頂きます！

From today's Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売 comes an article on the spread of Japanese restaurants across Asia:

"Japanese restaurant chains are advancing into the rest of Asia--including China, Thailand and Taiwan--where the popularity of Japanese cuisine is soaring as the standard of living improves. Shrinking Japanese domestic markets, mainly due to a declining birthrate and a drop in consumer spending, lie behind the trend of Japanese restaurant companies seeking to expand into new markets."

The story mainly focuses on outlets being opened in Shanghai, but Taiwan is briefly mentioned in one paragraph:

"Some firms that have already opened restaurants outside of Japan are making steady profits. Ootoya Co. 大戸屋 based in Tōkyō 東京, which sells low-cost meals at its restaurant chain, opened its first overseas restaurant in Thailand in January 2005. The firm now has 31 overseas outlets in Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong--out of a total 242 at home and abroad--that earn about 10 percent of its consolidated sales."

Japanese food is very popular in Taiwan, and rave reviews of mainly Taipei 台北-based 日本料理 eateries can be found throughout the blogosphere here. However, I found myself continually disappointed by the quality of Japanese food served in restaurants in Taiwan. For example, noodle dishes such as ramen ラーメン are marked by their underwhelming flavors. Taiwanese chefs appear to labor under the notion that Japanese cuisine is meant to bland, and in fact I've been told by several students who have traveled to Japan that the food there was too "salty"! After living for nearly 18 months in Yokkaichi 四日市, Mie Prefecture 三重県, my Taiwanese wife complained that the Japanese food on offer in Taiwan was tasteless! Unfortunately, she seems to be in the minority.

I also have problems when it comes to my favorite Japanese dish, tonkatsu 豚カツ. In Japan, it is almost universally tasty. In Taiwan, the pork often has too much fat, the batter is too thick (a problem that also plagues tempura 天ぷら dishes in Taiwan), and worst of all, instead of Worcestershire sauce and mustard, ketchup is often presented as a condiment to go with the meat!

And then there is sushi 寿司 and sashimi 刺身. Is it only my imagination (or bias), or is the quality better at the cheapest conveyor belt joints 回転寿司 in Japan than the more expensive Japanese restaurants here in Taiwan? Wasabi ワサビ is often provided (and used) in such great amounts that is absorbs almost all the soy sauce. So much for subtlety. And perhaps I'm just unlucky, but it seems every time I have sashimi, the fish is served half-frozen.

As a lover of Japanese cuisine, therefore, I'm happy to read that more Japanese restaurants will apparently be opening up in Taiwan. I shouldn't get my hopes up too high, however. Take the above-mentioned Ootoya, for example. A Google search revealed there are 9 outlets on this island - five in Taipei, two in Kaohsiung 高雄, and one each in Hsinchu 新竹 and Tainan 台南. The staff at Compass Magazine may delude themselves into believing that Taichung 台中 is the "culture city", but it takes a long time for things from the outside world to make their way into the central part of Taiwan. And as for good ol' Fengyuan 豐原, well, there is a MOS Burger モスバーガー...

In the interests of fairness, the state of Chinese food in Japan is just as bad. There was a "Taiwanese" restaurant in downtown Yokkaichi that served Japanized versions of Taiwanese noodle, rice and tofu dishes. And who in their right mind would list "Japanese food/restaurants" as one of their reasons for visiting Taiwan? It's just that as a long-term resident in a small city who needs a break from the stir-fries and chopped-up pieces of bone, it would be nice if the most popular international alternative could taste a little more like it does in its place or origin, and a little less like the native dishes.

Them WBC Blues

It has been a long fall for Taiwan in baseball, from dominating the Little League World Series back in the Seventies, to this:

China ousts Taiwan in Classic

"Ray Chang homered and drove in two runs as China beat Taiwan 4-1 on Saturday for its first win in the World Baseball Classic."

China eliminates Taiwan

"Baseball in China took a huge step toward credibility, as the team managed by former Orix Buffaloes オリックス・バファローズ skipper Terry Collins shocked Taiwan 4-1 in a WBC elimination game on Saturday at Tōkyō Dome 東京ドーム. U.S.-born Ray Chang went 3-for-3 with a double, a homer and two RBIs, and starter Lu Jiangang 吕建刚, the winning pitcher against Taiwan at the Beijing Olympics, set the tone by allowing just one run over 5-1/3 innings to lead the way. China has now beaten the Taiwanese back-to-back in international play. It won 8-7 in 12 innings at the Beijing Games last summer. The loss also made Taiwan, which fell to South Korea 9-0 on Friday night, the first team to be bounced from the WBC, taking it out of Group A play with two defeats in less than 24 hours."

Talk about a loss of face...

As easy as WBC

Taiwan's team came into the World Baseball Classic's Asia Round at Tōkyō Dome 東京ドーム with lowered expectations in the aftermath of its poor performance at last year's Beijing Olympics, and in the first game at least, it lived up (or should that be down?) to them. From the Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売:

As expected / South Korea whips Taiwan to set up showdown with Japan

"South Korea made the Taiwan players and coaches hide their eyes in the first inning on Friday with a grand slam from Lee Jin Young in a six-run rally that the reigning Olympic champion rode to a 9-0 victory in front of 12,704 at Tōkyō Dome. Korea took advantage of some first-inning wildness by Taiwan starter Lee Chen-chang, who handed out three free passes, a hit batter and a single before Lee Jin Young's slam to deep right capped the rally in the second game of the Tōkyō Round"

And the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ:

Lee, South Korea trounce Taiwan

"South Korea didn't have to work too hard to notch its first win of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Taiwan's starting pitcher took care of a lot of the heavy lifting himself. South Korea had twice as many runs as hits in the first, including Lee Jin Young's towering grand slam, as they cruised in to 9-0 rout of Taiwan on Friday night in front 18,704 fans Tōkyō Dome. 'The reason for the victory is the Taiwan pitchers gave us a lot of opportunities and our hitters turned those into runs,' South Korea manager Kim In Sik said. The Koreans also turned a WBC-record five double plays in the victory."

The MLB.com website has a preview of Taiwan's do-or-die game against China:

China to take on Chinese Taipei. Loser will be eliminated; winner will play Japan or Korea

"China will meet Chinese Taipei 中華台北 in Game 3 of the 2009 World Baseball Classic Pool A, Asia Round, in a day game at Tōkyō Dome on Saturday. Both clubs lost their opening games in the tournament, and the loser of this game will be eliminated. The winner will stay alive and play again on Sunday against the loser of Saturday night's Game 4 between Japan and Korea. China is hoping for a repeat of its 8-7 victory over Chinese Taipei in the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, while Chinese Taipei will be trying to duplicate the results of the 2006 World Baseball Classic, when it defeated China 12-2."

If Taiwan loses this one, it might be time to throw its hands up in the air in surrender, become a Special Administrative Region a la Hong Kong or Macau and give up any dreams of being a sovereign state.

Oh, wait, that's already happening, isn't it?

Taiwan's Foggy Bottom

I was only being sarcastic the other day when I referred to the Japan-U.S. Mutual Security Treaty 日米安保 as an "obscure" document, but apparently it is to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs 中華民國外交部, at least judging by this article from today's Taipei Times newspaper ("Ministry unaware of US view on Diaoyutai islands"):

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was unaware that the US had recently said the US-Japan security treaty includes the much-disputed Diaoyutai archipelago in the East China Sea, Department of North American Affairs Director-General Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) said yesterday during a weekly briefing...He said the reason that MOFA was unaware of the State Department’s position was there had been no public announcement and it only existed as a guidance note for dealing with direct questions from reporters. 'I didn’t ask the US for more information on this particular issue,' Tseng said. 'For a more thorough explanation of the statement, I would suggest you go and speak to the AIT 美國在台協會. The government’s stance is very clear: That we have rightful claim over the Diaoyutais.'"

Doesn't anybody at MOFA bother to read newspapers or check the wire services? The statement from the AIT last week wasn't even the first time the US government has clarified its stance on the Senkaku Islands 尖閣諸島. A quick Google search revealed that:

"The 1960 US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security applies to territories under the administration of Japan, including the Senkaku Islands. In November 1996, Assistant Secretary of Defense (Kurt M.) Campbell stated that the basic position of the US is that the Japan-US security treaty would cover the Senkaku Islands. Secretary of Defense William Perry reconfirmed this fact on 03 December 1996"

"On March 24, 2004, Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman at the US State Department said 'The Senkaku Islands have been under the administrative control of the Government of Japan since having been returned as part of the reversion of Okinawa 沖縄 in 1972. Article 5 of the 1960 U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security states that the treaty applies to the territories under the administration of Japan; thus, Article 5 of the Mutual Security Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands. Sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands is disputed. The U.S. does not take a position on the question of the ultimate sovereignty of the Senkaku Diaoyu Islands. This has been our longstanding view. We expect the claimants will resolve this issue through peaceful means and we urge all claimants to exercise restraint.'"

(http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/senkaku.htm)

So apparently MOFA employees don't know how to use search engines, either. You would think those who are tasked with the job of managing Taiwan's foreign affairs would have been more familiar with Japan's security treaty with the United States (it doesn't take a Master's in International Relations to figure out the implications of the aforementioned Article 5) , but it seems that isn't the case at all.

In addition to Japanese islands, it appears Taiwan is also eying Japanese know how, according to Japan Focus ("Taiwan to set up company to solicit U.S., Japan DRAM patents"):

"Taiwan announced Thursday it will set up a company to attract overseas technology, including from Japan, for the manufacture of dynamic random access memory chips in a bid to rescue the island’s $28 billion DRAM industry. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ plan to establish the Taiwan Memory Co within the next six months comes as the island’s chipmakers are reeling from a supply glut and plummeting exports amid the global financial crisis."

If the bureaucrats at the MOEA are anything like their counterparts at MOFA, Taiwan's chipmakers are probably doomed.

Have mercy 観音山の写真

A few photos from a morning walk in the area around the mountaintop Guanyin (Kannon) 觀世音菩薩 Temple in Taichung (Taichū) 台中:

A small temple built into the side of a hill, looking like something from "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". For some reason, plastic colored bowling pins were hung along the covered corridor:

The Guanyin Temple complex off in the distance:

These statues at the temple appear to be arhats, those who have achieved nirvana:

Even on the edge of the city, people are crammed into the modern, Taiwanese equivalent of tenement blocks (for the middle class, no less):

Why was there a vehicle, made up to look like a ship and representing the city government of Keelung 基隆 parked by the side of the road? And what is the apparent connection to Double Ten Day 國慶日?:

Back in the material world, the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ carried an article the other day that should give pause for thought to any Chinese patriots determined to restore the beloved Diaoyutai Islands 釣魚台群島 to the bosom of the sacred motherland (U.S. reassures Japan that defense pact extends to Senkaku Islands):

"With Japan, China and Taiwan trading barbs over sovereignty of the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands 尖閣諸島 in the East China Sea 東シナ海, the United States has reiterated that the islets are covered by the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty 日米安保. 'The Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security signed by Tōkyō 東京 and Washington in 1960, which states that it applies to the territories under the administration of Japan, does apply to the island,' Larry Walker, a spokesman for the American Institute in Taiwan 美國在台協會, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei 台北, said Saturday. But Walker said the United States reserves judgment on ultimate sovereignty of the islands, which have been under Japanese administrative control since the reversion of Okinawa 沖縄 to Japan from U.S. administrative rule in 1972...The comments came after China on Thursday expressed 'strong dissatisfaction' over remarks by Prime Minister Tarō Asō 麻生太郎 that Japan and the United States would work together to deal with any attack by a third country on the disputed islets, which are claimed by China and Taiwan."

I guess those Taiwanese officials who were stating last year that war was an option over the Senkakus were unaware of the obscure security treaty.

掃除をしている

My daughter Amber decided that the floor for what passes as our "dining room" needed some cleaning this evening - click on the link below (on the left):

A little house cleaning

MOS No. 7

 

MOS Burger in Taiwan has hired "Cape No. 7" 海角七號 star Chie Tanaka 田中千絵 to be its celebrity spokesperson. Seeing as a Yahoo Taiwan poll named her as the third most visible person in the local news last year, it is no doubt a smart business move.