JNN’S ADVENTURES: TAIWANESE DINE-OUT CULTURE

Eating out marks a great significance in the Taiwanese dining culture. From an array of street vendors to 24-hour convenience stores, vending machines and restaurants, dining out has evidently replaced the traditional home cooked dinners, which are usually accompanied with utterances from distant news anchors.

Last night my cousin took me to a hot spot for hot pot in Taipei. Like izakaya is to Japanese businessmen, hot pot is a place for urban Taiwanese to gather with friends, colleagues or family after long working hours. Comparable to izakaya, the atmosphere is vibrant, chattering, upbeat and can get quite dramatic at times.

As opposed to other mega-chained restaurants, MK is the first and only hot pot restaurant to have an in house deejay from 5-9pm. DJ Ty plays a diverse lineup of breaks, house lounge, drum&bass and electro-funk. Other than having a live deejay, the food there is no different from any other hot pot restaurant. It’s self-serve, so its sanitation remains somewhat questionable. But how can you say you’ve been to Asia without minor food poisoning?

Type: self-serve hot pot buffet
Address: 台北市大安路一段五十二巷七號
Telephone: 02-8771-6802
Price: NT$ 450 / person + 10% gratuity charge