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The search for the best comfort food in the late-night dining capital of Asia

It’s pouring rain again in Taipei. Not a run-of-the-mill drizzle, or even a strong thunderstorm. Sheaves of water heave and ho before my eyes—bristles that slash with the fury of an angry painter.

Although I am tucked safely away under an eave, I can feel the pounding of the rain on the pavement; it strikes with such force that the residual drops hit me like little needles stabbing at my skin, and the blaring neon signs just across the street are turned into fuzzy halos of red and blue. Thank God I wore flip-flops.

Nobody will be going anywhere any time soon, so I figure it’s the perfect time to eat. Under the dry awning of the restaurant, ponchos come off, umbrellas are shaken of excess water, and hats are wrung out as my eating companions arrive, and we finally sit down atop plastic stools at the undecorated wooden table. I pick up the plastic clipboard from the table, and stare at the rows of delectable choices on the menu.

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Midnight in Taipei is a story from our issue, “High Steaks.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine. Alternatively, you can purchase the digital version from the App Store.

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author Terence Hsieh (谢燕辉)

Terence Hsieh is a writer, musical producer, and band leader formerly based in Beijing, now Taiwan due to COVID restrictions. Formerly an editor at TWOC, Hsieh now is a freelance musician and producer in the Chinese pop music industry. He has toured with Karen Mok (莫文蔚), Tia Ray (袁娅维), Alin (黄丽玲), and Tan Weiwei (谭维维), and leads the five time Golden Melody Award-nominated, instrumental deathpop band The Spice Cabinet (五香放克乐团). His interests include culture, music, art, philosophy, and all things culinary.

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