First, Kaohsiung feels like home and that makes me happy. I know where things are, I know how to get places and I am building a circle of friends to do things with. I feel like I've settled in and that's a nice feeling. I have to admit I'm proud of myself for jumping right in and learning as much as I can about this place.
Second, I heard from my niece and my nephew that I may just get to see them before the year is over. My niece may be coming to Bangkok for a training and that's less than a 3 hour flight away. God willing and the creek don't rise, I'll make seeing her in Thailand happen. Also, my nephew may be able to visit during my Christmas break and I'd be so thrilled if that happens. I am planning on driving around to different areas of the island of Taiwan and it would be so nice to have some company for that. Fingers crossed that both visits happen.
Finally, today I visited an aboriginal area that is northeast of Kaohsiung. A fellow teacher and local resident, Pearl, took me and two other teachers up to this amazing restaurant for lunch and then to this wonderful umbrella store where they sell traditional Hakka painted umbrellas. Feel free to read more about the area and the history at this link: Meinong.
These are the types of mountains and homes you can see along the way. This is across the street from the restaurant.
The drive up is beautiful because there are so many dramatic hills and mountains in the area. It only took about 30 minutes to get there and we went in for the best meal I've had in Taiwan, and honestly truly rates up there with any meal I have ever had.
The entrance, like many places in Taiwan, is pretty dramatic and colorful.
This is the menu outside the door. I can't read a word of it but the pictures help....a little. Without Pearl there ordering and translating, I wouldn't have a clue where to begin.
The attention to little details like this little rock table and garden outside the restaurant is such a part of the culture here.
We were served hot tea and pickled cabbage and papaya to go with the meal.
In the back you can see tofu that has been either fried or roasted with a little essence of plum on top. It was FANTASTIC! The tofu is unlike anything I have ever tried - so silky and creamy with just the right seasoning. I had 3 of those! In the front is a bowl of rice with local sweet potato. We each got our own bowl. This region doesn't grow it's own rice so they supplement the rice, which can get expensive, with local potatoes. I put some of the pickled stuff on top. I loved the whole combination.
This was a local fern salad. Let me tell you that I could eat this every day! Talk about a perfect dish! Here is a bit more about this local fern used in aboriginal cooking. Taiwan Food Culture
It was sweet and crunchy and salty and oh so nomnom! I have to learn how to make this! I wonder if they would ever take an intern in their kitchen - not that I'd understand a single thing they told me to do.
Then came an entire steamed fish in broth. It was served with fresh cilantro and lime and with these local peppercorns that were unlike anything I have ever tried before. I don't even know how to describe them...they weren't spicy hot but had a more rounded and earthy flavor. YUM! This fish was my favorite dish but let me tell you, everything we ate was all really close in this race.
This is wild boar that is served roasted with a little sweet & sour like sauce on the side.
This colorful dish included a local mushroom called the monkeyhead mushroom. It's called that because the whole large mushroom looks like the top of a monkey's head (you can't see it from the photos below but the surface looks almost like hair). I think it might be called a hedgehog mushroom in the states. I'm not sure. I wonder who thought to eat one of these for the first time. These have such a meaty texture that you are tricked into thinking it's chicken. It was served with peppers, greens and whole cloves of garlic. I could eat this every day too.
When we left the restaurant, full and blissfully food happy, we drove down to a local umbrella shop that has been around for 2 generations. They make these gorgeous umbrellas out of oil paper and they then hand paint them. There were so many choices I couldn't decide on any of them. I figure I'll bring people here and they can chose one for themselves. The most expensive one was less than $30, which is crazy! The umbrella is a symbol of good luck for the Hakka people and are often given as wedding gifts. Paper umbrellas
The entrance to the shop is so unassuming.
These are the buildings across the street where people live above the shops or above their garage.
Beautiful umbrellas everywhere!
You can see the structure of the umbrellas and how they are put together throughout the shop.
Most of the umbrellas are handpainted with a few that are stenciled.
This is handpainted! Although most people buy these as decorations, they do function as an umbrella and are waterproof.
You can see why I was overwhelmed. Those who know me know that I get visually overwhelmed very easily. After about 10 minutes I'm on overload and can't make a decision.
Happy pigs.
An amazing selection of handpainted, stenciled and carved fans! I bought five of them as gifts.
These hats are worn by the men and women who clean the parks and streets.
Now I'm off to the afternoon market with some other friends. It's a crazy place but I have to admit I love going there and checking out all of the cool items. I'll post more pictures of my market visit later.
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