About Me

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Yilan, Taiwan
I just returned back to the States after 11 years in Taiwan with my daughter. Taiwan is an excellent base for us explore Asia, while living in relative (gun free) safety, while benefiting from a cheap and efficient national health care system. The people are amazing too. I have Taiwanese friendships that are 20 years old and I'm always making new ones! My coworker here in CO is from Taiwan.

Monday, December 10, 2018

TCM and Incense: A Cornucopia of Chinese Herbs

Handmade, all-natural incense

I might as well take advantage of the amazing national health care system in Taiwan, which includes traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). We aren't sick, but my kid wants to grow taller and I want my hair thicker or at least return to the state before I had a kid when my hair was at its healthiest.


On the left: giant bowls of powdered incense. On the right: my TCM herbs



We went to the TCM Dr right before his lunch break. It cost 140NT each including a week's worth of herbs (powdered to be taken with water 3x a day). On the way back we stopped at this family-owned incense making shop. It smells like heaven driving by on the scooter. They have been using the same methods since time memorial, no synthetic toxins and only make sandalwood or "Chinese medicine." Incidentally, the incense in its powdered form looks exactly like the Chinese medicine prescribed to us that come in little packets (washed down with a big gulp of water.) I bought a pack of sandalwood for 200NT and Chinese medicine for 100NT. Looks like 100 sticks in a packet, sure to last a long time.




She is her mother's daughter, and my kid was quickly using my phone to look up the herbs she would be taking to help boost a growth spurt. I had her try and find the English translations for me. Here is a comprehensive list of TCM herbs and another glossary of herbs.

12 Year Old Girl's Herbs for Growing Taller:
1.Shenling Baizhu San (Mix) Nourishes the spleen and enhances the absorption of nutrients
A proprietary blend of:
Radix Codonopsis Pilosulae
Sclerotium Poriae Cocos
Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae
Rhizoma Dioscoreae Oppositae (Mt. Potato)
Semen Lablab Album
Semen Nelumbinis Nuciferae
Semen Coicis Lachryma-Jobi
Fructus Amomi
Radix Platycodi Grandiflori
Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis (Licorice root)















2. 4 Plant Soup The formula consists of four Chinese herbs, Ginseng or Codonopsis, Atractylodes, Poria, and Licorice.

3. Mt.Potato/ Chinese Yam/ "Mountain Medicine" (Dioscorea) Is a tonic for the kidneys and spleen and nourishes Yin. This slimy, starchy tuber is commonly found in the morning markets in Taiwan, although I have never cooked it before. It often is included in tonic packets, in a dried form, to be included in chicken herb soups, which I have cooked before. Maybe I should try it in a stirfry as it has antiaging properties and supports a healthy immune system. It also is used in most Asian cuisines and can be eaten raw.


4. Glossy Privet Fruit  Used for premature menopause and aging. Chinese privet has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 1,000 years. The fruit is antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-tumour, cardiotonic, diuretic and tonic. It is taken internally in the treatment of complaints associated with weak kidney and liver energy such as menopausal problems (especially premature menopause), blurred vision, cataracts, tinnitus, rheumatic pains, palpitations, backache and insomnia. Modern research has shown that the plant increases the white blood cell count and is of value when used to prevent bone marrow loss in cancer chemotherapy patients, it also has potential in the treatment of AIDS.  Good results have also been achieved when the fruit has been used in treating respiratory tract infections, hypertension, Parkinson's disease and hepatitis.
  • Enrich the blood and invigorate the circulation of blood.
  • Fight against oxidation and scavenge free radicals.
5. Xuduan (Teasal Root) Tones liver, kidneys, sinew and bones and helps lower back or knee pain. It stimulates new bone growth and regulates menstruation.
6. Glossar ?

43Year Old Mom's Improving Blood/Chi Circulation for Hair:
1.Gui Pi Tang/"Return to Spleen" (11 plant soup stock) Nourishes the blood and chi to the spleen and offsets stress, being overworked and turning off the busy mind at night. Being a working single mom, I can attest to overthinking and worrying which aggravate imbalances in heart blood and spleen chi.  Symptoms of such an imbalance are forgetfulness and insomnia. Well, I don't have insomnia, I just stall going to bed. Gui Pi Wan improves sleep, mental clarity during the day and digestion. (Check out Mental Tranquility)

2. Zuo Gui Pian (8 herbs including arugula, honey and dried dates) A classic Ming dynasty formula used to treat infertility and kidney yin deficiencies. A proprietary blend of:


Radix Rehmanniae Preparata
Rhizoma Dioscoreae Oppositae
Fructus Corni Officinalis
Colla Cornus Cervi
Colla Carapacis Et Plastri Testudinis
Fructus Lycii Chinensis
Semen Cuscutae Chinensis
Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae













3. Shen Chang
4. He Shou Wu/Fleeceflower Root/ Fo Ti (radix polygni multiflora) The herb of intuition and longevity, it is rich in iron and zinc which nourishes blood deficiency, premature greying, hair growth, boosts the libido, and repairs DNA. There's a tincture on Amazon ($20).   The herb was found in ancient Taoist texts, written about in AD 800 when a frail old man named He reportedly fell asleep next to this vine. He felt inclined to dig up the root, consumed regularly for a week and his youthful vigor returned. Even his hair color returned, giving it the Chinese name" "He's Black Hair". Fo Ti is traditionally prepared in a "secret" method involving a black bean sauce. Interestingly, its one of 3 herbs said to expand the consciousness, the other two being Reishi (mushrooms) and Tulsi/Holy Basil according to this article.

5. Chai Hu (purple yam)/ Bupleurum Traditionaly used for blood disorders and liver diseases it is anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer.

6. Dan Shen/Salvia Miltiorhiza (red sage)/Chinese sage/ The root and rhizome are used to nourish the blood and calm the spirit and balance the circulatory system. Its very powerful in treating heart disease and agina and many other benefits.

Our TCM Dr. recommended  that I get a sonograph (ultrasound) of my thyroid as I had a thyroid problem post-partum (12 years ago.) So I went to the new University hospital by the train station and had them take 6 vials of blood to test. I'm going back in 2 weeks to discuss the results. Until then its powdered TCM herbs with water 3x a day.

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Sweet Child O'Mine: My Kid's First Show


Last night was the much-anticipated Guns and Roses concert outside Taipei. At least for my kid who has been counting the days, Christmas came early. She's still incredulous that were it not for her, I wouldn't have voluntarily gone. I am so glad she is here, for many more reasons other than the show, but yes, I am very thankful I got to go see such an epic performance. It's one of these special, core memories I will have with my kid forever, taking her to her first concert and her favourite band to boot. It was doubly enjoyable for me, as she was over the moon and it was a legitimate kick-ass performance. She sang along to every song like a true fan, knew which album it was from and loved guessing which song was next by the teasing strums from Slash.


Speaking of whom, Slash was a beast, a mythical creature, a Minotaur weaving us through a labyrinth of fingering, spine-tingling solos. He didn't take a break and played while the other guys changed shirts and Melissa added a ponytail. It was the rhythm guitarist Richard's birthday and he rocked! He was dancing and jamming his strums, I was beyond impressed. Duff didn't disappoint, he sang  Attitude and has a better than decent, a damn good voice, and he was all over the stage (they all were). They all jammed pretty fiercely. What I enjoyed were the covers, obviously "Live and Let Die" from Paul McCartney, and "Knock'n on Heaven's Door", but they did an instrumental "Wish You Were Here", which always chokes me up and then went into a Chris Cornel tribute with "Blackhole Sun" which was flawless, intense. I especially liked "Civil War" and thought "Night Train" sounded a helluva lot better live. [The complete setlist is here.]

Guns N'Roses was a band I grew up with watching MTV in middle school, they had some decent songs. I respected Slash. Axl was one of those interesting personalities, he seemed like a dick. In high school, I prefered Nirvana or Smashing Pumpkins. But after living with my kid who knows everything about the band, and even read Slash's biography, I had a wider appreciation of them. After the concert, I am doing the whole Wayne's World, "We're not worthy". They sounded so much better live. Axl sounded in full form. Maybe it's living in Asia and teaching junior high kids who fawn over k-pop lipsynchers, but I was impressed that Axel could belt out and whistle and keep it real, "Hey kids.." He led us in singing Happy Birthday to Richard and afterwards said, "Thank God we got that bullsh%t over with!"

I regret not having better seats. I was embarrassed in front of my kid, she got angry at me for complaining, and was happy enough to see everything, "Check out this view!" We didn't get the cheapest 800NT tickets, but the next cheapest, so  I figured we wouldn't be as high as we were. With the money we paid the scalpers, I could have gotten better seats! Most of everyone I knew at the show were down front on the floor, my former boss was literally front row. I ran into the old beach gang from Tainan in the 7-11 and the owner of Drifters. Funny, running into familiar faces in a crowd, the magic of a concert. I hadn't been to one in years, I think the last one was in Denver 11 years ago before heading to Taiwan (Jane's Addiction).


Then there was the whole camera drama before. We checked into a hostel (Homey Hostel) in Taipei and I thought about it, should I bring my camera or not. My phone camera is absolute crap and I wanted a nice photo memory of me and my daughter at her favourite moment of 2018 to be our Christmas photo.  But the security at the concert was thorough, they wouldn't let me take in my camera, so we headed back to the train station. Unfortunately, all the lockers were full, as well as all the lockers at the previous stations. So I went into the bathroom (waiting in line forever) and tried to tie it to my belt, in between my legs, but it was dangling visibly from my jean skirt, so my kid just stuffed it into my leggings (it's not a small camera). We walked back to security and saw they were waving metal detector wands and I didn't want to chance being caught and banned from the show. My kid told me to hide it in the bushes, which was probably the best idea, but I was afraid it would rain (it didn't). So she went to the  First Aid/ Help booth and tried the waterworks (didn't work either) and basically we ended up running to 7-11 stood in line for 40 minutes and posted my camera back to Yilan in a box without any bubble wrap. I took off my sweater and scarf, wrapped it up and hoped for the best. It looked like my lens was sticking out a bit and I won't be surprised if it's broken when it returns.

It's all good as we didn't miss the opening song, "It's So Easy. The crowd was pumped,  the third song was "Chinese Democracy" which had a whole new meaning for me seeing it there. Go Taiwan, the crowd was so ready, my daughter was so ready, her rite of passage into the journey of live shows.

After the show, the hordes lining up to catch the last trains back to Taipei were daunting (last train was 11:15). I stupidly forgot to buy an Easy card for the train ride back (save time lining up to buy a chip). I also wanted my camera back and waited in line (again) at 7-11, getting some water and a rice seaweed triangle (we hadn't eaten since breakfast.). The staff at 7-11 wouldn't, or couldn't give me back my camera. We were tempted by taxi drivers preying on concertgoers, 800NT per person back to Taipei.  I just wanted to go to the airport (a few stops ahead) and take the express train back, but none of them would do it. They wanted to fit in as many people as they could for the maximum profit. I almost took a taxi back, but when he opened the boot (space behind the back seat) for my kid to sit, I grabbed her hand pulled her out, vultures trying to fill their pockets. We tried our luck with the throngs at the train station and made it, sleeping most of the way back on the Night Train back to Taipei. We pulled in a little after midnight, quickly walked to our hostel, and were in bed by 1:15.

The next day my kid was too tired to do anything as planned (while in Taipei might as well do something.) I had planned on going to Yangmingshan to photograph the maple trees, but as my camera was gone, lost the urge, and we were back in sunny Yilan by noon.

Seeing Slash jamming the guitar behind his back, even if we could only see him on the screen, we were in the presence of greatness. I admit I was jealous of people in front of me with their fancier smartphones, zooming in on the band, so it looks like they were front row, while my camera could barely focus in the dark. Still, sitting beside my kid screaming out joyfully, her giddy face with stars in her eyes, priceless.

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Heart and Seoul Weekend Getaway


I'm so thankful for 10/10 and all the glorious 10/10 holiday weekend travel opportunities. This year was no exception. I found cheap flights to Seoul, and my kid loved Busan two years ago, so I was keen to take her to the big city for some culture.  I found return flights for two at 12,000 NT with Jin Air.

What a happy surprise, one of my favourite beers from home I can't get in Taiwan, Oh My Guesthouse

There are several ways to get from Incheon Airport to the city. We took the fast airport train to Seoul Station and changed twice (Jogngno Station, then Gyeonbokgung Station) to our guesthouse. On our return trip we just took the Airport Limousine (10,000 KRW/ NT 274 each), as our flight was early and there would be no traffic on the road, the bus only took an hour and seemed easier than switching trains.

Getting around Seoul, or our northern bit was easy with the rechargeable T-Money Card (KRW 3,000). We used it for buses and subways, recharged it several times and passed it on to our Guesthouse owners to gift to other travellers.



 We stayed north of the river (Jogno) near to the president's house and all the UNESCO palaces and famous markets. There was enough to see and do (and eat) in this area for 4 days and 4 nights. Our guesthouse was conveniently situated 2 bus stops (10-minute walk) from Gyeonbokgung Station, one block from the Northern palace entrance and president's house.

Our Oh My Guesthouse was in a residential neighbourhood. The owners lived upstairs and were extremely friendly and helpful. When we arrived we happily ate their leftovers, sweet potato noodles with veg, a little meat and seaweed, very fragrant with sesame oil and roasted seeds and nourishing. There were 3 rooms around the shared kitchen and all us guests (a Russian couple, and a Japanese woman) all had our own bathroom. Breakfast was complimentary and included hard boiled eggs, toast, coffee, fruit, cereal. Enough to fuel us until brunch at the traditional market a couple of blocks away. Our room was a bunk bed, desk, very simple and new for (NT 3,628/ KRW132,000) 4 nights. Obviously, she got the top bunk.



My kid was begging to rent a traditional Korean Hanbok dress and there are several places to rent them around Gyeongokgung Palace. She rented the cheapest one for 10,000 for 4 hours and we busted ass to get it back on time, and were late 10 minutes and charged 2000 KRW for it (not much, like 100 NT). So I'd recommend renting the Hanbock for the day. We were literally running those last ten minutes to make it on time, and I twisted my ankle something fierce (stupidly wearing boots with a small heel) and now several weeks later it's still not 100% recovered.

View of Deoksugung Palace from the 13th floor cafe in City Hall (Jeongdong Observatory), free, Seoul Subway Line 1, 2 Exit 11

Our first day it was raining, but not intense like Yilan, so for us it was fine, and by the afternoon and the rest of our trip it was sunny and dry. I had anticipated it would be cold, having gone on previous 10/10 holidays to Japan, freezing our tails off, but no, Seoul was warm enough during the day and constantly walking, sightseeing, we were overdressed.


Our first couple of days we explored the most famous five Grand Joseon Palaces and Confucius Shrine, which are conveniently clustered together and World Heritage Sites. I bought a combination ticket, which was good for a month, and on the first day, my kid had free entry with her Hanbok dress.

Selfie at the Secret Garden

 I especially looked forward to the Secret Garden tour, as that was memorable for me when I visited it 14 years ago during the winter. I was hoping to see some trees changing color and we weren't disappointed.  The only way to see the Secret Garden is to take a tour and when we were there, the Korean tour was starting so we joined them.


Sandwiched between Gyeonbokgung and Changdeokgung is Bukchon, a quaint tourist trap of beautiful traditional "hanok" Korean houses and cafes, galleries and international restaurants. We saw a couple of the old style houses and roofs and turned back. My kid and I prefer to eat street food, cheap shops frequented by Uni students, or the traditional market between our Oh My Guesthouses and Gyeonbokgung station. It's much cheaper and authentic. A street away from Gyeonbokgung Station there is a "food street" where we splurged on a traditional Korean BBQ dinner. I came to the conclusion that many Korean foods are food you eat when drinking beer or foods you eat nursing a hangover from drinking too much. My kid and I basically were walking and eating the whole time, sampling this and that.





On our last full day, we spent it at the touristy and expensive Insadong neighbourhood, just south of Bukchon. Here we went to three different traditional tea houses (and some of the cities oldest), walked into a few art galleries, antique stores and of course headed straight for the Trick Eye Museum (what we also did in Busan two years ago.)



The tea houses we visited were Dawon in the garden of the Kyungin Museum of Fine Art, Shin Old Tea House (신옛찻집), sitting on the floor in a little private, sunny and  airy veranda sipping chrysanthemum tea, and the Moonbird Only Thinks of the Moon 달새는 달만 생각한다), a dusty, bric-a-brac faded photograph feeling nook off an alley, blast from the past which my kid loved.



During our time we tried to visit  Namdaemon Market but really just stayed in the periphery. Looking into the cramped, crowded bodies on bodies crowd is my kid's least favourite thing, so we also skipped on the newer Dongdaemun Market. There are so many night markets around this area, including the upscale Myeongdong Market, Gwangjang and the front gate of Ewha Women's University -if one is so inclined.


My kid and I were more into the food, tea and history than shopping.





















There were tons of examples of a lively democratic public body, free speech, protests, political posters, people camping out. I couldn't read Korean, but the photos of Nazi Trump buddying up with Kim Jong-Un were obvious enough.


All and all an epic short and sweet trip. If we ever return,  or if  I had an extra day, I'd like to take her to the DMZ which is a day trip from Seoul (I was there in 2004 on a tour with the US Army).




Accommodation
NT 3,628/ 132,000
Airport Limo/ AREX all stops

Limo 1100NT/660NT

₩40,000/₩24,000

T-Money Card (transport)

₩3,000 x2=₩6,000/ NT 165

2 days Lunch + Dinner (7,000 a meal)
1 day 30,000/ 2 days + 1 dinner =
95,000
100,000= 2, 750 NT
Be safe: 5,000/181,728
shopping/extra/
5,000NT/ 181, 728
Combined Palace Tour
10,000 each/ NT 550 (total)
Changdeokgung Secret Garden
8,000 ₩
Follow Cheonggyecheon Stream
free
Jeongdong Observatory (정동전망대 view of Deoksugung Palace. cafe located on the same floor if you need a refreshment.
free
Hike Bukhansan
free
Sunset over Bukchon Hanok Village
free
Total

Sunday, October 14, 2018

September Cornucopia: Persimmon


Maybe it was global warming or the lack of summer typhoons that were spinning away from Taiwan every time, but persimmon season came a month early in my backwater. My landlady's dad has a few trees in front of my house (which he gave me a bucket full), and my neighbors have tons. Not wanting to waste and in the spirit of exploration we tried out all kinds of persimmon recipes.


Where I come from in the States, persimmon isn't available (when I was growing up). I didn't even know what they were until moving to Taiwan, but apparently, the Pacific NW and California have them. They are also grown in Korea and Japan.

Crepe cake with persimmon-ginger, flax seed jam

There are two main varieties, one that can be eaten crunchy like an apple (Fuyu) and the other that is only sweet when its soft and bursting like a fig (Hachiya). My neighborhood has the latter. I got literally over 40 on the verge of bursting ones from my neighbor, so my kid and I made a batch of jam and added a bit of ginger from another neighbor and some chia seeds for nutrition (and it helps to gel.)  We burnt the bottom of our pan (it was too thin) and had to try and remove the burnt bits before we gave some to our neighbors and coworkers. Once opened, it had to be eaten within a few days because the chia seeds made it spoil easily. We had so much, my kid baked a bunch of crepes and used the jam to make a crepe cake!



 Most of our leftovers I pureed and put into the freezer or I used the dehydrator and dried them. With the dehydrated pieces, I made a Korean fruit tea (Sujeonggwa) that is stewed with ginger and cinnamon sticks. It's traditionally served cold, but its such an autumn weather drink for a cool rainy day like today! 
Persimmon Cheesecake
We just got another bag from our neighbor so my daughter baked some it into a cheesecake. There is still plenty of fruit left over for another batch of cookies or fruit bread spiked with rum. This cornucopia of baking with persimmon isn't doing any favors for my waistline, but life is still sweet.




Sunday, September 23, 2018

August Cornucopia: Winter Gourds and Papaya

Having spent three weeks in Colorado, our garden was very much neglected. The jungle had taken over. After weeding, I was surprised to find massive melons in the undergrowth.

And the papaya tree we planted last year is so productive, the weight of the 2 dozen plus papayas are making it lean like the Pisa Tower. I had to whip out the dehydrator and dry some of them (135 degrees for 12-15 hours.)

Winter Melon

Honestly, when we bought the seedlings, we thought they were watermelon. Personally, I'm not that much of a fan of winter gourd (also called ash pumpkin). The tea is too sweet for me, and the way its served at my work, (braised and served daily in season) really it's nothing to call home about. When we picked our first melon, thirsty, anticipating sweet watermelon, boy were we surprised- and disappointed!



 Having said that, I suddenly found myself with 5 massive winter gourds the size of large watermelons. My neighbors who are are farmers with their own gardens certainly don't need my small donation and fortunately, they don't spoil quickly.

 It was time to learn some recipes.




In my research, I was pleasantly surprised at how nutritious this humble vegetable is. It is 98% water and is rich in vitamin C and B2, iron, and potassium. Being relatively low in calories and high in fiber, it's very useful for losing or maintaining weight. Also called ash gourd, it has been used for thousands of years in Asia and India and in both TCM and Ayurvedic medicine to cool the body in summer. This means its excellent for treating "heat" imbalances such as boils, constipation, and ulcers and should be avoided in large amounts by people who are asthmatic or prone to colds. Adding black pepper offsets the cooling effect. It is one of the most revered plants in Ayurvedic medicine as its so high in "prana" (chi) and extremely energizing. Drinking winter melon tea daily supposedly sharpens the mind, without agitating the body like caffeine. Since 1995, western science has found winter melon to help with balancing blood sugar to shrinking cancer tumors to treating opioid addiction (see Sadhguru).



The easiest way to serve winter melon is drinking it in tea. In Taiwan, the tea is sold at tea shops, street markets. If you want to "make it yourself", its sold in small cakes which have been dried and molded with brown sugar. I decided to make a syrup that I could add to water. This recipe used brown and rock sugar, but I decided to use date sugar. When we wanted a quick dessert, we made winter melon tea with some taro balls and whipped cream.

Just a warning, but cleaning out the flesh of an ash melon and boiling it for 90 minutes is much more labor intensive than I thought. The flesh is certainly firmer than a watermelon, but not as compact as an uncooked pumpkin. I recommend buying the small sugar brick and boil it in hot water into a syrup, much less time-consuming. Water it down according to your taste.

Traditionally, winter melon soup is cooked with pork ribs, ginger and rice wine or braised with carrots. We served our soup inside our empty gourd. It can also be cooked with chicken, or with dried shrimp, pork meatballs or in vegan soups.

Winter Melon Recipes:

Kerala Olan (Indian CurryVegan Soup with cowpeas, coconut milk and cubed wintermelon)
Wintermelon Jam
Wintermelon Candy: Right now I don't have semolina, rose essence and just threw out my cardamon so I will have to wait until a trip to Taipei to stock up and try this one.
Wintermelon and Barley Soup with Clams and Shitake
Wintermelon and Citrus Caprese Salad: This year our pomelos are sweet and ready to eat so we used this instead of grapefruit, and replaced champagne vinegar with pineapple vinegar (made by our neighbor). Mozzarella balls are unavailable in Yilan so we made our own vegan version with cashews. [Note: agar agar is called 訂購 in Chinese and can be replaced with gelatin if you can't find it].

Papaya



Who doesn't love papaya? (I'm sure there is someone). In Taiwan papaya is used as a shaved ice flavor or topping, ice cream and we add it to our shakes chia seed puddings or as a topping to our yogurt. It's great to eat it all on its own. My kid grew up drinking papaya milk at the night market or at home (raw milk).

Papaya can be savory. Recently, we made green papaya salad with Thai fish sauce, coconut sugar, bean sprouts and shredded carrots over mung bean noodles and garnished with crushed wasabi peanuts. Just be sure to mix well the coconut sugar because I didn't the first time and got some bites of sugar bits, which isn't cool. Normal granulated would be fine.

Likewise, the fruit can be grilled all on its own, or in kebabs with shrimp, boneless chicken, and any other vegetable. Papaya also can replace tomato for a chunky Mexican salsa. Perfect for a Moon Festival BBQ.

Every part of the papaya plant is useful and edible, if not medicinal. (Read, 9 Uses of Papaya Leaf)


Papaya Recipes

Salmon and Papaya Salsa
Papaya Habanero Salsa
Blackened Salmon with Papaya Mojo
Papaya Coconut Cupcakes
Papaya Dragon Fruit Coconut Pie: We replaced mango with red dragonfruit for the pudding.
Papaya Pecan Streusel Cake

Simply blended with milk is one of the most basic drinks in Taiwan, a night market favorite.

Combined Recipes
Soup
Jam: My next experiment. Why not combine them? I'll add pectin just in case, and will boil away the water of the winter melon before adding the papaya.







Friday, September 7, 2018

Familia Ante Omnia: Holiday in Colorado

While in Yilan I had made a plan of trails I wanted to hike, errands I needed to run,
places we could all take the kids, but I certainly didn't do everything I planned, let
alone see old friends I wanted to see. This trip was shorter than last summer's by
a week, and we spent more time in New Mexico visiting extended family. Nonetheless,
it was priceless to catch up with my family, to put up our feet and rest.


My kid contemplative, Georgetown, CO
Most people, my relatives, friends, neighbors would ask me the same two questions. The
first, was why I liked to live in Taiwan so much, I mean we have been living abroad on
this island for ten years. I told them, it was the high quality of life. I'm not making
enough money to save a nest egg, but the health care system, safety, kind people are
envy worthy (read about Taiwan's path to single payer health care system). In fact,
Taiwan scored #1 by expats for quality of life and #3 for personal happiness.



I was hoping I could get a SIM card, to make catching up with friends easier.

Traveling around Asia, its cheap and convenient to get a SIM card with a local
number and internet at the airport, but in the US this doesn't exist. I read that
Walmart sells T-Mobile's "Tourist Package" but they didn't and whatever I got
wasn't compatible with my unlocked phone. I wasn't able to get a proper refund,
but only its worth as a gift certificate. In hindsight, my Dad was right I didn't
need it, free wifi was everywhere.



So this was the first trip home, where Z was actually wanting to return to Taiwan.

Shocking, but I guess she is growing up and can see that Colorado (and extended
family), America isn't this enchanted Utopia she had thus far believed. The
rose-colored glasses are off, reality is complicated. Perhaps its the pain of grief too,
her cousin who passed, that still stains her perspective. This time around we visited
two cemeteries in two different states.





She missed her friend (who is in her junior high class), she missed her bedroom,
she missed the dogs she missed our cat. It's more simple here in Yilan, maybe
that's what I missed. What I realize, that she doesn't, is we are missing out on being
a part of my nieces and nephews growing up. They are so much younger than her, she
couldn't really appreciate her young cousins.  I, on the other hand, tried to soak up as
many hugs and stolen kisses I could. Of course, they were all about grandma and grandpa.



I also saw how dependent my brothers were on my parents, for childcare, for little

things. As a single mom in a foreign country, I can see from the outside how fortunate
my brothers and their kids are to be so close to each other, to my folks.



My sister-in-laws are fabulous, hardworking, ambitious full time working mothers.
They appreciate all the childcare my folks do. One pays my mom and the other just
took my mom to Mexico for a week (for a much-needed vacation no doubt!)



We arrived on a late Saturday afternoon and the next Sunday had a family BBQ

with all four of my brothers. Since everyone is working, it was only one of two days
we were all together. One brother left the next day for a scuba diving liveaboard off
of Panama for a week, doing reef rehabilitation, and when he returned, he was working
long hours.
Georgetown Train Loop
I was able to have a hike with my youngest brother but spent most of my time with my
two middle brothers.  Fortunately, everyone lives within a 5-mile radius of each other,
which makes dropping off their kids or my folks picking them up from school easy.
Most days the house was full of them laughing, crying and my mom running around at
their beck and call, getting two of them to nap. I am glad to be out of that phase, but
it's sure nice when they are well fed, content and wanting a cuddle.

My second weekend, we took the Bustang from Union Station to Frisco (2x daily $12) to

stay with my fabulous friend Caren. Her daughter is my daughter's age and they got
along like 2 peas in a pod. Tragically, there was a traffic accident on I-70, a young girl
died (her mom was drunk driving) and the highway was closed for hours, we arrived in
Summit County late, but made the best of it with beer and pizza.



The next day Caren took us for a hike at tree line above lake Dillon. It was more like a

graduated walk- which was perfect for our Taiwanese adapted, sea level lungs. I could
totally feel the altitude (in a good way), the thin air on my vocal chords felt noticeably
different, I was getting breathless. We have been gone too long. Before we returned to
Denver, we went for a swim in a freezing lake near their home. Thankfully the fierce sun
was blazing, burning. It was so cold I was afraid to swim to shore, unlike my friend who
did it three times.




Road Trip


Soon after coming down from the mountains, we were packing for a road trip with my Dad

to see his family in New Mexico. On our way to Albuquerque, we ate brunch at Cracker
Barrel (餅乾桶) in Pueblo, which is a kind of road trip tradition and treat for my family.
The food is all country style, Southern, heavy cooking and a chance for my Dad to eat
childhood favorites like his beloved grits. My kid was all over their meatloaf,  mashed
potatoes and gravy and I couldn't get enough of the turnip greens cooked in bacon
drippings. My kid and I love their gift store which has a large nostalgic candy section of
candy from my childhood you just can't find anywhere else. (Same goes for their
traditional handicraft sodas.) American food is so carb heavy and salty, but so good.

My kid shocked my Dad when she told him why they call themselves 'Cracker Barrel',

"Because everyone who eats there is white and fat!"


View from my grandmother's grave
We made a stopover in Santa Fe to see my grandmother's gravestone inside the
National Cemetery. She died last year and was buried there because my grandpa is a
veteran. (He will be buried beside her.) Unlike most of the cemetery, her spot didn't
have a cross because her place is so close to a residential neighborhood and the homeowners
complained. Nonetheless, it was very peaceful, and the pinon was fragrant as soon as we
got out of the car. My grandmother is remembered by her tirelessness, independence,
and straightforward talk. I admire her because she was basically a single mom for 12
years (like me now) while my grandpa was doing eight tours abroad or traveling to
different bases.

Brunch in Pueblo had filled us up until we met my aunt, cousin and uncle at a restaurant in
Albuquerque called, Casa de Benavidez. The food was filling, heavy, and delicious. My aunt
and I washed it down with a margarita. My daughter still wasn't impressed with Mexican
food and by the end of our NM road trip our guts were crying from too much of a good
thing.

My father's younger sister is bearing the brunt of taking care of my grandpa.
His retirement home is a minute away and she is there daily catering to his whims, while
also working. Before I left Colorado, my veteran brother made sure to have me ask my
grandpa three questions, which I did. He answered the two relating to his 21 years of
active service.



Unbeknownst to me, my grandpa was also called Eli and people also call him Ben.
According to my brother, when he was being trained as a Ranger, he was told his grandpa
Eli Benavides was a POW in Northern Africa. His plane went down in enemy territory.
He and his crew (he was a tail gunner) were captured and tortured. Somehow he escaped-
twice- only to be recaptured having failed to free his crewmates, which he refused to
abandon. During this time, the locals were like, "Who is this kid?" and he learned Arabic
and French and eventually with local help he and his friends escaped. Sounds pretty epic
and you can't find any info to back up the story anywhere, because my grandpa was
enlisted in the OSS at that time (which was a secret intelligence gathering department
that preceded the CIA). I've seen tried to find his story in the National Archives
but can't his name or aliases anywhere. His incredible story doesn't end there.

We took my grandpa for a walk around Old Town and then had a BBQ feast at my aunt's. My uncle grilled pineapple, salmon, beef, my aunt had handmade corn tortillas and queso fresco from the Mexican market. It was pretty perfect. We reminisced about recent memories of passed loved ones;  my niece Emma, of my grandma, and shared moments of quiet reflection and moments of laughter.

After a few days in Albuquerque, we were on our way to Roswell, to see my uncle, my dad's childhood home in the hood and of course the UFO Museum where my grandpa's photo is hanging. What we hadn't planned, but was on my bucket list for some time, was to have a swim in the Blue Hole two hours east of Albuquerque and on the historical route 66 in the small town of Santa Rosa.

The Blue Hole was public, so it was free and we changed clothes in the dingy bathroom nearest the pool. When we arrived, there were some girls a few years older than my kid coaxing her to jump. soon she got the nerve to jump from the highest rock. The water was absolutely freezing. This spot is a good place for local divers to take their tests and practice skills, while also having perfect visibility. Yes, I jumped in a couple of times, but its too cold for me and no fish. I was expecting it to be bigger, as wide as it is deep. Still it was worth the detour. Santa Rosa also has several lakes, a Route 66 car museum, and a Billy the Kid Museum. From there we headed south.

In Roswell we went took lunch at a trucker type buffet, serving more "white people food." It had a chocolate fountain and cotton candy machine, so my kid thought it was "fancy." We took a break from Mexican food and were right back to stuffing our faces with mashed potatoes, meatloaf and gravy. I had a slice of pumpkin pie. For my kid and it was perfect.

My grandpa's testimony hanging in the UFO Museum

After lunch, we went to the much anticipated UFO Museum. My kid is an X-Files fan, so she has been looking forward to this, to hearing her great-grandpa's close encounter and seeing his photo in the display. My grandparents used to live in Roswell, my Dad was born there, my grandpa was stationed there working at Walker Airforce Base. His job was to guard weapons and he was on site and involved with the "Roswell UFO Incident" (羅斯威爾飛碟墜毀事件). I first heard about this in my early 20's, my then living grandma told me his story in the car, while my grandpa nodded in agreement. He was still much too scared to talk about it himself. This time around, inside his retirement home, I got the story from the source.


There was an electrical storm, a young rancher, a University student home from Texas found the wreckage on his father's land. There were alien bodies, some were dead, two were still alive, my grandpa described them having this horrible stench. The living ones were murmuring and taken to the base hospital. My grandpa's men detained the young man for a few days, he wouldn't go into details about what they were holding him for.

The UFO museum was interesting. It had displays of different versions of the story as well as the official US government version (high altitude weather balloons). It had a display on the Nazi's flying saucers. Some of it was hokey too. There was a display on aliens in movies, crop circles that sort of thing. What I found interesting was evidence of god-like alien contact with early or primitive cultures; Australian aboriginal rock art, Hopi Kachinas, and a very convincing Mayan glyph.



After the museum, we headed to my Uncle Mike's to catch up. He's a funny guy and it's been a couple of years since I saw him. I wish we had more time to tag along on one of his famous fishing trips, my kid loves fishing. Grandpa was sure to take her trout fishing at least once this trip.


We returned to Albuquerque had coffee and donuts with my relatives, said my goodbyes to my Grandpa who said as I hugged him, " This will  probably be the last time we see each other." I told him he had 10 years left, as he always brags how his father lived to 102 or something. Still, I felt tears welling up and promised to write him more. Then we were back on the road to Santa Fe.



Smiling Sydney and my Dad shooting his camera
We were in Santa Fe specifically to see my good friend Sydney, a jewelry artist and teacher. I met Sydney years ago on the island of Banda Ache, Northern Sumatra (Indonesia) when my kid was 3 or 4. I knew she was one of these incredible people, the moment we met; her life is pretty full of supernatural ups and downs. Based in Kuala Lumpur at the time, we stayed at her upscale, modern condo several times during the many times we traveled to Malaysia (cheapest direct flights from Taipei). What a joy to see her in her beatific home/workshop utterly flourishing in the arty vibe of my ancestors.

My daughter tryon Sydney's handmade specs
It just so happened to be the annual "Indian Market", which is not a very PC name for North America's largest gathering of Native artisans. There were talented street performers galore on every corner, dancers, drummers and we happily gave each of them a couple of bucks. I have never seen, or held in my hand so many expensive, pieces of jewelry before (other than Sydney's). A single piece of jewelry was worth 15,000 USD or more. We had dinner at a food truck down the street from her home, drank beer brewed on site and listened to live jazz.


Sydney's home/art studio

The next morning we said our goodbyes to Sydney while she dug through hidden treasures to gift Z, and then we fed her prairie dog neighbors some leftovers before we hit the road. My daughter didn't know what prairie dogs were, which blows my mind. "Like meercats, just watch out for rattlesnakes."


On the road again

Final Daze
Our last Tuesday, my folks, one sister-in-law, one brother, and all of the little ones went to Georgetown to ride the historical steam train between the former gold mines mines. There was a small train museum, gift shop, we panned for gold and took a mine tour. It was an amsuing half day, all the kiddies passed out in the mini shuttle bus my Dad rented.

Our last night, there was a free concert in the park. The Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks tribute band rocked. I was impressed! I was not expecting the muscicans and singer to be so professional. The park was packed. My brother wanted to go right down in the front of the so speakers so my hearing impaired nephew could feel the vibrations. My nephew was mesmerized.

Next Time