Interesting to see a report on Taipei, it's about the last of the major Asian cities I have not yet got around to visiting (well, plus Jakarta but I'm happy to give that a miss) and yet despite contemplating visiting a few times I never quite can get quite excited enough about it to actually book. Sounds like you felt pretty similar
Seems like a pleasant enough place to spend a few days.
As for your UA flights, *finally* a menu that looks a little different - some new dishes and some new design elements too. Can the rumours I hear about UA improving actually be true?