Taiwan’s railways administration is boosting local tourism in a very Taiwanese way- limited editions lunch sets. A traveler looking to try them all will have to travel quite a bit, and they will have to move fast.
The Taiwan Railways Administration is known for its delicious and inexpensive boxed lunch sets sold on trains and at train stations. Last year alone, it sold over ten million of these sets. However, COVID-19 has seen fewer travelers and rules against eating on trains. As a result sales were down by 35-40% in the first half of this year.
Now, travelers are coming back, and the lunch sets may be one of the reasons why. To help boost the tourism industry, the train administration has introduced seven different limited-edition sets. There are drum sticks with goji berries, chicken filets stewed in plum sauce, and pork chops with quinoa, just to name a few. They will only be available from June 24 to the end of July.
An official with the train service, Yen Wen-chung, says that the food is made with fresh local produce. Only 150 boxes are available a day. Yen said travelers looking to have a taste of them all will have to circle the island, because each set is only served on certain trains.