Too _________ for words

I have so many pictures on my memory disk that it’s not even funny. It’s been two whole days since I last logged on to WordPress and clicked New Post. Like this chika, I am at a loss for words and am having a hard time at slewing those pictures together into one humongous yet eloquent post. I’ve been praying that some inspiration will hit me. Uhhhh…maybe not.

I’ve been thinking how I should document my blasting fun stay in Taiwan. I’ve been lugging my dSLR everywhere I go (well, almost), taking pictures like a tourist even though I’ve lived here my entire life. I’m doing this all for the sake of this blog, ’cause I so want to show all of you the treasures found in Taiwan!  I have loads of pics of city scenes, night markets, traditional open air markets, etc. But I think I’ll leave that to the end of my stay and combine all those pics into one huge post. For now, I’ll focus on food…you like that right 😉

Anyhooz, on Friday night, I met up with S to go to a Hello Kitty Theme Restaurant that she said she’s been wanting to try. With me back, she can finally brave herself to enter that obnoxiously pink restaurant.

They have a display of a variety of sweets, cakes, pastries near the entrance of the store. I was absolutely salivating over these while we were waiting to get seated!

Hello Kitty overload?

We were seated on the second floor of the restaurant, again with muchos pink!

I saw this Hello Kitty Bread Bowl on the menu. How cute is that?

Alas, they didn’t have any vegetarian options, so I opted for Vegetarian Calamari Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce.  I got the set meal, which included salad, soup, bread, appetizer, main course, dessert, and choice of drink. It might sound like alot, but here in Taiwan, every course is probably half the size of those in the States.

A salad the size of my palm with Japanese sesame dressing

Veggie soup with cilantro

Hello Kitty bread roll!

Appetizer: Vegetarian calamari with asparagus.

Main course: Vegetarian calamari spaghetti with tomato sauce.

Dessert: Hello Kitty Strawberry Jello

Everything was served on plates with Hello Kitty design.

The food was only above-average good, but it was a worthwhile experience to dine in a pink and girly restaurant 🙂

Unlike the U.S. (and other Western countries?), we celebrate Father’s Day in Taiwan on August 8th. Like I mentioned in this post, we celebrate Father’s Day on that day because August 8 = 8/8= Eight-eight = ba ba (same sound as “Father” in Mandarin). So for Father’s Day this year, we splurged on a fine-dining Japanese restaurant.

We ordered some ice-cold sake to go with our meal. They poured the sake into this glass container with an “inward cave” to put ice in.

It was the best sake I’ve had by far! It actually had a slightly sweet taste to it. I like !

My sister and I both ordered the vegetarian meal set (only the two of us are vegetarians in our family).

Appetizer: some steamed veggies with mushroom. This was literally bite-size.

Vegetarian "sashimi", which is made out of "konjac."

Alot of vegan and vegetarian food items found in Taiwan and other Asian countries feature a type of plant called konjac. The “sashimi” and the “calamari”, for example, are made out of konjac. Konjac is a plant grown in the subtropical East Asian countries (Japan, China, Taiwan, India, Korea, Indonesia). It is tasteless, has a jelly-like texture, is low in calories, and a good vegan substitute for gelatin. You guys are probably more familiar with shirataki noodles, yes? Yup, konjac makes up a good portion of those noodles!

Green sashimi, anyone?

Served with a type of root vegetable and avocado(!)

Okay okay, here comes the good part. Prepare yourself, because this was easily my favorite dish for the entire meal, and because this was LEGEN- wait for it…

Grilled eggplant topped with miso paste!

-DARY!!! Oh who doesn’t love a little Barney Stinson now and then? 😀

Doesn't that just scream "EAT ME I'M DELICIOUS"?!?!

I’m salivating just thinking about it again!

Mini sushi pieces

Hot pot: soup with fresh veggies thrown in.

You dip the veggies from the hot pot in Japanese soy sauce and sesame sauce, then eat in that cute little bowl!

That might have seem like alot of food, but like I said, everything here is on a much, much smaller scale. All the dishes that you’ve witnessed above are probably smaller than the appetizers you find in restaurants in the States. It’s about quality and not quantity here.

It’s also sad to see how the “largest” and most “powerful” country in the world has the poorest quality of eating (developing countries don’t count!). Everything in the U.S. is supersized. It is not normal to eat 8 or 12 oz of steak for one meal! It is not normal to have pasta equivalent of three servings and think that was one serving. It is not normal to consume desserts that are probably more than half of your daily caloric intake.

Speaking of which, out “dessert” is naturally…

Courtesy of my cousin 😉

Overall, a very satisfying meal with lots of healthy, fresh ingredients!

Here are a few pictures of some other eats the other members of my family ordered.

Chilled soba noodles eaten with Japanese soy sauce, and some tempura.

A small piece of steak (literally the size of your palm) that my cousin ordered. Though I've been a vegetarian for two years, the meat looked so tender and perfectly cooked!

Vegetarian gods..please don't smite me. I'm simply admiring the plate.

I’ve recently just finished this book called Love Walked In. If you’re looking for a sentimental, inspiring read about love (and not just romance, but love of family, friendships, and loving a child), this is it!

The blurb on the back of the book:

When Martin Grace enters the hip Philadelphia coffee shop Cornelia Brown manages, her life changes forever. But little does she know that her newfound love is only the harbinger of greater changes to come. Meanwhile, across town, Clare Hobbseleven years old and abandoned by her erratic mothergoes looking for her lost father. She crosses paths with Cornelia while meeting with him at the café, and the two women form an improbable friendship that carries them through the unpredictable currents of love and life. Love Walked In, the first novel by award-winning poet Marisa de los Santos, is bursting with keen insight and beautifully rendered prose. Invoking classic movies to illuminate the mystery and wonder of love in all its permutations, Love Walked In is an uplifting debut that marks the entrance of an enchanting literary voice.

I came across this quote towards the end of the book:

“A real life doesn’t mean getting what you want; the achievement, the privilege, too, is knowing what you love.”

I have many things that I know that I 100% love, of which they are something that I think should be kept personal and dear to my heart. 😀

I know in my last post that I promised to make something featuring matcha and adzuki beans. But lately I’ve just been lazy too busy/not in the mood for baking, so that might have to wait till I return.

Return from what, you ask. My family and I are escaping to the high mountains for a couple of days to get away from the heat. Specifically, here…

See y’all when I get back!

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+ Have you read something worth recommending lately?