In many cities of western countries, especially tourist attractions, the rise of coffeehouse chains has made a great number of independent café disappear. In Taiwan, the situation is exactly the opposite. International brands, such as Starbucks and McDonald’s, have introduced coffee culture to Taiwan, making Taiwanese who always prefer tea for beverage, no matter young or old, get accustomed to drinking coffee. Furthermore, numerous independent café has opened one after another, often seen around street corner. These cafes all have their individual feature to attract urban people. It could be a place for travelers to take a rest, a work site for SOHO and more often, a location for people to meet up with friends.
Many cafés feature their spaces instead of coffee. Some of the owners run the café to convey their personal life style to the public, some intend to make contribution to the arts and culture industry by offering exhibition information and artistic work display to residents of the neighborhood. Café Müller, located near Dazhi MRT Station and Shih Chien University, is exactly a small yet delicate café of this kind. Its walls are hung with linen bags used to load various imported coffee beans, posters with antinuclear slogans, oil painting artworks, postcards consigned for sale and a lot of photos with a mood of arts. It is really a great and quiet place for reading, working and chatting with the owner when there are not many college students visiting.
