Taiwan II

Got back from Taiwan on Thursday night. Have been spending the past few days in shameless self-indulgence of the lazy cat variety. I slept when I wanted, ate when I wanted and watched TV til my eyes hurt. In Taiwan, I felt like I never got to rest properly and I think the fatigue took a heavy toll on me, even causing my appetite to decrease to the point where I wasn't able to enjoy the food in Taiwan with the relish it deserved! That, in itself, is the most tragic of all grievances.

I don't think I should bore you with the play by play of my trip. I should list some highlights however.

One day, I went to Taichong with my mom and her friend. After having the famous local dish known as "shan yu mian" (which isn't really all that, after all) we headed over to the world class Shinkong department store. While my mom had a mini reunion with her old classmates, I roamed around the mall through all of its nine floors. At the very top, I was rewarded with an exhibit of silk woven tapestries and paintings. I really wanted to take pictures, but there were guards around who made sure that didn't happen. Yet it was such joy to my eyes! I remember admiring one work, which is of a girl in a red and gold background, she herself was wearing red and was possibly a bride on her wedding day. The threads woven into that painting had an irisdescent hue and the entire work was absolutely mesmerizing - well because I like things that glow or are shiny. I am a raccoon at heart.

I got to spend time with my cousins. One of them is marrying possibly at the end of the year, possibly a little later, depending on how soon she can get her braces removed. This brings me to my new beef. If you flip open any random fashion magazine in Taiwan, you'd find girls dressed in all manners of getup, multiple layers is a neccessity, boots are a near necessity, or if not, at the very least, indecently high pumps. Most girls have either very long straight hair or they have very long hair, either way, it's usually very long. I wouldn't say every girl in Taipei dresses like she just strolled off the runway, but for the girls that do dress up, they really take "dressing up" to a whole new level. In the U.S., I consider myself to be slightly above casual and maybe a tad lower than trendy, basically a comfortable blend of trendy casual. In Taiwan, I realize I've been knocked soundly into the sub-casual region. I'm under-accessorized, overly reliant on solid shades and single layers and worst of all, I plodded all over TPE in my brown walking sneakers. Never have I felt the full brunt of being so UNCOOL.

The food in Taiwan is as usual slobber worthy. Everywhere you go, food is shoved into your face. There are the bakeries that show off rows and rows of gleaming pristine buns (play Heaven music now) which always beg to be devoured. There are the street markets with vendors hawking their wares, with people hunkered down near plastic tables, sloshing down soup and noodles. My mom is particularly attached to this particular type of fried flat bun with sesame on top. Inside its savory crust, you will find meat and vegies that work in some magical combination to produce an unforgettable and satisfying mouthful. It's only 10 NT to boot (30 cents US)

Then there's the frenetic pace of Taipei. Everyone in the city always seems to be rushing to somewhere. Nowhere can this be more evident than at the main Subway station of Taipei MRT. When you're trying to transfer from one train to another and you reach this main hall, suddenly before you, you would see a sea of black heads bobbing to and fro. No matter how often I've been to that main hall myself, I never cease to pause inwardly and look on the scene before me with an appropriate degree of awe. Maybe it's because I spent the better half of my life in the suburbs. Maybe it's also because I spent the better half of my life in a diverse country. So it's always a slight cultural shock to see so many of my own kind out there, because I'm so used to being outnumbered and not part of a vast majority. Of course, on a global scale, I know I have the distinct pleasure of being part of the race that is 1.3 billion strong =P

Okie dokes, I'm a little tired from my rambling. I think I will write of more amusing adventures when it suits me. Now excuse me while I guzzle some more Robitussin down...