taiwan post no.1
poo... im tired. i cant believe this is only my 5th day in taiwan. i really havent done much except eat and spend time with my family. the food is sooo delicious and amazing. every single meal ive had has blown me away. its a vegetarians paradise, its so amazing that im upset that none of my veggie food loving friends are here to enjoy it with me. IT REALLY IS AMAZING. today i went to a chinese shabu shabu restaurant cleverly named "mushroom restaurant," which featured an array of exotic mushrooms. i had so many different kinds of mushrooms and they were all so scrumptous. i don't know the names of them, as with most of the things i've been eating, and i'll probably never know. being here makes me realize how priveleged i am. not because everyone is poor and its a dirty city and im like wow im american and so much taller than all of you, no, not at all. its a beautiful city with plenty of trees and beautiful well-kept people, but i just feel lucky that i get to eat eight different kinds of mushroom in my shabu shabu and 4 vegetarian buffets in 5 days, all of which have been intricately prepared and are not the typical "mass produced" blahness you find at most buffets.
taiwan is the second densest city in the world and there are food stands and restaurants and cafes and juice bars everywhere. and people and scooters and bicycles and taxis and cars that graze your legs as you walk down the street, since everyone is just squeezing around each other, but in a very natural sort of way. we all share the same road in the back alleys, and its kinda amazing how well they use their limited space. then theres all the wonderful shopping. there are lots of higher-end stores but there are plenty of opportunities to shop for less, which is what i like to do. im still working on the second-hand stores, which my aunts claim dont really exist the way they do in the US, but i know ill find it, and when i do, its going to be AMAZING.
today i went to a store that was like nordstrom rack - designer clothes for less. they had so much cute fashiony stuff and there were 3 large bins to dig through. my new favorite brand was "single and noble." i picked up a lot of clothes that made me consider a fashion makeover. you know, from really plain casual brown/neutral grandma organic ware to colorful assymetrical, will only be cute this season, hotness. but i did not. i did however totally go crazy and had all these clothes hanging on my arm for me to possibly buy, but then self-control took over and i only walked out with one item. i think about buying gifts for people all the time, since things are cheaper and cuter here, but then i don't because everything is so excellent that i'm not sure what to buy. i have really never felt this way before, its both scary and exciting to want so much.
before i go, i want to mention all the crazy old taiwanese ladies that leave the house wearing ANYTHING they happen to be wearing. matching is unimportant when youve got better things to do, like walking very slowly. a very typical outfit of a taiwanese woman born in the 1920s: bonnet with floral face masks (which cover their nose and mouth), knit sweaters under plaid vests, striped scarves, and funky grandma shoes. im jealous of their bravery, blindness, and total disregard for something as superficial as aesthetics.
taiwan is the second densest city in the world and there are food stands and restaurants and cafes and juice bars everywhere. and people and scooters and bicycles and taxis and cars that graze your legs as you walk down the street, since everyone is just squeezing around each other, but in a very natural sort of way. we all share the same road in the back alleys, and its kinda amazing how well they use their limited space. then theres all the wonderful shopping. there are lots of higher-end stores but there are plenty of opportunities to shop for less, which is what i like to do. im still working on the second-hand stores, which my aunts claim dont really exist the way they do in the US, but i know ill find it, and when i do, its going to be AMAZING.
today i went to a store that was like nordstrom rack - designer clothes for less. they had so much cute fashiony stuff and there were 3 large bins to dig through. my new favorite brand was "single and noble." i picked up a lot of clothes that made me consider a fashion makeover. you know, from really plain casual brown/neutral grandma organic ware to colorful assymetrical, will only be cute this season, hotness. but i did not. i did however totally go crazy and had all these clothes hanging on my arm for me to possibly buy, but then self-control took over and i only walked out with one item. i think about buying gifts for people all the time, since things are cheaper and cuter here, but then i don't because everything is so excellent that i'm not sure what to buy. i have really never felt this way before, its both scary and exciting to want so much.
before i go, i want to mention all the crazy old taiwanese ladies that leave the house wearing ANYTHING they happen to be wearing. matching is unimportant when youve got better things to do, like walking very slowly. a very typical outfit of a taiwanese woman born in the 1920s: bonnet with floral face masks (which cover their nose and mouth), knit sweaters under plaid vests, striped scarves, and funky grandma shoes. im jealous of their bravery, blindness, and total disregard for something as superficial as aesthetics.