Taipei Day Trip: Walk Like An Egyptian

Last month, I took a day off and took my kid to the AIT (American Institute  Taiwan), the ad hoc embassy to renew her passport. This is the second time we renewed it here in Taiwan. We were caught in morning traffic on the bus from Yilan, stuck in mountain tunnels. We had to make an appointment weeks before and I was nervous we'd miss out spot. I was missing classes (and money) to do this necessary renewal. (We can't travel or renew her ARC card if it has less than 6 months on her passport.)

If I'm taking the day off, might as well make a day event of it- and we did. From Taipei Main Station we took a taxi to AIT which is near Da'an station. Even 30minutes late for our appointment, it was a painless (expensive) procedure. I paid the $105US with my Taiwanese debit card, unlike five years ago running around banks for a bank that knew what a check was. (The AIT in Kaohsiung didn't want cash or credit but a bank check.)

We tried to make a yin-yang with the 2 different types of discarded tea leaves we drank. We used 2 date pits for the points

We had the whole sunny morning and decided to spend it drinking tea. As both of us appreciate traditional tea houses, the Wisteria was long on our bucket list. We took a taxi from the AIT and had one whole room to ourselves were we sampled two teas for a couple of hours.The menu was impressive. It definitely has more options than the equally atmospheric Jiufen Tea House.  Drinking tea in the Wistaria was quite a treat, not just for spending some peaceful time with my content kid, but the whole historical significance of the establishment. The Wistaria named after the vines that surround the building), is a Japanese-style wooden house built in the 1920s.  The house served as a residence for the Governor-General of Taiwan under Japanese rule prior to 1945. The teahouse, with its circa 1930s decor, was reopened to much fanfare after a long needed renovation in 2008.

The building became a teahouse and gained its current name in 1981 and was meeting place for political dissidents in the 1980's such as Lei Chen (雷震) fighting for a democratic Taiwan. Since then, Wisteria House has been and continues to be a favored meeting place for Taipei artists, academics, and literati. The teahouse was also used during the filming of Eat Drink Man Woman. There's an emerald room with tatami floors, a tatami room with large paintings including a nude, as well as chairs and tables if sitting on floors aren't your thing. It's ours so we sat on a tatami floor beside a sunny window in the largest room and had the whole space to ourselves. 

There were two other couples all in a private room. The proprietor at the cashier asked me if I came from Mexico, and I replied no, "I'm American, but my family is Spanish and Native American," and she complimented me on my bone structure" which made me smile as we conversed in Mandarin.  How strange, usually Taiwanese comment on how beautiful my daughter is. She's so exotic with her green eyes and thick wavy light hair. I'm so used to being invisible. 

Then we were off on another taxi, meeting some lovely, teen daughters of a family friend for lunch. We unsuccessfully convinced them to join us for the National Palace exhibit, but lunch took much longer than we all thought and they had places to be. 

It's possible to get mummy overload and when I was carefree in Cairo (2003?) before my daughter was born, that's what happened to me. The Cairo Museum of Antiquities has one of the oldest and largest collections of pharaonic items on the globe, but after so many mummies, my eyes kind of glazed over. I always felt pretty blessed to have seen the pyramids and this museum in person, as well as having a close encounter with mummies in the hollow burial sites in Siwa. (Picture me galloping alone on a ferocious stallion the sun setting behind Giza, a little scared and very alive.) A year later I was in grad school in York, England and had the good fortune to walk the among the collection of the British Museum. So when I saw a friend's post about the British Museum having a small exhibition in Taipei's National Palace Museum, I made it a point to take my kid.

I was pretty impressed how the British Museum set their exhibit up. Instead of overdosing on mummies, they presented six mummies from different genders, classes, times, including a small child, and it really was a digestible way to learn and appreciate life along the Nile between 900 BC to 180 AD. There were no photos allowed, and it was quite dark inside. Unlike my previous Egyptian mummy experiences, this was high-tech. The scientists had scanned the mummies and on the screen, you could see how the mummies were found, all the jewelry, tokens, amulets and their placements on their bodies. Obviously, we could see each item itself encased in glass and the layers of coffins. The paintings of some of the outer coffins were breathtaking. 

Poor attempt at a selfie with Egyptian mural in the background

There was one woman, I'm not sure if she was the married priestess or the temple singer, but they had placed amulets along each chakra. It blew me away that ancient Egyptians also shared this with Kundalini (from another ancient river civilization). How arrogant of me to think ancient people didn't know about glands and the endocrine system when they had the science to take brains out of nostrils.

I also appreciated how we could see the evolution of the mummy's outer coffin in terms of adapting to the times. It was blatantly obvious when Greek civilization was the hegemonic power, the mummy of the young man looked like a Greek, Orthodox saint. 

Our little Taipei day trip was the best Monday we had in a while. I highly recommend catching the Egyptian Mummies from the British Museum: Exploring Ancient Lives, before it ends in February.

Wake Up and Smell the (Funky Fungi) Coffee of Immortality

The latest health food trend (in America) is Mushroom Coffee; coffee spiked with Asian medicinal mushrooms. I was debating whether or not to order some from i-Herb, but it's pretty expensive and I am not sure of whether or not its medicinal properties are lost during processing and if I might find something cheaper and purer right where I'm at. For example, the medicinal mushrooms in America are really mycelium grown on grain. According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), medicinal mushrooms should be grown without chemicals and those that grow wildly on wood (like Reishi) should be cultivated on wood, as the different trees produce subtle differences of medicinal applications. 

Reishi Coffee from Nantou

The medicinal mushrooms in such coffee are usually including Lion's Mane猴頭菇, Cordyceps蟲草  (冬蟲夏草), Chaga白樺茸, Turkey Tails雲芝 and Reishi 靈芝.The health benefits are increased mental alertness (without jitters or insomnia), and a power shot of adaptogens, anti-oxidants and anti-carcinogens.

The other week, Z and I watched an awesome documentary (Himalayan Gold) on Discovery Asia about the cordycep pickers of Nepal. It's a mushroom that grows out of a body of a caterpillar and also one of the 'magic' medicinal mushrooms in TCM  (and in the latest mushroom coffee fad of the West).

The more I learn about mushrooms, the more I realize how much I don't really know. Thankfully my friend and former body combat sparring partner Erin, helped me find some local shrooms. 

Lion's Mane猴頭菇 and Cordyceps蟲草 are very common in Taiwan. Fresh Lion's Mane can be ordered from Fengnian Farm in Puli or occasionally you can see them at major supermarkets. It looks pretty far out, as its furry (it's also called Bear's Head in North America) and looks more like cauliflower than fungi.

 I have experimented with cooking with fresh Lion's Mane and use it as with any mushroom. I prefer to saute it with butter and garlic and have added it in to creamy pasta, sandwiches and omelets. It has a consistency and texture much like scallops. It's no wonder it's also called the 'Lobster of the Wood.' 

Above:Creamy Pasta with Lion's Mane and goji berry
Below: Lion's Mane upclose

Reishi in TCM is known as the "mushroom of immortality" as its a powerful tonic and immunity booster. That same Fengnian Farm does sell organic Reisi mushroom (Ganoderma antlers) coffee and it's not cheap- a packet of 10 little satchels is 270 NT (plus shipping). Unfortunately, it's watered down with powdered creamer and sugar. I'm drinking a cup right now and it tastes like any instant coffee with creamer and sugar, with just the slightest aroma of mushroom. I prefer my coffee black but this is still palatable.

 I feel like the reishi does give me more stamina (rather than quick energy) and I drink it when I have a particularly heavy schedule (7 back to back classes and running errands on my lunch break) or after a stressful previous evening (my last night). For more on the benefits of reishi read here.

Taiwanese use Reishi 靈芝 in chicken soup the same as dried Cordyceps冬蟲夏草 . Both are very expensive and  can be found in all quality Chinese Herb/medicine shops.

Turkey Tail 雲芝 mushroom is the rarest. It is also found in the best TCM  herbal shops.  My next mission will be to check out the local herb apothecaries and see what fungi I can experiment with.

I still might order this, energizing hot cocoa with reishi and cordyceps,
30 servings for 300NT via iHerb. Use my reward code(LRF400) and we both get 5% off our next order.

(For the record "magic" psychadelic mushrooms are available in Taiwan but not as commonly used recreationally as at home or SE Asia, yet they are known to be enjoyed by artists and bohemians every now and again).

Trump's New Jerusalem and a World Wide State of Alert

Back in 2009 after Taiwan's devastating typhoon Morakot, I joined the US State Department's STEP program. I periodically received little regional warnings, especially after a terrorist attack in say the UK or France for example. A few hours after Trump's Thursday decision to be the only country (and global super power, major donor to Israel) to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital, the DOS sent me the following travel warning.  This was the first time I received one in response to Trump's foreign policy decision. One like this hasn't been issued since 2003 and the start of the 2nd Iraq war (I was in Egypt's Red Sea at that time). Thursday's warning is here:

As part of the Department of State's continuous efforts to provide U.S. citizens traveling abroad with information about safety and security events, we are updating the Worldwide Caution with information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions, political violence, and criminal activity against U.S. citizens and interests abroad.  This replaces the Worldwide Caution dated September 14, 2017.      

As terrorist attacks, political upheaval, and violence often take place without any warning, U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness when traveling.  To better prepare for possible emergencies, U.S. citizens are encouraged to read Country Specific Information pages, Travel Warnings, and Travel Alerts on travel.state.gov before planning a trip.

In addition to concerns stemming from terrorism, travelers should be alert to the possibility of political unrest, violence, demonstrations, and criminal activities when traveling.  Country-specific information pages and Travel Warnings should be consulted to obtain the latest data on such threats. 

Travelers are urged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.  The Department uses these security messages to convey information about terrorist threats, security incidents, planned demonstrations, natural disasters, etc.  In an emergency, please contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate or call the following numbers: 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada) or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries. 

 U.S. government facilities worldwide remain in a heightened state of alert.  These facilities may temporarily close or periodically suspend public services to assess their security posture.  In those instances, U.S. embassies and consulates will make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens.  U.S. citizens abroad are urged to monitor the local news and maintain contact with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. 

 Terrorist groups including ISIS, al-Qa'ida, their associates, and those inspired by such organizations, are intent on attacking U.S. citizens wherever they are.  Extremists may use conventional or non-conventional weapons to target U.S. government and private interests.  Terrorists are increasingly using less sophisticated methods of attack to more effectively target crowds, including the use of edged weapons, pistols, and vehicles as weapons.  Extremists increasingly aim to assault "soft" targets, such as:

·     high-profile public events (sporting contests, political rallies, demonstrations, holiday events, celebratory gatherings, etc.)

·        hotels, clubs, and restaurants

·        places of worship

·        schools

·        parks

·        shopping malls and markets

·        tourism infrastructure

·        public transportation systems

·        airports

 In multiple regions, terrorists, guerrilla groups, and criminals seek to kidnap U.S. citizens to finance their operations or for political purposes.  The Department also remains concerned that terrorists could again seek to down aircraft using concealed explosives or hijack commercial flights

Private U.S. citizens should not travel to any country to participate in armed conflict.  U.S. citizens are reminded that fighting on behalf of or providing other forms of support to designated terrorist organizations can constitute the provision of material support for terrorism, which is a serious crime that can result in penalties, including prison time and large fines. 

The warning continued in detail with each region and links to their countries. I believe Taiwan is quite safe and I statistically have more of a probable chance being hurt in the States by a gun, by someone I know, then a terrorist attack in Taiwan. However, I don't think I will go to Malaysia or Bali this Chinese New Years.

I'm all for rocking the boat, stirring the pot, but Trump's recklessness is far from coming from a position as peacemaker. If he truly wanted to promote peace or stability outside of global cooperation with allies and UN resolutions, he might of made Jerusalem the capitol of Israel and Palestine and formally recognize a 2 state solution. Until then, Americans abroad are more of a target, which may be what Trump's men wanted all along.