Welcome once again to my wondrous blog of adventure and trial. Sit back and relax as the tales of a hapless waiguoren overwhelm you with a sense of pity.
Just kidding, I had a pretty good week so no need to feel any sort of regret. Monday through Friday passed as usual so i don't have much to report there.
Anyway, on Friday, Andrew invited me to stay with his aunt and his cousins in Taichung (台中）which is Taiwan's third-largest city (and a sister city to New Haven CT, according to Isaac.) Lonely Planet described it as less than a must-see for the short term visitor but a nice weekend away from Taipei for the long-term expat. I don't know what category my 9 -week stay qualifies me for, but it was certainly fun. My teachers agreed that one goes to Taichung to eat. And eat we did. Andrew's family spent Saturday essentially driving us from restaurant to restaurant. I took the opportunity to try some traditional Taiwanese food that I hadn't had before. Most notably I ate a bite of stinky tofu which is a big deal for me. This tofu is prepared in some sort of rotting sewage marinade to which it owes its name. (Sei actually didn't believe that it was food rather than open sewer when we walked by it once.) Luckily, it tastes a lot weaker than it smells. I wouldn't order it on purpose, but I will no longer cringe when my teachers mention it. (I think they mention it because they enjoy my instinctual facial tic.) Other strange offerings included this weird caked duck blood thing. Also not that flavorful and rather palatable.
Otherwise it was just a weekend of hanging out in the air conditioned room of their apartment or the movie theater. (I saw "Up." Pixar, I love you.) and feigning understanding of Chinese.
I got back pretty late Sunday night. Now I'm heading into the final stretch of ICLP. Two weeks! This week my classmates and I will be preparing a skit which will constitute my final oral exam. There is no written exam which is a huuge relief because I won't have to relearn thousands of characters. Instead they are asking us to retake the placement test to gauge our improvement.
Alrighty, pictures to come soon!
If you must know, Wikipedia says the brine is "made from fermented milk, vegetables, and meat for as long as several months."
ReplyDeleteAppetizing! :)