8/30/10 Napkins: a precious commodity

I had noticed this strange trend in Taipei, but it really became apparent in the Hualien night markets; napkins are hard to come by.

Unlike restaurants in Canada where you are given napkins at the beginning of a meal, in Taiwan you have to go searching for them.  Sometimes this seemingly simple mission is tougher than finding Waldo.  Worse still is that I keep forgetting to get them before I start eating, and then it’s too late.  I’ve either made a mess of my fingers or a noodle has smacked me across the chin (Help!  I’ve been noodle teabagged!)  This may provide an explanation for why Asian restaurants in Canada keep such a close watch over their napkin supply; it looks like an attempt to bride the gap between the North American napkin free-for-all and the Asian napkin famine.

From now on, I’m carrying my own.