Cooking Lesson: 蚵仔煎 Oyster Omelet

Eating Oyster Omelet in Taiwan has been on my to-do list ever since I watched this drama called 轉角*遇到愛 Corner with Love. They made it seem really good in the drama! :) I've tried it in Manila through some Chinese restaurants, my friend Joanna's very capable cook and my dad's continuous experiments in the kitchen. But I was really curious how they do it here, so I took pictures in the night market and asked Auntie to teach me how to make it.

Night market version: many at a time

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients

1. Dissolve some sweet potato powder in water. Ratio is almost 1:1 - no measurements because Auntie just estimates!
2. Wash the oysters.
3. Wash the 小白菜 (cabbage? pechay?) and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Home kitchen version: one HUGE plate at a time

4. Heat some oil.
5. Put about 4 scoops of the sweet potato powder mixture in the pan. Wait until it becomes slightly transparent.

Step 2: Cook the omelet

6. Add some oysters and an egg. Break the egg!
7. Add some of the vegetables.
8. When the sides are cooked, fold it in half to form an omelet.
9. Carefully flip the entire thing to cook the other side.

Just having this for dinner is super filling!

Optional: Enjoy it with cold beer! ^^

Day 52: Another Night Market

Uncle brought us to the night market in Longtan, the nearest city in this area. It's only open on Thursdays, and Uncle decided to go because it's my last Thursday night here. :( The family used to have a stall in the night market where they sold tea leaves, teapots and teacups. They said business used to be really good when the country's economy was better. These days it's only the snack food stalls who do really well in night markets.

It was like other night markets, with lots of stalls selling the usual Taiwanese snacks, clothes, random things like betel nut, scented oils and cleaning items and "perya" games where you can win prizes. The only difference was that I could hear Tagalog almost everywhere! Auntie said there really are a lot of Filipinos working in Taiwan, mostly in the urban areas. I just didn't notice it because we lived in... the countryside.

We also played a game of shooting balloons, and I got to take home a cute little prize. It was funny watching Uncle because he was so serious about playing. I told him it was just a game, so just enjoy playing!

(picture taken in Manila!)

When we got home, I asked Auntie to show me her wedding photos and if there are any family photos. She showed me an entire album with maybe 5 kinds of outfits! She said the time they got married was when pre-nuptial photos was starting to become popular. She also advised me not to print too many photos during my own wedding. :p Strangely though, they did not have a single photo of the entire family. The closest was a group picture taken during one of the activities they joined. It included the four of them but there were like 50 other people in the picture! The other was a picture of Uncle with the two brothers when they were young. And since I won't be seeing the older little brother again, I wouldn't be able to take a complete family picture either! >.< So now I don't know what to put in the picture frame that I brought and planned to give as a gift. *fail* Auntie also showed me the love letters Uncle wrote to her more than 2 decades ago. It was my first time to read a Chinese love letter, and I couldn't figure out most of Uncle's handwriting. But I more or less figured out bits and pieces, and I can't believe Uncle even mentioned Confucius! LOL I wonder if he even remembers the mushy stuff that he wrote back then! There was also Auntie's high school yearbook, where she pointed out a page that had this phrase that "applies to us": Even if we can't do anything about meeting and separating, let's treasure this short eternity.

Day 51: Family Bonding

Poor dog was left there so he won't be a distraction

These days we've been busy packing the Dong Fang Mei Ren Tea into cans to be submitted for the tea competition. It's tedious, but it feels like a family bonding session because it's probably the only task that requires everyone to stay in one area and work together.

All for the special award (aka P100,000 tea)!

While packing some fruit preserves with tea leaves, Auntie asked if I was interested in getting married in Taiwan. I almost said "No, unless it's Jay Chou" but I just answered "no... wait, that was a joke right?" But Auntie's face was serious! She said Uncle's relative is in need of a daughter-in-law (yeah, "in need" like it was a job opening). She was even marketing the family to me by saying "They're rich, they have a maid in the house and they own a kindergarten. You like kids, right?" (Hello red string, is that you? Ang bilis naman! I haven't even taken it out of the plastic!) It was so funny! I told Auntie that I'm interested in the kindergarten but not the marriage. I just can't stand being tied to anything at this point in my life!

Auntie also got fined for over speeding on the road. It was my first time to see a notice, so I took a picture. The funny thing about it was that little brother was actually (sort of ) scolding Auntie for getting caught. He went "How can you get caught in this area? There's even a sign that says the limit is 40! You should give this picture to 大姨 (who owns the store in the background) because it's rare that her store would be in this kind of picture." I told Auntie that normally, it would be the mother scolding the son for doing something wrong. LOL Good thing I wasn't riding with Auntie that time. But then again she probably won't ride too fast when I'm with her?

Since the older little brother finally brought home cream (even if it's the wrong one) that Auntie asked him to buy for my graham mango float that was already done ages ago, Auntie decided to do an experiment. She used biscuits that were a bit salty, canned whipped cream then condensed milk and mangoes. We'll know how it tastes like tomorrow!

Yogurt + Pickled Green Mango Ice Candy

Trivia: Pickled green mango is called 情人果 or "Lovers Fruit" in Chinese. Is it because it's both sweet and sour, just like falling in love? :p

I also watched little brother play basketball alone (and took the chance to make chismis while at it). It must be so lonely since his older brother is not home, Uncle doesn't play and his friends are all in the city. He agreed to bring me along if he goes out to play with his friends. I hope they do get to play before I leave!

I think the family's also very aware that it's almost time for me to go home. Yesterday, the little brother told me to tell my parents to start a business in Taiwan so I can come back to the farm anytime. (Um, aww? Haha) Then there's Auntie's attempt at getting me into a marriage, and Uncle's idea to go to the night market in the city tomorrow because it's only open on Thursdays and tomorrow's my last chance. Auntie also made a beer toast during lunch and said "Thank you for the two months you spent here". Is it time I start writing goodbye notes? :(

Day 50: Family Roadtrip!

Today was the last day of older little brother's 4-day vacation, so we drove for about an hour to bring him back to the base camp. (It was the first time I'm riding with the entire family!) Older little brother's driving made me feel dizzy. >.< This is also the last time I'll be seeing him, since he won't have a vacation next week - which is my last weekend here.

On the way back, we had dinner in Hsinchu City, and dropped by Zhubei City to buy some fruits.

pork meat in glutinous rice balls, meatball soup, thin noodle soup

I feel like a little kid trying to name all the fruits in Chinese!

Four different kinds of mangoes!

Day 49: The Red Line

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
 The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break." - Chinese Proverb

We went to the National Palace Museum which had a lot of pretty artifacts, but they didn't allow picture taking inside. :( I wish I could show you some of the ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, gems, jewelry, and sculptures they had inside. The place was filled with tourists, especially Japanese ones. I think I heard more Japanese than Mandarin while going around!

Ya-chen taught me this term while we were looking at the ceramic items at the museum: 陶冶心性 which means to cultivate or improve oneself. It could be a skill like playing an instrument or learning a new language. I will make this my everyday mantra - I should keep doing things that will make me a better person.

Food (from famous stores) in the Longshan Temple area

We had lunch in the area surrounding the Longshan Temple. Interestingly, the place was also known for (old) prostitutes. In Ya-chen's words: "Young prostitutes advertise themselves online, while the older ones who don't know how to use the internet can be found here. Look for the girls who dress strangely and you'll know." And we really did see a handful of older women in disturbing (e.g. revealing, shiny, inappropriate) clothes even if we were just there for lunch. Let me share with you a trivia I just thought of myself. Longshan means "Dragon Mountain" and in Korean it translates to 용산 (Yongsan). It happens to be area in Seoul known for the US base, a spa, an electronics market and... its red light district. Is this coincidence or what? (I wonder if there's a place called Dragon Mountain/Hill in Manila...)

Inside the temple, there where lots of people who made offerings, burned incense sticks, asked advice from the gods and took pictures (well, foreigners mostly). At that moment I was really thankful that I went with a local, or I would just end up taking pictures and not understand what was going on. Ya-chen and I did 拜拜 (bai bai) or offering of incense sticks to seven different gods. They had different functions - from health to taking exams and love. We spent a little more time with the god of love 月老神君 so I can ask for a 紅線 (red string) which can help me meet "the one". I held the two red moon shaped wooden blocks and introduced myself and my situation to the god. I dropped them on the ground three times and got three consecutive "yes" (one facing up, one facing down), so I was allowed to get a red string. Thank you, god of love! I think the god showed mercy because I haven't had a boyfriend... ever. I also tried to ask for advice from another god, but I got a no. I guess you can't be too lucky in one day.

a "yes", me with my red string, the god of love's temple (so busy, right?)

If you want to get your own red string at the Longshan Temple, there's a detailed explanation in Chinese here.

Sunset along the highway!

After the trip to the Longshan Temple, it was time to go back home so I got my things from Ya-chen's house and took a bus to get back to the Guanxi Township area. When I got home, I watched little brother cooking and Uncle singing with a customer. Is it sad that the first time I get to "karaoke" here is with these two ahjussis? I did not know ANY of the songs they sang, but I just sang 3 modern songs myself, including "Listen to Mother's Words" which the ahjussi customer also happened to know! ㅋㅋ

The little brother's cooking skills

A little karaoke session

I do believe in that red string myself. Out of the billions of people in the world, it's amazing if you even get the chance to meet - just like how I ended up choosing Taiwan and becoming part of this family in the Cloud and Tea Leisure farm for two months. Do you believe in the red string of fate?

Day 48: Sightseeing, Fangirling and a Haircut!

If only Mc Donald's Philippines had bagel and milk tea~

I didn't think Ya-chen would be up for a trip to Danshui because my main goal was to visit Jay Chou's high school (aka filming location of his movie - Secret). But luckily there were other interesting things to do in the area, so we went there together. Because of its location by the sea, Danshui served as the port and gateway to Taiwan so it played an important role in the country's history. We visited the Huwei Fort (which is totally their version of our Intramuros), Hongmao Castle, Xiao Bai Gong (some consulate office). Danshui is also popular for pre-nuptial photos as we saw around 5 couples in the area!

Some historical areas in Danshui

Danshui's busy streets on a hot Sunday afternoon

And of course, Jay's high school! These were pictures that waited years to be taken, but for some reason I wasn't on full fangirl mode that day. Maybe because I wasn't with a fangirl, or maybe I just wasn't the "Mrs. Chou" I used to be. It's still one of my life goals to watch him perform live, and I still enjoy listening to his songs, but I just don't... spazz anymore. Maybe I just grew up? I mean, it's been seven years since I became a fan.

I'm in Jay's high school!

Remember this from the movie "Secret I Cannot Tell"?

During the long MRT ride to Danshui, I told Ya-chen about my plans to change my hairstyle before I go back to Manila. After two phone calls to her hairstylist, it was decided that I was going to have a haircut that afternoon. Talk about randomness!
I didn't know hair washing for a haircut could take that long as I was chatting with the 洗頭哥 - we talked about my stay in Taiwan, his overseas trips, food, his hometown and even Jang Geun Seok (Hi Kamille!). ㅋㅋ

Before, during and after! ^^

Dinner: 刀削炸醬麵 Knife-cut Jajangmyun Taiwanese Style!

We dropped by Miramar Entertainment Mall so I could see the lighted ferriswheel that I always saw in Taiwanese dramas. Hee ^^ It was also walkable from where Ya-chen's motorcycle was parked, so it was kind-of on the way.

Before going home, Ya-chen and I had tea drinks and a chat beside the 碧湖 (Jade Lake). It was pretty big and peaceful, with a few people fishing and jogging around it. 碧 (bi) is the second character in my original Chinese name!

Yogurt green tea is yummy!

Thanks for showing me around, Ya-chen!

Day 47: A Chance of Sunshine

I woke up with Pei-ling's beautiful cat on my bed. Another first for me! ^^
As agreed, we went hiking in this mountain called 四獸山 (Four animals mountain - due to its four peaks that were named after animals). We rode her motorcycle to the base and hiked 1.8km in around an hour. We didn't get to the peak because of time contraints but at least we were able to burn some calories from last night's dinner.

Pei-ling advised me to check out the artwork found in Nangang Station of the MRT, which featured characters from 幾米's books, which I totally love (because of the cute drawings + few words). It would be nice to have couple photos by the characters from 向左走,向右走 (Turn Left, Turn Right/ A Chance of Sunshine), just like Pei-ling's sister's wedding photos!

For lunch, I met with May, whom I haven't seen for more than 2 years! She brought me to Jay Chou's restaurant, Mr. J, which had a 不能說的秘密 theme. Seeing that there were non-fans eating in the restaurant assured me that the food was at least decent, if not good. Time for some fangirling/camwhoring!

The pictures that waited years to be taken!

I loved the Three Cup Chicken Pizza!

Mr. J II Interior

After lunch, we went to Ximending which is "the place to be" for young people (shopping, eating, movies, games) and a common place for performances. A friend also said that it's a good place for boy watching. (Hi friend, you know who you are! ^^) Even in the afternoon, it was filled with students and couples. I bet it's crazier at night!

Time for Taipei 101! Going in the late afternoon is a good time because you get to see the view from the top in broad daylight and at night, with a beautiful sunset in between!

After a quick dinner and trip to the bookstore, we decided that it was time to go home and rest. I met up with my second Couchsurfing host Ya-chen, who picked me up from the MRT with her motorcycle and gave me a can of cold beer. :)

The day was tiring but I was thankful to finally be able to visit the places I could only dream of during the peak of my Jay Chou and Taiwanese drama fangirling (aka High School) days. I'm glad for the opportunity to experience blissful moments like these, just like the moment the two characters first met in the book.