Does Taiwan changing to something better or worse?
I knew that I am a person who doesn't like change especially when I getting older and older. Every year when I return back to Taiwan, I pay attention to things which have become different, and I noticed I am desperately looking for things that still remain the same. But don't get me wrong, I love trying new things for sure, however I just can't deny how disappointed I was when I tried new things and it didn't provide me with pleasant experiences afterwards...
Anyway, what I want to write here is simply recorded things that have happened to me in the past 3 weeks.
1. Joining my mom in her mountain hiking group, we spent a day visiting an ancient hiking route in Yilan. I feel incredibly happy when people call me Fresh Meat, even though these compliments are sent by the people who are the same age as my parents :) ps. It was 9 am in the morning when we were on the tour bus to Yilan, some uncles sitting behind me decided to pair whisky for their breakfast while others sang karaoke as background sounds. I feel like I am the person who took the wrong bus, but they all seem so happy, and incredibly content, which also make me feel so happy too.
2. Pretty packages! It is very difficult for me not to be attracted to pretty things, especially while I browse in the supermarket. And after a few trials and self testing, I must say Taiwanese became very good at deceiving customers with their pretty package designs. It is very frustrating actually, people now care more about appearances than contents, from groceries we shop, so as people.
3. This summer my dad decided to grow cucumbers to sell, when I returned home it was the perfect time to harvest them. Everyday morning me and my parents will spend a couple hours reorganizing those freshly harvested cucumbers into several boxes, so then we can deliver them to the wholesaler. About 2 weeks after harvest time, I asked my mom if we had earned enough money to cover the cost of this cucumber business. and the answer is NO . The profit is only enough to pay the salary for the helper. The moment I realized my dad grows those vegetables is never about money. It is more likely to kill time, and achieve some satisfaction when he gives these away.
4. Korean BBQ 蔡豚屋, I learn a new dish which is really delicious and easy ! melting pizza mixed cheeses, grilling a slice of tortilla , one thin sheet of mochi , assemble it as a sandwich. woolala! heaven!
5. I spent a morning walking along the 富錦街, so many fancy boutiques and cafe. None of them open before 11 am. Since when did Taiwan become so lazy about running their own business?
6. 吉祥道 A department store claimed has all Taiwan local product. I think they should claim they have most of Taiwan's local mosquitoes.
7. I went to homme plisse issey miyake store in Breeze xinyi, tried on a winter coat value for 2000 euros, of course I didn't spend any penny in the shop, but the sales persons still very kindly and even suggest me go try the restaurant_心潮飯店 around the corner, they got a famous dish called steak fried rice which has won Michelin star last year. and then when I had my seat and opened the menu to see the price I couldn't dare to order a fried rice which cost 50 euros, but order something cheaper instead. However, I swear inside my heart that steak and fried rice will definitely be a regular dish at our dining table at home in the future.
ps. The golden spoon is really nice and heavy! I love it.
pps. The longan flower sparkling tea in a wine glass is so fancy. I need to find the recipe and use it for our Christmas dinner when my mother in law comes to visit.
8. Chan CHi Hot Pot Lab (詹記麻辣鍋西門大世界) me and Eric and 良至 had our friend reunited dinner there. I am just so in love with the nostalgia interior styling, also their branding concept. I ended up buying two big classic Taiwanese beer glasses at home. How about the hot pot? Does it taste any good ? mmm I think this restaurant is very good at entertaining customers, food is ... fine.
9. Gissel had become a mother this year, to congratulate her new achievement I decided to go in a very classic way _ bring her a bouquet of flowers. I spent a really loving afternoon at her studio, me, Gissel, Ray squeezed in the tiny little storage room to smoke, just like what we used to do in old times.
10. Caudex plants! I had no idea that fat root plants are so popular in Taiwan until I tried to google the Brachychiton tree, then I became so obsessed with searching for more rare plants like that. What should I say? These rare plants can go very expensive when the root is bigger, however to spend 800 euros for one plant is just a bit too crazy even for me plant fanatic. Then I decided to make a few selections which would look good for my indoor desert landscaping project. I choose Operculicarya pachypus 象足漆樹, Phyllanthus mirabilis 奇異油柑,uphorbia platyclada Rauh 扁葉麒麟, Dioscorea elephantipes象族龜甲,Adenia kirkiih彩頁西番蓮, Euphorbia hedyotoides柳葉麒麟, Dorstenia horwoodii霍伍迪琉,Bursera simaruba裂橄, dorstenia 琉桑, to bring back home. and my next problem is where to find a big indoor planter where I can potter all these tiny babies..
11. Trapa & black fungus fried with pork belly and green paper. I rediscover Trapa 菱角 this childhood snack in the farmer market, turn out this specialty only be able to find in autumn. Another surprising food was black fungus fried with pork belly and green paper, which was introduced by my Mom, I really love the crunchy texture mixing with pork fat in my mouth, Its perfect dish to empty some leftover ingredients from the fridge.
12. Taichung! I heard quite a lot of cool things about this middle city of Taiwan, and since my last visit was 5 years ago. So this time I decided to take my Mom with me, go explore the latest hipster spots of Taichung. And the following was our visiting list:
Shenji New Village(審計新村)
Calligraphy Greenway(草悟道)
Fengjia Night Market(逢甲夜市)
Akaoni steak house(炙燒牛排)
shopping at Selfie(學長的服飾店)
Guangfu New Village(光復新村)
Wufeng Lin Family Mansion and Garden(霧峰林家)
National Taichung Theater(台中歌劇院)
VVG Food Play & Bar(好樣食藝)
TSUTAYA BOOKSTORE(蔦屋書店)
Yizhong Street Night Market(一中街夜市)
National Taiwan Museum Of Fine Arts(國立美術館)
The Taichung Literature Museum(台中文學館)
Glab_fuju Kao Peng(台灣府儒考棚X 中島)
Fusion Space 1962(富興工廠)
Anathapindika books(給孤獨者的書店)
After we visited these places, I feel it fun to take my mom exploring taichung, so then we can critics about them.To be honest I feel very disappointed about what I see in Taichung. Nothing like what I saw on the internet. It's more like a tourist trap than a quality place that deserves to be discovered. mmmm Let me put it this way, I feel that the Taiwanese running business now is very focused on how to make it pretty, but when I step forward and have a close look, I don't see SOUL in it.
13. After the Taichung city trip, my Dad came to join us, we go visit my mom, her old friend who has a farmhouse in the mountains! The owner called their Farm house 楓怡足食,which means they are very pleased by what nature given to them. They grow many different kinds of fruits in the mountain, such as guava, persimmon, kiwi, abiu, dragon fruit, litchi, coffee tree, etc... I wonder if there are any fruit they don't have! for me the most treasure thing I found is the Litsea cybeba AKA Maqaw 馬告, they also grow a few litsea trees in the farm, I had never seen this taiwanese native black paper in reality, and they are very generous give me a big bag of Maqaw seeds as gift!
14. Zhongli ! The last few days before I head home to The Netherlands I decided to hop on the local bus to Zhongli city where I used to go shopping, having fun with classmates when I was still a teenager. The city has changed enormously, the old tram station is about to tear down, the vendors on the street have become so much less than what I remember, I can barely recognize this place.
Last, I feel like I need to conclude something about this trip back home. Taiwan has definitely changed, changed toward something strange and unfamiliar to me. people seem to become less friendly than before, walking more slowly than before, and more fat people than before (mostly men and children), and food tastes less tasty and more expensive. and what on earth every hand craft gift shop all sells perfume and diffusers? Yes I am aware that I am simply complaining. but this is really new to me, I really worry Taiwan is changing to something I don't like anymore.... ps. yup! Even though I complained a lot about Taiwan, I still managed to shop two full suitcase stuff home.