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Notes on the Birth of Kaohsiung’s 85 Sky Tower
1997, When the Tower Still Meant Hope In the mid-1990s, Kaohsiung felt heavier than it does now.The air was dense. The heat stayed. The port ranked third in the world for container throughput.Ships lined up offshore.Smoke rose day and ni... -
Notes on the Long Road to Reviving Kaohsiung’s 85 Sky Tower
A tower that pierces the clouds, or a monument to the city’s past The tower can be seen from almost anywhere in Kaohsiung.It is said to have been designed in the shape of the character for “high.” The 85 Sky Tower once claimed the title ... -
Notes on the Decline of Kaohsiung’s 85 Sky Tower
a high-rise left behind by the end of a bubble When I walk through Kaohsiung, a large shadow sometimes slides into the edge of my view.When I turn, the 85 Sky Tower is there. It once held the title of the tallest building in Taiwan.It wa... -
Notes on Scallion Pancake and Egg Crêpe in Taiwan
A quiet divide between flour, egg, and morning The Taiwanese scallion pancake, cong you bing, and the egg crêpe, dan bing, appear side by side on many breakfast menus. Both use wheat flour.Both include eggs.Both are scattered with choppe... -
Notes on Scallion Pancakes and Flaky Scallion Flatbreads in Taiwan
Two textures shaped by the same dough Scallion pancakes, known locally as cong you bing and cong zhua bing, appear side by side at many Taiwanese street stalls. They look similar at first.Both begin with wheat dough, chopped scallions, a... -
Notes on Taiwanese Scallion Pancakes
The sound of the griddle Scallion pancake, known locally as cong you bing, is made from flour, water, scallions, salt, and oil. On street corners in Taiwan, a steady sound carries across the pavement.A metal spatula strikes the dough.Pan... -
Notes on Why Drink Shops Fill the Streets of Taipei
A corner after another I notice a drink shop at every turn. Red.Green.Yellow. The signs are different, but the places are similar. A ground-floor space facing the sidewalk.A sliding door, or a half-open shutter.One or two people standing... -
Notes on Counting Taiwan’s Annual Tapioca
A quiet question On almost any street in Taiwan, a cup of bubble milk tea appears somewhere.Beside trash bins.At the feet of parked scooters.In the corner of a night market. It is so ordinary that it stops being noticed.One day a questio... -
Notes on the Birth of Taiwanese Tapioca
A texture called QQ Tapioca pearls, made from cassava starch and known locally as fen yuan, are the source of the chew that Taiwanese people call QQ. The texture is easy to notice.The teeth sink in.They meet resistance.They return. It is... -
Notes on the Evangelists of Bubble Milk Tea in Taiwan
Capital Wars and the Stillness of 50嵐 At the start of this drink’s story stands bubble milk tea, also known as zhenzhu naicha.It is now easy to find, in front of a station in Tokyo, on a shopping street in Paris, or inside a mall in New...
