Notes on Din Tai Fung
In Taipei, Los Angeles, London, and Singapore, the bamboo steamers arrive in the same neat stacks, while each xiaolongbao carries eighteen pleats. The uniformity is visible before the first bite.
Taiwan
Business
Notes on Yellow Tigers and White Signs in Taiwan
For years, a yellow sign with red lettering and a small tiger marked out a familiar kind of meal across Taipei. Now the original chain’s storefronts are white, while the yellow signs remain everywhere—often attached to shops with no clear connection to it.
Notes on Lao Hu Jiang Wenzhou Giant Wontons in Taiwan
Across Taipei, the same white sign with red characters appears at regular intervals: Lao Hu Jiang Wenzhou Giant Wontons. Inside, a bowl built around fist-sized wontons follows nearly the same arrangement from branch to branch, with one dark condiment offering the main point of variation.
Notes on Bafang Yunji and the Yellow Sign in Taiwan
Across Taiwanese cities, the same yellow-and-red sign appears beside office buildings, schools, and ordinary shopping streets. Inside, diners order guotie one piece at a time, adding soup or soy milk according to the size of the meal they need.