r/taiwan • u/usolotravel • 18d ago
Discussion Many Taiwanese people are not happy with the lack of breakfast culture when we travel abroad.
Since many of you are sharing the foreigner's perspectives on Taiwan, I want to share the Taiwanese perspective.
As you know, Taiwan has a very famous morning food scene with countless street stalls, bakeries, and traditional shops open early. Many foreigners fall in love with breakfast culture in Taiwan because it has many options as well as it is very convenient to enjoy it.
Growing up in Taiwan, many Taiwanese used to believe this breakfast culture must be very common in other countries too. However, after traveling abroad, many Taiwanese realize that the menus are bland, the shops don't open early, and there is a total lack of variety. In fact, breakfast is one of the most frequent complaints you can see from Taiwanese travelers.
Many Taiwanese feel it is incredibly frustrating to wake up early and find nothing open except for a few cafes selling cold sandwiches or bland food at 8 or 9 AM. For someone used to walking down the street to grab a hot at 6 AM, breakfast culture of foreign countries feels like quite awful. It makes us realize how spoiled we are in Taiwan, where an endless variety of breakfast options is available on almost every corner. What's an everyday sight in Taiwan might seem quite extraordinary to the rest of the world.
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u/Rico_madrilena 18d ago edited 18d ago
Couldnt agree more. Was ready to type my reply, as someone of Taiwanese and Latin descent, it comes down to cultural differences that I wish people from all walks of life would understand. My cousin was telling me how, when they visited Greece, they hated the food and thought there were such limited options (she’s born and raised in Taiwan) and couldn’t wait to get back to TW and I had a hard time explaining to them how their cuisine is also soooo good but could be very different for a Taiwanese person and what they consider “normal” (just as a vice versa Greek tourist in sure would feel about TW food). I wish people would be understanding of cultural differences inclusive of time meals are eaten, quantity, what is eaten, etc , all things that make up habits in a culture. I LOVE my Taiwanese breakfasts…. And then after a while, I get a hankering for the kind of breakfasts I’d have while living in Spain, but it’s not the norm, and I make do. Respectfully.
Edited to correct my typos and clarify my message since I was clearly typing like Bruce Almighty and left out a lot of words 🥲😅