Tag: Taiwan

We headed to MOS for breakfast. Last time we were here, MOS didn’t serve breakfast and, as with most burger places, I don’t really care for the breakfast menu. My stomach can’t tell time, I’d rather have a burger than an egg & bacon sandwich or something similar.

Nonetheless, the serve breakfast now and Michelle wanted a ham and egg sandwich, so we decided to go try them.

I ordered a tonkatsu sandwich, Irene ordered a shrimp sandwich and James had the ham & egg sandwich. Little Miss I-Want-Ham-And-Egg opted to have a hot dog instead.

I was displeased with the breakfast for two reasons – they were all cold sandwiches. Luckily for me, my sandwich didn’t have egg on it. I wouldn’t give $0.02 for all the cold egg in the world. The second reason was that each sandwich was really only half a sandwich, that is each one was on one slice of toasted (yet refrigerated) bread, cut in half. it tasted alright, but it wasn’t enough breakfast by a long shot.

James wasn’t too happy with his sandwich, either. For some reason, he wouldn’t eat the ham or egg, and after a couple bites of the toast, declared it “icky” and wouldn’t eat anymore. Good thing, too. Irene ate the piece of bread she was trying to feed him and said, “I know this seems impossible, but there’s peanut butter on this ham & egg sandwich.”

James is allergic (mildly, thankfully) to peanuts. He was already breaking out in a rash on his face.

In what circle of Dante’s Inferno did some condemned chef come up with the idea of putting peanut butter on a ham & egg sandwich? Or was that why he was there in the first place?

The rash faded about 30 minutes to an hour later. Lesson learned, though. Never trust any restaurant not to sneak peanuts in somewhere inappropriate.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Food, Restaurant, Review, Taiwan, Travel

I’m pleased to see Taipei making upgrades to the public infrastructure. For example, they’re installing lighted, covered bus stops in many locations. Apparently, another one of the city’s quality-of-life improvements is the installation of new, very expensive, public garbage cans.

I’ve already mention previously that Taipei used to have public garbage cans, then they instituted a pay-per-the-bag garbage scheme and had to remove the public garbage because everyone was dumping their household garbage to avoid paying. One trip later and the garbage cans had been returned.

This trip I’ve noticed that the garbage cans frequently have household garbage just piled up in bags next to them. Perhaps that, in some way, is why the new garbage cans are being installed, although I fail to see how they are superior in any practical fashion.

In any case, the new garbage cans are going out and they’re being stolen by people who want nice, new solid metal garbage cans at home.

But pictured here is one that really puzzled me. This new garbage can has been mounted on the street and is still in the city of Taipei wrapping paper. Further down the street, you can see the old square garbage can next to the bus stop sign.

Here’s my question: What possible reason would there be to install a garbage can and wait before opening it for public use? Does it have to be prepped in some way?

Looking closer, here’s something even funnier: It’s already filled with garbage, anyway.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Taiwan, Travel

Is there anything more instinctive than a revulsion to the creepy-crawlies?

Nothing comes immediately to mind, especially when brutes like this can run out into the middle to the room at rodent-like speeds. I saw this guy out of the corner of my eye last night and nearly jumped out of my skin. He ran to ground here (before be met an untimely demise) where I caught a few pictures for posterity.

Incidentally, the black baseboard he’s resting on is 4 inches, top to bottom.

They say they’re good for catching mosquitoes and cockroaches, but as the kids and I are, essentially, sleeping on the floor, I’d rather he wasn’t running around the floor. I wouldn’t give the family dog good odds in a fight with this monster.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Taiwan, Travel

Follow-up to my earlier post on Diana’s wedding proposal.

For the last 3 days or so, the Taipei 101 now has a sign saying “Yes, I do!”

Technorati Tags: Books, Taiwan, Travel

I love the traffic lights in some cities in Taiwan. They have a countdown timer that shows exactly how long both the red and the green lights last. (Not sure about the yellow light.)

I’d like to think there’s no negatives to this scheme, but, of course, some jackass will use the knowledge of when the light is changing to speed up and run the intersection in a dangerous fashion.

Oh well, nothing’s perfect.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Taiwan, Travel

Honestly, I really do have a brother-in-law, he’s not just a comic fabrication that I use to add levity.

He’s got a girlfriend – the same one he had last time we were here. We haven’t figured out why they’re not married yet. Then again, maybe it isn’t that hard to figure out why they’re not married yet.

Batrina (That’s the girlfriend. Don’t ask me where she got that moniker.) is going to England to study at Leeds for 1 year.

The picture here is a nice new piece of luggage/backpack that was on the floor when we got home from Alishan. It’s Johnny’s. It hasn’t moved for two days. He’s got no reason to use it. Why did he buy it then?

My wife got the story from Batrina. She bought it for Johnny. Long-term girlfriend going away for a year to a foreign country, buys her boyfriend a new piece of traveling luggage: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.

Johnny’s response: “Oh, you wasted your money. I don’t need luggage.”

I’m going to buy him a shirt that says, “I am a cartoon character.”

Technorati Tags: Blog, Family, Taiwan, Travel

One of my favorite pastimes in Taipei is to drop into the subway system, pick a station I’ve never been to and go there to explore. Since most of the stations are subterranean it’s impossible to have a feel for where you are.

Each station has a map showing what’s around it. Maddeningly, they’re oriented in a random fashion. North is almost never up, which makes it more difficult to visualize.

I chose Yongning station because of three reasons: (1) I had no idea where Yongning was (2) It’s the terminal station on the subway’s blue line, and (3) It’s a new station, completed since the last time I was here.

When I arrived, the map provided with with little hope, the major landmarks in the area were a cemetery, a waste water treatment plant and a cement factory. No parks, museums nor shopping complexes.

When I popped my head out of the station, I noticed that I was near one of the perimeter mountains around Taipei, that it appears to be an industrial area and that it was beginning to pour rain again. With my trusty umbrella in one hand, GPS in the other, I headed out in a direction that turned out to be South-West. The most distinct landmarks were the cow statues in the middle of a street. No clue what that was about.

What a bleak area. Double-stacked freight trucks plied up and down the streets, honking at each other constantly. Packs of wild dogs roamed the streets, following people menacingly and the inhabitants just stared at me like they’d never seen a foreigner. This area certainly seemed off the beaten path for tourists.

About 1.5 to 2 Km out from the station, I decided I’d had enough. The storm had turned into a proximate lightening storm, and I’m not comfortable walking in the lightening with an umbrella/lightening rod. I needn’t worry about that for long, for the wind started picking up, blowing at almost gale force. At one point, while crossing a street, the wind caught my umbrella and shredded it. The metal stays tore through the fabric like a big metal spider. One of them latched into the back of my shirt and tore a hole in it, effectively locking the remains of the umbrella around my head. I had a hairy, blind moment or two as I fought the monster off.

I was glad I visited, but I was equally glad I’ve “checked off” Yongning station and aren’t likely to need to return.

Technorati Tags: Blog, Taiwan, Travel