Sometimes I think that I have completely and comfortably settled into life here. Sure, there are sometimes communication issues, people asking me where I’m from, and systems that I don’t quite understand. These things I have come to take in stride as just part of my life these days. I even find them to be …
This is to contrast the previous post of all-business text. The following gallery is a not-particularly-well-organized photodump from the past few weeks of times when I have been goofing off.
Yesterday I found myself trying to explain a “food desert” to a Taiwanese friend. It turned out difficult to convey, but not due to the language barrier. Instead, it emphasized some very strong differences related to the supply of food in between these two countries. My friends and I got to the point of introducing …
I have spent no small amount of time contemplating the habits of what might be considered an “average” Taiwanese person and trying to compare them to that of an “average” American. (Of course, this immediately comes with the problem of generalizing many people to one average, which is unfair. Please allow me the following reflections …
I have started to love going to the nearby vegetable market. I don’t need to go every day because I’m only cooking for one person so I don’t need to get fresh ingredients every day. As a recreational activity, I would definitely go every morning, but then I fear I would spend too much money, …
Here are a few things that have occurred recently: 1. Baking cookies! I got a toaster oven. In general, most household kitchens in east Asia lack full-sized ovens. As an avid baker, I’ve really been missing my access to an oven. Holiday present from my father – a toaster oven! I used it made ginger-honey …
Drinking hot water For years I have carried around a hot water thermos, usually filled with tea but sometimes water. Sometimes the water is hot, sometimes it is cold. It ranks just below my phone and my wallet for my essentials when leaving the house. In reality, these habits are fairly strange for an American. …
I have been particularly keen on food in Taiwan. Well that’s not a particularly new mental state for me, nor is it a surprising focus to have as either a visitor or a resident of this island. But along with the usual considerations of what food to eat, what food tastes good, and how to …
This post is more than a week late for its topic, but it is too interesting to not write some about. Last week was October 10. In Taiwan, this is the National Day holiday 國慶日, commemorating the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC) which now governs Taiwan. For short, it’s often referred to as …
This is a gratuitous post about things that I have been eating.