My (Accidentally) Chinese Fusion Thanksgiving Dinner

The veggies draining.
I have such a small kitchen now they had to be
relegated to the sink area for awhile.

Earlier this week, I didn't remember Thanksgiving was approaching until I talked to my parents and they reminded me.  It's such a stark contrast from my first year in Taiwan.  Last year, I felt down because I wasn't able t return home for the holidays.  But now, I've acclimated to life here, and I'm busy.  Holiday season has arrived and I didn't even notice!

After speaking to my parents, I thought to myself, "What should I do for Thanksgiving?"  Last year, I had dinner with a friend at a popular restaurant close to where I live.  This year, I thought of doing nothing, but then I decided to try to cook myself Thanksgiving dinner.

I buy a rotisserie chicken to eat over the course of 7-10 days every time I go to the grocery store, so I decided to save some of it for Thanksgiving in place of turkey.  I bought instant pumpkin soup as clam chowder imported from America costs more than I wanted to pay.  I decided I needed some veggies, so I bought a can of beets and a can of mixed veggies, rinsed the can water out, mixed the two, boiled them for a little while, then voila! - a vegetable side-dish.

However, there was one major component I wasn't sure I could pull off.  One thing I missed a lot last year and started to miss again this year when I realized Thanksgiving was around the corner was my mom's amazing stuffing!

Shilin Night Market

Shilin Night Market is probably the most famous night market in Taipei - if not Taiwan - and is frequented by many tourists.  However, it is not a tourist trap.  Well, at least the outdoor portion of it (which has the better food) isn't.  There's a huge variety of snacks to try at Shilin Night Market, and the kinds of food there seems to expand every time I go.

The view from Jiantian Station on a sunny day.

Shilin Night Market is also awesome because it's quite easy to access. Simply go to Jiantian Station on the red line and take exit 2.  Then, walk straight and cross left at the first intersection you hit. Then bam! - you're there.  It's a large market, so I suggest wandering without any sort of agenda.

Gambling in Macau!

The day I landed in Hong Kong, I took a day trip to Macau.  Since it was such a short trip and I didn't have a lot of time to plan, I wasn't sure which ferry would be the best to take, so my dad and I just hopped on one and paid the fee, haha.  I'm not sure which one it was, or how much it cost, but we were just happy to have found one.  Since ferries to Macau are so frequent, we only had to wait about 15 minutes to board the boat.

The ferry leaving the harbor in Central.

Sitting on the ferry was quite similar to being on a plane.  Everyone had assigned seats which were quite comfy, and there were about five rows of three seats each so a lot of people were able to fit on it.

Concert Review: Clazziquai (live @ Legacy Taipei - Da'an 大安)

Due to a thing called life, I haven't gotten to see many concerts here in Taiwan.  A lot of my favorite bands and singers have come to Taiwan over the past few months, and but I had to pass up a lot of shows.  However, when I was told Clazziquai was coming, I had to make time to go!

Clazziquai are DJ Clazzi (programmer); Horan (vocals), and Alex (vocals)

I've known of Clazziquai for awhile, especially because of their collaborations with two other groups that I like, Epik High ("Honjarado [Alone]") and m-flo ("Love Me After 12am"; "Love Mode").  Nonetheless, for some reason I didn't really start listening to them until last year.  I fell in love with them instantly.  Clazziquai's music is easy listening, and it's diffiult to resist Alex and Horan's vocals (which I think are some of the best in K-pop).  I think Clazziquai sounds like elevator music "done right".  In other words, it's soothing and other worldly, thanks in part to DJ Clazzi's expert mixing.

The Great Wall of China

So. Many. People!

Part of the crowd up close.

A trip to China is not complete without visiting one of the sections of the Great Wall of China.  So, when I went to China, my classmates and I took a day trip to the most popular wall in the world!  Aside from the obscene heat and hoards of people there, it was definitely a positive experience.

The Badaling section of the Great Wall is one of the more popular portions.  It's a little over an hour away from Beijing.  Our school arranged for a bus to take us, but there are many public and tour buses shuttling people to the Great Wall.

Black in Taiwan, Part II: Shit Taiwanese People Say

Perhaps many of you are familiar with the "Shit [insert specific group here] say (about [insert second specific group here])" videos floating around on YouTube recently, A while ago, one that caught my eye for obvious reasons was "Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls" by chescaleigh:

I showed someone this video, and she suggested I make a "Shit Taiwanese People Say". But, as I focus on writing, I decided to do a little written version. I realize not all Taiwanese people make these ignorant comments, and I have met many open-minded locals here, but the following comments are things I seriously hear *a lot*.

So, without further ado, my top 5 pieces of "shit" I hear Taiwanese people say about black people.