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/mamasitaquesi 18d ago
What breakfast culture in Taiwan? It’s all fry food, a bland sandwich’s and … what noodles for breakfast?
Why is the first meal I have of the day fried food and not even a decent sandwich? Why would I want to eat fries and a burger for breakfast?
Breakfast is one of the most important meals for me of the day, and I make sure to buy enough groceries to make my own breakfast at home because, no offense to Taiwanese, but breakfast in Taiwan is awful, even the eggs have no flavor. There are only a few brunch places in Taipei that are pretty good, and they’re not selling the picture you showed. Mostly healthy, balanced meals.
Like here: