Sunday, November 18, 2012
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.
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Quite an interesting setting for the fancy dinner! Thanks for sharing the interesting article about the building. This reminds me of how sometimes architects, like designers, have to face some nightmares when working for some clients. However, this time it seems like, after all of the compromising between architect and client, the building ended up being a success (although I’m almost sure that, while professors of architecture debated about its style, etc., the architect himself probably didn’t even want to give his opinion about the product, at least for a while… Been there, done that!) … Back to the dinner table, you seem to have been at the center of quite a dramatic scene there. Almost operatic as you describe it! OMG! Can’t believe a female version of the cockroach made a somewhat brief appearance at this point in time.
ReplyDeleteSo, uh, what did you sing about again? Just kidding… LOL!
I'm glad you made it! I dont' know if I'd have :)