On My Way to Work

Going to work is a visual feast. My neighborhood is filled with interesting shops. Han-Jung street has many costume stores where all manner of costumes are available. There are also many sign makers and trophy shops where finished trophies are sold. But there are other shops as well where signs are painted. That means that there are calligraphers working along my street as well. When the weather is warm, everyone seems to move out into the street, giving me a good view of what projects they are working on.


Please copy and paste the following link to view images of my walk to work on my flicker account. http://flickr.com/photos/23521940@N07/

The Lantern Festival

The Chinese Lunar Festival comes to an end each year with the Lantern Festival. I have been to several different celebrations, one up in the mountains in a lovely and historical town, called Shifen and the other at the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial, just six subway stops from my apartment in Ximen. The celebrations were totally different. My friends Steven, Jessica and their beagle, Macho, and I drove up into the foggy and ancient mountains last Sunday for an experience that I will never forget. I felt as if I was inside of a Chinese Ink Painting and every turn was more beautiful than the next. In the small town, we wrote our wishes for the new year onto a huge red lantern. We did them in Chinese Calligraphy. The lantern was then fired up and lifted into the sky. It is believed that the messages are going directly to God and will surely come true. I made many special wishes, as they did, including my constant wish of Peace on Earth. The experience was very meaningful for me and as I watched many other families and friends create their lanterns, and send them flying upwards, I had the feeling that they felt the same. The faces were so alight with joy and a sense of wonder. The innocent and adorable children always steal my heart.

The celebrati

on at the SYS Memorial was glitzy and totally awesome. The talent displayed in the creation of many lanterns and 3-D animated

 structures, light art displays was simply extraordinary. Each of the displays had a theme. 

Some pictured a celebration of life in Taipei or Taiwan, and some were celebrations of the New Year, 2008 and of the Year of the Rat. The rat has great significance in the Chines culture as it is the symbol for opportunity and good prospects. The rat is thought of as a mouse and there are many 

symbols of our American favorites, Mickey and Minnie!

Both professional displays and student creations were part of the exhibition. I was ver

y impressed with the crafting of every item I saw. Generally, these lanterns are

 more like Japanese Ikari, where the structure if first created in wire. Then paper or cloth is stretched over the wire and glued in place. The light structures were equally awesome and line the boulevards.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are some very special Asian-style Valentine bouquets. The western tradition around Valentine's Day is becoming very popular. Candy, flowers and advertisements and sweet little Happy Valentine's Day wishes from the stations on TV are all quite common. But the most beautiful Valentine bouquet I saw is the one that was sent to me from all the way from around the world by wonderful boyfriend, Ruben. There are two dozen perfectly, in bloom, red roses. Sprinkled with the arrangement are little yellow buttercups, some graceful thready branch structures and some shiny twisty pieces. The whole thing is sitting in a vase, wrapped in green handmade paper with a big yellow ribbon. You've got style, Rube! Thanks honey for making your lonely gal very happy today! (Oh the little bun at the bottom right is a little memory of my last trip to Danshui. It is in the shape of a rat because this year is the Year of the Rat..or Mouse as they say here in Taipei!)

Welcome to My World

My everyday life in Taiwan is in many ways different from the one I lived in Carlisle. But there are some surprising similarities. Life has commonalities everywhere. In this post, I am going to introduce you to where I live and show you some pretty common place things and some very special people that make my life over here just a little bit nicer. The picture to the left shows a group of my friends standing in Ximen just outside of my apartment. We had all just come back from a lovely farewell tea for Rachael and Anthony at a modern teahouse, called, "61 Cups." Later on I will introduce my friends individually, but for right now please take in the wild and crazy environment of lights and stores. Just behind them to the right is the subway station. A far cry from the farm!

Just inside my front door, sits our doorman who, despite my best efforts at communication, tells everyone he cannot understand a word I say! There are many mailboxes. 

But I do not have a key so you can't send me anything. But inside are all of my bills. I can peek in the slot and see them all in there. I am just waiting for the electricity 

and water to be cut off. Then I will be evicted! Who is paying the rent?The picture to the right shows the stairs l

eading to my apartment. There is an elevator too, but I take the stairs as part of my daily fitness regiment. Since it is only 3 floors, it is

 pretty easy to 

accomplish.

Here is my front door. Notice that I have all of the red signs up wishing everyone a Happy New Year and Good Fortune. With these signs, I have protected my home from Nien, the monster!

Check out the unusual key! This is a common kind of a key and must be turned three times once it is inserted in the lock. The lock moves into position part way with each turn. You might also notice my grocery club card hanging on the keychain. Just like home!

T the left, you can see what I see when I walk in 

my front door..a view of my very narrow living space. The T.V. complete with HBO and Cinemax plus two other movie stations is on the left. The couch folds down into a great sleep over bed. Just behind the couch is my little office space where I am sitting right now! It looks out onto 

a very busy street filed with scooters, cars, busses, people, dogs and stores. At night I can hear all of the voices of the hawkers selling their yams and the hawkers selling their yams and special drinks. 

The view of my bedroom is on the left. I have a very large free standing closet in which to store my clothing

. The headboard on the bed opens up as a storage space. You can see some of my recent paintings decorating my bedroom.

The bathroom has a fabulously large shower. Very surprising considering the smallness of the apartment. I can actually store my umbrellas and a stool in there..and yes I have a western style toilet! The washing machine is featured in this image as well as the water heater.

The kitchen has some really unusual features. The stove has one burner. So cooking dinner has become a challenge, but it is doable! Those of you who go camping know just what I am talking about. What is really cool about this stove is that one..it is portable and two: it shuts off the second I turn it off and is not hot on the surface at all! The refrigerator has three parts. The top is a small freezer, the middle is just for things like juices and food, leftovers, etc. The bottom is a special storage area fro veggies and fruit. I open up just the section I need, preserving energy all the time. It is common to have a bag of open coffee granuals in each section to ensure a nice odor.

This has provided you with a  good picture of my apartment, but it would not be complete without SKYPE and the wonderful people I get to see there each and every day. Here are my two favorites!

Huo Guo

This blog post is dedicated to my absolute favorite meal in Taiwan, huo guo (haw gwa.) Huo guo is a type of cooking that is done in a hot pot. Is is sort of like fondue, only the food is cooked in soup, not oil. Each person has their own individual hot pot, with their own controls. Sometimes there is a single large hot pot that is shared by an entire group, but the mini hot pot restaurants have become very popular. After choosing a flavor of soup for cooking, a large platter of  beautifully cut and washed vegetables plus your choice of meats, fish or tofu are prepared for each person. You also choose between fan (rice) or mien (noodles.) The mien have to be cooked as well. Typically the platter has some enokitake mushrooms, cabbage, seasonal greens, a slice of corn on the cob, taro, onion, doufu (tofu), sweet potato, pumpkin or squash, tomato wedges, crab sticks, fish balls and sometimes a square, hard piece that is made from rice mixed with pig's blood (ugh!) But you can also oder a totally vegetarian platter that included more doufu.

Once the burner is turned on, the controls are adjusted and the cooking begins. Individual pieces of vegetables, meats (lamb, beef, chicken, stomach,) fish (oysters, shrimp) and doufu (tofu) are placed in the boiling cauldron. Combinations of things that are cooked together yield especially delicious results. Chopsticks as well as strainers and ladles are provided for cooking and eating. 

Each restaurant has a sauce bar, where you make your own personal combination of condiments and spices. My favorite has been cilantro, green onion, garlic, some brown good smelling stuff that I think is vinegar, plus soy sauce. YUM! Many other spices are available, like barbecue sauce called "sha cha sauce" (made from peanuts and ground up dried fish, similar to a stay sauce) but I am very content with my limited palette! Usually a basket of raw eggs are available to add to the soup or sauce to thicken it up. Each restaurant has some specialty items that are added to the veggie plate. A few fish balls, a couple of flower-like tofu slices and a few sausages, pickles and chunks of root. The root is placed in the soup for more flavor.

After the food is cooked, it is lifted out of the cauldron, dipped in the sauce, laid on top of the fan or mien and gobbled up. The flavor is just so excellent, fresh and delicious, everytime. I love that I know exactly what I am eating and can make choices that suit me. Rachael is sampling her vegetarian and medicinal herb huo guo.

Some restaurants specialize in other forms of huo guo, such as sour and spicy kimchee or the ultimate spicy huo guo ma la (don't try this one unless you REALLY love spicy food.) There is often a tomato base, a medicinal herb and a Japanese-style curry flavor to choose from. I have always selected the house soup, which is a default soup, unique to each restaurant and often made from carefully guarded, secret ingredients. Does that sound scary?

The hot pot, as huo guo is sometimes called, is featured in other Asian countries. In Japanese, it is call, "shabu." There are many shabu restaurants in my neighborhood that feature the spicy ma la version. It is also poular in Mongolia, only the shape of the hot pot has a cone for keeping the soup warm.

Preparing and eating huo guo, requires a great deal of time and is a perfect dining experience to share with friends and family. There is plenty of time for relaxing conversations and discussions as each person cooks and eats their meals. I have been pricing out hot pots and most are around 700 NT..about $20. Not surprisingly, Amazon carries a wide variety, plus cookbooks! You can tell, this is one eating experience I will be bringing back to the States!

Chinese New Year

For weeks, people all over Taiwan have been preparing for the most important traditional holiday of the year, the Chinese New Year. Preparing the home by cleaning it, repairing and painting, etc is a common part of the tradition. Homes are filled with fresh flowers which symbolize rebirth and new growth. Fireworks are frequent and cardboard and blow-up symbols of firecrackers are seen everywhere. Visits to shrines are common. 

Traditional foods are prepared and families gather together. Oranges and tangerines with their leaves intact are given as gifts by visitors and symbolize that ones relationship remains intact. A candy tray arranged in a circle or octagon is called the "Tray of Togetherness" 

and contains a dazzling array of candy. After eating several pieces, you will be assured to start the New Year sweetly.

It is tradition for married couples to return to the family of the husband for New Year's Eve and the first day of the 

new year and then to visit the home of the wife's family on the second day of the new year. This means that many families are traveling during these days, shops are closed and the entire

 country is on the move, celebrating with loved ones. Many Taiwanese return to Taiwan from w

herever they live in the world for their family celebrations.  

Decorations are hung in doorways wishing people happiness, health and most of all, good fortune in the New Year. A typical message on a poster might read, " May you enjoy continuous good health." The color red is used to ward off the bad things symbolized by Nien, a mean monster everyone imagines. Shops spring up everywhere, in fact, whole streets of shops laden with bright red posters, signs and mobiles, baskets, specialty plants and flowers are open just for the weeks preceding

 the holiday. It is a traditional holiday that focuses on reunion and Thanksgiving. 

The celebration in traditional Taiwanese households is religious and focuses on heaven and earth, the gods of the household and the family. Ancestors are honored and remembered with deep respect for they laid the foundation for the family that exists today. Visits to burial sites are common. The enormous feast is laid out on a banquet table for the ancestors. The shrine can be seen in the background. A fire was lit in a small barrel while the family in years past surrounded the fire as they ate. In traditional homes the fire is still lit and kept under the table to simulate past practices.  

The Chinese New Year began tonight with the New Year's eve family reunion feast. We were invited to a great feast at t

he home of my friends Wei and his wife Wei-Jhin. The feast was held in his grandmother''s apartment and about 28 family members were in attendance. Some had flown in from California and Japan and others had traveled from their homes in other parts of Taiwan for the New Year's events.

We sampled many traditonal foods such as the one being cooked up on the stove. It was a thick, pasty creation containing mushrooms and shrimp that is eaten to symbolize the family sticking together. It took a great deal of muscle to make!

After the feast of incredible foods: chicken, shrimp, egg rolls, squid, fish of all sorts, vegetables, soups and delicacies, the children of the family are all given gifts of money in small red envelopes. Even adult children are given these gifts of money and the delight and merriment is evident.  The oldest members

 of the family dole out the money with great joy.

There is much joy and partaking of wine and yummy desserts.      Mahjong is played with some family-style gambling. The      festival will continue for fifteen days with various 

festivities and traditions. The last day will be the Lantern festival which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade. That will be the subject of another blog. Firecrackers are shot off at midnight to symbolize the leaving of the bad things from the old year. Nien, the awful monster is afraid of firecrackers so the noise from them makes him run away.

This is a wonderful holiday filled with much symbolism, many traditions and many superstitions. A good resource can be found at http://www.edu.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/China/chinese_new_year.html

Taroko, Taiwan

I am sure that a thousand pictures could not capture the absolute magnificence of this mystical and spiritual place. I tried my best..but there is just no way to reconstruct the ever-present mist, the unending height of the mountains and gorgeous veined marble that lines the mountains and rivers. The water is so blue that it looked surreal to me.  The picture on the right is the Pacific Ocean..only the other side of it! Taroko is a gorge and is situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It was established as a National Park in 1986. It lies within the Central Mountain Range. Many of the peaks tower over 984 feet in elevation. There are many trails carved through the mountains and during the two days Rachael, Anthony and I were in Toroko we walked on at least four of them. We hiked up hill and down, exclaiming at every turn at the natural beauty that is so unearthly. The original inhabitants of this land were there almost 2,000 years ago. The Aboriginal Taroko culture is still alive today. More trails were built during the Ching Dynasty in 1874, and more during the Japanese occupation. The building of trails was tremendously dangerous and many people lost their lives during this construction. The Central Cross-Island Highway was built during the years of 1956 to 1960. This highway is a series of terrifying twists and turns with sheer drops to the rocky gorge below. The picture to the right is from the Shakadang Trail. The picture on the left is from the Baiyang Waterfall  Trail. Along the way we had a little encounter with a Baboon! 

There are many Buddhist

 shrines throughout the trails that were both beautiful and spiritual. We were amazed at the quiet and serenity that each one projected. 

The rocks and sides of the mountains are made from incredible marble of white, black, brown and green hues, each decorated with veins of other colors. I could not believe the beauty of Taroko and the culture of the Aboriginie people who have lived there, thriving in the mountains, for thousands of years. 

Danshui

We traveled to Danshui to visit my friend, Gina, who has a studio in this charming town. (More pictures can be seen at http://www.phase.com/500fan/danshui) Danshui is a fifty minute subway ride from my apartment in the Ximen area and is the end of the MRT line. Over the years, Danshui has become a weekend destination for Tapaieans. The town sits on the Danshui River and has bonafied boardwalk and wharf areas, plus gorgeous mountain scenery! In fact it is a great cross between a college town and a beach community, complete with seafood restaurants and a carnival area with games galore and the usual food..with a twist!

We had a great time walking through the endless markets.  and along the riverside. Check out the ice cream cone

in the square cone. Late on we saw an even taller one!

We ate in an outrageous restaurant that had once been a sculpture studio. Large masks hung from the ceiling and the tools were the decorations throughout. The food was totally minimalist. 

We visited a boardwalk reptile museum and I had a special moment with a very large friend. This little zoo specialized in freakish varieties. Imagine a cross between a rabbit and a gopher? We saw it!

The highlight of the day was visiting with Gina, Chunchu, a wonderful person and extremely talented and original artist. Chunchu works in handmade paper and her images are as large as five feet square. Her work has always inspired me and her new work is even more creative and unique! You can see more of her work on her website: http://www.tiec.tp.edu.tw//lifetype/album/298/646. She is standing with my daughter in Chunchu's studio in Danshui. I plan on spending lots of time with Chunchu and working with her at her studio. Chunchu is an elementary art teacher as well as the secretary for the Women's Art Association in Taiwan. She is a busy and very generous friend.