We just arrived last Sunday, and as someone who eats dairy products at home on a daily basis I was really craving some cheese. The only cheesy option I had on foodpanda was Starbucks cheesy bread, so I ordered that, and I was so excited to eat it when it came.
Imagine my horror when I bite into it and it tastes almost exactly like cream cheese icing for red velvet, and the bread itself tastes like cake 
Is this common? I feel like I’ve been betrayed by one of my favourite foods 
yes, common.
Need to go to some specialist stores if you want want cheese. Many places here have what is called analogue cheese in Europe.
Some places have flown in cheese. So you can get flown in buffalo mozzarella and so on, but it’s gonna be expensive. Hard cheeses are a bit easier as they don’t need to be flown in but can be brought cooled only on a ship. But yeah don’t expect anything proper at Carrefour or Costco. Need to visit delicatessen stores for good cheese.
I haven’t found ancient/cave gruyère or old burenkaas. Found middle aged gruyère and old Gouda (but Gouda is what Dutch people call industrial cheese). It’s hard to get cheese made from raw milk (so not pasteurized) in Taiwan but possible
PX Mart sometimes carries Gouda and Emmentaler made in the EU.
Bread is usually sweeter and softer than the one from European countries.
Thanks!
I’m craving cheddar like crazy, at least I know not to waste time in Carrefour lol
Jason’s and City Super have better cheese selections, but expect to pay a premium.
I think Costco is okay for certain cheeses (e.g., the fresh mozzarella, halloumi, and formerly cheddar, but that’s been a while), and the same with Carrefour (er…only the extra mature cheddar that I can think of)?
I agree that most of the other offerings are pretty plasticky/American though, and I guess you’re talking more about German/continental European cheeses rather than any of the ones I mentioned above.
I’ve bought the Camembert from Costco but haven’t tried it yet, and I saw they also had Brie (not a huge fan of either of these though).
As I wrote above, the extra mature cheddar in Carrefour (larger stores, not the smaller ones that were previously Wellcome, but you might not know that if you’ve just arrived) is pretty decent. I forget the brand. I didn’t like the mature one from the same company though - was a bit too soft and flavorless IMO.
Some Carrefours have cheddar from WI or the UK, but take note of what it looks like. I’ve bought proper sharp cheddar from Carrefour that clearly wasn’t stored properly (likely left out in the sun before being placed in the fridge section) and it was gross. I went out of my way to return it.
If you think say a German or British supermarket carries decent cheese your okayish.
If you want real cheese not for sandwich, it’s tough. Say Swiss supermarkets or France hypermarket or cheese stores in Europe.
I’ve not seen decent cheese in German supermarkets ever, it’s nearly all industrialised mass market adapted taste cheese. But yeah at least it’s cheese unlike Taiwan…
There’s also this guy: https://gustotw.oddle.me/en_TW/ if you want Italian meats and cheeses. Maybe I’ve been in Taiwan too long but I was giddy with excitement with each bite of their pizza. It was so full of flavors I’ve forgotten exist. I think they deliver across Taiwan. The shop itself is a good 20+ min walk from any MRT station, on the edge of a traditional market near Taipei Expo park (closer transit = bus to Rongxing Garden Park, MRT Xingtian Gong/Temple or Zhongshan Jr. High)
Further advice: don’t buy anything from the New Zealand brands, especially if it’s shredded. I don’t think New Zealand is actually selling that shit to anyone in New Zealand, just exporting it to places with a different idea of what cheese is. There is no difference in taste between the mozzarella and parmesan and both of them are sweet and melt into a giant clump.
Dairy is a luxury product in Taiwan
thanks for the advice 
Extra mature cheddar is my favourite, so at least I have that option.
I had expected the bread to be sweeter than usual, but I never ever heard of sweet cheese other than cream cheese icing for red velvet
Anything bread = sugary as hell. Only baguettes avoid this treatment and only if you find a decent bakery. I suggest mr.mark chain for less sweet bread (it’s more expensive bit it’s actually decent bread usually)
Unreliable stocking, unfortunately. And different brands come and go.
I.e. buy a bunch if it’s in stock, because it may not appear again for a month or more.
If you’re a cheapstake like me, you can pick up some semi-mature breakfast cheese (“OST Prast”) from Sweden at Ikea’s food zone. It’s not going to win any prizes, but it gets the job done—no food colouring, and no nonsense. I think I paid something ridiculously low like NT$129 for a 300 gram block. I’m enjoying some of it now for breakfast. 
Guy
Breeze nanshan has a deli and a French bakery. And a big western supermarket.