Taiwan– category –

A Giant of Lu Rou Fan That Does Not Cross the Zhuoshui River Living in Taipei, the yellow sign becomes part of the background.A logo of a man with a trimmed mustache. Formosa Chang. It appears on the way to work, on the walk back from sh...

A Factory Called the Kitchen When people eat at a Formosa Chang location, many assume they are in a place where cooks prepare food in a kitchen. You place an order.You sit down.A bowl arrives. The sequence looks like an ordinary restaura...

Soul Food at 10,000 Meters I try to recall the places where braised pork rice (lu rou fan) has traditionally existed. Humid alleys.Air thick with motorcycle exhaust and steam.A small round stool, a metal spoon, a bowl pulled close. For a...

When a Restaurant Spills Into Everyday Space Walking through the city, a yellow sign enters the field of vision.A face with a carefully shaped mustache. The logo of Formosa Chang. Most people understand it simply as a place to eat.One si...

When a Street Stall Crossed into the Logic of a Corporation Taiwan has countless excellent stalls.Many become well known. Few become corporations. The taste is remembered.The system rarely survives. Why did Formosa Chang alone cross the ...

The Quiet Sovereign Behind a Pork Empire Walking through Taipei, I often encounter the same face. Rounded cheeks. A carefully trimmed mustache.An expression that suggests reassurance rather than excitement. It is the sign of Formosa Chan...

The Bearded Giant Beneath a Yellow Sign Walking through the streets of Taipei, a yellow sign with red lettering enters the field of vision. Behind the glass at the storefront, pots line up in quiet order.Under steady lighting, pork simme...

Why One Bowl Speaks Louder Than the Other In Taiwan’s small-eats culture, two rice bowls appear again and again. Braised pork rice (lu rou fan) and shredded chicken rice (ji rou fan). Each is structurally simple. White rice, topped with ...

Stores That Resemble Chains, Yet Are Not Walking through Taipei, I often feel as if I am encountering the same shop again and again. I turn a corner.There it is. A few hundred meters later, another appears. The red sign of Yonghe Doujian...

A Red Sign, a Griddle, and the Sweet Taiwanese Hamburger I walk through a residential district in Taiwan.Many shops still have their shutters down, yet a few are already glowing. A bright sign in red and yellow reads Mei & Mei.Someti...