On to the Next one

Milk tower stacked to represent Taipei 101. 

Tofu at a traditional Taiwanese market. 

Pig head anyone? 

Fruit stands are in abundance. They offer cheap prices and fruits only grown in Taiwan. The fruits pictured behind the apples are litchi and are in season now. 

This box was bought from a roadside vendor. The round balls are made from "little rice" that is smashed together  until it forms a jelly like consistency. Afterwards these balls are rolled in ground peanuts. 

Take notice to the jade peanut hanging of the side of the phone. Charms like these are  more than common in Taiwan. Most phones look naked without some sort of charm. 

Pictures Worth A Million Words

A pig leg rests on the back of a motorcycle. The 95 degree heat didn't deter  anyone from setting down though. Who knows maybe they were trying to cook it. 

After eating curry for lunch for one week, my friends and I decided  咖哩 had the best curry. So I made him a certificate that is currently hanging in his shop. My stomach was strongly opposed to a weeks worth of curry and I haven't had the chance to go see it since. 

Red Bean Cake's are delicious.  Two pieces of cake with a thick layer of Red Bean paste in-between is one of my favorite delicacies. 

The variations of fruit here in Taiwan are incredible. Local fruit stands and fruit vendors selling from trucks offer incredibly low prices. Pictured here is a "Korean Apple" which tastes something like a mix in-between a pear and an apple. 

The ever popular drink stands offer a wide selection of teas mixed with different milks, fruits, and extracts. Pictured is  the fruit tea. 

Another famous drink from the drink stands. Pearl Milk Tea. One of my favorites.  Tea, Milk, and tapioca balls, all mixed together for a unique experience. Usually everyone's first impression of Pearl Milk Tea is negative. The entire drinking and chewing thing turns people off. Then after a week or so the consumer usually starts to crave it. After the second round there is no stopping them.  

This is "small rice" mashed in a bowl. I had the opportunity to make this special dish. The process includes mashing "small rice" until it become sticky and almost liquid. In the end it changes colors. Then it is rolled into small bite size pieces and served with ground peanuts and honey. 

The award winning vegetable curry. If my mom found out that I eat  eggplant and broccoli she would either jump for joy or smack me because I put up such a fuss eating those veggies back in the States.   

The Weekend Adventures Number 1

About three weekends ago one of my good exchange student friends had a birthday. However unlike most birthday celebrations this year she held a party. This was the first time I had actually spent time at someone else's house instead of meeting at a park, restaurant, ice rink, or  movie theater. I felt like I was back in the United States, with pizza, M&Ms, and marshmallows. The most unique aspect of the party was the cooking competition. The "winning" categories included grossest, most creative, and most delicious,  with prizes including stickers, and sponge bob undies. The guests were separated into teams before hand and let loose to shop for ingredients. Some of the creations that turned out were yogurt cake and fried rice those who were going for the gross category made sushi with marshmallows and stuck fish eyes in chocolate cake. My team decided to try and create the ever popular dish called curry. Popular doesn't do curry justice though, I have a friend who claims its the best food ever. If I could compare curry to an American dish I would say gravy and potatoes (but better); curry is usually served over hot white rice and has the same gravy and potatoes affect. With curry on the mind my team headed out to the Indian Spice whole sale market and picked up our essential spices including cardamom pods, coriander powder, and cayenne powder. While cooking up our chicken korma our competition kept on coming into the kitchen to check out what was smelling so good. The answer was butter, oil, chicken, yogurt, onions, garlic, and spices. The celebration was good and the food better.

Take me out to the Ballgame

Baseball Game

Baseball Game

Tea Picnic

Taiwan's North Coast

Can you see the dragon? 

 "I Love Sushi" 

Run Run Run

Last Sunday I found myself on the starting line of a marathon looking across at two men from Kenya. I decided a little earlier in the year that studying abroad wasn't hard enough. So I convinced my friend that we should run a marathon. In all honesty our training was rather poorly planned and had to be changed around all the duties required by us as exchange students. In between nasty weather, sickness, and trips, we were able to get a few two hour runs and a couple 20 mile runs. 

The marathon was....well it was a lot of running. There really aren't any big hits or last minute goals in marathons. There were plenty of rest stations, that included water, sponges, sports drinks, bananas, and crackers which are known as cookies here. Needless to say I was severely disappointed after I discovered my marathon energy fuel was salty and not sweet but sweat has to be replaced.  At the start of the Marathon my friend Dan and I claimed to be having the most fun and believe me when I say we were. We didn't have a time goal, and in fact our main objective was to finish. After about 10 miles the race "stopped being so much fun" however it still wasn't challenging or torture. At the 18 mile mark things started to look a little ruff and thats when we hit our wall. Legs started to cramp and energy levels dropped. Luckily the race had started early in the day because the sun decided to make a surprise appearance that day. Unfortunately Dan and I both forgot sunscreen. We both ended up with red arm sleeves and pink cheeks the next day. 

Upon reaching the last mile of our marathon it became clear that we were going to finish. Ending in high spirits we both raced across the finish line giving out hoots and hollers. After finishing our we received our  medals, towel, and lunch box. Lunch was good and ending in with a time of 4 hours and 50 minutes wasn't reason for disappointment but rather a reason to celebrate.  Watching and running with world class marathoners was a pleasure and a thrill. The man who finished first ran a 2 hour 18 minute marathon! 

All that running and sun tired me out, and after hobbling home and rising in the shower, I passed out on my bed for several hours without moving an inch. I woke up and cooked some fried rice for dinner, which was delicious. With a full belly and tired legs I was ready for a good nights sleep however that never came, and for some odd reason I had my first night of poor sleep in Taipei. 

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runnin

My friend Dan da Man and me after the marathon. 

On the Road Again

The weather in Taipei has cleared up and today it was actually hot. It felt wonderful, and recently life has taken some more turns. A little less than a week ago I found myself changing families again. I knew it was coming yet I didn't want it to happen. I had grown into a great relationship with my second host family. Memories of my time spent at the  何's house are many and none of them spoiled. 

In between the hectic school weeks and travels I would often sit at home with my host mother and just read and talk to her. At breakfast we would start with coffee, as the day moved on we would change our drinks to different cups of tea, each new beverage brought about a new conversation and in the silent spaces the words in our books would keep us company. Towards the end of my stay I realized I hadn't learned how to cook a single dish my host mom prepared and this devastated me because, she is the best cook I know. I'm not exaggerating, she could cook and I loved it all. So towards the end of my stay she taught me how to cook green veggies, tofu, and some pork dishes. I should have learned more and I find it hard to believe that I now prefer my lettuce cooked and my pork with an inch of fat surrounding it.

My host father would wake me up everyday and so kindly make me breakfast. To start it was odd, and I was really uncomfortable because I think the last time somebody made me breakfast on a regular basis was when I was in the third grade. On the sunny weekends he would take me out to the country side for bike rides, letting me blow of some steam while taking in the more scenic side of Taiwan at the same time. For my bike trip, he was the one who made sure my bike was in order and the one who lent me biking shorts. 

After packing all my belongings we took some family pictures outside by the blooming cherry blossom trees. My new host family is nice and my living quarters are great too. My new host parents are busy people and put in a lot of work. I usually share my dinners with my new host grandmother who loves to watch me eat, and reminds me that the food here is better than it is in America. There's no fooling her either, when I caught a cold this weekend she wanted me to take medicine. I generally put of taking medicine but she insisted and she knew I was going to try and skirt out of it. 

I would like to thank the  何 family for all that they have done for me. They didn't just house me and feed me, they took me in as their own and gave me a family. I hope one day I can give them as much as they gave me. Thank you  何 family. 

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