the jimmymac attack!

Dining out in Taipei - bring your own napkins. Yes I am making a huge generalization here again but many, many eating establishments here do not provide napkins. I am comparing to Canada and the US again but there seems to be some unwritten rule in America that restaurants provide napkins. Even donut shops and greasy spoons and take out places provide napkins. In Taiwan many places do not. Yes some do and I apologize to them for making this sweeping statement. But so many do not it is quite 'normal' to bring your own. I'm not kidding. I carry napkins in my pocket and bag. In fact some very smart enterprising people advertise by handing out little packets of tissues with advertising on them. It's brilliant! I've been in many places with a friend and we both pull out our little packet of napkins. I guess it is all ok when you get used to it but coming from another place it's hard to get used to it. Then there are the places that have napkins but they are about 2 inches square. They look like little toy napkins. So at least they provide something but it's almost a joke. A friend recently asked me what is my favorite food in Taiwan? I had to think a minute and then said I really do not like most of the food in Taiwan. I'm sorry but I've been deeply disappointed in the food here. I know it is a matter of taste but a lot of the food here is not to my liking. I came with some expectations I know. I love Chinese food but at home the Chinese food is from Hong Kong and mainland China. I love the food in Hong Kong! But Taiwan is a whole different story. Half the time here I do not know what I'm eating and no one can tell me. And then half the time it seems like they have sucked all the flavor out of the food and they don't even put some soy sauce on the table to help. Coming here made me think... Have I ever seen a Taiwanese restaurant anywhere else in the world? No. I think there is a reason for this. 3 guesses why. I'm not the only one who feels this way about Taiwanese food. The really funny thing is Taiwanese people will always say the food is delicious! And they mean it. They love the food. What else about dining in Taiwan. If you asked what I don't like about it I would have to say, let me count the ways... There are so many things I don't like. In Hong Kong I sat down and was given a cup of tea without asking. I could have dropped to my knees to thank god. In Taiwan it seems I cannot get hot Chinese tea for love or money. They will charge me $150 NT ($6 cdn) for what you get in Hong Kong or Canada for free. After all Chinese tea is just boiling water poured over some tea leaves. But I love it. The other day I got 'Chinese tea' in a restaurant in Taipei for about $5 cdn. It was not what I call Chinese tea but fruit tea and it had a tag on it 'Ceylon tea'. I did not know Ceylon was now part of China. Actually Taiwan has a lot of good tea but for some reason you must go to special tea shops and pay a fortune. I think it's strange that in Canada they give it away free with every meal in every Chinese restaurant. Then along with the mini napkins or no napkins are the mini forks. I am comfortable with using chopsticks and don't mind using them. But nobody uses chopsticks to eat cake. We use forks and so do Taiwanese. But the forks they give you are not really forks. They are more like toy forks or toothpicks with two prongs. They are so small it is ridiculous. To use them you must balance the food on them so they make eating a difficult task. Eating cake should be a pleasure not an ordeal. If I was staying here a long time I would start to bring my own fork because I love to eat cake. Dining in Taiwan, never boring, but not always a pleasure.