I love the traffic lights in some cities in Taiwan. They have a countdown timer that shows exactly how long both the red and the green lights last. (Not sure about the yellow light.)
I’d like to think there’s no negatives to this scheme, but, of course, some jackass will use the knowledge of when the light is changing to speed up and run the intersection in a dangerous fashion.
Oh well, nothing’s perfect.
An easy walk, even in the rain, from Taipei’s one Long John Silver’s is Dunkin’ Donuts.
What could be better than finishing off a nice fish meal with a tasty chocolate-frosted doughnut?
On my last visit, Mr. Donut had recently opened in Taipei, and the lines were horrific. Nonetheless, we had to try them and we were very disappointed. Perhaps that is the way they like ’em in Japan (and/or by extension, Taiwan), but doughnuts devoid of most sugar aren’t really doughnuts. That’s why I was looking forward to the introduction of a good, sweet American doughnut to the Taiwan market.
Dunkin’ Donuts prohibits photography in their establishment, but this being Taiwan, I decided to ignore that prohibition. It’s a flippin’ doughnut for cryin’ out loud! Why can we not take pictures?
OK, to the doughnuts. First, disclaimer. There are (or were) three major doughnut chains in my part of the US. Dunkin’ Donuts, Winchell’s and Krispy Kreme. To me, Winchell’s was the bast because it was the least sweet of the three. (But still far sweeter than Mr. Donut.) Krispy Kreme being at the ultra-sweet end of the spectrum.
I went with two basic types, chocolate frosted (which would be called Chocolate Raised back home, to differentiate from cake doughnuts) and Glazed (Glazed Raised back home.) Both were pretty close to the “originals†with a couple exceptions. Both were drier, which could possibly be a slight change in formula or they were a bit old. Second, the chocolate was distinctly less sweet, more of a bitter-sweet chocolate, but still good.
Maybe Krispy Kreme will move in and, adjusting the sweetness down to local taste, might be the best of all.
If I get the change, I might stop by for more Dunkin’ Donuts, but I won’t be high-tailing it out to Mr. Donut anytime soon, despite the fact that they’ve cropped up like cold sores all over Taipei.
I found Dunkin’ Donuts Taiwan from Hungry Girl’s Guide to Taipei.
Technorati Tags: Blog, Food, Restaurant, Review, Taiwan, Travel
I admit it, I’m a long-time patron of Long John Silver’s. My family used to eat there in Tucson at least as far back as 1974. While it’s not completely 100% authentic English Fish & Chips, it’s not too far off the mark, and it’s been very consistent for the last 30+ years. (Remember, I live in the desert, seafood is not the specialty of the region.)
Long John Silver’s has recently opened up in Taipei and my curiosity is too much for me. I was looking forward to eating fish & chips, especially since the apparent demise of the Frying Scotsman, this was my only opportunity. I was also quite curious to see how they’d “adapted it for the local market.†(Which is usually a euphemism for “screwing up the food.â€)
The restaurant was bright and clean, and more upscale than in the US. The food was served on real dishes and silverware! Swanky!
The combos didn’t appear to come with fries, so we ordered some separately. Then it turned out that the combo did come with fries, so we had far too many. My combo was two pieces of fish, fries (chips), a salad and an American-size soda.
My wife’s combo was one fish, one piece of chicken, two shrimp, fries, the salad and the drink.
I tried some of both my fish and my wife’s chicken. Here’s the verdict.
Salad: Well, this just isn’t a US item, so I have nothing to compare it to, save that it was lettuce with some Thousand Island dressing. (Thousand Island is the ubiquitous salad dressing of Taiwan. Taiwan must be one of the thousand islands.). Edible, but tiny. Thousand Island had an unusual hint of something like horseradish in it.
Fries: Absolutely typical LJS fries. I’m not a fan of them, but they were spot on.
Chicken: I noticed no difference between this and the domestic version.
Fish: The cut of the fish, the batter, the look and the feel were all exactly right. The fish was well-cooked and fresh. One thing – I’m not sure it was cod. Domestic LJS uses cod, which of all of nature’s fish has been bestowed the ultimately gift: It doesn’t taste like fish. Except, once in a while, you get a piece that turns a darker color towards one end of the fillet. Then, it starts to get a fishy flavor. This fish, from start to finish, has that fishy flavor without being the darker flesh. It’s not terribly strong, but it is distinct.
Because of that taste, I preferred to eat the fish with sauce. Something which we presumed to be an odd-looking tartar sauce was provided, but it turned out to be something like a cross between Ranch dressing (minus the buttermilk) plus garlic and sugar. We ordered an extra side of Thousand Island dressing (NT$ 5) which was closer to tartar sauce. I didn’t see malt vinegar or salt anywhere.
I had a similar experience on my first trip to Taiwan. At the time, I ate a lot in MacDonald’s because everything tasted exactly like back at home. It might not be good, but it tasted like home. Everything, that is, with one exception: The Filet O’Fish sandwich. That tasted fishier than the real thing. I’ve always wondered, is the difference based on the supply chain or an adaptation to the local taste?
Still, LJS was enjoyable and they seemed to be doing a fair amount of business. Perhaps they’ll survive until my next trip here.
I found LJS Taiwan from Hungry Girl’s Guide to Taipei.
Technorati Tags: Blog, Food, Restaurant, Review, Taiwan, Travel
Honestly, I really do have a brother-in-law, he’s not just a comic fabrication that I use to add levity.
He’s got a girlfriend – the same one he had last time we were here. We haven’t figured out why they’re not married yet. Then again, maybe it isn’t that hard to figure out why they’re not married yet.
Batrina (That’s the girlfriend. Don’t ask me where she got that moniker.) is going to England to study at Leeds for 1 year.
The picture here is a nice new piece of luggage/backpack that was on the floor when we got home from Alishan. It’s Johnny’s. It hasn’t moved for two days. He’s got no reason to use it. Why did he buy it then?
My wife got the story from Batrina. She bought it for Johnny. Long-term girlfriend going away for a year to a foreign country, buys her boyfriend a new piece of traveling luggage: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.
Johnny’s response: “Oh, you wasted your money. I don’t need luggage.â€
I’m going to buy him a shirt that says, “I am a cartoon character.â€
One of my favorite pastimes in Taipei is to drop into the subway system, pick a station I’ve never been to and go there to explore. Since most of the stations are subterranean it’s impossible to have a feel for where you are.
Each station has a map showing what’s around it. Maddeningly, they’re oriented in a random fashion. North is almost never up, which makes it more difficult to visualize.
I chose Yongning station because of three reasons: (1) I had no idea where Yongning was (2) It’s the terminal station on the subway’s blue line, and (3) It’s a new station, completed since the last time I was here.
When I arrived, the map provided with with little hope, the major landmarks in the area were a cemetery, a waste water treatment plant and a cement factory. No parks, museums nor shopping complexes.
When I popped my head out of the station, I noticed that I was near one of the perimeter mountains around Taipei, that it appears to be an industrial area and that it was beginning to pour rain again. With my trusty umbrella in one hand, GPS in the other, I headed out in a direction that turned out to be South-West. The most distinct landmarks were the cow statues in the middle of a street. No clue what that was about.
What a bleak area. Double-stacked freight trucks plied up and down the streets, honking at each other constantly. Packs of wild dogs roamed the streets, following people menacingly and the inhabitants just stared at me like they’d never seen a foreigner. This area certainly seemed off the beaten path for tourists.
About 1.5 to 2 Km out from the station, I decided I’d had enough. The storm had turned into a proximate lightening storm, and I’m not comfortable walking in the lightening with an umbrella/lightening rod. I needn’t worry about that for long, for the wind started picking up, blowing at almost gale force. At one point, while crossing a street, the wind caught my umbrella and shredded it. The metal stays tore through the fabric like a big metal spider. One of them latched into the back of my shirt and tore a hole in it, effectively locking the remains of the umbrella around my head. I had a hairy, blind moment or two as I fought the monster off.
I was glad I visited, but I was equally glad I’ve “checked off†Yongning station and aren’t likely to need to return.