7-11 is the New Ruler of Taiwan

What from the outside looks like any other 7-11 (or 7-11-like convenience store) holds something different, an insight into Asian culture, their customs and habits. It is, in the end a convenience store, so please don't misunderstand me, you will not get lost or not be able to buy things here, but as usual, it is the subtle differences what makes, each of their1-million locations, something remarkable.

First of all, of course, It is all in Chinese (what were you expecting), so all the adverts outside will seem pretty odd. (Did you know that Baseball is Taiwan's National Sport?)

The outside

But let's assume you closed your eyes at the entrance and did not see all the adds and adverts in Chinese. The moment you enter the place, the first you will notice is the (probably) un-familiar smell of Oden. Originally a Japanese dish, it has spread across Asia, and particularly in Taiwan (You will start noticing the Japanese influence in the country since day 1). It consist of a yummy soy sauce and dashi broth and a number of goodies (ranging from fish cakes, tofu, eggs and sausages, to vegetable and noodles) that can be put in the broth making a very nutritious soup. You just take a bowl, fill it up with goodness and head up to the cahier who will count how many items you took and charge you. Btw, you can take as much broth as you want, they only charge you for the items. How about that for a difference.

The ōden

The frozen section is pretty awesome too, you can get dumplings, nuggets, fish, noodles, pasta or anything you might be craving on a very late night (within reason of course, its Asia). They will heat it up for you and throw in some chopsticks for instant hunger pacifying.

The Frozen Goods

The section that caught my attention from the very first time is the beverage section. The have their beers, ciders and cocktail like bottles, not that big of a selection but it does the job. There is virtually no sodas or carbonated drinks, with the exception of some Coca Cola products (Duh!). You will find a huge selection of bottled teas (which is pretty awesome), Yakult-like products (A Japanese fermented milk drink) and a weird selection of Juices that includes, I shit you not, Asparagus Juice. The moment I saw that I stopped watching and left, really.

The Drinks

  

You will find a lot more things around like tofu and soy milk (Duh!), noodles, sausage and eggs, even some not so crappy bread (Taiwanese Style I have to clarify).

Foods

It is not surprising that in a country that is so obsessed with food, where you can buy extremely good food in every corner, where having a kitchen is considered a luxury, and even if you do have a kitchen most of the people will not use it as the dinning options are endless, you can find so many options in a convenience store. What is surprising is that there is people that actually prefer eating at a 7-11 than in a street stand. To be honest, I ate here during my first couple of days while I was adjusting to the place and gathering 'cojones' to go and try to make myself understood in the street stands. And I occasionally make use of it when I'm coming late night after drinking and there is nothing else open.

Now, I've talked about all the food you can find here (Surprise, surprise, this dude likes food!), but of course you can get other things like toiletries, basic kitchen and cleaning goods and the latest issue of whatever bullshit magazine you read these days. And of course in here you can do a shit load of other things which include but are not limited to:

1. Pay your bills
2. Get tickets to concerts
3. Get cinema tickets
4. Get bust tickets
5. Get train tickets
6. Basically all kinds of tickets
7. Order a Cab
8. Send money
9. Charge your public transport pass (which is completely useless if you live outside Taipei)
10. Get a SIM card
11. Recharge your phone
12. Receive packages
13. Withdraw money
14. Sell your soul to the highest bidder
15. Buy virginities
16. Send or Receive Drugs
17. Talk to god or anyone in heaven
18. Get facemasks
19. Hit on girls
20. Drink beer
21. And of course Get a Big Bite Hot Dog (what, did you think  they didn’t have them here?)

Such an odd place.

The Eternal Golden Fort and Fort Zeelandia

A View from the top of Fort Zeelandia; isn't it pretty as fuck?

Tainan exists in the middle of the fast pace Technological life of Taipei and the extremely mellow and relaxed life of the south. It is a place of contrast, a place that perfectly represents what I think defines Taiwan: 'a sweet spot between tradition and innovation'.

Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan, it was first founded by the Dutch, then occupied by the Portuguese and Chinese. It has lived plenty of rises and falls. Originally designed to be a port, the Anping area now holds a collection of residential areas and office buildings surrounding some very old areas.

In these old areas we can find two very interesting buildings that have lived through the ages. I don't know much about Architecture but I will give it a try to write about these places.

The Golden fort (or Eternal Golden Castle)

Built in 1874 to serve as a defensive castle or fort against Japanese invasions. For 20 years remained inactive until the Japanese invasion of 1895, during which the Taiwanese fought the Japanese vessels from here. It has a very interesting octagonal shape with very efficient placement of the cannons at the front section of the fort, facing the ocean. The cannons were able to be reloaded rather quickly which gave the fort it's tactical edge. It also houses a rather large central square area that could be used for training purposes. After 1904, during the Russo-Japanese war, all the cannons were sold to support the war thus the fort lost all its military edge, resulting in a semi-abandonment state.

A few years ago, the place received a facelift as a tourist attraction, and I have to say: Good Job Taiwan! The place looks fantastic, it has a very nice series of banners depicting the history of the place, the gardens and surroundings are extremely well kept. And it offers an exceptional view. If you are around the Anping area do not hesitate on coming here; it is a well spent hour.

The Eternal Golden Castle

Guangzhou Road, Anping District, Taiwan

Price: 50 NTD (25 NTD discount)

A view of the entry way into the Eternal Golden Castle

Fake cannons now located in strategic locations at the Eternal Golden Castle

The Old Fort (Fort Zeelandia)

Very close, in the same area we will find the Old fort, or Fort Zeelandia as named by the Dutch. This is a much older , much bigger and, in my opinion much more interesting structure.

Built between 1624 and 1634 by the then Rulers of the area; the Dutch, fort Zeelandia has seen the rise and fall of Tainan many times, it has suffered additions, demolitions, and renewables throughout the centuries. This fort is presumably the first big structure erected in  the Island, and the Dutch picked this exact location for its ease of access to the ocean and strategic defensive value in case an invasion; which in theory sound pretty good except for the lack of fresh water supply that had to be carried in from the mainland. And this is how the actual settlement started, this was the typical European fort of the 17th century. Inside the fort was the military and administration center, church, garrisons, and jailhouse; outside was the downtown. Between the fort and downtown, there were market, slaughterhouse, gallows, execution ground and city weighing station.

Today only the main fort remains as it was back in the day. In the same way as the Golden Castle it was renewed and repurposed. It is a pretty awesome place to wander around and learn a bit of the history of Tainan. As well as having amazing gardens and an exceptional view of the Anping Downtown, it also has a couple of small museums.

My favorite part of the place is the observation deck built in the 1940's. I mean, asthetically speaking it is fucking ugly and kind of breaks down the whole harmony the place has, but it is the only place in Tainan, where anybody can go up and have an advantage point over the city, a great view indeed. If you have a chance you should come around here for a stroll.

Fort Zeelandia

國勝路82號 Anping Old Fort 708, Taiwán

Price: 50 NTD (25 NTD discount)

The stairs into Fort Zeelandia;  there was a school trip around that day, funny kids 

The Night Markets

If there is one thing and one place you must visit during your stay in Taiwan is the night Market. Let’s get something straight, something that everybody kept telling me and I kept reading in blogs and articles and refused to believe myself, but it is very true; Taiwanese Night Markets are a lot to take in for the newcomer. What can I tell you, they are busy, packed, noisy and in a simple explanation a fucking overload for all your senses. You will immediately notice the amount of people, the brightness and colorfulness of all the stalls, the pungent smells (both good and bad), music and people shouting, and the lack of personal space. But come on, you came here to experience everything, so, now that you have overcome the smells and personal space issue (which in my case were the hardest thing, because noise and lights are alright in my book), take a deep fucking breath and just dive in this fantastic ocean of new things and possibilities.

The parking lot of a Night Market 

Stinky Tofu

There are many things that are considered staples of the Taiwanese gastronomy like the Beef Noodle Soup, the One Thousand Year Old Eggs, the Tea Eggs and the Bubble Tea, but Stinky Tofu is, no questions asked, THE food to eat when you come to this Island.

You have probably heard the stories already, so I will start this post with two confessions:

1. I love Stinky Tofu, well, depending on how it is prepared.
2. I didn't like it at first.

First Preparation.

Minoru's Diary in Taiwan: The Day to Day Life

Tainan is a very peaceful and easy going place. The locals find it big, noisy and fast paced, but, to be honest, it is nothing like that. If you are used to the buzz of a big city, Tainan will be one of those places where you can just retire and relax.

Yes, there are a lot of scooters and some traffic, but that is only around rush hour (i.e. 8 a.m. or 6 p.m.)  and yes, there is quite a lot of pollution in the air. But there is something about the place that makes it seem, for lack of a better word, peaceful. Maybe is the fact that after 8 p.m. there is little to no traffic, after 10 p.m. there is little to no people outside.

You can always find people around fishing, immersed in their own thoughts.

Fisherman

Slippers & Geta; the rise and fall of a style.

Silly me, when I arrived in Taiwan after being in Spain and the UK for the most part of the winter, I was wearing a Coat, a Vest, a Scarf, Gloves and my trusty Doc Martens… The moment I step down the plane, I immediately thought: - Fuck! Oh yeah! It’s a tropical Island. So I took off my coat and gloves. One minute later the heat was crazy, I took off the vest. By the time I was leaving my shit at the hotel I was fucking sweating my soul  out.

So, yes, I needed to ditch my Doc Martens in order to get something that would help cope the heat that will only get worse and worse as summer approaches. 

So I heard about this place with the colourful slippers I've seen a lot of the locals wear everywhere. Apparently at some point when plastic started being popular around these parts of the world there was a company making the Iconic Blue and White plastic flip-flops many locals can recognise as something everybody has worn at some point in their lives. A few years ago, this same company started producing many different colourful variations of the same flip-flops, and they were a hit, so I thought: -Let's get myself some of them slippers!

They are sturdy, comfortable and indeed, very fucking colourful, and the best part? Well that's got to be the price, you will leave the establishment with a  shinny pair of new slippers and it will only set you back 100 NTD, oh yeah, around 2.5 EUR.

The Plastic Slippers

The Anping Tree House

I must admit that this is not the most exciting place in Tainan, but it is, indeed, a very interesting place worth visiting.

First we need to talk about Banyan trees, they are revered in Asian cultures, they are a symbol of perseverance, immortality and the gift of shelter provided by the gods, for some the branches represent bad energies and are usually associated to haunted places (oh the duality of life!). And I am not surprised at all, these trees start their life as a parasite of other plants, and as they grow bigger they become a tree by themselves (much like human beings), they can continue growing for centuries and cover large areas, they give a lot of shade, which let me tell you, in this subtropical weather is a godsend, and to be perfectly honest, the views from inside are a bit creepy. 

The drill is as usual in the touristic places here in Tainan, you go to the counter, purchase your ticket (30 NTD) and get your ass inside, there will be people at the entrance checking that you are not trying to a smart-ass.  

The Banyan Tree

Boiled, hot and spicy goodies!

As I have come to realise during this past week while losing myself in this gorgeous city, is the culinary obsession that the Tainanesse (not sure if this is the correct way of calling them, but fuck it) have with food.

Menu and prices.

There are many exotic things and many not so exotic ones, and this, more than exotic is unique and interesting; think for a second on a buffet, an omelette bar and a Japanese shabu-shabu, are you there yet? Ok, now forget the details of each of these things and let us meet this local delicacy.

There are literally hundreds of this kind of joints around Tainan, the first thing you will notice is a cart outside the little shop containing a ridiculous amount of delicious things; from blood-rice cakes, sausage and meatballs, to any kind of fresh veggies, noodles and mushrooms of all sorts, passing through all the imaginable (and unimaginable) permutations of tofu.

The goodies

Minoru's Diary in Taiwan: Finding a flat & getting to know a city.

On day two I embarked myself in the titanic task of finding a suitable place to live for my next months in the City of Tainan, Taiwan. And I say Titanic for two main reasons: 1. I don’t speak Chinese, and 2.  There are only two types of flats available for a short period of time; either very nice pricey places or very cheap “shitholes”. With the help of a Colleague and a Professor (both locals) I set up a few appointments and off I went. Most of the places I saw were small, dark, smelly and dirty, but very cheap, nonetheless, the first flat I saw was very big, bright, and in general, awesome. However, people continued telling me that the horrible places I saw were very convenient (more on this word on future posts) and that I should not take the first place because it was too expensive and far away from my place of work (around 1 hour commute). I start to get the feeling that the locals prefer not to move a lot, to be close to work rather than having a nice place to live, I guess everybody has their own priorities. 

So despite of the insistence of the locals not to take the nice flat I liked since the beginning, I decided to take it. I was advised to call all the landlords of the places I didn’t like and explain why I didn’t want to take their place, and to look for reasons that would sound euphemistic enough… In the end I decided that the “reason” I would give them would be that I absolutely needed a place with a kitchen. And so, before I knew it I was setting up my moving date; the land lady would pick me up at my hotel to take me to the flat and do the whole charade (moving, contracts, payments, etc.).

I now have a lot of free time (adding the fact that the jet lag keeps waking me up at ungodly hours in the morning), so armed with my trusty camera, my now Internet connected cellphone, a big bottle of water and some tourist brochures, I exit the comfort of the air-conditioned hotel room into the hot and humid land of wonders that is Taiwan. 

My plan is as usual; there is no plan. I just walk and wander as I please, taking turns whenever I feel like, in search of hidden wonders and off-centre places. This works awesomely, somehow I find myself surrounded by an overwhelming amount of temples, shops, restaurants, and well, Taiwanese. 

A view of the NCKU Garden.

Let's Roll Some Oysters!

From the outside, Chen’s Oyster rolls looks a little bit like your typical fast food chain, but don’t be fooled by these looks, Chen’s Oyster Rolls holds great surprises for your taste buds. It is the real deal, real fast and delicious food and all of the ingredients are acquired just a few meters away in the Fish Market; its hard to get any fresher than that!

The logo!

Soup In Your Dumplings (No kidding!)

The firs thing you can notice when approaching HaoWeiDao (上海好味道小籠湯包) Soup Dumplings (other than the giant red and yellow sign) is the open kitchen, in which a group of cooks in red shirts prepare the dumplings with great mastery. The dough is rolled with small and thin pins then they are filled with a gelatinous broth; savoury, packed with meat (or not) and different veggies. Then in the hands of a couple of “dumpling masters” they are closed and beautifully placed in the steamer.

The craftsmen behind this lovely creation.

Minoru's Diary in Taiwan, Day 1

Just in the immigration line in Taipei I can quickly tell who is local and who is not. Immediately I can recognise the Europeans, most likely Scandinavian coming in the same flight from Stockholm as me, a Spanish couple and a group of French youngsters. And the first thing I notice other than the obvious fact that they are not Asian, is the height. I think to myself: -No matter, I think I will blend in just fine. 

Silly me; my cover has been compromised, the Taiwanese can immediately tell I'm not from here (not sure if they can figure out where I am from though) I was not able to blend in as a local, apparently I'm too tall and not asian enough...(who knew!).

This is a weird yet familiar feeling, the locals try to speak to me in English whilst the foreigners who see no difference between me and the Taiwanese approach me with a "Ni hao". I'm feeling just as I always feel, a foreigner, a person who looks different as everybody else, yet, strangely, very much at home.

The THSR (High Speed Rail) is impressive, a very fast, clean and modern train. Connecting the north and the south it is one of the most convenient ways of moving around the Island. So, one and a half hours after my boarding the train I get to Tainan, the place I will be calling home for the upcoming months. I see a 7-eleven and decide to get myself a SIM card and a Metro Card (they call it Yo-Yo Card and it works here as well as in Taipei and some other cities for buses and trains).

Suddenly I realise I'm super hungry, I haven't eaten a proper meal since my departure from England, I see a cute little joint that serves "Running Sushi", - Not particularly local, but it will do - I think to myself. So, my first meal in Taiwan, Sushi... Like my first meal in Germany was Indian, and my first meal in Spain was Chinese. If you think about it for a bit, it is really not surprising how good that sushi was, after all, the Japanese occupied the Island for some time, there is still some remnants of those times in the food culture here. 

After indulging myself in some very nicely prepared sushi, some heartwarming miso and a nice cup of o-cha, I walk to the hotel I will stay in until I find a flat, I notice the humidity and the nice temperature outside, - A nice change after Europe - I think to myself. The hotel is nothing special, cheap and clean enough,  the only thing in my mind is that after 40-some hours of traveling without sleeping (Nottingham-London-Stockholm-Beijing-Taipei-Tainan) all I want is a hot shower and a bed.