The Taiwanese know how to use space - especially when it comes to small businesses. A quick wander through Ximending, Gongguan or Shida reveals that shopkeepers can and will use every available nook and cranny to sell anything from food or the latest clothing to knick-knacks and gewgaws. As storefronts go for a premium in these bustling areas, landlords are willing to rent every available ping to anyone who wants to try their luck.
Though some complain about overcrowding or - in the case of restaurant stalls - hygiene concerns, the consumer benefits from cheap food.
Take, for example, Biff's Pitas, a street stall that opened one month ago and has seen customers lining up to dig into some of the tastiest pitas in town. The owner, who calls himself Biff Cappuccino, is a Canadian who has lived in Scotland, Nigeria, Ireland, Uganda, the US and has spent the last two decades in Taiwan.
PHOTO: NOAH BUCHAN, TAIPEI TIMES
Biff's is located in front of an alley off Shida Road beside a Wellcome supermarket. There is no room for tables or chairs - besides a small space behind the grill for cutting chicken and fresh vegetables. Shida Park (師大公園) is right across the street. Low overheads mean paying low prices for healthy and delicious food.
"My father had a tradition where he would never cook the same meal twice in one month," Biff said. "He loved to experiment preparing foods from different countries." Though the menu at Biff's is fixed, he said he applied his father's ethos by experimenting with his cooking methods before arriving at his current creations, which reflect his interest in Asian flavors.
Five choices of filling are available for Biff's whole-wheat pitas: Madras curry chicken; Xinjiang cumin chicken; fennel seed chicken; Sichuan-style chicken; Mexico jalapeno chicken; and Thai tam yam chicken. One sandwich costs NT$55; two go for NT$100. Toppings include fresh cucumber, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream. The proprietor says he can make his sandwiches as spicy or mild as the customer wants.
My favorites are the Madras curry chicken and the Mexico Jalapeno chicken, extra spicy. The pitas are a bit on the small side but, at NT$55 for one, it's hard to complain. If one doesn't fit the bill, order a side of potato wedges (NT$35) or potato wedges with basil sauce (NT$50). If that isn't enough, order another pita.
It starts out as a heartwarming clip. A young girl, clearly delighted to be in Tokyo, beams as she makes a peace sign to the camera. Seconds later, she is shoved to the ground from behind by a woman wearing a surgical mask. The assailant doesn’t skip a beat, striding out of shot of the clip filmed by the girl’s mother. This was no accidental clash of shoulders in a crowded place, but one of the most visible examples of a spate of butsukari otoko — “bumping man” — shoving incidents in Japan that experts attribute to a combination of gender
The race for New Taipei City mayor is being keenly watched, and now with the nomination of former deputy mayor of Taipei Hammer Lee (李四川) as the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate, the battle lines are drawn. All polling data on the tight race mentioned in this column is from the March 12 Formosa poll. On Christmas Day 2010, Taipei County merged into one mega-metropolis of four million people, making it the nation’s largest city. The same day, the winner of the mayoral race, Eric Chu (朱立倫) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), took office and insisted on the current
March 16 to March 22 Hidden for decades behind junk-filled metal shacks, trees and overgrowth, a small domed structure bearing a Buddhist swastika resurfaced last June in a Taichung alley. It was soon identified as a remnant of the 122-year-old Gokokuzan Taichuu-ji (Taichung Temple, 護國山台中寺), which was thought to have been demolished in the 1980s. In addition, a stone stele dedicated to monk Hoshu Ono, who served as abbot from 1914 to 1930, was discovered in the detritus. The temple was established in 1903 as the local center for the Soto school
When my friend invited me to take a tour of a wooden house hand-built by a Pingtung County resident, my curiosity was instantly piqued and I readily agreed to join him. If it was built by a single person, it would surely be quite small. If it was made of wood, it would surely be cramped, dingy and mildewy. If it was designed by an amateur, it would surely be irregular in shape, perhaps cobbled together from whatever material was easily available. I was wrong on all counts. As we drove up to the house in Fangliao Township (枋寮鄉), I was surprised
RSS