Talking to Strangers in Taipei, part 3

Fu Hang Soy Milk is always at the top of my list whenever I visit Taiwan. On my last trip in May, I went four times in a single week — a record even for me. I recommend it to every friend who visits, because it’s the best Taiwanese breakfast I’ve ever had, and there’s nothing remotely close in the Bay Area. Since it opens at 5:30 am (note: closed on Mondays and holidays), it fits perfectly with jet lag: my first morning in Taipei almost always begins in that line, waiting for the sweet rice balls and freshly fried Chinese donuts.

Fu Hang is located on the second floor of an otherwise nondescript commercial building, alongside other shops and kiosks. In those early hours it’s the only place open, in a cafeteria-like space with long communal tables.

On my fourth visit that week, a Friday, it was a bit more crowded than usual. Seeing an open spot next to a young woman, I asked her in English, “Can I sit here?”

She nodded, and I took my spot. After a pause I followed up with, “Where are you visiting from?”

Her name was Madeleine. She was American, as I had guessed, and had just graduated from American University in DC with a degree in Physics. She was spending the summer in Taiwan doing some kind of internship involving python and quantum computing. In other words, way smarter than me.

What really caught my attention, though, was her breakfast: salty soy milk with a splash of chili oil. Despite my devotion to Fu Hang, I had always avoided the soy milk itself. But I finally tried it earlier that week, and like Madeline, I was hooked.

Mid-conversation, this Asian guy chimed in from across the table. “Sorry to interrupt – I couldn’t help but overhear. What was the dessert place you mentioned again?”

His name was Rodney. He lives in New York, works in tech, and was stopping over in Taiwan after a trip to Japan. By coincidence, he also happened to work at the same company as Madeleine’s aunt. Taipei is a big city, but the world has a funny way of feeling small at times.

“Where do you like going in Taiwan?” I asked him.

“There’s this tea place,” Rodney said, naming a spot that wasn’t even on my radar.

“Do you guys want to go now?” I suggested. “Looks like it’s opening soon.”

I love asking people for their travel recs. Later that week, I even brought my dad and stepmom to dinner at a restaurant Rodney recommended, and it was a hit.

We all swapped info before parting ways, and even ended up meeting up for dessert later that day.

That’s the beauty of visiting Taiwan. I come for family, food, and massages, but it’s the in-between moments that stay with me: strangers becoming companions over salty soy milk, unexpected connections that shrink the world, new places discovered because I asked one more question. Just like with other chance encounters on this trip, what sticks isn’t the activity or the food itself — it’s the people who turn it into a blog post.

Yes, I go to Taiwan first and foremost for family because those moments and meals are irreplaceable. But travel always surprises me with extra gifts I never planned for. The best souvenirs aren’t things you can pack in a suitcase — they’re conversations with strangers who become (Instagram) friends, names and recommendations saved in your phone that didn’t exist a week ago, and reminders that the world is full of unexpected kindness. Those are the memories that make me look forward to the next trip.