Why I hate Joe's Shanghai (and consequently love Taiwan)

Okay, so there are a multitude of reasons I hate Joe's Shanghai (which is not to say I won't go on occasion... I have cravings too!), but at the top of that list is price. No it's not outrageous to serve 8 soup dumplings for $6. I mean, it's an art form to be able to make paper thin skins hold back a gushing flow of soupy hot goodness... all while maintaining a disturbing level of uniformity. Still, when Taiwan does it 80 NT ($2.50~) you gotta be a bit annoyed right? Anyway, these are from a small shack near the 中正紀念堂 (CKS Memorial Hall). During the day, the shack is essentially a hole in the wall where people, illegally, sell fruits and vegetables. At night, a transformation occurs, and a legitimate business appears. Like a well oiled machine, they offer takeout boxes of 8 miniature soup dumplings (I suppose you could eat there, but the tables and stools are all pretty bootleg), serving a constant line that usually stretches 4 or 5 deep. Now I know what you're thinking, that's not that long a line. Yeah? Well that's because they're efficient at what they do. I mean... they are Asian. The soup dumplings themselves aren't 'omg I crapped my pants good,' but they stack up favorably with the ones at Joe's Shanghai... and for the price they can't be beat. If you're drunk or hungover, it would make a terrific snack haha. The stall is located on 杭州南路 (Hang Zhou South Street) and is likely the only place open at night.

To be honest, the only reason I made this post was to test if my Foodbuzz post feed was working. That's why it's so damn short... apologies lol. BTW, if you're sick of my Taipei posts, well too bad, I have about 100 more pictures worth of posts to do.