves us to go back to trawl through the ancient stock of scabby little stores like Tienmu Grocers to get the favourites from back home.