It’s funny how much I took Taiwan for granted. Growing up, it was always a foreign place – one I had a connection to, sure, but still so fundamentally different it felt alien. After spending so much time in Malaysia, though, Taiwan suddenly feels comforting, like a home away from home.
Part of it is how much Taiwan is a first-world country, and Taipei a world-class city. I always thought of it as being a step down from Canada or the United States, but the difference between Taiwan and other parts of southeast Asia is noticeable. Not to rag on Malaysia, which is better than its poorer neighbours like Vietnam or Cambodia, but Taipei is richer, cleaner, and more technologically advanced. Clean, but not maniacally scrubbed like Singapore – just tidy, with a fast and extensive subway system. Like Japan, except cheaper (I think. I’ll report back when I actually get to Japan).
Also, the night markets blow Malaysia’s out of the water. Taiwanese night markets have better selection of food, as well as other shopping and things to do: carnival games, like shooting balloons with BB guns, are a staple at night markets. Last night I went to Shilin, the largest in Taipei, with the express purpose of eating until I was ready to burst. Xiaolongbao dumplings, Michelin-awarded vermicelli soup, sausage-in-a-sausage, gua bao, and a papaya milk smoothie to round things out made for a successful mission.
While much of Taipei is now sleek and modern, the bones of the city’s past are still visible. I have the impression that much of the road infrastructure was built in the 80s and 90s, when the economy was booming. And the enormous public plazas seem to me like a throwback to a bygone era, when authoritarian governments used massive construction projects to demonstrate power and build national myths to keep the population united.
Of course, the “home away from home” feeling could be from having lived in Taipei before. That also meant I’d seen all of the major tourist stops before, but luckily this blog and my Instagram gave me a reason to revisit and grab some pictures. Otherwise I’m not sure how I would have spent the week. The big event was the Taiwanese election, which I was fortunate enough to witness by randomly stumbling across rallies and events around the city, but I want to discuss that in a separate post.
I haven’t been back in Taipei for any significant time for almost six years, and the city’s changed. There’s a new subway line from the airport into town, meaning I no longer have to spend $1000+ NTD (~$43.50 CAD) on a taxi. Coffee has begun gaining ground in an overwhelmingly tea-focused culture, with American-style coffee shops on every block. And the bubble tea scene is unrecognizable.
…okay, bear with me on this one. When I lived in Taipei, bubble tea was a brand of its own. There were a number of chains around the city (e.g. Coco, Chatime, Ten Ren), and while they also sold other drinks, the leading item on the menu was 珍珠奶茶 (zhēnzhū nǎichá), milk black tea with dark tapioca balls. When I went looking for it, though, I ended up at three different tea places before finding it listed on the menu. At tea places now, you choose the type of tea off the menu, then choose your toppings, including but not limited to tapioca balls. The trend now is brown sugar milk (possibly not even including tea, I’m not sure) – something I saw spreading to Malaysia, so it may only be a matter of time before it hits North America.
It goes to show what an outsized influence Taiwanese culture has on the world. A nation of 24 million people, crammed onto an landmass slightly larger than Vancouver Island, still manages to be a global trendsetter. I remember seeing stalls in the Malacca night market that advertised Taiwan-brand street foods, and Taiwanese fried chicken was becoming a new trend in Toronto when I left. Taiwan doesn’t have the economic or political clout it used to have as one of the Four Asian Tigers, but the cultural strength is remarkable.
Anyway. I’m writing this from Tainan, in the south of Taiwan, where I’ll be spending the next two weeks. My first impressions are of a city that’s a little more grungy (in a good way) and down-to-earth than Taipei, but that’s after only three hours here. So we’ll see what tune I’ll be singing next week.
Harmon Moon 