Taipei’s coffee shop culture isn’t as developed as Seoul’s or Tokyo’s, but it’s growing steadily. I had tea with a friend at the Da-An branch of Café Lakulaku.

New York is sorely lacking in cute, cozy cafés (not chain coffee shops or bars) that are conducive to late night chats with friends over a cup of tea and slice of cake.

One of the things I miss most about Taiwan is Taiwanese breakfast. This was my breakfast combo at Fu Hang Dou Jiang: warm soybean milk, a rice ball, a flatbread/cruller sandwich, and egg crepes.

Fu Hang Dou Jiang is probably the most popular breakfast spot in Taipei. If you show up at 9 AM and your wait is less than half an hour, it’s a good day.

Luckily, there’s entertainment while you wait — you can watch breakfast being made live.

The line also moves quickly because they dole out soybean milk like a well-oiled machine.

For maximum effect, dip the flatbread/cruller sandwich into the soybean milk.

The rice ball is like a large onigiri or a breakfast burrito where glutinous rice replaces the tortilla. The fillings can vary, but they usually involve crunchy cruller bits, pickled vegetables, and meat floss (the English translation of that is not optimal — it tastes better than it sounds).

I took my annual trip to Taiwan a few weeks ago. When in Taiwan, guzzle bubble tea — it’s cheap, plentiful, and the best.

Taipei’s back alleys are an amalgam of cheap eats, tiny boutiques, and scooters.

I always eat at Din Tai Fung, at least twice. Three of my favorite dishes are: egg fried rice, fish dumplings, and Ba Bao Fan (Eight Treasure Rice) for dessert.

Every year or so, a new shopping complex or department store opens in Taipei. Last year’s hotspot was the Eslite Spectrum complex; inside is a shop called ‘0416×1024 which sells a variety of locally designed products. I bought a bunch of postcards, including this one.

I left before Chinese New Year, but preparations were already underway. Nanmen Market is a must-go local market for traditional New Year’s food.

It’s not Asia without some Engrish.

I thought this Engrish was especially awesome.

There were also giant rabbits all around Taipei, courtesy of artist Benrei Huang. Because, why not?