blame it on hormones, unmet needs, low self-esteem, and whatever internal malfunctions there may be, colliding with the weather, holiday doldrums, daylight savings time, and whatever external influences there may be, but dang it i really need to hibernate! my malaise has trumped all productivity and motivation. i want to crawl under the covers after indulging in one of these:

and of course this:

and while i’m in bed, this should be on:

top it all off with some serious cuddling and reading and $hit. i need to be held. maybe i can go kidnap jesse.

it is with a heavy heart that i report that this crab season — which launched last week — has been off to a very slow, grim start.

as soon as i knew of the season officially opening, i did research on actually learning how to crab — something i’ve wanted to do for years now. not offshore or anything, but on a pier, tossing some crab pots into the water. i think the park conservancy offers lessons too.

so i spoke with a colleague here in the know — he’s a skipper on a sportfishing boat — and he told me it’s pretty bad. no one’s been able to get any crustacean action. we then commiserated together about our disappointment of not being able to enjoy fresh crab anytime soon.

even if i can’t crab this year, i still want to do one of my favorite things — go to half moon bay’s pillar point pier and buy FRESH live crab right off the boats. take them home and create my own little crab feed. but that’s if the season even picks up.

without a robust harvest, how will we even have good community fundraiser crab feeds?!

last year one organization even resorted to switching to prawns since they didn’t have enough crab. and that is certainly not the same thing.

street food is an integral part of taiwan’s identity. in any given conversation about this charming country, the topic of culinary culture will inevitably surface. there are many, many things to love about taiwan, but you can bet that its gustatory goodies rank in the top five.

one of my dream careers is to be one of those food show hosts who travel around consuming regional specialties. ever see those japanese programs, where the demure, cute gals go to the country side and soak in hot springs and treat themselves to resort cuisine? and they make those ridiculous faces of pleasure, giggling and covering their mouths when they take their first bites? damn them. well i want their jobs! i could easily be stationed in taiwan and never run out of content.

my first stall after i arrive in TW, this one specializes in a huge variety of mantou, chinese steamed buns. yummers. soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet.

mantou and milk tea

okay, so technically 7-11 doesn’t constitute street foot, but they’re everywhere in TW and infinitely better than our sad versions here in the states. when hungry and/or short on time and money, get thee to 7-11 because rest assured, you will find all sorts of vittles. for instance – tea eggs (one of my favorite snacks), meat and veggie buns, lu wei skewers, a million different beverages, etc

this is an infamous chain called yong he. they’re reputed to be the best purveyor of fresh shao bing (doughy small flat bread) you tiao (fried crueller sticks) and soy milk in TW. throughout the trip my mom kept on saying that the first thing she wanted to eat was specifically shao bing you tiao from this chain. they hand you the soy milk in plastic bags. it’s easy to become hypnotized while watching them make everything from scratch

soooooo GOOD

peg with her winnins

the crunchy soft combo is heaven in christina’s mouth

the portable street food carts come out at night in ximending, a popular happenin’ gathering area for people of all ages (especially youth). i suspect that you can’t find these food vendors during the day because they need licenses. but once it gets dark, they all come out of the woodwork, wheeling out their delectable handmade goodies for the masses! delicious, and CHEAP! i’m always amazed by how economical and efficient their set-ups are. enterprising and smart.

red bean pastries

this guy was super skilled at cranking out wonderful doughy, crunchy green onion pancakes

corn, a classic

duh

swift hands adept at creating perfect little mochi balls dusted in peanut flour. oh, and i gotta say it: taiwanese mochi is the best

beverage culture reigns in TW. srsly. people love to sip away at all hours of the day. it’s contagious! coffee/tea and juice stands can be found everywhere. there’s probably one on every block. here peg refills on refreshing watermelon juice, and i sweet salty plum juice

this barely even scratches the surface. i’ll be posting more later.

my sis visited our paternal gramps in the nursing home today and snapped this. he’s looking at the home’s birdcage (made of glass instead of wire), though i’m not sure how much he’s actually “looking” per se. this photo is startlingly powerful and simple. i feel like it would be in one of those overpriced artsy magazines you’d find in boutique/gallery hybrid stores.

ps – do you see the candles? they look like they’d be called “fall spice” or something…

when i look at these, i am reminded of why i am a neurotic and obsessive when it comes to taking pictures. every moment counts.

girlfriends
(perhaps one of the sweetest things i’ve ever seen)

after 32 years away, mom reunites with the girlfriends. everyone’s grown up. can you match up the faces? that’s the fun part

they used to walk this bridge together to and from school

(they’re making an “aww” face during my mom’s touching “speech” at dinner)

they all lived more or less within earshot, with their bedroom windows facing each other in this little alley. this helped facilitate planning, smooth getaways, and gossip

sometimes it’s like they never grew up, what with the girltalk and giggling and jewelry swapping

on the way to the night market, which they frequently did together in their youth. immediately cue “ladies’ night” to the rhythm of their assertive stepping

mom and her godbrother, “a-gu”, back in the day. he took good care of her

here they are together again

the modern day photos were all snapped in taiwan on MOM’S REUNION TOUR FTW 2008.

meeting all these crucial figures from mom’s childhood was like one drawn out, poignant ya ya sisterhood trip except awesome and amazing and without sandra bullock. being around mom and her childhood friends seriously blew my mind and heart apart. they were genuinely cool gals; feisty, plucky, and fun. we all seemed to get each other, which is kind of a surprising thing, considering the generational and cultural AND language gaps. every moment together welled up with emotion. also, their lives have been marred with tragedies, yet they manage to have such an upbeat disposition and attitude about life. everyone treated us sooooo well in such touching, quirky ways. it was cute how they would non-too-subtlely try to buy us gifts.

“a-gu” (mom’s godbro) took us to this great jade market and kept on peering over my shoulder as i would pick up things and look at them. he’d try to ascertain my taste, and even asked funny questions like “so do you like big jewelry? or little delicate things? do you like jade”? haha. nice try. i basically said “don’t you dare!” though i totally fell in love with this and wanted it real badly. i envisioned myself in an amy tan moment, wearing it on my neck on a red string. i should’ve bought it.

here’s mei qi wondering what the heck is wrong with me as i stuff succulent handmade mochi in my maw. the whole time at the night market whenever i stopped to check something out she’d be like, “do you like it? do you want it?”

Facebook to me
11:52 PM (9 hours ago)

Anne sent you a message.
——————–
Subject: Add as a friend

Hi, Dear daughter:

Please add mom as a friend.
Thank you.
Love always and forever.

Mom (11/10/2008)
——————–

since my return, i’ve been thinking about how to give lip (text?) service to my incredible travels in taiwan without resorting to my usual laborious and long-winded approach of breaking things down day by day. it’s just boring for all parties involved.

so maybe an okay strategy is to craft a lazy travelogue based on themes…

that said, here are photos of fun, big things. i know, what a specific, categorical assignment, huh?

definitely a highlight of the trip is popping my mister donut cherry. peg has enthusiastically championed this japanese chain since her japan trip a few years ago. there are a whole bunch in taiwan, and i wonder when it’ll land in the states. think krispy kreme but with a strong, stylish, clever brand and donuts that are a million times better and perfect (i apologize for the obvious analogy)

here i am with wasabi. it’s quite fitting. can you imagine if it was real?! we were in alishan national forest, in a region known for its wasabi and tea, amongst other natural resource goodies. it was a magical place, almost like something out of spirited away

this is the national museum of marine biology and aquarium. i really loved it. well done, classy, organized, with at least one cool restaurant. this is where i saw the whale shark (YES YES YES) and beluga. here’s a cool fountain that kids could play in. the huge whales reminded me a bit of pinocchio

the kiddie playground had these awesome sculptures of some of my fave animals, so of course i forced my sister to snap away!

you’ll probably never see me revealing this much ghostly pallored skin ever in person, but i’m a sloppy lazy tourist when it comes to dressing like i care (comfort comes first and taiwan is humid!)

at taroko gorge (home of endless marble and granite), large bronze sculptures of mecha-like insects? yes! i must…

(the more i look at these pix the more i realize how mortified i am with my bad travel outfits. oh well)

this is somewhere on the way to taitung. all along the road were stalls and shops selling this one fruit — the sugar apple — apparently a point of pride and specialty in the area. we stopped at one place, and it was cute how everyone was marveling at the bushels of sugar apples. if you’re wondering, it tastes like all the great things about great fruits, with a creamy texture. very good. if you’ve had cherimoya/custard apples (which are available here), they’re similar

did you know skeletor has a timeshare in taiwan? who knew?! this was in a beach resort-ish area, facing the ocean

that’s it for now. thanks for reading!

this isn’t about last night’s triumphant victory (but wtf re: prop 8’s pathetic passing?!), though i will say my faith in american humanity has been somewhat restored. what a magnificent moment.

however, regarding hot-blooded cross strait relations, there’s this

read more here and here.
sad.

while i’m on topic, here’s my photo of thousands of overseas chinese/taiwanese tourists waving the taiwan flag at a national day ceremony in taiwan when president ma ying-jeou took stage. felt like a sentimental homecoming, with the MCs yelling things like “welcome home!,” “taiwan loves you!,” “we have to take care of each other no matter where we live in the world!” “thank you for supporting taiwan!”

yeah i'll admit, it was moving.

because for every time something $hitty and unfair happens, there’s a kitten falling asleep — without even knowing it! — on someone’s warm chest.

i swear once i get a moment i’m gonna crack my knuckles and sit down for some serious “writing,” a la the murder she wrote montage. there’s way too much to say.

i read a somewhat-authoritative doc this morning about what a good blog comprises, which made me anxious and angry and annoyed with this dumb thing. it’s not tightly focused, and yes it is too self-referential, and um, it doesn’t have a point. will revisit and re-strategize my approach.

for now, please please please feast your eyes on something fluffy and sweet.

(and even if you hate animals and want to curb stomp every single kitten, you can peep jeff’s beautiful transformers collection)