It's maybe a little unusual to include a bar in a restaurant column, but occasionally someone will hang a shingle outside a new establishment that warrants a mention. Bobwundaye is such an establishment and the someone hanging the shingle is none other than Cathy Chiou, whom barflies may know better by her past incarnation, "Cathy at DV8."
For the unfamiliar, DV8 is one of the city's longest-running pubs (not to be confused with those establishments that serve beer with ice). For years it served as the penultimate square in a hopscotch of drinking holes that included 45, Spin, Roxy Plus (now Roxy 99), DV8 and Roxy Vibe in its previous location. Every Friday and Saturday night, the sidewalks connecting these locations became strewn with empty bottles and cans, cigarette butts and a few fallen comrades.
Not long ago, DV8 held a special, smoke-filled place in the hearts of barflies and was abuzz throughout the week. Cathy earned a special place, too, dispensing tequila like medicine to legions of battle-worn English teachers. Her departure has robbed the old barhopping circuit of the last of its charms and left behind only the bottles, cans and fallen comrades, who are wondering where Cathy went.
PHOTO: DAVID MOMPHARD, TAIPEI TIMES
Answer: Bobwundaye, where she's transcended the role of barmaid and become the boss (She wears the role well, too; standing several centimeters taller behind her new bar.)
Less than a month old, Bobwundaye offers all the trappings of a pub without the smoke-stained walls. At 14 ping, it's intimate to say the least, but a nice design and even nicer company make it more cozy than cramped. The menu, scratched on a board above the bar, consists of several sausages, excellent fries and some very tasty meat pies -- all served with the same friendliness and honesty that those who know Cathy take for granted. "Don't eat the chicken," she says. "It's not so good." All the pub grub runs around NT$100 to NT$150.
But of course the grub exists mostly to allow you to drink more and it's here that Bobwundaye wins the audience. From 9pm to 11pm, Heineken is 50 percent off at NT$60 per bottle, with other drinks specials later.
Seven hundred job applications. One interview. Marco Mascaro arrived in Taiwan last year with a PhD in engineering physics and years of experience at a European research center. He thought his Gold Card would guarantee him a foothold in Taiwan’s job market. “It’s marketed as if Taiwan really needs you,” the 33-year-old Italian says. “The reality is that companies here don’t really need us.” The Employment Gold Card was designed to fix Taiwan’s labor shortage by offering foreign professionals a combined resident visa and open work permit valid for three years. But for many, like Mascaro, the welcome mat ends at the door. A
Divadlo feels like your warm neighborhood slice of home — even if you’ve only ever spent a few days in Prague, like myself. A projector is screening retro animations by Czech director Karel Zeman, the shelves are lined with books and vinyl, and the owner will sit with you to share stories over a glass of pear brandy. The food is also fantastic, not just a new cultural experience but filled with nostalgia, recipes from home and laden with soul-warming carbs, perfect as the weather turns chilly. A Prague native, Kaio Picha has been in Taipei for 13 years and
The Western media once again enthusiastically forwarded Beijing’s talking points on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment two weeks ago that an attack by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on Taiwan was an existential threat to Japan and would trigger Japanese military intervention in defense of Taiwan. The predictable reach for clickbait meant that a string of teachable moments was lost, “like tears in the rain.” Again. The Economist led the way, assigning the blame to the victim. “Takaichi Sanae was bound to rile China sooner rather than later,” the magazine asserted. It then explained: “Japan’s new prime minister is
Since Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) was elected Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chair on Oct. 18, she has become a polarizing figure. Her supporters see her as a firebrand critic of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), while others, including some in her own party, have charged that she is Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) preferred candidate and that her election was possibly supported by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CPP) unit for political warfare and international influence, the “united front.” Indeed, Xi quickly congratulated Cheng upon her election. The 55-year-old former lawmaker and ex-talk show host, who was sworn in on Nov.
RSS