It's strange that the Taiwanese are health-conscious without actually taking care of their health. Here, it is important to eat vegetables and fruits, because these are so obviously good for your health (and will give you clear, fair skin). A balanced diet is, as in North America, encouraged. And yet, why are so many people in bad health? The answer seems pretty straight-forward: it's not what they don't eat, it's what they do.

Taiwanese people love stacks. When visiting Taiwan, you must try the snacks. Health and taste are of the utmost importance, and yet they seem to clash violently. When something is identified as healthy, people flock to eat it. But when something is identified as tasty, they eat that too, without regard to how it's made. In the nightmarket, deep fried foods are everywhere. Sweet foods are everywhere. Fatty foods are everywhere. People say "You have to eat the pork leg with fat and skin. It tastes better."

MSG. Why can't people realize that MSG is bad for them? The more I pay attention to it, the more I see MSG in everything I eat. I wrote an email to our receptionist (who orders lunchboxes for us at work) a while ago asking her to ask the lunchbox vendors to not put MSG in our lunchboxes, stating the various illnesses associated with MSG - I cited my resources. I don't think they bother.

But it appears I'm naive in my way of thinking, since it can't be avoided. MSG is a taste enhancement that makes food taste and look better. I'm starting to see this as a flavour on its own. "Hmm... should I have the MSG pork or the MSG chicken? Maybe I'll just go with MSG noodle soup." It sickens me, but the cost of good health is a pricy one - and to avoid this cystal spice means going through a lot of hassle, and paying for meals.