One of the best bowls of Texas chili to be found in Taiwan can be found in a quiet parkside cafe in Taitung, courtesy of Texan expatriate cook and proprietor David Ripple. For the past two years, Ripple has been running Kasa along with Even Hsie (
Needless to say, Kasa has become something of a casual hangout for Taitung's small crowd of expats, not that there are enough of them to support a restaurant by themselves. The majority of Kasa's clientelle, then, is local. On the nights I've been there, I've found a friendly mix of airforce base personnel, golfing aboriginees (they were putting on Kasa's front lawn), and other locals who have a feeling that the world is a little bigger and grander than what you find in small-town Taitung. In this sense, Kasa provides a kind of get away, and it works for both visitors and locals alike. The cafe interior is like a down home kitchen inn full of driftwood tables and chairs, and the outside is like a country house patio, with tables and chairs spreading off onto the lawn. It's comfy and dreamy and really, truly in the tropics, and the food is good and cheap. Budweisers are NT$100 a bottle, and you can hear the surf in the distance. If only Taipei had some place like this.
PHOTO: DAVID FRAZIER, TAIPEI TIMES
Japan is celebrated for its exceptional levels of customer service. But the behavior of a growing number of customers and clients leaves a lot to be desired. The rise of the abusive consumer has prompted authorities in Tokyo to introduce the country’s first ordinance — a locally approved regulation — to protect service industry staff from kasuhara — the Japanese abbreviated form of “customer harassment.” While the Tokyo ordinance, which will go into effect in April, does not carry penalties, experts hope the move will highlight a growing social problem and, perhaps, encourage people to think twice before taking out their frustrations
There is perhaps no better way to soak up the last of Taipei’s balmy evenings than dining al fresco at La Piada with a sundowner Aperol Spritz and a luxuriant plate of charcuterie. La Piada (義式薄餅) is the brainchild of Milano native William Di Nardo. Tucked into an unassuming apartment complex, fairy lights and wining diners lead the way to this charming slice of laid-back Mediterranean deli culture. Taipei is entirely saturated with Italian cuisine, but La Piada offers something otherwise unseen on the island. Piadina Romagnola: a northern Italian street food classic. These handheld flatbreads are stuffed with cold
Oct. 14 to Oct. 20 After working above ground for two years, Chang Kui (張桂) entered the Yamamoto coal mine for the first time, age 16. It was 1943, and because many men had joined the war effort, an increasing number of women went underground to take over the physically grueling and dangerous work. “As soon as the carts arrived, I climbed on for the sake of earning money; I didn’t even feel scared,” Chang tells her granddaughter Tai Po-fen (戴伯芬) in The last female miner: The story of Chang Kui (末代女礦工: 張桂故事), which can be found on the Frontline
In the tourism desert that is most of Changhua County, at least one place stands out as a remarkable exception: one of Taiwan’s earliest Han Chinese settlements, Lukang. Packed with temples and restored buildings showcasing different eras in Taiwan’s settlement history, the downtown area is best explored on foot. As you make your way through winding narrow alleys where even Taiwanese scooters seldom pass, you are sure to come across surprise after surprise. The old Taisugar railway station is a good jumping-off point for a walking tour of downtown Lukang. Though the interior is not open to the public, the exterior
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