October 30, 2012

Have been unusually busy last few days so haven't posted as much as I'd like to lately.  Took my first "Survival Chinese" language class yesterday, and it was quite interesting.  We are learning using the mainland Chinese version of pinying that I detailed in the last entry.  My teacher was saying that this version came about when Mao Tse Tung decided that the complexity of the Chinese language was a main cause for them to be culturally behind the world and directed a simplification of the language...that fits in with others that have said this simplification if far less elegant than traditional Chinese.  The new teacher started off by telling us how easy Chinese is to speak.  There are only 5 tones to learn, there are no articles, there is one pronoun for he/she, only one tense (no past pluperfect thankfully), and you can do just about anything using only a total of 3000 characters (as opposed to over 1.5 million words in English).  It helps me that the vowels are pronounced the same as in Spanish as opposed to English.  I think the hardest part will be that the sentence structure bears no resemblance to the Romance languages, but there is hope.  The class is only three people, all having arrived in Taiwan within the last three months.  There is me, a lady from Wales, and a Grandma from San Jose.  I can already tell the Grandma is going to be a problem...she is obviously here against her will and seems to be throwing up a mental roadblock to all things Chinese.  For example, the word for he/she is ta (pronounced 'tah"), but she will go through 1/2 a dozen other pronunciations (tay/toe/too/tea/tie/tung) before throwing up her hands and saying "I just don't understand".  Reminds me so much of my mom and trying to teach her how to use the computer (I know she reads this on occasion...so sorry Mom). 

One thing I didn't bring up was my idea of giving Westerners Chinese names like the Asians give themselves Western names.  My favorite from work was always Winky Ho, but there are a lot of funny ones out there that are not coming to mind.  I am thinking that I'm the first Westerner to adopt a Chinese name...Pin Pin.  I told our cousin Sharon about it and she wasn't impressed adding that I already had been given a Chinese name by her family...Pon su, which translates into Fat Ass.  Since I don't trust my family implicitly, will ask the teacher about it at the next class. 

In the The More I See The Less I Believe file this week are a couple observations from the Costco.  First...why do people who leave their carts in the middle of an aisle and then wander off for a food sample or examine some item for 5 minutes bug the crap out of me?  Happens all the time, and not just in TW, but happened almost constantly to us yesterday and it nearly put me out of my mind.  By the end of the trip, I was just banging into them to push them out of the way...don't think the little kid the parents left in that cart was amused.  I know its cause people don't have a sense of their surroundings and are so wrapped up in their own world, but when you're amongst the masses, take a second to think about space and your place in it. 

The other thing that blows my mind here is how the condiment trough contents are considered free to take home.  Was talking with some Russians the other night about Costco and they found this habit amongst the locals to be the most unbelievable.  I had not noticed myself, but made it a point to observe on my next visit.  I go to Costco a lot, mainly since I pick Betty up from work a few times a week, and just go a bit early to pick-up the essentials...milk, eggs and whiskey.  You can see the food court while standing in the check-out line, and damned if I didn't see at least one person loading up on ketchup, relish or onions three times in a row.  They will take their empty hot dog wrapper, or just a pile of napkins, crank the handle till it's full, and put it in their purse or bag.  I asked our Costco friends what they thought about this practice.  They know about it, but don't want to hassle the customers and just let them have at it.  I thought there would be a view of it on YouTube for sure, but all I could find was this dope. So SoCal.

 
Finally, it was the International Food Fair at the kids school last Saturday.  Was a very hot and humid day and I was grilling hot dogs (provided by Costco) for a good three hours.  Not a pretty sight.

.

October 27, 2012

Many people know that my nickname is Gomez...was anointed that name in college (long story, and not for kids), but have always given that name when making reservations for things as it is less common than John (except in Los Angeles and parts of Mexico), and way easier than Imbrogulio.  With the language barrier here, it just ain't working the same.  We went to our local Thai joint last night and when Gomez wasn't working, tried to give Betty's surname, which is Pien.  As she kept writing letters down, it ended up on the page as Pin Pin.  We started laughing as Pinpin Pula was the name of a character (notorious terrorist) on our favorite show, NCIS.  So, Pin Pin is now our nom de bouffe (at least until our Chinese friends inevitably tell us that it means something horrible).

Speaking of language barriers, finally got an answer to one of the more nagging questions.  When trying to navigate somewhere, the maps and signs often have differing versions of Chinese translated into Pinying.  On my map, am looking for ZhongShan Rd., but when we get there, the signs on the street will say something like Song Chiang Rd.  We were at Carolyn's teacher conference and popped into her Mandarin teacher's class to meet her.  Super lady, one of those teachers that makes the classroom fun in a way that you are excited to learn from her.  We're sitting there learning about the class and just shooting the breeze, and I ask what the deal is with all the varying styles of Pinying.  Unexpectedly, it was not due to the masochistic streak of the Chinese to make their language so hard to outsiders to remain intellectually isolationist, but rather was an interesting story about the age of world exploration and geopolitics.  The way she explained it, in Taiwan, there are three distinct versions of Pinying...the oldest was derived from the translations done by the earliest Europeans to arrive in China.  These were both Latin based and later, from the Dutch, who had many "trading outposts" in the area.  At the end of WWII, and with the fall of the Nationalist ROC to the Communist China PRC, those two entities created their own distinct versions of "simplified" Pinying.  In Taiwan (ROC), with the influx of Americans, who became increasing protectors of the government, they adopted a version the teacher called Yale-o, which was devised by a professor from Yale and developed with a bent towards English speakers, and implemented on the island.  On mainland China, with their Russian comrades growing importance, another version of Pinying was developed that was geared towards Russian speakers.  Later, as the PRC became the dominant force internationally, with their ever increasing cultural and educational interactions with the west, the PRC version of Pinying has become the dominant version internationally.  So within the last decade or so, the Taiwanese government has decided to adopt that version officially as well.  The problem is that not only are there old maps, but some are reluctant to change to the PRC version...even the teacher said the Taiwanese version was far more elegant than the PRC style.  Add to that the facts that it was written in the European manner for centuries as little as 40 years ago, and the locals lack of really caring to spend money changing signs (why would you, the only people that get pissed off are foreigners) and there you have it.  Interesting, but still a point of frustration.  Oh yeah...my Survival Chinese language class starts tomorrow.  Really looking forward to that.

A couple of other things have been bugging me lately.  First, is it just me, or are more restaurants adding lemon or lime slices in their water jugs.  I seem to recall it on occasion growing up, but it feels as if every other restaurant these days is putting them in their water pitchers.  This is not just a Taiwan thing, but had noticed it more and more in the States as well.  I don't like it...what is wrong with the taste of plain water?   And if there is something wrong with the taste of your particular water that begs for some citrus to cover it up...perhaps I shouldn't be drinking it?  And inevitably, you get a seed that gets stuck in the back of your throat that kinda freaks you out, which you then have to spit out into your napkin (at best).  I would feel like an asshole if I asked for some water sans lemon and would probably get water with a little nose citrus added anyway. 

 The other thing that's been bumping me is Chinese men with really kinky curly hair.  Not weird...just different, and with a head full of it myself, I shouldn't be so harsh, but still.  I mention this today as Paul and I are going for our first Taiwannese haircut this afteroon...as the sign says (I think)...one bowl fits all.



Alright, gonna settle in for World Series Game three and they are singing the National Anthem...by Zooey Daschenel?  The game is in Detroit...they couldn't prop up some ol' Motown great to sing the Anthem.

October 22, 2012

Last night was one of those where only a video could capture the true nuttiness.  Kids and I decided to walk to the local burger joint for dinner, which meant walking through the park across the street.  It was after sunset, and as we're strolling through, out of nowhere comes this kid with a remote control car and he cuts right in front of us...we nearly stepped on his toy.  We watched in amazement as he proceeds to drive right into a pole, backs it up, then rams it into the pole again.  They learn young here and the kid is a natural Taiwanese driver...we could see his Papa standing to the side with obvious pride. 

A few moments later, we're walking by the market and see a small child (3 year oldish) being pushed in a shopping cart like this. 


We commented that while ethically we prefer a free range child, the meat on the caged ones is much more tender.  People don't really use strollers for their kids here...presume it's due to the fact that the sidewalks aren't all that great, when they exist at all, so it doesn't make sense to use them.  Was talking to some new parents that were looking for a stroller without much luck, until they passed by a store and saw a dozen different ones in the window.  Happily, they went inside only to find out that it was a pet store and the strollers were for the Snack dogs that are favored here.  Never did learn if they bought one or not...will have to get a picture of one with a doggy inside, which shouldn't be too hard as you see them everywhere.

We got to the burger place and since it was so crowded, we sat at the counter by the window.  There were four stools and as there were three of us, the fourth chair was occupied by a guy that was just finishing his meal.  As soon as we sit down, we hear the guy making a sucking sound...over and over.  Kinda sounded like Bugs Bunny chewing before he says "What's up Doc?"  Was pretty gross and we were glad that he finished his meal and left.  Paul said I was mean when I said that his constant sucking was probably the reason he was eating alone.  I stand by my assumption.

Dinner for us is typically the time when we have our more esoteric conversations.  Last night Carolyn was curious regarding the local ladies penchant of avoiding the sun at all costs in an effort to have the pastiest skin color possible, and to be slim but to not show signs of working out.  Coming from a culture that prizes an even tan and a toned physique, it was an opportunity to have the "it's not weird, just different" conversations.  It's been explained numerous times that the reason for the light skin/no work look here, also aptly described as looking like tofu, is to show that the ladies are in a position in life where they do not have to work as outside laborers.  I'd have a hard time tying to explain/defend this look to anyone outside of the Pacific Northwest



The other topic that came up last night was why they drink their water warm/hot at meals instead of cold (especially when it's stinking hot outside).  As we've found with most things, the answers vary (below is a decent short synopsis of them found onlone along with the typical debunking).  I told the kids to be happy that we can go into any restaurant and drink the water without fear of Montezuma's Revenge.  Gonna have to find out what the call that here.

I've you've lived in China and in the West, I'm sure you've noticed the contrast. Meals in the West tend to come with tall glasses of ice water. Meals in China come with tiny cups of hot water, or tea. Tea, of course, has been a part of China's culture for millenia, but why the hot water?

It turns out, unsurprisingly, that there are a number of answers to this question. Some people report that their parents taught them to drink hot water with meals, because mixing cold liquids with hot meals is bad for the stomach. Others go further into the "science" of it, alleging that cold liquids solidify fats in your stomach, which can cause digestive problems, whereas hot liquids aid in digestion. Still others cite the habit as having stemmed from the traditional need to boil water before drinking it to remove germs (and indeed, even today, you're probably going to get sick if you don't boil Chinese tapwater before drinking it). Most people, though, will probably give you the same answer I just got from a friend: "It's good for your health."

That may be true, but from a scientific standpoint, it appears that neither the cold water fanatics nor China's hot water purists have much of a case. According to an article from Snopes.com about the issue, everything you eat and drink matches your internal body temperature fairly quickly once it's in your stomach, and cold liquids do not "solidify fats" as anything solid is broken by the stomach's powerful acids.

October 18, 2012

The metamorphosis is complete.  Am talking about my body odor of course.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that I have noticed a change in the scent of my body odor and attributed it to the change in diet.  With the heat and humidity, it hasn't been hard to notice as the sweat is literally streaming down my back just going down to the mailbox.  The second factor that has completed the chage in the way I smell is that I have run out of the deodorant that I brought with me from the States.  I coulda sworn I shipped a year's supply, but it is nowhere to be found.  I've been exclusively using Mennen Speed Stick regular scent since I started using deodorant, so that's got to be about 30 years.  The local pharmacies don't carry it, so have been sniffing around for a replacement and purchased this.

. 
It's called Nivea Cool Kick.  Nivea is a brand I remember my mom having in the house (so figured they must be doing something right), and this one stresses the fact of it keeping one "cool".  It was either this or Axe.  Axe has got to be only for 20-somethings and think it must only smell good when worn with Abercrombie and Fitch apparel.  It is my opinion that you shouldn't be able to smell a guy unless you are getting busy with him, are his doctor, or are a professional wrestler, and so look for a deodorant that doesn't advertise your smell from across the room. 

This new brand seems OK, but Betty has been on the road since the switch and will need her final opinion.  I haven't made close enough friends here yet that will tell me that it isn't working properly.  True friends are those that will tell you that you're fat or when your fashion choices make you look ridiculous.  The smell it gives off in conjunction with my own pH doesn't seem offensive to me, but changing ones scent after 30 years, it still bumps me everytime I lift my arms up to put the towels away on the high shelf. 

Another difference I wasn't expecting was the change from a stick to spray.  Applying with a stick is pretty simple, but you have to pay attention with a spray as you aren't always in your most lucid state when it's time to put it on.  This morning, pre-Coffee, in the dark, I went to shoot it under there, and miss-fired...unlike Johnson's Baby Shampoo, it was definitely not a "No More Tears" formula.

I am learning more and more about the mechanics of cooking Asian style, so am sure I will discover the specific ingredients that contribute to a change in body chemistry, but one thing that is certain and is likely a cause is the liberal use of garlic.  As a lover of Italian food, am not a stranger to its wonderous properties, but what I did not know is that garlic is native to Asia.  Am surprised that my Chinese friends don't belabor me with that info as they do the facts that both pasta and fireworks were Chinese inventions (to which I reply in my best Janet Jackson, What have you done for me lately?) 

Not only do I see it added into almost everything, but they often offer it up as its own side dish.  This is a snap from the baseball game where you not only get the sweeeeet sausage on a stick, but as many huge chunks off garlic that you want. 

This is a snap of the crispy chicken joint a few yards from our place (taken with the stupid iPhone), and you can see that garlic is shown on the signage

We absolutely adore the crispy chicken from this guy...it comes either plain, with garlic, or spicy (I get the garlic/spicy combo). It has about the amount of chicken in a 6 piece McNugget, and is served in one of those little bags along with basil and again, a bunch of big chunks of garlic.  All for only US$1.25.  You take a little stick, skewer a piece of chicken, some basil and a piece of garlic and you feel like you're in heaven.  Open Tuesday - Sunday from 5PM to 11PM (or while supplies last) . 

October 16, 2012

With a guest in town this weekend, did a lot of city driving and this morning it felt as if everything became clear....like in the NFL when a rookie finally gets the hang of it and everything just slows down.  Feel that I can navigate this dump to perfection and am now King of the Road.

Have a mess of pictures backed-up, so am gonna clean up that folder a bit today.  First up...a few from the Costco.

It's been since college that I had a bit of the Hairy Crabs.  These were on special this week as it is the time of year when these type of crabs are pregnant.  The populace don't eat the crab meat but prefer to eat the eggs only.  A quick dip in boiling water, scoop em out and enjoy.  Wonder what miraculous health benefit they ascribe to them.  Next up...Jew's Ear

Took some of these photos with the iPhone and can't get it to rotate properly, and it cut off the view of the product on this one.  I wouldn't put it past them to actually eat the ears of a Jew, but these are mushrooms that are popular here.  Are supposed to be good for sore throats, blood flow, etc...good for what ails ya. They call them Jew's ear after Judas, who hung himself after the betrayal of Jesus and the ears are supposed to be what remains of his returned spirit.  More ghost stories...I ain't afraid of no ghosts. 

As previously mentioned, they typically have alcoholic samples at the Costco, and with this being October, they were promoting some local brand of German bier complete with Chinese in lederhosen

They just don't fill 'em out as Teutonically as one would hope for.  And no trip to the Costco would be complete without your mode of transportation being by scooter. 

You would not believe the quantity  of Costco sized products they can balance on the scooter.  And you have to love the fact they have a designated handicap scooter parking spot. 

Goofiness in advertising is certainly not limited to the Costco.  Saw this one evening at our local Japanese department store.

She was trying to entice you into buying cosmetics or something...looked like a really big pot scrubber.  Might not have been so bad had it not been for her long stick legs that were so transparent, you could see every blue blood vessel.  Capital "S" Sexy.

There is a pathological tendency to over package purchases.  In some cases, it makes sense...like when you buy a bag of cookies, they are further broken down inside into multiple mini-packages.  Due to the high humidity, this helps when you want to eat just a few and the rest can stay fresh.  But at other times, you can feel the Earth actually warming as they are working on your purchase.  I've become fond of the Japanese coffee joint around the corner as they make a nice latte...even better than the Starbucks two doors down.  It comes in a paper bag and here are the contents.

Along with the latte, there is a pack of sugar, stir stick, napkin and plastic holder to keep it upright.  They also put a piece of tape over the Solo lid to keep it on the cup, but inevitably cover up the carburetor so that you have to peel it off anyway.  I've since trained them to just give me the cup, but imagine this times every cup of coffee sold. 

Loved this sign at the local Biergarten.

Have to admire that the vomitorium is unisex, and that the woman is bald, so you don't need to hold her hair back while she spews.  Could not help thinking of the food poisoning scene from Bridesmaids. 

On Sunday's at the kid's school, they rent it out to the Filipino Christians...last weekend saw the annual B-ball for Jesus tournament.

Finally, have had this one floating around for a while.

Took this one at the zoo a while back and think it really highlights the difference in cultures.  In the back of the mind of most Westerners, we know that the food in front of us has a history that we'd rather not know about.  In the Eastern cultures, they teach the youth about every gory detail of the food chain.

October 15, 2012

In the tour guides for Taipei, always at or near the top of the list of things to do are the Night Markets.  To quote..."From snacks to laptops, Taipei's after-dark markets teem with goods.".  Last weeks posting described our visit to the local Shilin market as underwhelming.  Yesterday, we had a visitor in town with a free night, so decided to go to the oldest and (seemingly) most famous one called Huaxi, aka Snake Alley.  In the old days, you could get a lovely meal of turtle soup and fresh snake stew, wash it down with an assertive, but not too pushy, deer penis wine, followed by a romp with some local girl for hire.  It was touted that the "city fathers" have cleaned it up some and now is promoted as a top tourist destination. 

In reality, the place rivaled Disneyland as the unhappiest place on Earth.   The setting was along the Dahan River in a desolate and dark neighborhood...very dirty and had the look of being old with the common areas and ornate arches not being lovingly maintained.  The street food, usually delicious around town, was downright nasty.  We had over-roasted mushy peanuts and soggy onion pancakes.  Our usual go-to favorite, crispy chicken, had little tiny bones in it.  We posited various alternatives as to what kind of meat it really was with possibilities including rat, cat paws and crow. 

A handful of the "snake alley" establishments were also retained.  The customers (older dudes) all had this glazed vacant expression...would describe it as a person who had long ago sold his soul.  Each place had an equally seedy guy out front with a microphone enticing potential customers in an eerie monotone to come on in.  If that wasn't enough motivation for you to check it out, sitting on the counters out front were some of the offerings including live snakes, jars full of what Betty called chicken gonads, and de-shelled turtles lying on their backs with their legs still kicking.  Brutal.  I do think you could still find a "date" though...the problem was that they hadn't gotten a new crop of professional gals since the 60's. 

I had my camera, but was not motivated to take pictures as the vendors and customers were emotionless and seemed sad...managed to get only one snap and it was this of this "fresh" vegetable vendor.  Pretty much says it all.

 

October 11, 2012

Was able to attend Carolyn's Field Day at school on Tuesday.  As with everything at the kids school, it was run like a well oiled machine.  Things start on time, are organized with kids moving efficiently and politely through their games, and done so with good humored discipline.  Got this photo of Carolyn and her new buddies (with Courtney on left and Valerie on right).  Their teacher said they are thick as thieves.

During the games, saw Paul's PE class coming in from their activities.  Is there a Middle Schooler that is ever excited about having their parent at school and call out to them to smile for a picture?

And the picture does not lie...he is looking more Chinese every day.

The kids played a bunch of really fun games with the big tug-o-war game at the end. 

The grand finale was the parent/teacher tug-o-war battle.  Cannot remember the last one of these I was in, but it was as fun as I remembered.  That's yours truly supplying the beef at the end of the rope.

Speaking of "beef", walking home from the school after Field Day and past by this place...not so much a store or even a truck, but rather an open air card table/rolling rack meat market.

Sitting at the computer showing Betty these pictures, and she says that this only seems weird to Americans, that this is how the rest of the world handles their meat, and that food safety professionals will tell you that this is fine for fresh meat.  By the looks of this vendor, there's no question the meat is hygienically prepared and that he is abiding by all the local FDA standards.

On Tuesday night, Betty and I went to the local Brauhaus (Wendel's) for Oktoberfest.  Great great time...hilarious German entertainment and beer fueled mayhem.  This clip is from a couple years ago, but it was the same guy leading the fun (although he's lost the mustache and gained a few pounds).  Fortunately, we were at "that" table and much like the tug-o-war earlier in the day, cannot remember the last time I danced on top of a table (although not remembering that is easier to believe than the tug-o-war).  Our girls (which were flashing the most cleavage by far) attracted the attention of the gay guy table and the most flamboyant of them was dancing with our table for the night.  We learned  that he teaches math at an all girls Catholic elementary school and has lychee martini parties every Friday night, which Betty was invited to but I was not.  I hate discrimination. 

Was taking a break on the smoking patio with some of the other Westerners (including Russians, S.Africans along with some Americans), most of them having been in country for several years, and talk turned to local driving customs.  It was heartening to hear them all describe their experiences exactly the same as I've been feeling, and that is, on the street, the Taipeinese are the nicest and most helpful people we've ever met, but once they get behind the wheel, that they turn into the biggest assholes on the planet.  They all agreed that the only way to deal with it was to drive just like them.  I am gonna come back to the states with driving skills that are so perverse as to merit jail time.  It really is an ugly side of them and cannot help but look at the "nice" people on the street and not think that they must be total pieces of crap.  It's my belief that for this society to take the next step in their development, they are going to have to do something about this dichotomy.

So I'm relating the above conversation in the car to Betty as I'm dropping her off at work this morning, and we are on a street with two lanes in each direction.  It's early and the roads are relatively clear in this part of town, and as we are driving on the road, getting ready for our right turn onto the Costco street, one of the local "blue" trucks is ahead of us in the left lane and slowly veers in front of us into the right lane as the light turns red.  So we're sitting there in the right lane with the truck in front of us waiting for the light to turn green, and the blue truck decides to go through the red light and MAKES A LEFT TURN!  Who remembers Bill the Cat?

October 9, 2012

Carolyn had her first gymnastics tournament last Sunday.  She is what you would refer to as a recreational gymnast.  Going into the competition on the Chinese home turf, was concerned that there would be some serious athletes and she may become frustrated.  I now understand why Taiwan is never in the medal hunt in gymnastics at the Olympics.  All of the kids seemed recreational and that it was more of an activity rather than a lifestyle for them.  I'd imagine that in mainland China, these 8-11 year-olds would be close to their gymnastic prime.  Here is Babydoll mid-air

 

Part of her floor exercise.  Paul and I had to look away in pain

 

 

Really wasn't that exciting, but gave me a chance to take and share a couple pix.

 

 





After we were done, Betty wanted to check out the Confucius Temple nearby (bet you know where this is going already).  As with any trip to the temple, you have to make a choice of whether to get a Confucius Dog before or after your visit.

 

 

It was a pancake cart actually...fluffy lil' things filled with berries, cream or taro.  We couldn't decide which ones we liked best, so had some before AND after.

It's going to take me a while to understand the draw of the Temples.  Betty gets all woozy around them, but they all sorta look the same to me.   They are pretty but very solemn. 

That's not to say their isn't some really fun stuff to do.  Listened to these gals rocking out for a while.

If you put 4 cats into a piano (player, not baby grand), and then pushed it down a flight of stairs, that is close to what they sounded like.

Carolyn rang the prayer bell

Paul rubbed one out

And I did some translating of some of Confucius' saying's

My ancient Chinese is a bit rusty, but will translate these best I can...from left to right;

- Don't sweat the petty stuff ... and don't pet the sweaty stuff.

- Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

- Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.

- Crowded elevator smell different to midget.

October 7, 2012

We finally went to a Night Market yesterday evening.  Surprised it took so long for us to go there cause they are in the top 5 of things to do in Taipei in every tour book.  From what I'm hearing, October is a big tourist month in Taiwan due to the extended holiday in mainland China celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day.  Combine that with it being a very pleasant Saturday night and the market was super packed last night.  Imagine a two square block enclosed market with alley ways coursing throughout that are at most 7ft. wide, jammed not only with people and food vendors, but every type of crappy souvenir stand from t-shirts to discount iPhone cases.  And of course the t-shirts were all in English and at least half of those contained typically bizarre phrasing.  This one is hard to see, but it said "You Fuck My Wife" with the 'c" and 'W' covered over for it to then read "You Funk My Life".  Huh? 

 Am gonna assume it was the peak night of the season and not be deterred to return.  Add that I messed up the settings on the camera going in, so lost most of the snaps I took and the experience was a bit of a let down.  Hopefully will have a better entry on them in the future, but we did eat some interesting snacks. 

This was probably the tastiest treat...eggs with oysters and greens.

 

 

The mixture of the eggs and oysters gave it a gelatinous texture that was unusual at first but was yummy once you got past it.  Glad we did not see how they were storing the oysters before we ate...

This was unusual...candy coated tomatoes shish kebab style.

They look like they were roasted but in fact had a hard candy shell.  Didn't taste as gross as they sound, but could only get two in me before the sweetness became too much.  Carolyn got the coated strawberries which was a better fit.  I wondered if the candy coating negates the inherent goodness of the tomato?

They also had a fish/turtle soup stand. 

It was off in the corner of the market and the dudes sitting around eating their meals looked pretty shady/miserable.  They had snakes in cages and a bunch of creatures suspended in some kind of brine/formaldehyde.  They were adamant about no photographs, but I took one anyway.

 

Eating this kind off soup is supposed to have certain properties that is supposed to enhance the libido.  We have a guest in town next week that we are going to take sight seeing and plan to go to Snake Alley.  This is what Wikipedia has to say about it.  Deer penis wine anyone?

 

Sitting around the dinner table the other night with the kids and wondered what they felt about the upcoming election.  Carolyn wants Obama cause she heard that Romney "said something bad about a lot of people."  Paul is still undecided, but went into a self-discussion group that tackled the question that "if Obama was an albino, would he still be the first black president."  That made my mind go back to the first George Carlin album I ever heard...Class Clown.  I remember hiding under a table while my sister and her friend listened to it on an old record player.  It was the one that had The Seven Words bit on it (still can rattle those seven off), but what Paul's albino question reminded me of was Carlin talking about being in Sunday school and asking the teacher the question, "Can God make a rock so big that even he can't lift it?"  My son can really paint a word picture, but sometimes they look like this and make me feel like this

 

 

 

  

October 5, 2012

When I opened up the site to write today, all of the buttons and prompts had changed into Chinese characters.  Websites like Google and ESPN that I go to frequently will sometimes just revert into Chinese and it is downright intimidating.  Like today, manage to get it back into English somehow, but being faced with written Chinese is much more frustrating that trying to communicate with a non-English speaker verbally.  At least face to face, you can point to stuff or make hand gestures (like rubbing my head for shampoo or pulling on udders for milk), but trying to buy tickets or get an address on-line means you aren't getting them.

The big news this week for us is that we booked our X-mas vacation for this year...to Italy!  14 full days.  Have never been and has always been number one on my wish list of destinations.  Our friend Colleen, who's job is leading tours from Seattle to, among other locations, Italy, is going to put together a suggested itinerary and has up to date info on accommodations for us to use to plan our trip.  At this point, we are going to spend several days in Rome, a few days on the road between Rome and Venice seeing things like Florence/Pisa, and then a few days in Venice.  The night we get in, there is a football/soccer match between Roma A.S. and Inter Milan in Rome that Paul and I are going to try to get tickets to attend, we'd like to go to Christmas mass at the Vatican, and watch fireworks on New Year's eve in Venice.  How freaking awesome, no?  Most everyone I have told or know seems to have been, so am putting out the call for suggestions on things to do.  The big destinations, like Pantheon, Coliseum, and gelato carts, are pretty obvious, so the things I'd like to ask of you are:

Did you see something unusual or not in the tour book that you'd recommend?

Have you been recently and have some amazing restaurant idea?

Any other tips like whether to get a week pass on the metro, a museum that is free on certain days or closed others, where to change money, etc...

Thanks...

Things have started to settle into a rhythm here.  Kids are well into school and seem to be doing pretty well...no complaints and their grades are good.  As mentioned, their school is very strong academically so there was a concern that they would struggle or be behind.  Carolyn is at the highest reading level in her class, and Paul's mid-term reports were all A's (except, and unsurprisingly, in Mandarin).  Paul has had more homework so far this quarter than I saw him do in 7 years of the Seattle Public School system and he has even been reading books outside of his school...for personal enjoyment!  Pretty scary.

I'm starting my Chinese classes soon and have been going to a lot of parent things at school...wouldn't say I'm busy, but at least I'm not sitting home all day.  The 4th grade counselor has a book club that I'm checking out...the first meeting was yesterday.  Definitely not something I would normally do, but his first book is one that I had read years ago and loved, so thought I would give it a try.  The book is called, How To Talk So Kids Will Listen.  Again, am the cynic and think self-help stuff is a crock for the most part, and this one does get a bit too touchy-feely at times for my taste, but the methods it recommends really work...and not just on kids.  Have thought about getting Betty to read it for years, but always held back because she would then see some of the tricks that I use to manipulate her sometimes.  I am not big on recommending stuff (mainly cause no one ever takes my advice, otherwise you'd all be Yo La Tengo aficionados), but if you have kids (or anyone really) that you butt heads with on trivialities, I promise that this book will open doors.  Seriously.

So am sitting there at the book club and our table has some very nice people.  Is it weird that when I go to these things that I prefer to sit with the Chinese ladies instead of the white chicks?  Am at the table with the very sophisticated ladies and, of course, the one required nut job.  Every time we'd break into our smaller groups to discuss the topic, she would describe her inability to control her own kids.  It seems that she just transferred her daughter into a local Chinese pre-K from the Western one she had been attending so her kid could learn Chinese better, and the kid is pitching a fit constantly cause she liked the Western one better.  I can only guess at how horrible a Chinese pre-K must be, especially having experienced the more friendly Montessori methods and seeing the Tiger Moms at full prey.  You could instantly tell that this mother was constantly fighting tooth and nail with the 4 year-old over the issue.  The normal moms and I would discreetly roll our eyes at each other while we tried to talk her down, but there was just no way.  I'm sure you are familiar with these moms and you just want to tell them that at all they need to really do is to mellow out.  But you also know that they are so sure their way is the best that they would not realize that it is their own mania that fuels the kids to rebel, and probably couldn't relax without a prescription of Valium.   

The best thing about the last week has been that the heat has finally broken.  Still in the 80's and humid during the day, but have finally been able to start going for walks without melting and giving up after 5 minutes.  (Almost) no one is fat here and am feeling self-conscious about being a bit on the tubby side.  In addition, they don't design things (like chairs or clothes) for the standard American fat ass.  Am trying to make a concerted effort to lose some weight and that is by taking vigorous walks around town...gets me acclimated to the city without destroying my knees while working up a good sweat.  Even better have been the evenings when it gets into the mid to low 70's.  Downright perfect...our apartment is on a corner, so when the windows are all open, there is a pleasant breeze flowing through the house.  At times, the breeze is so strong that all of the hair that Betty and Carolyn lose blows into a corner off the apartment and is much easier to collect.  I initially mistook it for a scampering cucaracha, but then saw it was a little tumbleweed of black hair rolling across the floor.

I don't think it's actually karma, so what do you call it when you say something and then it happens almost instantly.  There has been a freakishly high amount of these instances lately. Within the last week...

- Said that I thought I would see more accidents with the random driving habits of the drivers/scooters and the tight spaces in which they do them, and then saw two the next morning.  The first was a single car that veered off the road head-on into a pole, and 5 minutes later saw a pile of scooters in a heap at a traffic light.  Appeared that one fell over and dominoed another 1/2 dozen.

- Mentioned that I had yet to see a spider or rat, and literally saw one of each within hours of saying it.

-  You see mosquito bites on peoples arms and legs all the time, and I was looking at Paul's legs after his camp and we were talking about how he had been eaten by mosquito's.  I said that I have managed to avoid becoming a smorgasbord, and damn if my legs weren't covered by bites when I woke up the next morning.

- Boasted to another recent transplant that I was surprised that hadn't gotten ill from eating anything since arrival, and then got nauseous from the meal I was eating when I said it (from Chili's, which is equally as disgusting here as it is in the US).

- Asked the kids as we were walking somewhere if they had seen a cat since we arrived, and they hadn't.  Within the next 10 steps, one goes trotting across the street.   Was pretty happy about this one actually...you see tons of dogs strolling around, but the absence of cats leads your mind to think that the locals had eaten them to extinction.

Really weird.  I just read the new Dan (Da Vinci Code) Brown book The Symbol, and it is all about the power of the mind being able to control matter.  Definitely will work on harnessing this new found power into controlling energy into more socially constructive (like drivers obeying traffic laws), or personally gratifying (perhaps bigger boobs and booties for the locals?) endeavors.

Have been rambling today, but since I've mentioned all the other creatures in town, I should give some love to the local canines.  As mentioned, you see quite a few around.  The majority are what they call "snack" dogs...little ones that are carried in bags or are walked very slowly on their tiny legs.  Snack dogs refer to those that are big enough to eat, but not enough for a full meal.  The ones you don't see a lot of are those big hairy dogs...like the Giant Poodles, German Shepard's, etc.  This makes total sense in that most folks like in small apartments and they would (like me) suffer the most in the oppressive heat.  But the most interesting are the mid-sized dogs like this fella.

 

 

There are quite a few of them running about, but rarely are they leashed.  I would estimate 60-70% of them have collars of some kind, so they don't seem like strays, just that the owners let them out to walk themselves.  And they are unbelievably smart.  On multiple occasions, have witnessed them sitting on the corner waiting for the light to change before walking across the street.  When walking down the street, they keep wisely to the side and move even further over when a vehicle approaches.  Smarter than some of the people we encounter in the street.  With the scooters and cars wildly zipping around, it is an amazing survival mechanism.   If I saw these dogs in Mexico, I'd walk to the other side of the street or go the other way to avoid them.  I wouldn't try pet one of these, but they seem indifferent to humans and other dogs as they make their rounds and we have zero fear of them.  I have not heard one barking (uh-oh) and they just blend into the daily commute.  It would be nice if they curbed themselves though...for a big city, the amount of poopie on the streets has you constantly walking with your head down in an effort to avoid the piles.

October 1, 2012

October 1st today...everyone has their favorite time of year, and this is mine.  The sports calendar is just perfect...football is starting, and baseball is moving into the postseason.  There is nothing like flopping on the couch in your sarong and catching some awesome drama while it unfolds.  On more personal and obscure sports, Australian Rules Grand Final was this past Saturday (amazing amazing) and in my youth, the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita would kick into gear.  My buddy Norm Facebooked an update from there the other day and the memory of many happy, mostly losing, days spent there came flooding back.  There may be no finer sporting event to watch than a turf race from the top of the hill at Santa Anita on the last race of the card, when the weather of a warm Fall day in So Cal is cooling down and you get that smell of the marine layer mixed with smog.  Then you have your last few bucks on a longshot that has to come in for you to be able to have dinner and drinks that night, but doesn't, yet your buddy who just one big takes you out anyway.  The northern hemisphere gets back into gear after a lazy summer and something big always happens.   The weather is both warm and cool, and you get to break out your entire wardrobe, many times in the same day.  And there is no question that the color scheme I am most comfortable (and look best) wearing is Autumn.

Am happy to report that the love of Fall seems to be continuing here.  Most importantly, the weather is turning...the last 2.5 months have been nothing short of Hell.  I was never cool...never...not with the AC blowing, or taking a shower with the faucet turned all the way to the right, or at the water park or beach.  From a body heat index, truly miserable.  The last few days have seen days in the 80's and nights in the 70's.  Carolyn and Betty (typically the coolest in body temperatures) were complaining of being cold at times the last couple of days.  Glorious.  Fall also finds the nastiness of Ghost Month completing and all the Evil Dead have been appeased for another year.  New happenings and reasons to celebrate are available too.  Last Friday was Confucius' b-day (Happy 2,563 big guy).  It was also the Mid-Autumn Festival last few days and there are a lot of good times and activities associated with it.  BBQ's, Dragon dances, fireworks and such all about town.  There have been fires galore as people that don't usually BBQ, break them out and end up setting their places on fire.  We recently purchased a BBQ and had our first one at home with family...American food, no fire, and nice to entertain and have family and friends in the house.  Most of Betty's family came (hilarious as always) and we were able to meet the niece of our good friends Megan and Stephen.  Tiffany is here for a semester studying and she came along with a new friend of hers from Paris to enjoy our hodgepodge of cultures while adding their own.  Hope they weren't too shocked by the locals penchant for honesty on the subjects of differing cultures ("Italians make the food, the Jews handle the money", etc.)  The girls left our place to go out dancing at some electo-dance party...how fun to be young and free and seeing the world with wide open eyes. 

So will definitely be adding the Confucius B-day BBQ to the list of must celebrate occasions going forward.  Not only is it the perfect time of year to throw a party, but I get to bust out two of my favorite bits of his philosophy:

The man who farts in church, sits in his own pew...

The man who drops his watch in the toilet has a crappy time...

Not sure if that second one is truly something he preached as they didn't have watches in 551BC, but still...

Just sent in my November ballot today...voted on all the Washington State stuff as well as President.  The first time I was able to vote for President was 1984 and my choices have been:

1984 - Reagan
1988 - Bush
1992 - Did not vote
1996 - Clinton
2000 - Bush
2004 - Bush
2008 - Obama

I did vote in 1992, but I could not decide between Bush, Clinton or Perot.  Walked into the voting booth still undecided, voted the full slate thinking I would go back to Prez and then forgot to do so.  To this day, am still not sure who I wanted then, but it turned out OK. 

My vote this time went to 4 more years of Obama.  He has certainly not been perfect, and am enjoying watching all the people that were convinced he was going to save the world squirm a little bit (and trust me you people were SO annoying in 2008), but this 2012 version of the GOP is way beyond anything that I've ever seen.  The candidate is the new definition of flip-flopper...I sorta thought he was moderate before, but his blatant cow-towing to the Tea Party ultra-conservative wing of the party has been disingenuuous at best, and more often just obsecene.  The GOP platform on social issues doesn't reflect many of my beliefs and I miss the days when the terms Compassionate and Moderate were used in conjunction with the term Conservative.  The day I finally decided to cast my vote for Obama came when Romney grandstanded on the riots in Egypt and Libya over that stupid video (note to the Muslims...knock it off).  Proved to me he was not only very un-Presidential, but downright dangerous.  The worst part is the characterization of Obama as totally incompetent (how?) and is both a Nazi and Communist (really...both?)  I really cannot understand a vote for that party right now and pray that the message that is sent on November 6th is that we have had enough of the anti-gay/women, uncompromising stance on any issue , Fox News propaganda mantra.  I want my GOP back.