An Expatriate in Taiwan » Uncategorized

A day in Taichung

The Expatriate — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:51:17 +0000

Miss Expatriate and I decided to spend the day in Taichung and had quite a bit of fun. For once, we actually did something and I got the photos organized and am blogging about it (I’m usually too busy to put the photos up until months later when it’s too late).

We started off with lunch. Miss Expatriate had heard about a Muslim Restaurant that was getting very good reviews among the locals, so we decided to give it a try. The building was very drab and unassuming. The only giveaways were the green signs hanging out front.

Inside was quite small and packed. This place was definitely very popular with the locals – always a good sign.

The menu for the Muslim Restaurant

A peek into the kitchen

Another peek into the kitchen.

Customers enjoying their dinner

Being a Muslim Restaurant, they served no pork. As it was, they didn’t really serve any Muslim food whatsoever. Rather, they served Taiwanese food with a Muslim twist. Dishes include Beef or Goat soup, beef or goat dumplings, a very popular hotpot (good for larger groups), and a variety of sides. Miss Expatriate and I opted for the Goat soup, goat dumplings, and a side of beef, including cow’s stomach.

It was nice to have a seat near the kitchen where we could watch them prepare the dishes. They also made several hotpots, which are very popular. Next time, I’m definitely going to try one. Outside, you can see them prepare the hotpots and coals.

The outer part of the kitchen

A view from the street

If you’re going…

Business card for the Muslim Restaurant

After lunch, we headed off to the Jade Market (玉市 / yùshì), also a very popular attraction. We’ve gone several times before, but it’s always nice to wander around and talk to the locals and see what they’re selling.

The place is huge... this picture does it no justice

You can find almost anything here – jewelry, beads, tea supplies, statues, geodes, antiques – you name it. The variety is endless.

Small collections of decorative beads

Necklaces are popular

A guzheng sits in front of a painting

Small, decorate tables. I believe they're used for Ancestor's Worship tables

Tea trays

Many varieties of teapots can be found.

Several different types of tea, sold in discs.

The tea master must have been off on a break. This one is quite friendly and always says hello to me.

Large decorative stones

Turtle shells are popular - meant to bring good luck, I believe

These two sellers were engaged in several games of Chinese chess.

A large, decorative geode. These are quite popular.

Various beads for necklaces and bracelets

More beads

Old Chinese coins

Various types of money - he has money from several countries, including some very valuable gold and silver coins

Large statues

small statues

One of the many stores in the Jade Market

If you get hungry at the Jade Market, you can have a snack

If you’re going…

One of the helpful ladies at the Jade Market information desk.

Another helpful lady at the Jade Market information desk.

After that, we headed off to the Shinkong Mitsukoshi Department Store to do some window shopping (Why do Citizen and Seiko watches cost 3x as much as they do in America?) and watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which was quite good. If you go, I highly suggest you watch it in the digital theater for the best audio-visual experience.

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A day in Taichung

Close enough

The Expatriate — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:12:17 +0000

Number of times per week, on average, someone from back home asks me “So… how is Thailand?”: 542 Number of people from back home who remember that I actually live in Taiwan: 1 (thanks, Mom!)

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The Expatriate — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:33:04 +0000

Well, the spammers have finally found my site and unleashed their fury. I’ve been getting about 5-8 spam comments a day from various bots that search the internet and plague wordpress blogs.

As such, I’ve been forced to install the Akismet plugin, which should help cut down on quite a bit of spam and hopefully won’t make it more difficult for real people to make comments or add their thoughts.

Anyway, I’ll try it and see how it works out.

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Weirdest. Commercial. Ever.

The Expatriate — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:58:10 +0000

So Miss Expatriate and I were settling down and watching some tv the other night. Flipping through the channels, around 11 pm or so, we suddenly came upon a commercial. The product? Medicine to help men get erections.

Now, this is nothing new. Every country probably has these. In Taiwan, however, they are all aimed at old men; these old men are often seen satisfying very young and attractive women. Par for the course, right?

This commercial, however, was just plain weird and creepy. I’m not sure what the weirdest part is – the “hammer penis,” the guy touching and praying to the penis totem, or the guy slapping his erection to show how solid it is. Anyway, I had to grab my camera and record it so that everyone could enjoy it.

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