There are nations which eat to live and nations which live to eat. Like the French, the Taiwanese are most certainly one of the latter. Major cities have thousands of restaurants; every budget and market demographic is catered for.

Thanks to the influx of mainland Chinese after 1949, Chinese regional cuisines are well represented: spicy Sichuan (Szechuan) food is widely available, as are Cantonese and Shanghai-style delicacies.

Eating out is so convenient and inexpensive that few single people bother cooking. In families where both the mother and father work full-time, meals are usually takeout or put together by a grandparent. Because of the influence of Buddhism, I-Kuan Tao and other sects, vegetarian cuisine is found everywhere. Taiwanese people are passionate about local cuisine, but that doesn’t mean they’ve no interest in what’s served in other countries. Japanese food has long had a place in the hearts and stomachs of Taiwanese. In Taipei, there’s a smattering of halal restaurants, while Taichung has some good Indian eateries.

Dig around, and you’ll come across Turkish, German Spanish and other cuisines. Taiwanese tea is justly famous, but in recent decades the island has developed a serious caffeine habit. Coffee shops can be found everywhere, and good coffee is grown in the south.