Is the what I used to hear a lot when I would suggest where a friend and I go to eat. I've talked about before how people in Taipei rarely leave their own neighborhoods, mainly because each neighborhood has all the shops and restaurants that you could ever need.
This always bugged me because I felt that people were really missing out. That there might be a fantastic restaurant that is a 15 minute walk away, but people won't go there cause there is a so-so bakery that is 2 minutes away.
But the real annoyance was when it was time for lunch or dinner. For me the whole of Taipei was fair game. I would have no problem hopping on a bus and going to a great place to eat that is 30 minutes away. But of course my Taiwanese friends would complain that it is too far away.
The thing is...that's the way I am now. Now the idea of going 30 minutes for some food is crazy. I've noticed that even in my own neighborhood the circle around my house in which I'll go to get food, has gotten smaller and smaller. There are places that just a few months ago I would eat at regularly, I don't go to anymore as I've decided that they are "too far."
Granted a lot of this has to do with time, and I just don't have that free time anymore. To combat this, if there is something I want to eat that is "far" away, I will make plans with a friend who either lives or works in that area. So to them it might seem that i'm so sweet to go all the way to their area to see them, but really I'm just using it as an excuse to force me to get out and go have the food I enjoy.
Today's picture is from the nearby bakery that closed last year. I was really sad when I saw this sign to say it was closed. Partly because their sliced bread was very good, but mainly because I knew that it would mean I'd have to walk an extra five minutes to get to any other bakery. The horror!
