What’s an authentic restaurant that serves food from your home country?

 Do you have a go-to comfort food spot in Taipei that you absolutely love?

For a Taiwanese dessert sugar hit, I get soybean pudding 豆花 from Jiugong Douhua.

What’s a hidden gem in Taiwan—a place or activity—that you think foreigners should know about?

Not a hidden gem, but everywhere else outside Taipei City is not talked about enough. Even spending a weekend in the other major cities such as Kaohsiung or Taichung, will give you a different perspective.

What’s one book, movie, or piece of media you think everyone should experience at least once—and why?

From 2025, the semiconductor documentary A Chip Odyssey 造山者 is a great introduction into not only the technology origin but the Taiwanese mentality and way of doing things.

What piece of advice would you give to someone new to living in Taiwan?

Take the time to really learn and understand the local culture and norms, even more so than the local language, and expect some frustrations along the way.  It’s natural to compare to your own culture but try not to complain about the differences, which is an odd thing when you think about it – if you expect Taiwan to be the same as where you are from, why did you move? 

What advice would you give to foreign professionals who want to build meaningful careers, not just short stays, in Taiwan?

Build your network; Taiwan is a relationship-based society which can be difficult to break into, but the effort is worth it in order to progress in business, career, and other social needs. Attend events and put yourself out there, and while it may seem easy to meet 80% of the people in your industry, you’ll need to really put in the time to meet the final 20%. 

You may be surprised to find that the best professional connections can be made under very casual settings. That biking group or sports activity club is just as likely to include big business executives as it is student graduates.