Overview

I love Taiwan. I have loved it since the first time I was sent there by Nokia sometime between 2009 and 2011. The people are awesome, the place is lively and has an energy which is both welcoming and vibrant. Night markets are supremely civilized and highlight a healthy society with ample opportunity for broad social fraternizing in the public sphere.

Taiwan is also subtropical so it reminds me of my hometown, which definitely biases me strongly in its favour. They have a lot of green spaces accessible via glorious public transportation. From the zoo you can take a glass bottomed gondola which will transport you from central Taipei to lush green mountain top. I love first world countries with high population density, effective public transportation and lush green areas which are well preserved and accessible.

My father actually mentioned the concentration of world class chefs in Taiwan long before I went anywhere near it, nor knew anything about it, so kudos to him for insight well beyond the ground he was basically bolted to.

Restaurants

I ate at many places presented as “the best stinky tofu”. I must admit, I never developed a religious preference for any single vendor. I ate lots and lots of really good stinky tofu sold by small roadside vendors. One thing I will say, is that the first stinky tofu I had was from the vegan cult Loving Hut, that was not deep fried, and I burped while leaving the restaurant and very nearly lost it down the front stairs of the establishment. Luckily the back of my teeth contained the torrent and I just had to reverse the flow back into a controlled state.

• Awesome commodity 24 hour beef noodle soup; go nuts with the fermented mustard green and spiced tallow. So god damn dreamy. Also, 24 hour a day restauarant, how civilized. Fuhong Beef Noodles
• Beef Daddy: high end beef noodle soup with various increasing graduations of effort. Expensive by Taiwanese standards, their most obnoxious elevated beef noodle soup approaches Bay Area pricing for elevated cuisine. The pricing riles people up, but Bay Area people are such a boiled frog they are going to order the $40 bowl and be stoked with the value proposition. Niu Ba Ba
• duck blood mala hotpot is a local speciality. I have misplaced my map pins for specific restaurants, but I have eaten some obscenely good duck blood hotpot in Taipei. The blood is so fresh/soft that it is basically velvety ducky goodness.

Awesome local goods (supermarket)

• Chili goose fat
• Ning Chi Fresh Chili