To say Taiwan is a country of fads is to say fish like water. They get passionately crazy about the weirdest things!
Last week I mentioned the curious food of fruit and condensed milk served over crushed ice. In my opinion this had to be the biggest dessert scam ever perpetrated against humanity.
Biggest of them all was Monster Ice in the Yongkan food street area. The lines to get in where monstrous. Dozens of businesses serving identical food exist and yet none were as popular. You see, Monster Ice had “the name.”
But then it was gone. Somehow shutdown in a bitter divorce fight. People were crushed and, according to the news last night, the entire economy of the street was dealt a 20% cutback in business – and this on the street with Din Tai Feng, my favorite curry katsu shop and dozens of other award-winning restaurants. Tours are organized from other countries just to come to this street to eat.
(My opinion is that the global recession may be more at play than a lack of Monster Ice.)
However, last night on the news there was a long and breathless piece on the re-opening of Monster Ice today. They even had a press conference! All the other businesses are rejoicing!
Well, of course, we had to take a look.
It was busy – how could it not be with all the publicity, but it seemed they’d laid on about 20 people in crowd control staff but that they outnumbered the customers.
Irene decided that since the line wasn’t too long, she’d get some. She says it’s just the same. How could it not be?
