"But What do you Usually Eat for Breakfast?"

It was a question asked often, and the most common response was granola. That was indeed available, but the array on the breakfast buffets at our hotels was mind-boggling. Think Eastern, Western, and just plain quirky (IMHO). Any morning we could choose from dozens and dozens of items including, for example, miso soup, sushi, sweet potato porridge, fruit, scrambled eggs, hot dogs, french fries, and eclairs. My breakfast preferences and food rules rapidly went out the window, and I frequently found myself staring at my plate in wonder or dismay. Then came the question again.

Heading Home

My driver failed to arrive at 6:30am, as arranged, so I was relieved when the hotel staff put me in a taxi for a fast ride to the airport. Making up a bit for the shopping deficit, I spent too much for a jade macrame bracelet at a shop in the departure terminal. Before I left, a friend caught up with me for a hug and photo. And then it was time for the long trip home: 27 hours across 14 time zones. I started exhausted, which did not bode well for jet lag. It was a wonderful experience, but I was already dreading my performance upon returning to work (the following day).

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Stay tuned for my upcoming visit to Korea. A few random observations about Taiwan: Taxi drivers played classical music. Crosswalk signs provided both a countdown and an image of a walking figure. The lower the number became--in other words, they less time you had to cross--the faster the little figure walked and then ran. Hightech abounded!(See the photo of the control panel for the lights in my hotel room.)

Long Last Day

MONDAY, 5 NOVEMBER 2102 We started the day at the fabulous Palace Museum and managed to see its most famous holding, a small chunk of jade carved to look like a cabbage, an auspicious vegetable in Taiwan. (We also saw another jade piece resembling a hunk of meat. With these came a lesson about the Chinese affinity with nature.) After another sumptuous lunch and tea sampling, we headed to a small town to see a museum dedicated to an artist and the local temple he supported. We arrived back in the city in time for an extended dinner hosted by a gallery owner. I was exhausted by the time I got back to the hotel--shortly before midnight--and I still had to finish my packing. I already had an impossible load of stuff, and then I noticed the new gift bags delivered to my room. Yikes! Fortunately, I had a scale in my bathroom and managed to come in at the 50# limit. I dropped in to bed, satiated but dreading the alarm for my early flight.

Out and About

SUNDAY, 4 NOVEMBER 2012. First of all, we all got up Sunday morning. (See earlier post, Back at It.) There was no interpreter at the conference today so we were given most of the day off, which we resolved to enjoy to best advantage. First we hit the nearby jade and flower markets. Then we took the metro to a local landmark, Taipei 101. I'd seen the high-rise building from a distance, but I was completely unprepared for how high-end it was. No shopping there for me, but we grabbed a quick lunch in the very chic food court. (Think pesto with calamari rather than McD's.) From there three of us, sort of an international version of the three muskateers, went to a local temple, which was swarmed with people and offerings on a Sunday afternoon. We returned to the conference for closing ceremonies and a banquet that included a flaming tower of soup. We apparently hadn't had enough excitement because we moved on to the night market where we shopped for extra tote bags and enjoyed sugary pearl tea. It was a great day, but I could not wait to drop in to bed!

More Toilet Talk

Stalls in public facilities frequently have graphics on the doors indicating what type of "service" they offer. Although Western-style toilets are more common in Taiwan, the conference site had only one. The woman using the stall before me apparently preferred a squatter and left the biggest mess I'd ever seen. She must have crawled up on the seat, crouched in position, and let go. Without getting more explicit, just let me say that a fire hose would have been handy for a full-stall clean-up. Taiwan also has some of the fancy, full-service Japanese toilets with a range of options from bottom spritz to ejector seat. I encountered a scary one in my hotel lobby. When I walked into the stall, the lid opened for me. (I should have left immediately, but...) As soon as I got in position, it started whirring and gurgling ominously. Eyeing the control panel, which looked like it belonged in a cockpit, I was torn between "Fast!" and "RUN NOW!!!"

Back at it Again

SATURDAY, 3 NOVEMBER 2012. Another weekend, another conference, this one starting with a classical musical interlude and lots of flowers. We had a bit more time for our presentations, so I managed not to throw the interpreter into crisis mode by talking faster than an air traffic controller. The day passed quickly, and it was time for our fanciest dinner yet, hosted by a politician at an extraordinary restaurant: http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/fp.asp?xItem=85&CtNode=128 We sat at a large table set for 20 and immediately noticed the individual pitchers of whiskey. After a bit of a drought, this looked like either salvation or a whole lot of trouble. (I was relieved to be able to swap my supply of whiskey for some red wine, much better than the Great W'All we tried in China.) An elaborate seven-course meal and much toasting followed. As the evening progressed, I noticed that the politician's wife, a frequent and enthusiastic, uh, "toaster," was listing across the table. She suddenly offered a toast to one of the international scholars, declaring him to be the most beautiful man she'd ever seen in her life. As I watched his panic grow, his admirer conveniently passed out on the table and was shipped off in a taxi. (I have photos of the whole event, but I also have compassion for the poor, embarrassed man.) If that wasn't bad enough, it was then time for singing, as in each person had to stand up and sing something important and meaningful. (Don't ask what I did.) It was an extraordinary evening, complete with swallow nest soup, but I was pleased to go back to the hotel, hoping for no regrets come morning.

Field Trip

FRIDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2012.

At my request, I was granted a field trip via high-speed train to a wonderful art museum in another city where a former colleague works. A Brittish scholar and two Taiwanese hosts were along for the ride. But first there was the obligatory lunch stop at a high-end restaurant and sweet shop in a beautifully renovated building. We started with Chinese appetizers and sides, but then massive burgers arrived, complete with knife "skewers" and plastic gloves (to be worn when handling the food). Hours later, a frozen dessert signalled the possible end to the meal. (We had an appointment at the museum, so I was watching the time discretely and silently repeating my "we are not in control" mantra.) We arrived terribly late to a welcoming reception, tea, and presentation of gift bags. With little time remaining, we raced through the museum with every possible form of assistance made available to us. The art was incredible--I longed to linger--and I thoroughly enjoyed an interactive technology exhibition. When the museum closed, we turned down offers of dinner, spa services, foot massages, etc., but still were no closer to the train station. A tour and stop for cheese cake did the trick, and we were headed back to Taipei around 8pm. After thanking our hosts kindly, John and I slipped around the corner to a little noodle shop where we sat and slurped with the locals for very little money. My shrimp dumpling noodle soup was incredible!

Ice Cream!

Do you think she'll eat it all by herself?...

Eating Chinese

I've been overwhelmed by the bounty of the meals I've eaten in China and Taiwan. They've seemed more like feasts or banquets to me, and I finally asked about the order of the meal in order to do a better job of pacing myself. So here goes. Multiple cold dishes come out first. Think appetizers. Then comes the onslaught, delivered in waves. There are many, many side dishes of veggies, tofu and noodles; a couple of larger main courses, usually meat, fish, or tofu; and a tureen of soup. You know the end is in sight when the rice arrives: it's a filler! (Not that I can imagine needing filling up at that point, but...) Finally fresh fruit is served as a dessert. I did make an effort to count dishes at one dinner, and I came up with 17. I am sure many of the other meals included dozens. I've eaten almost all of my lunches and dinners at round tables with large turntables for the communal food. Each place setting includes a medium and small plate, a medium bowl, a small bowl for tea, chopsticks, and a ceramic spoon. Napkins are scarce if not absent, but a wet wipe is provided before the meal. As the food arrives, diners spin the lazy susan and serve themselves. Occasionally there is a service spoon, but usually people use their own spoons or chopsticks. (Some use the opposite ends of their chopsticks to avoid contamination.) I tried to figure out if there was a certain protocol over the use of indivudual plates and bowls, but people seemed to use them differently and at their convenience. I tended to stick more to the soups and veggie and noodles dishes. Chinese cooks use cleavers, and animal-based protein is usually not presented to my satisfaction (too many bone chips, odd bits of skin, eyeballs, etc.). I remember one lunch when a particularly murky dish appeared (third photo). No one at the table seemed to know what it was, but the host tasted it and declared it to be good (albeit with no great enthusiasm). As the dish rotated in our direction, my French colleague insisted that I try it first. ("Merci, mon ami.") He eyed me intently as I sampled, waiting for the verdict. "If I made that mistake in the kitchen," I declared, "I would not bring it to the table!" Needless to say, he passed, and I spinned the offending dish in the other direction.

Lost Day

THURSDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2012. Big mistake: We were so pleased to hit unrestricted internet access in Taiwan that all of us stayed up way too late catching up on our e-mail and other news. The result was a second, crushing wave of jetlag. (Stupid, stupid, STUPID!) Taiwan hosts brought us to a fantastic biennial exhibition, but we gravitated towards the Italian cafe and gelato! After dragging through the incredible museum

we passed on dinner invitations and headed back to the hotel for a major crash and burn. Big waste of time but oh-so-necessary at this point. Dinner for me was a packaged sandwich from Starbucks on the corner. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Great W'All. Not.

WEDNESDAY, 31 OCTOBER 2012. On our trips through Hangzhou, we passed a replica "Great Wall" with faux stone attached to its facade and an amusement park behind. After one local taxi driver insisted that it was the real thing--NOT--we determined that we must visit, for better or worse. (One of the themes of the conference was globalization and cultural tourism.) So we steeled ourselves on our last day in China and headed over there. (The local professor who agreed to drive us couldn't believe our folly and refused to enter.) As we walked through the complex, our Asian host was aghast: much of it was so poorly done and clearly artificial. We threw ourselves into the experience, nonetheless, and I left with some blackmail-worthy photos of some very big names in the field. And there may be some, uh, "amusing" photos of me, as well. Er...enough said... The Chinese professor returned to take us for a sumptuous lunch at a restaurant that featured fresh, local food. Before sitting, you passed through a lobby with a display of produce and herbs on one side--some of it still in pots--and live fish on the other. It was the menu! It was a wonderful meal, with an overabundance of food, as usual. We persuaded the professor to take some of the remains home, but his four go boxes failed to put a dent in all of it. From there, we went to the airport for our flight to Taiwan. We checked into our hotel shortly before midnight. The lobby decor seemed a fitting end to a rather surreal day.

Shanghai'd

TUESDAY, 30 October 2012. Before our small group left for Shanghai, we agreed that we'd be satisfied with whatever came our way. We were meeting others there, and our China experience has taught us that we are not in control here. Simply buying train tickets and getting through multiple layers of security was a challenge, as there was no English. Once we arrived, our friends, one a Shanghai native and another a transplant from Taiwan, whisked us off to lunch at a beautifully restored restaurant in the former French Concession. The meal featured

Shanghai specialties, including dumplings with broth inside and shrimp with vinegar. We asked our friends to surprise us with the schedule for the rest of the day, and they did! The next stop was a genuine Shanghai experience: a visit to a tailor shop. It seemed to be addictive, and soon almost everyone was getting measured and picking fabric and collars. From there we went to the Bundt to view the beautiful buildings along the river. We took as many photos as possible in the fading light before the wet and windy conditions drove us inside for cups of hot chocolate. Then it was back to the train station for more dumplings before our return trip. The day was not what we expected--not a single museum visit!--but we all agreed it was wonderful and left us wanting to return.