Rushing around in the mornings getting ready, people in Taiwan have bread at home and sometimes buy something on their way to school and/or work. What then do Taiwanese people eat? People who like Western-style breakfasts have bread and coffee in bakeshops found almost every corner of the street, while others fond of Chinese-style food eat Dou Jiang (soybean milk) and Shaobing (flat bread) in breakfast shops. But there are also food franchises offering all different options including burgers, sandwiches and Danbing (egg pancake).

 Among all, my No.1 recommendation is Fu Hang Dou Jiang (阜杭豆漿). Much loved and lauded by Japanese tourists and the locals, Fu Hang Dou Jiang is a traditional Taiwanese-style breakfast shop. And the favorite of the locals is Dou Jiang, either hot or cold and Hou Bing Jia Dan (thick Shaobing with extra egg / 厚餅夾蛋). Creamy soybean milk, gooey bread that's little sweet and salty egg are a perfect combination. It also offers You Tiao (fried cruller with vegetables and dried meat) and Fan Tuan (Taiwanese-style rice roll) for those who prefer rice. If you need to fill yourself up with rice, order Fan Tuan.

 One of the greatest day-to-day concerns of office workers across the world is what to eat for lunch. The same story for people in Taiwan. And the easiest and simplest choice when we do not have food cravings is Bian Dang (Taiwanese-style lunch box). All you need to do is pick the main dish between meat and fish, and then side dishes such as fried vegetables, Oden (fish cake) and boiled radish. There are a wide range of options and foods are all ready to be served; it's easy and fast. The price is also affordable from TWD 70–100, good for office workers, students and even full-time moms.

 Some may prefer noodles and snacks over rice. And for them, there are shops offering dumplings and noodles besides Western-style restaurants and Bian Dang shops. The most famous is beef noodles. There are thousands of beef noodle shops in Taiwan and my personal favorite is Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles (林東芳牛肉麵). It's a slightly old restaurant, not easy to find, but still many people come to get a taste of noodles. Have a mouthful of its rich and flavorful broth, tender meat and chewy texture, and you will be the happiest person in the world! Make sure that you visit there and enjoy a Taiwanese-style lunch!

 If you have some time between lunch and dinner, how about taking a bite of a traditional Taiwanese dessert? Here is Chelun Bing(車輪餅) somewhat similar to Gukwha-ppang (flower-shaped pastry stuffed with sweetened red bean) in Korea. It's easy to find it around almost the streets and night markets. See the picture below and, as it shows, traditional Chelun Bing has sweetened red bean and taro fillings. But now there are new types with a wide range of fillings, including fruits and ice cream.

 Moreover, Taiwanese people love (non-alcoholic) drinks. You will see tea shop chains everywhere in Taiwan, such as 50 Lan (50嵐) and Coco. You may be wondering what a Taiwanese drink is. There are many kinds of drinks including the famous Zhenzhu Naicha (bubble tea/珍珠奶茶) and fruit juice. I personally prefer coffee to sweet drinks, but it's almost impossible to say no to Chen San Ding (陳三鼎) bubble tea in Gongguan Night Market (公館夜市). Unlike other bubble tea shops, it boils Zhenzhu (black tapioca pearls) in brown sugar water and puts those into cold milk, making pearls much sweet and chewy along with the wonderful flavor of milk.

 Rechao(熱炒) is the go-to restaurant for Taiwanese people when they want to get together with their friends and have a drink after work. It's a casual restaurant in Taiwan offering a range of seafood, grills and stir-fried dishes at an affordable price, from TWD 100–250. Similar to Bian Dang shops, Rechao is everywhere and offers such a good food that it is safe to go any Rechao restaurant that you see. But I'd recommend Dawan Matou Rechao (大灣碼頭熱炒) near our office, if you come to visit Amorepacific Taiwan. It offers great roast chicken, crispy and crunchy a lot like Beijing Roast Duck.

 Night markets probably come to your mind when you think of Taiwan. Shilin Night Market is the largest night market in Taiwan and here I'd like to recommend Hsinchu Hometown Jipai (fried chicken shop / 新竹家鄉雞排). It's very famous and always crowded with local people. Unlike the well-known Jipai chain Haodada Jipai, the shop fries chicken once, bastes and then grills over charcoal again. And this grilled seasoned Jipai is less oily than the traditional Jipai, especially loved by women.

 That's the end of my column about five wonderful meals in Taiwan and good restaurants. If you have a chance, please visit and enjoy the authentic cuisine of Taiwan.