Taiwan

We stopped in Taiwan to visit our friend, Eddy, and his family. Paul and Eddy met at U of O in their P-chem lab. Eddy visited us at our former home in Scio, with his beautiful wife, Rosa, when they were on their honeymoon about 6 years (was it really 6 now?) back.

They had a 4 1/2 year old daughter we'd never met, Janet. Somehow Janet thought I was Wonder Woman before we came and I felt like that was a lot of pressure to live up to. When we arrived in Taiwan, we learned a very special surprise. Rosa was 35 1/2 weeks pregnant. Eddy had found us a hotel very near to their home. It was really nice. They had a hot spring (pumped in) on the top floor! What a luxurious spa! Extra treat for me after all that travel time. It was divided by men and women and the few times I went I had it ALONE to myself.

The evening we got in, Eddy took us to get dumplings to eat, which we LOVE (anyone who's had homemade dumplings with us- it's Eddy who taught us). Earlier that day we'd been in a market and they had eggs, then also eggs wrapped in paper. I asked what they were. Eddy said they are 1,000 year eggs. Not really 1,000 years old, but eggs that are a month old and have undergone a "process" to turn them this way. They are typically eaten with tofu. Okay, so he actually said a " A 'process' but I don't really want to know what they do to them since I like to eat them". That made me laugh.

Here Eddy had cut the egg for us. He told us BEFORE we ate it that it was considered one of the world's top most disgusting foods by CNN. I think they hadn't eaten stinky tofu. This egg sounds and looks gross (that green goo is the yolk) but tastes good.

Delicious feast. I think Paul and I were most pleased and surprised by the bean leaves and sprouts, and sweet potato leaves as cooked greens. They were amazing. They also have this delicious cooked spinach that is different than our spinach we have here.

This is the Buddha head fruit opened. You take those white parts and suck on them and there is a shiny black seed inside you don't eat. Why it's called Buddha's head, I don't know, but I love that it is. 

I super loved, of course, going to this market (the one that had the wrapped 1,000 year old eggs), lots of cool veggies and fruits. These carrots were bigger  in real life than they seemed in this picture.

These are the reading glasses that are just out at the post office for anyone to use. Love that.

The next day, Eddy took us to Taipei and we toured around the city. He took us to Taipei 101, the 3rd tallest building in the world. The kids were excited about that and how fun is it that just 2 countries prior, in Dubai, they'd seen the world's tallest building? Before we went up we had the great honor of meeting Eddy's father for lunch for more dumplings. Many of you, over the years since 1995, have tasted or heard us talking about 'Eddy's dumplings'. Paul, Eddy, Mike (friend and roommate of Paul's and mine at U of O) used to make a GIANT bowl of these dumplings (under Eddy's supervision) and eat them ALL. They are really Raymond's, Eddy's father, dumplings. We had another AMAZING feast at this place.

NOT from the lunch, but after the tour at the top of the Taipei 101 we got the boys bubble tea. This wasn't at the bubble tea place but I had to take a photo. There is a mall area in the bottom of Taipei 101 and a food court area, this was in the food court. 

A shot from the top of Taipei 101. Pretty high up, pretty cool system that stabilize the whole building too. There was a post office, we used it, at the top as well. I guess this is out of order since it should be before the beautiful chickens.

That night, Eddy took us to a market to eat street food. This was one place we didn't eat. They had brain and other organs. 

I really, really liked these omelets. The shiny stuff is sweet potato flour they mix with water and cook on a grill a little before adding eggs, etc. In our case we had an oyster and shrimp one with veggies. We always went with what Eddy suggested and it was never wrong (except stinky tofu, but I am still glad I tried it). The sweet potato flour cooks into a rice noodle texture that is very pleasing to eat.

This seemed really elaborate to me. The guy in the red shirt is making wrappers. The guy it the front uses a half wrapper per order. They put the brown things you see in front in each wrapper. The brown things are something with many crispy layers (almost like filo) with a type filling most of them with black sesame seed. You choose what type of crispy thing you want with a few variations of additions (most have an slightly sweetened ground peanut powder, the bag to his left open). After blue shirt in front wraps them up in the wrapper then smashes the crispy bit all to bits within the wrapper with a meat tenderize like thing and wraps it in a bag then you eat it.

Yes, you can choose which live snakes to eat. We didn't. We didn't eat the snake or turtle or drink the liquid from the bottles with various snake bits/organs soaking in them.

A common selection of items that we didn't eat it either. Duck or chicken feet, various organs (on sticks), neck, curls of skin, pig ears, duck tongue and so on. We did taste the salted tofu, the blocks of tan looking substance. Speaking of pig. It was interesting to go from Africa where there were many Muslims who wouldn't eat pork to Asia (not just Taiwan) where there was LOTS of pork.

We did eat this. Look how really really proud he is! I asked what is this? He said 'Taste it then I'll tell you'. We did but Paul figured it out and vocalized it right as I was biting it. It was rice cooked in pigs blood (notice the DARK color, cooked blood) and it's covered by ground peanuts and on a stick. It actually was psychologically revolting but tasted fine. I tried 3 bites. The boys ate it too. 

This might have been the 'king' snack of the market, in terms of taste. We LOVED these wraps. A REAL and original spring roll. This guy keeps this white mass of something (sweet potato or rice flour with water?) rolling on his hand and makes these ultra thin wrapper by rolling it around quickly on the grill. I would make a disaster of a mess (on myself, the floor, the stove and burned myself) doing this, it was somewhat mesmerizing to watch.

Eddy and Rosa took us on a road trip. Here we stopped on a CUTE street to eat the NOT so cute stinky tofu. Everyone in Taiwan seems to love stinky tofu and it's not just stinky, it's revolting in smell and taste. It smells like when you cut open the stomach of a freshly butchered ruminating animal and mix the contents of that with fermented dung. It is like someone farted in your mouth. I feel okay writing that since we told Eddy and Rosa we didn't like it. I even ate my whole piece and another to be sure it tasted like I thought and it did. It's really a taste that keeps going since you smell it in the air and keep smelling that taste. Oso is the LEAST picky eater I know and he ate one bite and refused the rest. Janet took a liking to Oso, in particular, and stuck close to him. That was really precious.

Eddy also took us to a cool little hot spring and a Japanese style restaurant where you can soak your feet in a hot spring while you eat. I love the cultural idea they that you cannot relax and go to bed if your feet are cold. The town we were in had a community hot spring just outside the train station for the purpose of the workers heating their feet after work and before heading home.

We spent the night in Arcadia and were surprised when Janice, the unborn 35 1/2 week old thought she might come early. Eddy and Rosa went to the hospital to see if her arrival could be postponed (it was but only by a day) and we went with Janet to the cultural center for a day. It was a very nicely done place and I can't believe how super mellow Janet was to hang out with us all day, having only meet us the day before. Culturally it is not polite or accepted to openly stare but people I think were noticing that we clearly were not able to communicate with Janet. She did get most all her needs meet though and we did well. Plus I was impressed when she did bust out, in English, 'Want Cha-co-la-te' when we saw a chocolate cake. I seriously think if we were with her for 2 weeks she would be picking up English like nobody's business, she is a smart little firecracker. That evening we returned home so Rosa could rest

The next morning Eddy called and Rosa had gone into labor. I went over to the hospital to sit with Janet (she was sleeping, they had brought her from home sleeping in the early morning) while they went to the OR for an emergency c-section. I hung out with Janet and had the pleasure of meeting Eddy with her and witnessing her seeing her sister, Janice, for the first time. It was such a gift for us to be there for her birth and have it all be fine in the end, mom and baby doing well.

That night we went out for dumplings on our own. A lot of places have menus with no English. We had a fun time ordering that night but ended up with what we wanted thanks to some young men who had smart phones and switched their Taiwanese characters to Roman and then translated what I had typed in. The same thing happened when we stayed at the bed and breakfast (before the cultural center) and I went back to talk to the owner after breakfast to see if we could walk to coffee. People in Taiwan don't drink liquids while they eat. He didn't understand what I was saying and got out his iPad and Facetimed his daughter then handed me the tablet to talk to her, then I told her (in English) what we were looking for, then I took the tablet back into the kitchen (where he was doing dishes then after getting me set up) and she translated. He made us coffee and I took it back to the room where the kids were hanging out. Traveling in this day and age with electronics everywhere changes, or does it level, the playing field? I still think a smile and the right attitude gets you so much more and what you need. Maybe the right app used at the right time does too. Is it all you need? No. Do you have to have it? No. Does it make it easier? Yes.

Traditionally in Taiwan people ate (or still do in some cases) congee for breakfast. A porridge of grains cooked with excess water and topped with various toppings (pickled radish, ground peanuts, pork floss (tiny bits of dried and almost rolled pork, looks fluffy and orange/pink almost), kimchi, ginger, green onions, sometimes cooked with sweet potatoes etc) however this is a breakfast that takes time to prepare and also time to have things on hand. Now the younger generations take these hand breakfasts (photo above) and eat them at work. Eddy took us to taste a variety of them. QUITE good. After this Eddy was kind enough to drive us (with Janet :) I was happy to see her again) to the airport, of course Rosa and Janet were still at the hospital. Thank goodness he did! Not only were we happy for the last little bit of time with them but we had a giant explosion with an additional suitcase I had bought the day before and he helped us repack and make use of a box packing station place near by.

We enjoyed Taiwan so much. It was so much more than I ever imagined.

I realize I forgot to write about Paul and I going for a foot massage and I then, same place but after, went for an ear cleaning. The ear cleaning was a special experience and I feel quite sure I broke some cultural norms of polite behavior. Maybe I will write a blog post just about that. Maybe I should combine that with the waxing (with a very unexpected ending) I had in Uganda....