Taipei's first kebab shop opened just three weeks ago and has already built up a strong following. Its hearty Turkish grilled meat combos are currently popular with office workers out for a quick feed, local residents looking for something more substantial and expats in search of familiar tastes from home.
The brainchild of Jerry Hsu (
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
Offering diners a clean, pleasant, roomy and inoffensive environment, the Doner's small, yet solid menu is, according to Hsu, still a work in progress. Those craving grilled Turkish treats should find the few items currently available to their liking. The drawback is the lack of dips. While Hsu has mastered the garlic and cucumber yogurt sauce the lack of tahini in Taiwan has meant that humous is, at present, not on the menu.
The most popular of the dishes on offer is the Turkish soda bread kebab. Available in beef, chicken, or a mixture of both, the hearty kebab comes stuffed with salad and is topped off with Hsu's homemade garlic yogurt sauce and costs NT$110. Hsu also offers Lebanese, or flat pita bread wraps, which cost NT$110 and are
available in the same combinations as the Turkish kebab.
Diners looking for more than a simple sandwich should try one of one of Hsu's set meals. The priciest of these is the NT$450 Kusbasi kebab, or a fillet of lamb served with mixed vegetables, Turkish bread and onion salad. The Adana kebab -- two spiced lamb kebabs cooked with capsicum and served with mixed vegetables, Turkish bread and a huge fiery green pepper -- and the Ishender kebab, a plate of beef topped off with garlic yogurt and chili sauce served on a bed of Turkish soda bread, both cost NT$300. Side orders of French fries are available on request for diners wanting that extra bit of cholesterol with their meal.
Hsu plans to add more Mediterranean-based meat and fish dishes as well as several vegetarian choices, including falafel in the near future. But for now, diners will have to make do with the basics. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as Hsu's kebabs hit the spot and diners will walk away from any meal at the Doner satisfied.
Taiwan doesn’t have a lot of railways, but its network has plenty of history. The government-owned entity that last year became the Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) has been operating trains since 1891. During the 1895-1945 period of Japanese rule, the colonial government made huge investments in rail infrastructure. The northern port city of Keelung was connected to Kaohsiung in the south. New lines appeared in Pingtung, Yilan and the Hualien-Taitung region. Railway enthusiasts exploring Taiwan will find plenty to amuse themselves. Taipei will soon gain its second rail-themed museum. Elsewhere there’s a number of endearing branch lines and rolling-stock collections, some
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and the country’s other political groups dare not offend religious groups, says Chen Lih-ming (陳立民), founder of the Taiwan Anti-Religion Alliance (台灣反宗教者聯盟). “It’s the same in other democracies, of course, but because political struggles in Taiwan are extraordinarily fierce, you’ll see candidates visiting several temples each day ahead of elections. That adds impetus to religion here,” says the retired college lecturer. In Japan’s most recent election, the Liberal Democratic Party lost many votes because of its ties to the Unification Church (“the Moonies”). Chen contrasts the progress made by anti-religion movements in
Could Taiwan’s democracy be at risk? There is a lot of apocalyptic commentary right now suggesting that this is the case, but it is always a conspiracy by the other guys — our side is firmly on the side of protecting democracy and always has been, unlike them! The situation is nowhere near that bleak — yet. The concern is that the power struggle between the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and their now effectively pan-blue allies the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) intensifies to the point where democratic functions start to break down. Both
This was not supposed to be an election year. The local media is billing it as the “2025 great recall era” (2025大罷免時代) or the “2025 great recall wave” (2025大罷免潮), with many now just shortening it to “great recall.” As of this writing the number of campaigns that have submitted the requisite one percent of eligible voters signatures in legislative districts is 51 — 35 targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus lawmakers and 16 targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The pan-green side has more as they started earlier. Many recall campaigns are billing themselves as “Winter Bluebirds” after the “Bluebird Action”
RSS