Why did the writer rely on scents rather than Google in Taiwan?

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The writer relied on scents rather than Google in Taiwan because they trusted smell and sound as reliable indicators of whether a place serves enjoyable food.

In Taiwan, the writer said they let their nose decide where to eat, adding that they also listened for cues like the crackle of scallion pancakes and the clatter of rice bowls and spoons. They contrasted this with places where they could not smell anything or where the atmosphere offered no “good scent” and no sound, which they viewed as signs that the food would not be good. They also explicitly stated that they found this approach worked “pretty well” when in a strange place.
They treated smell as a practical signal for food quality
The writer described situations where a café in a PJ mall served coffee and pastries, but they predicted it would not last because they could smell nothing when walking past it. They similarly removed a noodle place from their list after it became poorly ventilated, leaving stale air and lingering old smells while the eatery became nearly empty at lunch time. In both cases, changes in scent and the surrounding atmosphere matched their judgement about whether the food experience would be worth it.
They combined scent with sound to judge where to eat
In Taiwan, they did not rely on smell alone; they also pointed to specific kitchen and dining sounds as confirmation. They mentioned the crackle of scallion pancakes on griddles and the busy clatter of rice bowls and spoons, framing these as part of what made the food experience enjoyable. They then stated a clear rule: where there is no sound and no good scent, there can be no good food.
Google was sidelined in favour of immediate sensory cues
The writer explicitly contrasted “Google” with their own senses by saying they let their nose, not Google, decide where to eat when in a strange place. The text does not explain any technical limitations of Google in particular; it simply reflects a personal method where real-time sensory observations are treated as more directly trustworthy than search results. Their examples in Taiwan and elsewhere focus on what they could smell and hear when passing a place, rather than what they found online.
Their method is shown through multiple Taiwan food stops
They used the same sensory approach while moving through Taipei, including following the sounds and smells associated with busy food preparation. They described enjoying comfort food in rice and chicken or fine pastries, and they specifically highlighted how market walking and hunting for food ended when they found stalls where the dining atmosphere felt right. The recurring pattern is that their enjoyment aligned with sensory cues in the moment, not with prior online information.

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Why did the writer rely on scents rather than Google in Taiwan?

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