The Fanciest Asparagus Hand Roll

At the charmingly misspelled “ita basi susi,” which is an actual shop as opposed to street vendor, hand rolls sell for NT $60 each. I ordered the asparagus hand roll, and it came wrapped in a napkin and rubber band, another quirky touch you wouldn’t find in the U.S. The hand roll didn’t just have spears of fresh asparagus, but lettuce, furikake seasoning, and flecks of seaweed as well. I was impressed. If I were to order an asparagus hand roll at an American sushi bar, it would come with just that—asparagus.

But this walk-up eatery has no storefront, which is the style of many places of business in Taiwan. At closing time, the metal grills get pulled down from above and then locked down, which is just as efficient. There is also no dining area in which to sit, so the idea is to order it to go and then stand on the sidewalks eating, like everyone else.