Wow thank you very much!! We realized Taiwan did not have very many videos in English, so we tried to cover it as well as we could - especially in Taipei! Hope you can make a return visit soon! It is such a cool country!! :D
Hahaha... he is pretty sassy, isn't he? 😂 Luckily we have a LOT of Taiwan videos left to make - I think 10-15! And we'd sure be happy to go back any time too! It's amazing! Thanks again for watching and leaving your kind comments. 🤗 ❤
I would say you should definite have a proper meal at Din Tai Fung. You don't need to go to their first store in Daan but you should find a less popular location in Taipei. Although you can find it in many major cities around the world but I'd say the food from Taiwan locations is still the best. The food quality is just consistent and superb. You will definitely get some comments saying you guys have missed out if you left Taipei without eating at Din Tai Fung.
Thank you for watching!! When visiting we realized there was not a lot of information about Taipei in videos - so we tried to cover it the best we could!! :D
Taiwan is an amazing country. So much to explore. I stayed in Da An during my trip. Such a vibrant neighborhood for both the locals and visitors. Enjoy your stay.
@@IfWeGoTo , it's true that Taiwan has preserved a lot of old Chinese culture, more than in China proper. But the same can be said about Korea, Japan and Vietnam and yet they don't consider themselves Chinese either. The Republic of China government that administers the Formosa and Pescadores Islands once called itself The Free China during the dictatorship days. But since their mandate came to an end, the Taiwanese people have chosen to have their own identity back.
I want to tell you that we have full freedom of speech and freedom of thought, so your perspective and interpretation of our observation are not wrong. To this day, a large proportion of the people in Taiwan (Republic of China) still identify themselves as Chinese, whether it is In terms of culture, language, religion, ethnicity, and ancestry, the only difference between PROC and PROC is the difference in political system
Very good point. While I was born in Taiwan, I've been in the states since the mid 70's. When someone asks me my ethnicity, I say Chinese but immediately specify Taiwanese.
The cat was happy to get a pet, she is adorable Also thank you for showing me the ordering process of that latern soy sauce braised food because shame on me as an Taiwanese who lives in this neighbourhood I really didn't know how lol
Even though Taiwan is currently named ROC, but hearing it being referred to as '' China'' or ''Chinese'' feels very wrong! I think generally speaking people in Taiwan see ROC as Taiwan/Taiwanese. Not your fault, though. That's the result of the unfinished business between ROC and PRC, which strictly speaking is a separate issue to Taiwan Formosa. Just though I would point this out. Great vid!
Most information out there about Taiwan is still from old KMT government’s propaganda. It is not strange because it ruled Taiwan for more than 50 years under dictatorship. KMT is from China and had civil war with CCP. Taiwan is now ruled by a different party DPP founded in Taiwan. DPP does not want anything to do with China. Taiwan is now democracy. This new government was elected by most Taiwanese to represent themselves. It is like many East European countries still have Lenin status, but most people in those countries don’t want anything with the USSR or Russia anymore.
Thanks so much for the video! As someone who grew up in that area, I can definitely say you captured the beauty of Da-an really well! Watching this also make me a bit homesick (and teary 😂) as my house is literally 3 mins from the park and the flower market. I used to play in the park all the time and go to the markets, and of course, ate at the night market and 永康 street. I hope you had a great time in Taipei, it is truly one of a kind ❤
Hello, sorry for our delayed response! We have been away/offline visiting family! Daan was a beautiful neighborhood, you're so lucky to be from there! I hope you get to visit again soon! We had a lovely time in Taipei. I hope we get to visit again soon!
It is recommended that you travel to the eastern part of Taiwan, where there are beautiful and magnificent coasts and mountains, it is a very worthwhile place to visit.
Oh absolutely!! We have a few more videos about Taipei coming out, but afterwards we visited several other areas in Taiwan too!! Like you said, it is just beautiful!!
I know the Shida night market well and have been there many times - news to me about the Michelin star for the pineapple bun - I'm told I've walked past there and not wanted to try it - but hey next time I want a fat old glob of butter maybe I'll try it !
So we learned in Thailand that there are restaurants that have Michelin stars and some that are "Bib Gourmand" - which are recommendations of dishes that are exemplary! I think all of the street food is Bib Gourmand, Either way, its so so good! I would definitely recommend it, but make sure you get a hot and fresh one!!
Alan is like a professional tour guide! Maybe next time you can ask the guests next to you if they have any recommended food, I am sure they will be happy to share with you.
Oh no Ding Tai Feng is not a tourist trap. A lot of locals do go too including myself. It's more expensive because it's more refined compared with other restaurants serving similar food in many ways.
We had both tourists and Taiwanese locals alike tell us that it is and isn’t! I guess it’s a personal take! I agree their service was top notch!! Though we found better food at local spots!
Your video is very informative. I like 青田街 (7:46-8:41), a combination of trees, old buildings and new ones, all in a tranquil atmosphere. Lingering in that neighborhood is soul-soothing, yet you can bump into something surprising.
Ahhh thank you so much!! I tried really hard to monitor the levels a bit better. There is still room for improvement, but just trying to do a bit better each time. Thank you again! :D
Hello!! Sorry we’ve been a bit silent! Unfortunately we have a sick relative that we needed to return to the USA for and we’ve been spending a lot of time with family! We should have a new video up soon!
I live in the bay area in norcal and there's only one Din Tai Fung but it is close to my place so I go there maybe like 3 times a month lol it's kinda pricey but everything is delicious haha :D
Oh really?! I (Brandi) and from the South Bay Area, small world!! Glad to hear it is popular in the USA though - will need to get my Taiwanese food fix when we are visiting family! hahaha.
菠蘿油，香港原創，熱包凍油，冰火兩重天。The idea of having a pineapple bun with a thick (at least 1/4 inch) slice of butter originated from Hong Kong. The butter has to be chilled while the bun has to be heated. Warm bun vs cold butter; sweet bun vs salted butter make the taste so much more interesting. Meanwhile, the top crust of the bun resembles the rind of a pineapple. That’s why it’s called a pineapple bun.
@@IfWeGoTo I’m taking my family to Taiwan in about 3 weeks. My wife and kids have never been. Even with a significant portion of my family living in Taiwan, your videos are definitely helping point us to certain things we want to do in our short one week there. Keep up the good work, the format is great and I’m sure many others will be using these vids now and in the future!
Oh that will be so much fun to visit with your family! Hope you have an amazing trip back! We are SO happy to hear that you have found our videos helpful - that is exactly what we were hoping for! :D Thanks again for writing to us! And don't hesitate to reach out if you need any more tips on any of these locations! Happy travels!
Thanks you guys so much for this new remarkable video this week in Taipei, Taiwan to shows these remarkable places in May of 2023❤❤❤Remarkable video to watch in great joy 2023❤❤❤
Thank you very much!! This could be very helpful!! It definitely scared us a bit, but we did not answer and the woman was older… so we luckily were not in fear for our safety!! when security came they eventually ended up leaving!! We found out later that she had dementia and was confused. 😢
We did end up going another time!! It was delicious, but some local spots were even better!! We just really wanted to see the Shida night market that night! 😃 Is the Xinyi Road location better than the others by chance? Or is it pretty standardized?
broo, 大安 is as "up-and-coming" as Upper West Side is to NY, or Cambridge is to MA, or Robson is to Vancouver. Definitely not the right word to characterize this neighborhood. Unsure why you chose to use that term. It's home to three universities, an insanely popular road with food since the 60s, many well-established shopping malls, and the park has been in existence since the 30s. Great series, otherwise. Thanks for showing us your enthusiasm and experience in Taiwan! HNY
Thanks for the feedback. We had read online that it was continually improving & becoming more modernized and more popular... at least among visitors like us. I guess we don't really consider things like universities being there or street food availability as part of it. To be clear, it wasn't to insinuate it was a bad area or anything like that. Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it regardless of our probably poor choice in words while explaining it! lol
@@IfWeGoTo woah thank you for the quick response! That’s true, not easy when you really only have online guides to go off of. Can’t imagine the effort it takes to not only film documentary level footage, but travel, plan the itinerary, narrate and edit, let alone try to get all the facts right. And tbh, it’s all based off of vibes, these labels are pretty subjective. I really appreciate your willingness to engage with your audience and openness to learn. Best wishes on your next travels! Hope you visit Taiwan sometime again 😁
@@raymondh5456 Of course!! My favorite part of RU-vid is the "social" part of social media! It means a lot to get comments like yours - they help us make small changes and continually learn & improve... because we definitely make plenty of mistakes. lol. Thank you again. Hope to make another visit soon. We absolutely loved it! We will be headed back to East Asia soon here, so perhaps we will be able to make a stop! :D
When we got there, we realized there was not a whole lot of information (at least in videos) available in Taipei - so we set out to cover it the best we could with a lot of research and planning!!
Hello! How are you?? Yes, we absolutely plan to visit the Philippines again! We were actually supposed to be there last month but had to cancel for a family emergency. :(
we had a place in Daan but now thinking of getting one back when we retire in a few years from Vancouver, Canada for a few months in a year when it is cold here
Oh wow! Daan is an amazing neighborhood! What a cool place to grow up! I think that would be a very good idea... Taipei had great weather most of the time!! But I hear Vancouver is lovely too!!
@@IfWeGoTo correct but there has a rise in lawlessness like in SF... lots of broken glass storefronts, homelessness, drug addicts in the worst number of blocks in Downtown Eastside (DTES) for decades... we had very weak mayors afraid to do the right but unpopular thing but finally we have a good mayor thus far.
I really enjoyed your TW trip series videos, inspired me with new areas to explore for my upcoming trip. Video is nice pace and covers sufficient details :)
I like that you hang around the streets of Taipei, different from other people, savoring the beauty of a city slowly and leisurely...I am also infected...Great! Taiwan is a charming island. The culture of Taipei is great. I especially recommend that you ride ubike along the riverside in the Taipei Basin to enjoy the scenery of riverside bicycles. Of course, I also recommend you to soak in hot springs...Taipei's hot springs, except for the last time you went In addition to Yangmingshan, there is also Wulai in the southern mountains of Taipei. This is a hot spring area in the mountains. You can even soak in the open-air hot springs by the river. In addition, Qingsulphur hot springs in Xinbeitou are the only Akita in the world except Japan. Outside of Tamagawa in the county, there are only hot springs with radium components, which can metabolize toxic substances and wastes in the body, and I recommend you to experience it...Or, you can go to the seaside hot springs at Jinshan Beach on the north coast to experience it...Taipei is very Great... But if you leave Taipei and travel to Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, or the east coast, the culture and customs of each place are different... If you like to be close to the ocean, then Kenting at the southernmost tip of Taiwan, and Taitung on the east coast , as well as Green Island, Orchid Island and Penghu...these islands are very beautiful. If you yearn for more amazing nature, then the mountains in Taiwan are really worth exploring...Because Taiwan has the highest density of mountains in the world. There are more than 200 mountains above 3,000 meters above sea level... There are also aboriginal tribes all over it and hidden inside. There are more than a dozen aboriginal ethnic groups in Taiwan, and there are all secret places... I wish you freedom and joy.
Wow thank you so much!! We definitely loved Taipei and tried to take in as much of the city as we could - though it seems like we missed a few of your suggestions along the way, We hope to make it back someday, so on our next visit we will definitely need to check them out! Thank you for sharing all of these awesome suggestions!! We luckily got to visit a few other cities before leaving, like Hualien/Taroko, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Lambai island, but not for as long as Taipei... really hoping we get to spend more time there int he future though. There is so much to see! All of the islands you mentioned look so amazing too!
@@IfWeGoTo Wow! It turns out that you have already been to Hualien, the south and the small islands. You are welcome to come back to Taiwan at any time. While you are traveling around the world, you will be comfortable and happy.
The translation of it into pineapple bun is totally confusing, but in Mandarin, it means nothing pineapple, the pronunciation is like ‘polo bun’ I’m sorry that some crazy person knock at your door in the middle of night! That must be bizarre and scary!
ohhhh! Interesting! We had no idea - it's funny how words get translated/changed over time! No worries now!! Luckily she was a small, older woman so we were not super afraid of her... we thought she may have confused us or been drinking because it was the weekend... but it was definitely unsettling in the middle of the night! Unfortunately it turned out that she had dementia and was, in fact, confused... :(
Da’ an Park is great. The MRT terminal there is wondrous, at night there are concerts outside and inside. We rent u-bikes and ride through and around the park. The acoustic properties inside the Da’an MRT terminal enhance the musical performances. There is a good cafe upstairs, upper level, park side of the terminal. You can sit outside and enjoy nature and the music.
Absolutely agree that it is an awesome part of town - it grew to be our favorite!!Next time we will have to check out the MRT, we did not know about the music shows! Also, sorry for our delayed response! We have been away/offline for a family matter!
You really know what you are talking about. I am surprised about what you said about the shida night market. Some locals probably dont know about it. I havent been there for years and it surely has changed a lot. I cant believe the pineapple bun shop is still around. I used to lived across from the shop. Did you call the cops for the crazy neighbour? Thats quite annoying!
Ahh thank you!! Alan did a LOT of research about Taiwan so we appreciate you noticing that! :D That pineapple bun shop is a chain now! I think we saw 2 or 3 locations in our time there! And we decided not to! We did not want even more hassle at that time of night... and it was an older woman so we were not concerned for safety. We thought she may have been confused or drinking because it was a weekend night. We just didn't open the door and she stopped eventually! Found out later that she has dementia and was in fact, confused. :(
I like all your Taiwan episodes. But you guys seriously butchered every single name!! With no exceptions it is amazing haha! Maybe can ask any local person how to pronounce a name. The only name you didn't mess up is Taipei 101. Lol! Still good videos though. ❤️
Thank you!! Hahaha, yes, we struggled with the names for sure - even tried to look them up but it's *incredibly* hard to find correct info on! If it makes you feel any better, we did start to learn them from people in the comments correcting us (some of them anyways!) Some of the noises/letters in Chinese simply don't exist in English so they are challenging! lol. Anyways, thanks for watching and enjoying despite us completely butchering the names. lol
Great video! The pineapple bun doesn't have any pineapples in the ingredients, it's just the shape and texture of the bun. Kind of like melonpan in Japan, it doesn't have actual melon in it it's just the shape and design.
Really enjoyed your video and hope you get to try more delicious foods in Taiwan and hope the 2am incident from your neighbour didn’t give you bad impression of Taiwan. 😅
Welcome to Taipei, Taiwan this week to tours around the capital city with thousands of tourists on the streets with many street foods etc. in May of 2023❤❤❤
Taiwan is amazing, isn't it!! Thank you so much, so happy you enjoy ours! I also generally enjoy more silent vlogs! hahaha. I just checked out your channel too! LOVE your little dog ornaments! So cute! :D
So the Pineapple bun is called that not because there are pineapple in it, it's because the crust on the outside are often in the pattern of little squares, kinda looking like the surface of a pineapple.
It is a bit unfair to say Ding Tai Feng is a bit of a tourist trap because everyone I know in Taipei, as local Taiwanese, all go to DTF regularly. It is not a cheap place to eat but they charge their customers exactly the same price regardless of where they come from, locals or foreigners. One can say it is not a cheap restaurant but totally unfair to call it a tourist trap.
I guess it’s kind of a subjective thing. We’ve gotten comments on our other Taiwan videos calling it both amazing AND a tourist trap - from locals. For us (at least the location we went to) the service was top notch and it was good, but we were a tad disappointed. We found many local spots that we thought were way better! That’s not to say a tourist trap is all bad though, some are rightfully so. But we did think we paid a bit much for the quality. Hahaha.
The food may not reach your expectation and the price may not suit your budget but their customers are mainly Taiwanese people. With 7 branches dotted around Taipei they are not trapping any tourists. BTW I have nothing to do with DTF. I am just an occasional customer.
I have no doubts that people love to eat there, but I think the price really reflects the overall experience!! Anyways, we were just saying what we read on blogs/reviews/etc!
I like how Alan and Brandy’s expressions are so different when they tasted something insanely delicious. Alan would say “Wow” whereas Brandy would utter “Oh Yeah”, as if she can devour another one.
Brandi is, without a doubt, an American girl name that means warm and brilliant. I will be sure to recommend it to any Moms in Taiwan carrying a baby girl.
We should be so lucky and thankful that Alan and Brandi risked their lives to produce the Yangmingshan National Park 陽光明山video for us. They were shooting in an active volcano
The 'pineapple bun' with butter in it is not Taiwanese food. It comes from Hong Kong originally. There's NO pineapple in it. It's the appearance of the bun similar to the surface of the pinapple skin. In Chinese, the bun is called 菠蘿麵包。People in mainland China and Hong Kong called pineapple 菠蘿 ("bō luó" in mandarin); in Taiwan, we called pineapple 鳳梨 ("feng li" in mandarin") or 「王梨」"ông-lâi" in Taiwanese.
Hey Brandi & Alan, I just watched your video and I must say that it was really informative, entertaining and well-made. I loved your videos. I was wondering if I could help you edit your videos and also make highly engaging shorts for you?
Love the way you guys enjoy and appreciate every little thing around you. Thanks for showing the beauty of my country to the world. Hope you discover more fun and loving things here.
Wow, thank you SO much!! That was so incredibly kind of you!! So happy you have enjoyed the videos. Taiwan is an amazing little country and it's a pleasure to share it! Thank you again!! Can't express enough gratitude!
Pineapple bun has no pineapple in it. It just looks like an pineapple. The bun alone is pretty much the most common bread in Taiwan but with a piece of butter, that's Hongkong style pineapple bun.
Omg that will be so much fun!! We're hoping to make it out to Japan again soon, but we'll see what happens. If we happen to be there at the same time again though, we will definitely have to link up!!
If I could make a suggestion- since you guys are both more soft-spoken, and are also often in places where you need to wear masks, your voices are a little low sometimes. Have you thought about lav mics or something like the Rode Wireless Go to help with the audio? Just a thought!
Hi!! Thank you for the suggestion! We are using the rose wireless go, but I think we need to mess with our settings a little bit more. Thanks so much for letting us know, it really helps us to get comments like this!! :)
@@IfWeGoTo Was just watching one of your Japan vlogs and in comparison your audio here is already much better. Adjusting mic settings could help but may also just be a matter of playing with your audio levels in editing!
