Octoberfest

Not sure where to begin with this post, I feel I have much to talk about since my last post.  Where to begin...  Well, I have begun to accumulate pictures of some of the foods we like to eat here in Taiwan, as well as some western food we have just discovered.  Here is some of the food we like to eat!

Deeeelicious fresh sushi 2 minutes from our apartment.  The fish is so fresh, and the prices are quite cheap compared to home.  At home, you would pay around $2.25 for one of these pieces.  Here, you pay about $0.50 each.  Mmm.

This is a typical meal for Mark and I in Taiwan.  These types of restaurants are everywhere.  They are $100nt restaurants, so each dish is $100nt ($3.00 Canadian), with unlimited rice.  We go to one by our place probably twice a week.  Do you see all those fresh shrimp?  Ya.. $3 Canadian for at least 12 shrimp.  Pretty awesome.  The dish in the middle is called mapo tofu, one of our faves.  We usually get a beef with vegetables dish as well.

We have only gone to this place once, but I loved it.  For around $7.00 Canadian for two people, we got chicken, fresh shrimp, noodles or rice and a huge plate of cabbage and greens.  Each person gets a pot of hot soup base and you cook your meat and vegetables in the boiling soup, and then eat it. MMmmmm.  Need to go back here.

The Taiwanese, and I'm sure most of Asia, do NOT let any part of the animal go to waste.  This scene is very typical in Taiwan, and street vendors always are selling every part of the chicken, or cow...or I don't even know what half of the things are.  MMmm chicken feet...EW GROSS.  I don't understand who eats that..but to each their own I guess.

Awww poor little chickens - pre butchering

Fish are EVERYWHERE.

I really should eat more fruit because there are fruit and veggie stands everywhere.  I do eat a fair amount of veggies, but we only eat at home once or twice a week for dinner so I try to include lots of veggies when I'm cooking.

Never short of seafood.  Good thing I love it!

On a lunch out with two friends, I discovered a piece of my homeland - poutine!  What a great surprise that was!  I had to take Mark here, so we went for dinner with some friends, and ordered poutine, nachos and perogies! (at least similar to perogies).

Not quite the same, but similar enough to feed my craving.

Now, if only I could find a caesar.

Last weekend, Mark and I stayed in a small east coast town called Dasi for the night.  Mark bought a surf board the weekend before, so he wanted to return to the same place he was the weekend before. 

 

We stayed at a little place on the beach for the night.  That night, as we sipped wine overlooking the Ocean, the owners of the place told us there was a beach party going on and that anyone was welcome, and we should check it out.  So with nothing else to do, we made our way to the beach.  There were about 20 Taiwanese people there celebrating a 60 year old man's birthday.  This man by the way looked about 30.  They had huge spotlights, microphones, speakers and a kareokee machine.  We were greeted with two beers, and two bowls of noodles.  We eventually started conversing with some of the people that were there.  Most did not speak any English so it was a lot of body language and facial expressions.  Mark and I took our turn at singing an English song.  They only had 4 to choose from.  We had NO idea what any of the songs were, but decided to try one anyways.  The Taiwanese knew the words better than we did, even though they probably didn't know what they were singing.  It was an absolutely hilarious night, filled with randomness.  That one is going down in the history books.

 

 We booked a trip to Phuket, Thailand for Chinese New Year, which is the last week of January.  Puuuumped!! So excited, it looks like absolute paradise.  Can't wait to bathe in the sun and soak in the crystal blue Ocean for a week!

The weather here is still really warm, but it's quite rainy which kind of sucks.  I have been recently peeing my pants with excitement at the possibility that my mom and brother will be coming for a visit mid April!!! Never expected or thought that would ever happen, so I am absolutely ecstatic!  Lots to look forward to! Until next time....