The original aim of Taipei Gulag was to breakout of the Expat mode and experience a fuller, richer, Taipei life. I've found myself anglo-ising my experience and not really being adventurous.
Have I change? Not really, I'm still flow within small circles but I'm eating more adverturously. I go the market much more often, I've tried many different things and have found out about many new restaurants. The amazing thing about Taipei is there's always a restaurant close by. The choice of food is amazing, especially when I think back to the UK. In my home town there many be 20 restaurants but you get that on a block here (at least), even in London, you usually have to make a journary to go to a good restaurant.
Here's to being more adventurous! The good thing about winter is that you can walk a lot more. The heat is bearable , even now and with the food changes with the seasons here.
Cheers
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
Monday, 20 October 2008
Nurses promote music
Here are the playboy girls rivals. I think the playboy girls won as the nurses went over to have their photos taken with them.
At least the nurses were promoting something related to their costumes. Well, kinda. They're promoting DS Music Restaurant, which from the flyer, looks like a live music venue. Also from the flyer, the restaurant's table are styled on hospital beds, with a dip attached to the end and the chairs are hard plastic hospital chairs. The food doesn't look that bad, hot pots, beef, prawns and a fancy looking seafood rice pie bordered with aloe vera leaves.
If you want to see more photos of girls in nurses uniform.
http://www.drs.com.tw/image.asp
Unfortunately, the site is in Chinese. These pictures are more interesting - activities - you can take shots by syringes
http://www.drs.com.tw/activity.asp
Taipei's restaurant
Xin Sheng north road, section 3, no. 7 --0 2 2587-3226
There's also a restaurant in Xinbei, nr Xinju.
All n all it looks great fun. Perhaps, a chance to see the wilder side of Taipei-ians. Girls in uniform, mmm, there's also something on the flyer 'show girl', which is probably some tame dance by a girl dressed up a nurse. The shot from a syringe has to be tried.
Playboy Girls
These girls were outside Zhongshan MRT last Sunday. Despite their bunny outfits, they were stuff like CDs, cough sweets, toilet paper and perfumes for shops at the nearly underground mall.
I guess that Taiwan. Next to them were some nurses, well at least girls dressed up as nurses, who were promoting the hospital bar/restaurant. They have a girl show too, apparently.
I guess that Taiwan. Next to them were some nurses, well at least girls dressed up as nurses, who were promoting the hospital bar/restaurant. They have a girl show too, apparently.
flower powered city1
This is just messing around with maps. This is a transit map at Xinpu MRT. I didn't realise how useful they were, until I used this one at Xinpu. From the map, I was able to get a bus to Sansia - it was great!
Longshan Temple
Saturday 11th, there was a lot of activity in front of Longshan temple. Many shrines had been erected, there were fortune tellers, lots of people sat in groups and making paper offerings, herbal tea on offer but the thing that stuck out most, was the public displays of religion.
I feel that the Taiwaneses are quite private about their religion. They have a shrine at home and sometimes go to the temple but it's very different to how Christains do things. Public 'services' at temples are fairly rare. Most people go, do their thing, maybe asks the gods a questions and throw moon stones, and then go.
Anyway, it was different that day. There was healing, chanting and dancing. In the group photo, a lively group kept going for several hours, dancing around some symbols on the floor. Later that evening, a disabled boy was wheeled around with the people clapping, dancing and chanting. I'm not sure who they were but I'm guessing that they might be the Falun Dada (Gong).
The Naruwan Centre, LongShan Temple MRT
Here's Steph eating a snail. This is one of the aboriginal dishes available at the newly opened Naruwan Centre. They have some other unusual dishes as well, like raw meat from Wulai (I'm not sure whether it's the one featured on Bizarre Foods - Andrew Zimmern), pine juice (taste fresh, just like the smell) and pumpkin ice cream. I tried custard apple ice cream - a little icey but the taste was creamy.
The Saturday we went, there was live music and a great atmosphere. Aboriginal people are great musicians and very outgoing. At one time, they grabbed me and I ended up doing a dance around the centre with some of the people working there. They are genuinely friendly.
Unfortunately, I can't find their card at the moment or their address on the internet. The only directions I can give are; go down the night market that passes the 'tourist night market' and carry on until the end of the road. On the opposite side is the Naruwan Centre. Naruwan means 'welcome' in one of the Taiwanese aboriginal languages.
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Three Screams
Just as you think you are an adverturer, just as you have plucked up your guts and ate something beyond, then you hear another story.
Last week, after a week of being in Vietnam and of saying I would, I finally ate an egg with an embryo. It was difficult and I didnt' particularly enjoy but I did it. I think it's best known as Balut, as it's known in the Philippines, but in Vietnam it's known as Trung Vit Lon.
I enjoyed the yolk. It was firm and meaty. The embryo was surprisingly soft. The head a guooy mess but I had to chew on the wing for a little while.
Anyway, last night, I heard about a Cantonese dish called the 'Three Screams'. It involves eating a raw baby mouse. The name comes from the actions, the first scream is from picking up the mouse with chopsticks, the second, from dipping it into soy sauce and the third from eating it.
In the same conversation, the infamous monkey brain came up as well. My Taiwanese friends insist it's all in China and not in Taiwan but the 'three screams' is something else. It could be used in so many different ways.
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