Blog on history and politics in Taiwan from Taichung, Taiwan.
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Saturday, August 09, 2008
SemiOdditics
At my butcher's shop, the butcher cuts up some mei hwa rou for me. The slab of pork on the table there is actually from a mountain boar. Yum. Fatty pork. Like lots of Taiwanese, I can no longer stand the leaner pork generally served in the US.
The recent rains have filled local streams with gravel washed down from the hills.
Types of tea sold by a local drinks shop.
A vendor offers fried stuff.
Signs from abroad: foreign brands and imitation western foods appear on many local supermarket shelves. Things have changed significantly in the last decade.
The signs are lots of older women in black dresses, no windows, a predominantly male clientele, and KTV. What kind of business is this?
Fishing in a local stream. I can't imagine what they catch here.
Last week in Taipei, I snapped this pic of Chunghsiao W. Rd, with Taipei 101 in the distance, one of the clearest signs of Taipei.
This squirrel signals the presence of tall old trees on the NCKU campus.
On a clear day, from NCKU you can see practically to Yunlin.
A rare clear day after a typhoon. Taiwan should use these mountains, not Taipei 101, as our logo.
Yes, I know it is a stereotyped shot, but it is still nice.
I think the "Happy flavor tibet in mine secret garden brocade box" emblazoned on this sign is the proper response to "colorless green ideas sleep furiously."
A sign at Sogo in Taichung.
Just as in Taipei, the Sogo here has a really cute clock. This one is full of national and ethnic dolls, the kind considered cute prior to WWII.
Girl greeters start the shopping day at Sogo. The city of Taichung has the highest per capita allotment of department floor space in the world.
A very ugly sign: an accident on Nanjing Rd in Taichung.
A couple of days later, I snapped this fender-bender in Fengyuan. Taiwan's crowded roads and the lack of safety consciousness in local culture mean thousands of unnecessary accidents each year.
Blade Runner meets parking enforcement: on a Fengyuan street, I caught this tow truck playing music and announcing its presence as it towed an illegally parked van. (19 seconds)
A bad sign: looking for someone to advertise.
A vegetarian restaurant. Taiwan offers a plentiful supply of vegetarian food, and no one thinks you unmanly or a traitor to the cult of beef for eating it.
A Taichung street, crowded with signs.
A very bad sign: my favorite hiking path closed because the rain has washed it out in several areas.
A sign at the train tracks tells you where to look for the train. "STOP LOOK LISTEN" says another sign, while a third warns of high voltage.
An Asian McDonald's, full of pictures of smiling white children.
A sign that it is ghost month now: a religious procession. Everywhere banquets are being held and food offerings placed in front of homes.
The road may be officially "closed", but someone has gone to the trouble of carving out some makeshift paths over and around the landslides, so you can still use the trail.
(Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger watched a Chinese women's basketball match against Spain at the Wukesong Stadium on Saturday.
Kissinger arrived at the stadium before the start of the second quarter of the game and left after China edged off Spain 67-64 at a Group B match.
He was warmly welcomed by the working staff of the stadium.
Kissinger, 85, served as National Security Advisor and later as Secretary of State in the Richard Nixon administration. He won the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize. Enditem
Taipei - Taiwan Saturday protested at China deporting what were described as two Taiwanese cheerleaders, urging Beijing to respect the rights of Taiwan fans at the Olympics.
As a former vegetarian, I have to add a caveat. There are a decent number of vegetarian restaurants, mostly Buddhist-run, but vegetarians are almost disregarded at most places. In the US (or at least in the granola places where I've lived), there a few vegetarian options almost everywhere.
In Taiwan, I've often felt almost as if a single vegetarian were a hindrance to a group of "normal" diners.
The road may be officially "closed", but someone has gone to the trouble of carving out some makeshift paths over and around the landslides, so you can still use the trail.
ReplyDelete(Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger watched a Chinese women's basketball match against Spain at the Wukesong Stadium on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteKissinger arrived at the stadium before the start of the second quarter of the game and left after China edged off Spain 67-64 at a Group B match.
He was warmly welcomed by the working staff of the stadium.
Kissinger, 85, served as National Security Advisor and later as Secretary of State in the Richard Nixon administration. He won the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize. Enditem
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/09/content_9092597.htm
yepp.. that are priorities..
That's not a sign of a slumping advertising market, it's the KMT's new "Welcome to Taiwan" PR campaign for mainland tourists.
ReplyDeleteTaipei - Taiwan Saturday protested at China deporting what were described as two Taiwanese cheerleaders, urging Beijing to respect the rights of Taiwan fans at the Olympics.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.monstersandcritics.com/sport/olympics2008/news/article_1422697.php/Taiwan_protests_over_China_deporting_two_"cheerleaders%22
As a former vegetarian, I have to add a caveat. There are a decent number of vegetarian restaurants, mostly Buddhist-run, but vegetarians are almost disregarded at most places. In the US (or at least in the granola places where I've lived), there a few vegetarian options almost everywhere.
ReplyDeleteIn Taiwan, I've often felt almost as if a single vegetarian were a hindrance to a group of "normal" diners.
Oh, oh, I remember that song! It's, "Music Box Tow-Truck," isn't it?
ReplyDelete