Food & Consequences

So.... Let's talk about the food... Lots and Lots of Food!!

You can eat any time of day you want and for the most part, eat all most anything you want. You already are aware that the fast food chains are open 24/7 and most of them deliver. There's Sushi and Shabu Shabu (Hot Pot), and barbeque (not BBQ - this is food you cook at your table ontop of hot coals), of course any type of noodle you can imagine and then there's street food. "What is street food?" you ask. Well let's introduce you to the basics....




First we go to the street.... duh! While the two pictures may look the same they are of two different places. Some of the best street food is to be found at the night markets. More on night markets later... way too much to crame into this tiny spot. And yes, there are usually always this many people.

Let's walk thru...
Below you find a pot of "Stinky Tofu"... You smell it far prior to ever seeing it. It's name doesn't do it justice. It is not a stinky smell, but rather a putrid smell!! And supposedly, the stinkier the better. People swear that once you taste it, the smell no longer stinks and you crave it. We want to know who the hell decided to taste it in the first place? I mean seriously, whoever it was did not have a nasal cavity!! And no, we won't test the theory!! Try thinking of sweaty feet, rotten eggs and baby diarhea (ok I agree, that went a little far) and then putting that object in your mouth. Nope, nope, ain't gonna do it!!



Walking on... rather hastily...
This is also a crowd favorite. Oysters and eggs. Yeah, don't ask, didn't try it either. But at one night market, there must have been at least 10 stands or more that sold it, and all were busy!


If seafood is more to your liking, we have that as well.
Actually there is multitudes of seafood... well figure being an island and all. These are shrimp. No, not lobsters growing into adulthood, but actual shrimp. They grill them for you, and then it's up to you to take the shell, legs, tail and head off yourself. We took a picture of John pointing at them so you could get more of an actual size. Of course they're fresh -- everythings fresh!!! And no, sadly I can't get past ripping the head off of something to eat it. Tail, legs, shell - sure, no problem, but not the head.





Speaking of LARGE things...
There are all kinds of sausages... Although nothing quite the flavor of what we have in the states. Most of their sausage is sweet or spicy. Sorry, not a lot to say - it's sausage.



Moving along...
Here is one of Ashton's favorites. It's quail eggs on a stick. They crack open the little eggs and then fry them in the round little grill and then shiskabob them. They are actually quite good.



Now we get to desserts...
These are like cakes with fillings. You can get cream, taro (it's a root like a radish), red bean (yes beans - very sweet), green beans, and some places do things like chocolate, ets... They are fabulous when they are hot, not so much so when they're cold.


And the fruit... well I don't know what I'll do when I have to go to the grocery store to buy fruit. It's big, juicy and fresh... and they typically cut it up for you. What more could you ask for.


So what happens when you live in a place with sooooo much food. Well obviously you gain weight. And yes despite the two hours of walking every day I personally have gained weight. Those of you who are laughing... well.... you SUCK!!

Any hoo.... Casey's tooth was hurting and we could see that she had a cavity so we took her to the dentist. We left the house, literally walked across the street and went to the dentist at 7:00 at night... Apparently the door we walked thru transported us back in time about 25 years...

Many of you know that I kept complaining that John was moving us back to the 70's... huh I couldn't have more accurate. Take a look at the dentist office, the instruments.......the spit sink!!! Do you feel the sway of the song "I've got you Babe" by Sonny & Cher.. I knew you did!!
So he drilled it and fixed it and all that without any novicaine. Wow!! And when we left, it only cost NT$500 .. US equivalant = $ 17 ish. Now he was a friend of John's dad, so we don't know if he gave us a discount or not. Regardless!!

Now let's explore the bug of the week....

The following was found on my roof (already dead - hell no I wasn't about to try to kill it... it might fly me off the roof)

I was told it is a beetle, yeah I know, it looks like a fly to me too. It lives in the trees and makes a sound like crickets, only faster and much louder. And apparently, according to my husband and the great delight of my children, if you catch one, tie a string to it and then swing it around, you too can make the above mentioned sound. Weeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is how my children reacted to finding Seth Brundle's grandchild. (1986 movie.... "The Fly" .... there ya go, I knew you'd catch on)

So until the next time..... WE LOVE AND MISS EVERYONE!!!

Great guessing on the What is it? !!!!