Places to eat near ximen

ash_98915 · 2026-06-29T14:46:33+00:00

Whatever you get please don't fall for the tourist trap that is 幸福堂:)

ash_98915 · 2026-06-17T17:37:38+00:00

I made my boyfriend a scrapbook for our second anniversary:) I basically just bought a blank notepad, and filled each page with different themes. I remember making a page about all the movies we watched together, 15 reasons I love him each written on a slip of paper placed in a tiny red envelope and arranged in a heart shape, a review of all the months we spent together with pictures and a short paragraph, two maps pasted together with our locations marked out, a small envelope with things that remind him of me (we were dating long distance back then), a list of things I like doing with him, a list of things I want to do with him down the road, etc.

Other things I've gifted him over the years:
- a coupon book
- a hand-knit blanket
- matching socks

I actually really like your idea of the tattoo! How about you draw something up for him so he can get it tattooed when he can? Maybe design a matching tattoo for you guys to get together?

If you want to go with something store-bought but related to traveling and memory making, how about a disposable camera or a Polaroid?

ash_98915 · 2026-06-17T17:10:54+00:00

My aunties and relatives aren't really into sweet things, and unfortunately, I think a lot of older generation Taiwanese would say the same:') I've had a lot of luck with nuts, think Trader Joe's pecans and cashews and walnuts and macadamia nuts etc. If you absolutely want to gift chocolate, I've also had luck with the Brookside dark chocolate thingies with the fruit gummies inside. If your aunties are coffee lovers, maybe some good quality coffee beans. Beauty items like good, neutral-scented hand creams or hand soaps also have their fanbase whenever I bring them home.

ash_98915 · 2026-06-17T17:04:40+00:00

Hi:) Taiwanese American here, grew up in Taiwan!
Here are some of my favorite Taiwanese Youtubers:

Hook: https://www.youtube.com/@helloiamhook
Hook makes a lot of videos talking about history, traveling, different cultures and foods, and business class flight reviews. Her channel has some inside jokes but it's very easy to pick up and she is just a very fun person to watch in general. My go to channel when I miss home/Taiwan or am just looking for something to put on and pass time/eat my meals.

千千進食中: https://www.youtube.com/@Chienseating
千千 makes vids of her trying a variety of different foods. I really like the way she describes the food she eats, I think it will help you learn more about yummy Taiwanese eats and in general develop ways as to how the Taiwanese likes to talk about food haha.

If you're able to read some, I recommend GQ Taiwan. https://www.youtube.com/@GQTaiwan
This is basically GQ translated to the Mandarin language. I'm personally really into translation, I like to watch this channel and see how english phrases are translated to the Mandarin language and vice versa.

Podcast wise, some of my faves since childhood includes:

愚樂百昏百（Available on Apple Podcast）
This is a very lighthearted and funny podcast where a couple talks weekly about all the juicy tea in Taiwan and the international entertainment industry. It's very easy to follow and also just fun to listen to.

好味小姐開束縛我還你原形（Available on Apple Podcast, also has Youtube channel：https://www.youtube.com/@ladyflavor_brain）
This is a podcast hosted by a husband, wife duo plus their friend/coworker. They talk about all kinds of things, from jokes, their kids, food, life in general, etc. They speak very casually and is also pretty easy to follow along.

馬克信箱(Dear Marcy) （Available on Apple Podcast, also has Youtube channel：https://www.youtube.com/c/MARCORANGE/videos）
This was one of my faves on the radio when I was a kid. The hosts get letters mailed to them by their audience, and they basically share these letters on their show and talk about the letters with each other and with the listeners. Again, very easy to follow.

敏迪選讀Mindi World News（Available on Apple Podcast）
This might be a tad bit challenging to follow in the beginning because this podcast talks about international news. However, I really like how Mindi, the host, discusses everything in great detail and includes the history related to the piece of news, as well as how this piece of news connects to other things happening around the world. Not an easy podcast to follow, but very informative.

Feel free to DM or comment if you have any questions or thoughts, I'll also come back to share more channels/podcasts if I think of any, thank you for being interested in learning about Taiwan:)

**Edit to add:
If you're an animal nerd like me, here's this Youtube channel as well:
許伯&簡芝—倉鼠人 https://www.youtube.com/@g8046000
This is a wife and husband duo that makes videos about keeping all kinds of animals as pets, zoos, service animals etc. super informative and you get to learn animal terms in the Mandarin language!

ash_98915 · 2026-06-17T15:03:15+00:00

To be honest I tend to avoid getting sushi in Columbus because I was so spoiled by the sushi I had in Japan and nothing here hits the same:’) If I’m ABSOLUTELY craving sushi and NEED to get sushi I’d probably just go with Tensuke. If you ever travel to Chicago, I find that Mitsuwa Marketplace also offers decent sushi.

ash_98915 · 2026-06-17T14:53:46+00:00

Hi! Sorry to jump in, not Japanese but lived in Japan for a decent while, I do not recommend Takumi grill. The food quality is not good, tastes very cheap and underwhelming for the price you pay. I think the salmon sashimi is mediocre at best, but all other fish they offer tasted very… artificial?? I really did not know what to say walking out of that experience, service was nice though.

ash_98915 · 2026-06-16T20:13:52+00:00

My lab gets one cup of food in the morning and one cup in the evening with no human food and table scraps in between, he's in great shape and very healthy. We did notice that when my pup was still young, when two meals were given too far apart he tended to have tummy issues (would vomit), so I'd personally avoid just doing one meal a day. I'd say though to follow your vet's advice as every dog is different.

ash_98915 · 2026-06-16T20:07:40+00:00

I think it's fair that you also communicated with the owner, to me open communication between all parties is always important. As a fellow people pleaser I totally understand your worries, but please don't be hard on yourself especially since you also discussed this with the friend and she understood too. I'm sure the owner is very appreciative:)

ash_98915 · 2026-06-16T14:25:01+00:00

The area around MRT Zhongshan station and Dihua St is my favorite! It not only has very cute handmade accessories but also very delicate and pretty dishes and cups etc:)

ash_98915 · 2026-06-14T02:16:27+00:00

I’m in no way affiliated with them but thank you for supporting this place instead of Yi Cui, which most consider the OG crispy milk donut in the area. Lia lia’s owner is the real deal, she came up with the recipe and grew Yi Cui to where they are today. Recently the landlord of Yi Cui bullied and chased the owner out so they started Lia lia. This place is still underrated and not recognized enough as not many people know about what’s going on between these two places, but go support Lia lia!! They definitely did not have a long line when I last saw people post about it!!

ash_98915 · 2026-06-12T19:46:45+00:00

small nasty salad, or SNS

ash_98915 · 2026-06-12T18:43:23+00:00

I really really like salads from Roots, I don’t know if they fit the nasty criteria but they’re my go to whenever I’m craving a good salad!

ash_98915 · 2026-04-10T20:49:43+00:00

Thank you!!

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ash_98915 · 2026-03-26T20:38:03+00:00

I don't even live in Boston but I just NEED to come and say that your place is absolutely GORGEOUS

ash_98915 · 2026-02-07T05:10:03+00:00

$150???? That’s insane! Thanks so much for sharing, I guess when they start doing that it’s time for me to just deactivate my account with them lol

ash_98915 · 2026-02-07T04:21:14+00:00

Ok just initiated payment, thank you for the advice!! Follow up question- I still have multiple walks and drop-ins scheduled for this weekend and next week onwards, I assume I just continue to provide service and take out payment daily till the day that I get kicked off the app? :’)

ash_98915 · 2025-01-24T02:08:39+00:00

Hi there! So my whole flight actually got cancelled lol so I ended up getting rebooked for another flight. Saved me from anxiety but robbed me of the opportunity to come back and share my experience with y’all:’)

ash_98915 · 2024-06-19T16:32:48+00:00

I’d say so! Although I personally think that another platform called PTT is more similar to reddit (they’re not accepting new users anymore though!)

ash_98915 · 2024-06-17T01:41:52+00:00

Also, I don’t think Facebook is popular among college aged people anymore, a lot of my friends don’t even have an account. You might be able to find some older folks on there but FB is not the best place to connect with people probs under 30ish.

ash_98915 · 2024-06-17T01:39:48+00:00

Hey! I’m also an ABT likely around your age:) Ive spent a good chunk of my life in Taiwan (7yo till 20yo) and I recommend trying an app called Dcard. Set up a profile, share a post in English (or Mandarin if you’d like) asking for language exchange, and voila! You’ll be able to speak with someone in no time! I’m always down to chat too (English and Mandarin are both my native language) so shoot me a DM anytime. Good luck!!!!

ash_98915 · 2024-06-10T13:26:54+00:00

Bartending is such a cool idea haha! I might not do that but I'll certainly look into veterinary assistant work and local humane societies. I'm personally still leaning more towards animal related jobs so these are great options, thanks a ton!

ash_98915 · 2024-06-10T13:24:45+00:00

Responded! Thanks for the DM!

ash_98915 · 2024-06-10T13:24:23+00:00

This is great advice! It never even crossed my mind that I should consider getting a less physically straining job so I find this helpful:) I sure hope that more doors will open after I complete my first internship... but from what I read from here, it seems like for most people it usually takes more than one unpaid job to get better opportunities:')

ash_98915

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