My uncle took me for some breakfast near by & the usual soy milk. 2 hours later, my dad’s best high school friend Uncle Wan picked me up with his 24 year old daughter who I played with as a child but barely remember to Sushi by where i’m staying at Hsin-mun-ding.
This sushi restaurant has been open since 1946!! Amazinggly fresh fish, cut into blocks triple the size of ours in the States. I consumed about 5 pounds of fish as he generously ordered everything delicious on the menu, and I felt rude not to eat it!
Shortly after, I met Daniel at Technology District (yes there’s such thing). A whole block or 2 of alleys filled with everything Technology gadget related – the newest computers, cameras, accessories. I went to find a hard drive & usb network card for ma, but realized the prices were close to home, esp. if i bought off Ebay, plus I wasn’t familiar with their brands so I didn’t.
At 6 Uncle Cha picked me up for MORE FOOD!! God the generosity of Family & family friends & the Taiwanese people. They look after you like you’re their own! He came along with 5 other of my mother’s elementary school friends who frequently meet for dinner & activities.
We went to all-you-can-eat Spicy hot pot in Soho (trendiest westernized area for shopping/living).
Basically you get a bunch of plates and theres a refrigerated section of different kinds of meat, meat body parts like intestines, liver, mushrooms, greens. Then you throw it all in the pot which is divided half spicy, half not. A few minutes later, wa-la! Ready to eat!
Sauce to dip everything in: Special hot pot mix, cilantro, green onions, soy sauce, hot sauce, sesame oil.
My favorite dish besides the lamb… Duck Blood Solidified. Better than Tofu!!!
There I ate about 20 pounds of meat & have the worst food coma alive.
Uncle Cha & his adorable son.
Last night in Taipei, exhausted. But I felt the need to go out. A friend invited me to Taipei’s hottest club Primo for “Model Night”. But I didn’t have the energy to travel that far on the subway late at night and dress up, so I was in the grungy local mode again. Met Daniel at Hsin Mun Ding to celebrate his 30th birthday. First, we found a Hookah bar/restaurant w an eclectic Arabic design for an hour, ordered Hookah Strawberry flavored til it closed. Then we wandered some more at 2 am til we found a hole in the wall Kareoke Bar, narrow stairs up. There were about 3 pairs of people there, all locals. Met 2 middle-aged bachelors who were plastered and in real friendly moods. Telling us they loved us, asking to exchange MSN & to introduce them to pretty ‘mei-mei’s’ (young hot girls). They even sent us 2 plates of Baked salmon. Sounds weird but it was DELICIOUS in the middle of the night!
The sun was coming up, I had to pack and catch a plane in a few hours, time to say ‘Tzai Jen’ to Taiwan. Another bittersweet return to my home, Los Angeles.