I may have mentioned before about how Taiwan is experiencing a post-colonization period of western culture. Call it globalization or connectivity, but the manifestations of it are all things white and foreign becoming popular and common. SUV's, golden retrievers and huskies, the English language, camping, hiking and bicycling (is this chinese? Even when they buy the full-body bicycling suits?), red wine and cheese (about as non-asian as you can get), and of course the respect and deference given to (White) foreigners.
No where is this more readily seen than in the many coffee shops popping up around Tainan, Taiwan. Not just starbucks, of which there are many, but quaint independent little cafes that serve pasta, sandwiches and coffee. Of course, there are still millions of drive-away tea shops where you can get iced tea to go for 20nt, and nicer sit-down tea places with tea for around 70nt. But here's my problem: I'm addicted to green tea and like to have a cup before breakfast, before I eat anything. So I either have to go out and get a cup and come home again, or go out and sit and do my work somewhere where I can get it... and increasingly, places like this are hard to find!
I went around to the cafe shops around the university the other day and found only coffee and sometimes red tea (and of course, fruit smoothies, herbal teas and other exotic drinks). But c'mon! No green tea in Taiwan?? What the hell. Several times I'd sit down, look over the menu, and leave again. There's just nothing else I want first thing in the morning (which for me is around 1pm).
What do you think about the way Taiwan is turning white?
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