French supers are pretty awesome as well, or maybe he lived in a challenged area?
@Noel has had some decent threads on his thoughts about what to do after he leaves his current job.
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They are pretty good but not as diverse.
How many Westerners are there in Taiwan compared to SE Asians?
Taiwanese get equally amused about black people, feeling their hair, or their skin like it’s chocolate.
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I just re-read all three threads. Fun reading.
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That’s a bit about food and supermarkets. What about weather/climate? I’ve always been somewhat skeptical of those who just dismiss England as having worse weather and climate than Taiwan. Taiwan -4 months mid May- mid September - too hot
One could arguably stretch that out to five months as early May and late September are not that pleasant.
UK: mid November to mid Feb too cold? (3 months/ maybe stretch to 4?)
The rest of the year, I find winter in Taiwan pretty uncomfortable and have the heater on for much of it. Would really like central heating or underfloor heating in bathroom. There are also typhoons and a lot of rain in the north.
Lots of rain of course in the uk as well, but very often lots of drizzle/showers rather than torrential downpours.
In terms of light: long daylight hours in uk from mid May to mid September often till 9/10pm. In Taiwan, only till 6:30/7pm even in summer. Of course dark at 3:30-4pm in winter in uk whereas around 5pm-5:30pm in Taipei.
Humidity: personally, I find it a shame that I can’t hang artwork or keep books in Taiwan without them getting curled up or getting humidity spots etc…good clothes as well, like a pure white shirt, can turn yellowish…
Like with food, I think it’s slightly unfair that England’s weather gets such a bad rep. Perhaps it may have been true 20 years ago, but I think the climate is not as bad as it used to.
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Dehumidifiers in Taiwan are sine qua non.
Guy
And they help with the current water drought. Can use the water that they catch to flush down your toilet after #1.
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Or to water the plants.
Guy
True, but reliability in quality control can be a big issue.Some of the same products can be great and then a batch of crap of the exact same products ie faults, bad finishing etc
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Thanks for your detailed post. If you want to share more, i am all ears. Because i am planning to do the opposite move of you for very similar reasons. Except i agree the cost of living, weather are certainly better. I tend to like taiwanese better as well but its not mixed bag both countries.
I would be moving west coast as i already own land and house there, so the cost of.living isnt as hard as hit. iternatioanl/multicultural scene there is pretty good still lots more outdoors festivals and succh there…but seasonal of course.
The ones above quoted are also my worries in canada. The victimhood/mental illness/entitlement/higher than thou attitude really shocks me everytime i go back for a visit. And its starting.to turn into law, which worries me more. i am fairly socialist leaning, but not totally. I think its gone WAY too far. With all the anti racism/sexism stuff goin on there i just cannot understand why everyone is so ok with being in bed with China. To me the hypocrisy of the canadian society is the hardest one to swallow! And its not ignorance. We had assemblies in school specifically talking about the slave labour on.china my entire time in school. It was very well known as it still is…so this one truly stumps me and i just put it down to sellfish, greedy and hypocritical. That happens here too, but they are more honest about being that here and not pretending they are a spirit here to help the first nations in all their struggles type attitude. I really cant stand hypocrites.
However #3, 4 and 7 i see being problems that will undoubtedly get worse in taiwan. Taiwanese are getting ever more entitled, ever more a victim (see NHI going under due to massive hypochondriac related issues) and although the welfare state in taiwan is different, handouts are equally as expected. drugcabuse is.common here too, but family systems support them so homelessness isnt as much a thig. The drugs here are also far more pure and cheap, so they tend to kill fewer and dont bankrupt you as fast. But once the old generation dies off, watch this become FAR more a problem in taiwan. These are the issues bouncing in my head for many years in my opinion which seem to change as often as the weather…
Of course, there is also China…that should never be underestimated.
I agree with your post to an extent. Britain’s climate (like its food) is the subject of a lot of unfair associations. But as somebody who loves being outdoors and rarely stays in on the weekends (lockdowns notwithstanding), not once in my life have I ever not gone outside because it’s too hot. But, in the winter in England, it’s normal for me to not go out when it’s too cold. It isn’t only the cold that keeps me from going out in England, it’s the darkness and general unpleasantness.
Another thing. I’ll happily go out under the sun on the hottest days in Taiwan and feel great when I eventually make it to an air conditioned environment. The summers in England have been getting hotter in recent years, but air conditioners are still rare. This makes going out on the days that are “too hot” unbearable in a way they just aren’t in Taiwan. For example, last year I had to commute on the Underground with no air conditioning while it was 35 degrees C outside and I needed to wear a mask.
For me personally, there’s no contest between which climate I prefer. Taiwan hands down.
Though I suppose in Brexit Britain the variety is rather diminished and/or a lot pricier.
Desserts in Taiwan >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> desserts in England.
I’m not a dessert kind of guy, but I find this interesting. British desserts are generally rated very highly. My theory is the desserts people learn to love are the ones they have as kids. Comfort food, basically.
Real food > desserts… 
Anyone judging a place to live and dedicate their life long energy based on unhealthy disease causing treats is out of their mind.
Dessert is the kid’s part of the meal.
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I like some British desserts, like scone. Cream tea is spectacular. But everything else is way too sweet and intolerably heavy.
Don’t judge me! 
Guy
I dont think giving young developing bodies the worst quality foods is really selling the point…