One of the absolute best moments of my life was walking at night and stumbling upon a pseudo-flash mob of ballroom dancing at the backside of the forbidden city. There were at least a couple rusty bikes outfitted with speaker systems, and dozens of healthy, happy, older people just delighted to get their dance on on a Friday night, 10pm-ish. Believe me, I saw some sweet rug cutting. The scene made me deliriously happy.
It was probably around this time that I started warming up to the idea of children actually being cute. A completely novel notion for me at the time.
ain’t nothin’ like a hot, crispy, fresh cong you bing (green onion pancake) to hit the spot.
More scenes from nan luo gu xiang.
There’s a stretch in Beijing called nan luo gu xiang, and it’s rad. You might see a lot of expats (what is my baggage with these expats zones?), but it’s got the old world hutong (alley) / courtyard feel combined with the eye candy of artsy hip boutiques, comfort of cafes, and familiarity of consumerism. Lots of young folks hang out here.
These shirts sort of poked fun at classic Beijing characters. You see the spitter, the sweltering happy-go-lucky guy with a revealed belly, and I can’t tell what’s up with the guy perched above them. Does it say “no piracy”?
Have I posted this one before? Who knows. I’m starving and itchy all over.
Sure enough, I already screwed up my “countdown” on its first day! The photo I used yesterday has been blogged before, so I had to replace it with a similar one.
To make up for that, here are two from Beijing. I’m not even sure why I’m doing this.
Pimp my ride
Suan nai (literally “sour milk”), but really just a ubiquitous tasty yogurt drink
got back from atlanta and north carolina on monday. the trip flew right by. i can’t believe it’s been more than 10 days since i’ve put up a miserable post here. i can barely keep my eyes open right now.
hey folks, ryan put up a community blog for his electric ant zine on posterous. it’s a slick gathering place for the zine contributors and extended family. check it out! there’s already a bunch of cool vids, neat art, eye candy, and random smatterings of cultural craziness. i’ve been making vapid contributions there, and from now on those entries will also automatically show up here as well.
this is one of them.
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every so often i go through these fits of anxiety and wanderlust brought on by the relentless travel bug. i fantasize about winning the lottery so i can buy little homes throughout the world, starting with a crash pad in shanghai. everyone knows contemporary chinese art is so "hot" right now (a la mugatu) and has been for awhile. there's a great little arts district / zone in shanghai, abutting the river, called moganshan 50. it's basically a complex of galleries and studios. i was gleeful and blissed out just wandering around there. it’s one place to go check out a facet of the crazy arts scene, but those in the know will probably tell you there are far better places to get your fix. one of my big dreams is to work in the contemporary arts in china or taiwan. that would be the coolest thing.
back with more on the taipei “street food” experience.
ps – speaking of food, and more specifically, vile and disgusting gluttony, this past wknd i consumed mint tuxedos (oreos), pinwheels, lucky charms, candy, brasilian bbq, mexican food, more tonnage of beef in shabu shabu, and potato chips. that’s just the stuff my deep fried corn syrup-doused brain can recall! i’m going to die either of heart failure or shame very soon…
this here is the entrance to a big food court next to taipei’s most popular night market (shilin ye shi). as i approached it, i heard a heavenly choir singing to me. if it wasn’t for peg and her dad (who graciously drove us around), my sis and i would have gone the rest of our trip not knowing about this place. can you imagine the travesty?
inside: dizzying mayhem. lots of strident giddy squeals from yours truly!
freshening up with juices. peg’s dad is sipping honey bittermelon (interesting!), peg has watermelon juice (keeps the fire “qi” down), and i’m reuniting with a drink i used to love the last time i was in taiwan (seven years ago): “jin ju,” literally golden orange. tiny citrus fruits that resemble calamansi.
typical beverage stand. thirsty?
this name literally translates into “big bun wrapping small bun.” cute. looked good and greasy
if taiwan had a street food hall of fame, this would definitely be in it.
we grew up eating aiyu jelly out of the can. i just now found out from the wiki that it’s made from the seeds of an asian fig. makes sense, since aiyu is somewhat sweet, a teeny bit tangy, but mostly light on the senses.
avocados way bigger than your noggin, for making creamy shakes
okay, so, these sausages were mammoth, larger than your mind is willing to comprehend. scary. they gave me the shivers.
i took a photo of this hardworking hottie for my sister
peg pointed out this clever product. it looks like sausage but it’s actually flavorful rice made in a sausage mold, probably.
another taiwan classic: bao bing, or shaved ice. also grew up eating this; even had a store-bought ice shaver to make our own. my favorite toppings are stewed sweet peanuts, tons of mochi/rice balls, and green beans.
there was a daunting, endless line of people waiting to buy these HUGE fried chicken cutlets. they looked delicious and juicy, with a crunchy exterior. the last step before handing it over to the customer is a dash of seasoning
so this is the infamous shilin night market mentioned in the beginning. the largest and most bustling of them all. if you want to get a vague idea of how lively and lovely night life can get in taipei, this might give you an idea. it’s the ultimate destination since it delivers on two of my favorite things: cheap shopping and good (cheap) eating. you’d be amazed at the variety of wares you can purchase here and for dirt cheap. hawkers were peddling attractive, thick hoodies for literally $3 USD.
you’ll see a nice cross-section of people at shilin night market, including youth from all walks of life. these guys were totally up my sister’s alley so we stopped to take a photo. the process was amusing as they were confused but obliging and friendly.
pink guava. they sprinkle some sort of salty/tangy/sweet seasoning on them to enhance and complement the natural flavors.
balls, balls, balls. taiwan knows how to do mochi / rice balls right.
to be continued…and i’ll try to improve upon my tense consistency next time.