Taiwan Bakers Creatively Delicious

Yahoo reports that our local baking establishments are world class.

From roasted chickens to designer bags and a pair of breasts, Taiwan's novelty cake industry is creating a bakery boom across the sweet-toothed island.

The so-called "creative cakes" -- made in the likenesses of people, cartoon characters, animals and other objects -- are getting more popular, and more outlandish, among young Taiwanese.

Bakeries and shops touting novelty cakes are flourishing, particularly in the capital Taipei where the latest trends from Japan, the United States and Europe are quick to catch on.

"In the past cakes all looked alike and they were not special enough to satisfy younger people who are willing to spend extra money to have cakes made from their ideas," says Yu-an Lin, 28, owner of Cream and Fondant Creative Cake Shop which opened in Taipei.

.....just another reason to love Taiwan. Good cakes are now widely available....

There is no estimate on how big Taiwan's cake market is but there are now at least 10,000 bakeries and cake shops on the island, according to the Taiwan Gateaux Association.

"The market is growing as dining habits change in Taiwan and people are influenced by the West and Japan where the pastry cultures are prosperous," says Ron Lin, director of the association.

"Before, people just wanted to have enough food and saw desserts as a luxury. Now with improved living standards they want to eat well and having cakes is part of their lives."

He says that more young people are willing to become bakers because they can apply creativity to their business and enhance the value of their products.

Lee Rung-fu, 32, who runs Ri Chin Fa Bakery in the central Miaoli county, is one such example. He took up his grandfather's baker career seven years ago after losing his job at a car repair factory.

"At first I didn't want to inherit grandpa's bakery but gradually I found the job interesting," he says.

[Taiwan]