Fili’s world

Donuts. I’m been following Israeli newspapers for a long time, looking for Taiwan related articles that don’t have anything to do with China, and after over a year the first one I find is about Donuts. Donuts!

It’s a bit hard to believe, but on the back on yesterday’s Haaretz was a big photo from Taipei of Taiwanese girls buying donuts with a big headline article titled "The new gourmet food of East Asia - Donuts" explaining in red - "Dim sum, sushi and fried rice - OUT, sweet bakery covered with chocolate - IN".

The article is a translation of a Reuters news piece - "Donuts take a bite from Asian fast food market":

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Some of the world’s top donut chains have come rolling into China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan and elsewhere in the region as Asians embrace the Western fast food fad.

Chains like Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’ Donuts and Mister Donut are setting up shop in a region not known for its sweet tooth, reflecting a growing openness to foreign foods and rising living standards, according to the chains and consumers who sometimes wait in line for hours for the treats.

In a twist on the common snack in the West, the chains say they are filling a growing demand for high-end treats that can double as gifts as well as snacks.

My "Taiwanese sources" confirm that this is actually a craze started a few years back with things like youngsters who would queue in line for you at a popular donuts shop for a respectable fee. It’s interesting that although donuts are a western trend, it seems that some of those successful chains are Japanese and not western. What’s more peculiar is the statement that this has something to do with the social status and economical welfare of the East Asian countries - "This undoubtedly is related to the citizens’ life style", as HK, Japan, Taiwan and Korea have been leading world economies for years.

Anyways - I know the back pages of the newspapers here are usually reserved for exotic world news, but still - why this, of all Taiwan related news and culture, makes it into an Israeli newspaper is beyond me.