Lights, Camera, Action

Asia provides many different forms of fun times. Taichung is particularly alive in the nighttime, and it is not unusual to find people on the streets at ever hour. Many teachers have jokingly mentioned that the two main forms of entertainment are eating and shopping, which in fact has turned out to be very true. Nightmarkets are a perfect example of a marriage of eating and shopping. They are essentially the description of their name- open outdoor markets that come alive around 5pm at night. They are generally in full swing around 8pm. Funjia boasts the largest night market in Taichung, and is conveniently a short five minute walk from my main teaching branch. Hundreds of people fill the streets each night to browse bargain priced clothes, shoes, jewelry, and glasses. It seems that you can find anything you have ever desired, but when you are looking for something in particular, it is quite an exhausting feat. The shopping is one half of the event, but what really makes the experience is the food. Wowza. Everything fried, grilled, boiled, and sauced is available. Many nights I walk the streets trying fried bananas, tuna/eggs/corn wraps in fried dough, potatoes on a stick, and buns of all varieties. A typical order for me is a point to the picture on the sign, or more often I just order exactly the same thing as the person in front of me. I feel as if these markets provide the same vibe as Christmas shopping. Everyone is out laughing, eating, and shopping. The clothes do actually fit my western proportions, but the shoes are a few sizes too small for comfort. A fellow teacher, Anna, pointed me in the direction of a shop that has 8s and 9s, which has provided two pairs of fairly stable shoes. The quality of many of the items is disposable at best, meaning that after a few wears the item can be found in the recycling bin. There are many night markets scattered around this lovely city, each with a few unique food stands or shops.
Movies are also quite popular for entertainment. Back in the states I rarely took time to watch movies and only was able to sit still after I completed my “To Do” list and checked it twice. Shyra has shown me some of her favorites online, and I saw the second Twilight, Sherlock Homles, The Imaginarium of Dr. P, and Avitar (twice) all in theaters. My favorite part is the combination of the fried cinnamon churro and the sweet flavored popcorn. The movie theaters are super cozy and often jammed packed. And how could I forget! The movies let you take in outside food and drinks. Its so much cheaper to order my extra large Coke Zero at McDonalds, and I can walk right on in without any concerns.
Oh and I cannot forget the clubs/dancing. Taiching actually has a lot of live music at a series of pubs mixed in with posh clubs and lounges for the full experience. Some clubs don’t let westerners in, so we avoid those as well as the ones packed full of cocky westerners. The music is all English, so its easy to let yourself slip into feeling that you are at home. However, after watching the dancing for a mere 30 seconds, its easy to see that I’m not in Broad Ripple anymore. I’m not a talented dancer and I really don’t have a booty…. But I look like JLo compared to some of these girls. A very popular move is something I like to call the “wet fish”, where the dancer appears to be a fish out of water flopping on the ground. Many of the male dancing is equally as awkward and disturbing. Another uniquely Asian experience is KTV (Karaoke Television). Many KTVs look like palacs and have a variety of rooms inside. And yes, some can be described as “Dirty KTVs”, which I have thankfully stayed away from. English songs are available, but they tend to be limited and the same in each place. My signature? I Would Walk 500 Miles. The music videos are often laughable, with 90s haircuts and puppies in fields. Its truly an experience.
Unique to Taichuing is the high density of tea shops. Each street has some form of tea chain or local shop. The standard is green tea with some form of sugar or fruit mixture. My favorite find has been black tea with pineapple. Some use real fruit, while others use flavorings. There is always an option for “bubbles” or tapioca balls. 50 tea is a popular chain and expands the tapioca into various flavors and textures. A shop in Taichung actually created the original bubble tea by accident. The shop has extra tapioca and decided to throw it in tea not to waste it. The crazy caught on and spread all around the world. I first tried it in New Zealand, but also enjoyed it in Indianapolis. I still have to visit the “first ever” shop, but many of the others have provided many refreshing, tasty drinks for under one US dollar.
Last, but not least, is 7-11. Yes, a convenience store. They are on each corner (around 9,500 shops in Taipei alone), and provide everything from a full meal (including wine) to household goods, to beauty products. 24 hours a day they are open, just incase you need anything at all. I have purchased bug bite ointment, coffee, frozen dinners, cell phone minutes, drinks, beers, shampoo, hard liquor, and paid my water, electricity, parking, and gas bills all at 7-11. FamilyMart and OK are also equally awesome, but they often do not have 250ml of Coke Zero, only 100ml… which is far from sufficient.

Hey, Let’s Have Tea with the Old Man

“Hey, let’s have tea with the old man.” That was the best thing my roommate has convinced me to (well, trying the steamed buns is a close second, but still). My travel senses have generally steered me to away from eating with strangers. Some of you may remember the airport debacle of 2009… where ordering a quesadillas turned into a vent session for a 300 black man about is online dating woes. But, Shyra understood this tea man’s intentions and convinced me to sit down with a pair of men that would eventually become good friends, or machi as they say on this side of the world.
Shyra and I had been hiking up the extremely steep trail on the mountain close to our house for close to close to ab hour. At the top we were both pretty excited to survive the climb as well as be able to fully enhale the clean mountain air. Most locals were strickly committed to their hike, glancing at us long enough to respond to our smiles and soft hellos”, but two elderly men sitting under a gazebo eagerly called out to us. My first reaction- “In your dreams, buddo.” Shyra’s first reaction- “Heck yes.” Upon sitting down at their table, we soon found ourselves with a cup full of green tea while making fast friends with this 60 year old man and his 70something friend. The retirement age in Taiwan is 55, so people who have retired gather everyday at the hot springs or mountain to try and stay fit and young. Mr. Tea Man had enough English for us to share a broken conversation. Some key points of the conversation were that a) I was fit b) our salary c) teaching at Hess. We decided to meet together the following week at the same time. Promises of saki were thrown around, but my doubts were high that this man would provide any sort of alcohol at this elevation. Oh, how I was wrong. Shyra and I were painfully late, as well as completely unprepaired for the 8 dish spread layed out for us. The little old tea man was delight to see us, and I soon found myself playing “paper, sissors, stone”(rock, paper, sissors to us) as a drinking game. At 10am I was gigglily meeting almost every person on the mountain. The only thing that was possibly missing from this situation was a soundtrack complete with “We are family” and _____. The feeling was a cross between meeting your boyfriend’s family for the first time and a family reunion. Quite a juxtaposision, but it was truly a warm welcome. The next day I started to sub kindergarden, so we have unfortunately not been back. After Chinese New Year we hope to re-start this friendship, as it has been one of my favorite memories of my experience in Taiwan.