taiwan holds a special place in my heart because 1) my family is taiwanese, and 2) it was my family’s main “vacation” destination every couple years to see friends and family. taiwan is a beautiful island country filled with tropical fruits, hearty dishes and soups, boba, traditional desserts of shaved ice and puddings, night markets, temples, beaches, mountains, the list goes on. it’s extremely developed in terms of technology and transportation, while preserving the beauty of national parks and rich cultural history.
the main tourist cities like taipei and tainan are pretty english-friendly and there’s often english-translated signs so it’s easy to get around.
taiwan, similar to japan, is also a very cash-heavy country so make sure to carry a good amount of cash around. more modern stores and restaurants will take (US) credit cards, but it’s helpful to have cash for more traditional food stalls and night markets.
every city/country has different rating cultures and it can take a bit to calibrate how to properly gauge ratings on google maps. taiwan’s food scene varies a lot in price, casual-ness, and quality so it can definitely be a hit or miss sometimes, especially if you don’t know what to expect. that said, there are a tonnnn of delicious eats at every price point so you’ll never be without a good meal. generally I would say 4.5 and above is a safe bet, or if you see a long line outside 😉
one confusing thing about google maps in taiwan is that people really value “CP” value which stands for cost performance. meaning, if the place seems expensive or the portions are small, people often rate it lower EVEN IF the food is bomb. so it’s important to be a little more discerning with places that seem to have lower ratings.