The restaurants here in Taiwan are unique, probably not to Asia in general, but they are unique in comparison to North America. There are a range of restaurants. Some are fancy sit-down types with full service but many are casual self-service types similar to a cafeteria (Chinese: "jee-ju chaun"). This is the type where we've mostly been eating at. Most people in Taiwan today eat at this type of restaurant because it's fast, convenient and cheap. The newspaper here reports that about 40% of Taiwanese people eat out everyday for almost every meal. Increasingly, people are cooking less at home because they have busy lifestyles and cannot afford the time to cook. The low price of eating out or getting "jee-ju chaun" to-go is very common. One of Alice's brother's family eat's o
ut every meal, including their young children. It's tempting to eat out because one ends up paying the same if one were to buy groceries and cook for yourself. Each person might pay Cdn$2-3 for a meal that comes with one serving of meat and rice, and three servings of vegetables. If one doesn't mind a little extra oil in the cooking, why would anyone want to do all the work of getting groceries and cooking, especially in 35 degree celcius weather? The food is tasty and delicious and better than my own cooking. Most westerners might find this type of cafeteria-style restaurant a little too casual, and the environment, even, unhygenic. If this type of restaurant was placed in a North American context, it might not pass the health-safety inspection test. Moreover, it's not the place where one might find good service either. Though it seems normal for Alice, I am learning to accept it reluctantly. (photo: 1) Alice's sister-in-law, Shu-Jun placing our order for lunch at a street vendor. That's really casual self-service; 2) Kevin, Alice, Jane (friend of Alice and Diane), and Diane (Alice's sister holding her baby girl) in a nice Japanese restaurant (with good service and good food).
The restaurants here in Taiwan are unique, probably not to Asia in general, but they are unique in comparison to North America. There are a range of restaurants. Some are fancy sit-down types with full service but many are casual self-service types similar to a cafeteria (Chinese: "jee-ju chaun"). This is the type where we've mostly been eating at. Most people in Taiwan today eat at this type of restaurant because it's fast, convenient and cheap. The newspaper here reports that about 40% of Taiwanese people eat out everyday for almost every meal. Increasingly, people are cooking less at home because they have busy lifestyles and cannot afford the time to cook. The low price of eating out or getting "jee-ju chaun" to-go is very common. One of Alice's brother's family eat's o
ut every meal, including their young children. It's tempting to eat out because one ends up paying the same if one were to buy groceries and cook for yourself. Each person might pay Cdn$2-3 for a meal that comes with one serving of meat and rice, and three servings of vegetables. If one doesn't mind a little extra oil in the cooking, why would anyone want to do all the work of getting groceries and cooking, especially in 35 degree celcius weather? The food is tasty and delicious and better than my own cooking. Most westerners might find this type of cafeteria-style restaurant a little too casual, and the environment, even, unhygenic. If this type of restaurant was placed in a North American context, it might not pass the health-safety inspection test. Moreover, it's not the place where one might find good service either. Though it seems normal for Alice, I am learning to accept it reluctantly. (photo: 1) Alice's sister-in-law, Shu-Jun placing our order for lunch at a street vendor. That's really casual self-service; 2) Kevin, Alice, Jane (friend of Alice and Diane), and Diane (Alice's sister holding her baby girl) in a nice Japanese restaurant (with good service and good food).
No comments:
Post a Comment