Markets
Academia Sinica General Store 福利社
To get to the Academia Sinica General Store, take the stairs to the right of
the post office. The store carries packaged food items (crackers, instant
noodles, juice) and daily necessities (toilet paper, toothpaste etc.).
"This is a cooperative, meaning that you can buy shares in the store
(starting at around 1000NT) which entitle you to a percentage of the profits at
the end of the year. Technically, the store is only for members, but in
practice, anyone can shop there. The staff are friendly and the prices are reasonable,
even cheaper than those in regular markets. This is an ecologically-minded store, so bring your own bags."
Ling-yun Supermarket 凌雲超市
Follow the stream that runs through Academia Sinica south (when facing the Activities Center, turn left). After about a fifteen minute walk, you come to a street with a supermarket on the left. Ling-yun carries vegetables, fruit and other foodstuffs.
Wellcome
Go out the main gate, cross the street and walk by the statue. Go straight up Chiu-chuang Road so that the park is on your right. Wellcome is about a ten minute walk up, before the freeway. (Chiu-chuang is the road that branches off of Academia Sinica Road. See map (though the name Chiu-chuang does not appear on the map).) Not as much variety as Ling-yun and poorly staffed."
Ta-feng Supermarket 大峰超市
Near the corner of YanjiuYuan Rd. and Chung-hsiao E. Rd. (the 270 and 212 go
right past it).
Large 4-story supermarket. Food on the first floor. Other floors sell
clothing, hardware, appliances, bedding etc.
"Very crowded on the weekends and, since it has no windows, rather
suffocating. Don't let the rundown look of the place fool you--the prices are
not particularly cheap. Still, this is the most convenient place in the area to
get basic necessities (electric fans, tape-recorders, socks etc)."
Activities Center
Self-serve cafeteria. This area is especially for employees of Academia
Sinica, and you must have a special identification card to enter. If you do not
already have a card, ask your institute how to get one.
"The food is extremely cheap. The metal trays and noise make for an
unpleasant atmosphere. If you are a vegetarian, you will find little to eat
here.
Restaurant (next door to the cafeteria, with smaller tables on one side and
larger tables across the hall).
"The food here is more expensive, but noticeably better than in the
cafeteria. Vegetarians can order vegetarian noodles or vegetarian fried rice,
though even these dishes are cooked in the same pots used for meat.
The restaurant is located beside the Activity Center. It has healthy and delicious salad bar and provides all kinds of Italian food daily. Although the price is a little bit high, we can enjoy the delicious food and romantic atmosphere.
Go out the main gate and turn right. Pass by the school (on your left) and
cross the street. The vegetarian self-service restaurant is on your left.
"The prices are reasonable, and the owner is friendly and trustworthy
(no need to worry about meat products mixed with the vegetables). Like most
self-serve places, price is based on weight. The prices are reasonable, but the
food is heavy and, well, not very tasty. Notice that Chinese vegetarianism
prohibits the use of garlic and onions, and relies heavily on substitute meats.
Several people I know ate there frequently immediately after arriving, but
eventually grew tired of the dull selection of food.
