Food Culture Quirks
Several aspects of Taiwan’s food culture initially puzzle Western visitors but make perfect sense once you understand the underlying logic.
The Ubiquity of Convenience Stores
Taiwan possesses one of the world’s highest densities of convenience stores, with major chains like 7-Eleven and FamilyMart appearing every few blocks in urban areas. These aren’t merely shops selling packaged snacks; they function as critical infrastructure for Taiwanese daily life.
Beyond standard retail, convenience stores offer hot meals (tea eggs, steamed buns, bento boxes, pasta, etc.), beverage preparation areas with proper seating, bill payment services, package pickup, and even concert ticket purchases. Many Taiwanese people eat convenience store food regularly without stigma; the quality exceeds what Western visitors expect from similar establishments.
For travellers, convenience stores provide reliable fallback options when restaurants are closed, language barriers feel overwhelming, or you simply want something familiar and predictable. The stores also sell bottled tea drinks (far superior to most Western bottled teas), snacks worth trying (pineapple cakes, mochi, various chips and crackers), and provide clean toilets.
Soup with Everything
Taiwanese meals typically include soup, even when Westerners wouldn’t expect it. Noodle soups, of course, but also rice meals sometimes come with a small bowl of soup on the side. Self-service buffets typically include soup as part of the selection. This practice reflects traditional Chinese beliefs about digestive health and balanced meals—soup provides hydration and aids digestion.
The soups accompanying meals are usually simple, light broths rather than heavy cream-based preparations. Don’t feel obligated to finish soup if you’re full; leaving some is acceptable. The soup typically arrives with the meal rather than as a separate course.
Plastic Bag Culture
Taiwan’s relationship with single-use plastics is complex and changing. Whilst plastic bag bans exist for certain retailers, takeaway food vendors still commonly package everything in multiple plastic bags. Hand-shaken drinks come in plastic bags for carrying multiple cups. This extensive plastic use strikes environmentally conscious Western visitors as problematic, and it is: Taiwan is working to reduce single-use plastics, but the transition remains incomplete.
If you want to reduce plastic waste, bringing your own containers for takeaway food and reusable cups for drinks helps. Sometimes you will get a discount when doing that, especially at hand-shaken drink shops.
The Importance of Freshness Dating
Taiwanese consumers obsess over production dates and freshness in ways that exceed most Western practices. At convenience stores and supermarkets, you’ll see people checking dates on every product, sometimes reaching behind front items to find products made more recently. This isn’t paranoia but cultural practice reflecting the freshness emphasis discussed earlier.
Sharing Food as Social Glue
Sharing food carries enormous social significance in Taiwan. Bringing snacks or drinks to friends, sharing dishes at restaurants, and gifting food items express care and maintain relationships. You’ll notice this constantly: people buying extra portions to share, workers bringing snacks to share with colleagues, friends buying rounds of hand-shaken drinks.
Participating in this sharing culture helps you connect with Taiwanese people. Bringing small food gifts when visiting someone’s home (fruit, bakery items, or specialty snacks from your home country) shows courtesy.
Noise Levels
Taiwanese restaurants, particularly casual ones and stir-fried establishments, operate at noise levels that can overwhelm visitors from quieter food cultures. Kitchens aren’t hidden; you hear woks clanging, orders being shouted, and exhaust fans roaring. Diners converse at volumes that might seem inappropriately loud in Western restaurants. This energetic atmosphere represents normal, not rudeness or poor restaurant management.
If you prefer quiet dining, choose upscale restaurants, which typically maintain calmer atmospheres. But don’t avoid casual restaurants due to noise: you’ll miss essential Taiwan food experiences.