Category: Cultural Experience

Cultural Experience, Foreigner in Formosa, Taiwan

{Foreigner in Formosa} Lee’s Restaurant

It’s funny how distance and travel time are relative. I used to think that driving from KY to NJ and back during a four-day weekend wasn’t so bad (only twelve hours each way), but now the thought of going four and a half hours to Kenting seems like a looooong trip. Maybe it’s because Taiwan is so much smaller than the expansive U.S. of A. Likewise, living in the city has definitely changed my perspective on how far things seem. When I lived in Dashe, we had to drive to everything, so even the “close” restaurants were a good ten minutes by car. Now if I drive ten minutes to a restaurant, it’s “far;” only places we can walk to are “close.” Lee’s Restaurant is one of those ten-minute drives, but it is totally worth it. Continue reading “{Foreigner in Formosa} Lee’s Restaurant”

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Cultural Experience, Taiwan, Travel

Taking a Break

This week, I took some time off of work, and my youngest sister, Ashleigh, came to visit me for three days. She brought along the toddler that she is fostering (let’s call her “Munchkin” for this post), and the three of us spent our time exploring Taichung and finding some new places that Charles and I can return to. It’s easy to feel out of touch with nature while living in the big city, so we looked particularly for some natural spots. We had a wonderful visit, and I’m so glad Ashleigh and Munchkin came. Continue reading “Taking a Break”

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Cultural Experience, Personal Update, Taiwan

A Chinese New Year to Remember

[To read the beginning of this story, see my post entitled “A Surprising Friendship.”]

Though I live in Taiwan, I’ve never done much of anything to celebrate Chinese New Year. Our school gives us a week off for the special holiday, and it’s traditionally been a week that I spend holed up in my apartment, enjoying the quiet, perhaps doing a bit of “Spring” cleaning, maybe cooking or baking things that I wouldn’t otherwise have time for, and usually reading the hours away. But for my Taiwanese friends and students, Chinese New Year is like the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all rolled into one. In other words, it is a very important family and national holiday. For me, it’s usually just a nice week off from school. Continue reading “A Chinese New Year to Remember”

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Cultural Experience, Foreigner in Formosa

{Foreigner in Formosa} Two Local Gems

One of the fun parts of living in a foreign country and of moving to any new location is finding the local gems. There are two particular food favorites that we’ve come across within a block from our apartment, and I’d like to share them with you now.

Dan Bing Breakfast Shop

Dan bing (蛋餅) is a sort of egg pancake that is a favorite in Taiwan. Just down the street from our apartment, there is a hopping breakfast shop that specializes in making delicious dan bing. The pancake part is made of onion, tortilla, and egg, and the filling that Charles and I like most is bacon and cheese. We drizzle a bit of special sauce (a little sweet, a little soy, and a little spicy) on top, and we have a delicious breakfast delicacy. Continue reading “{Foreigner in Formosa} Two Local Gems”

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