Taiwan, part one

Hi folks, sorry for the delay -- but I'm blogging in Taiwan! Woot!

No surprise that there are lots of things to see. My first week involved me getting up around 5am - earlier than most of the neighborhood markets in Taipei - but fortunately, grabbing some radish cakes, chive turnovers (jiuchaihezi), scallion pancakes and shaobing youtiao.

Delicious deep-fried goodness, to say the least. (For the record, I really like my radish cakes pan-fried I just realized this year why I've begun avoiding mochi -- I don't enjoy the QQ goodness of rice flour products. That said, I can still go for a tapioca milk tea -- and if you didn't know already, Taiwan most definitely invented that.) Once I got out of my jet lag, it was back to surfing beef noodle shops and local holes-in-walls for good food, especially Taiwanese-specific cuisine. Check the 'typical dishes' list on Wikipedia; I've had pretty much everything but the blood (I generally shy away from innards). If I didn't know what to order, the luroufun was my staple; I've had it all my life, given the lack of fresh seafood in good 'ol Minneapolis and the fact that my mom and sister both cook it. And in Taiwan, they put it over thin, translucent rice noodles on request. Yum.

You might be thinking I've eaten tons and tons since coming here. Weirdly enough, I've actually lost weight - humidity in 90-something degree weather can kind of make your appetite fizzle...but yes, I've eaten. Two unlimited hot pots in the past three days, to be honest.

My internet time is up...so here I go. Next post: the Taiwanese food festival.