from the land of dragons + dumplings

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqHBoENdxyAQZqcVg61I17KykkERVDkFxVMdXcuZTeg8ejt0JcYVceu0a3ag7WMtuVEvjD9bE0mqMQwSgsmmM975_2UMYd-OK3ox9zaI4Kgli_Pl7JpGojoAoeQ2utHef2anwNCMw6GqC/s1600/IMG_0937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoqHBoENdxyAQZqcVg61I17KykkERVDkFxVMdXcuZTeg8ejt0JcYVceu0a3ag7WMtuVEvjD9bE0mqMQwSgsmmM975_2UMYd-OK3ox9zaI4Kgli_Pl7JpGojoAoeQ2utHef2anwNCMw6GqC/s640/IMG_0937.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I'm home. back with Husband. in the land of dragons and dumplings. let's kick things off with a list, shall we?<br /><br />1. jetlag is a biatch. I slept from 1-6am the first night I arrived, 11pm-4am the second, finally made it midnight - 7am only to give up and take some melatonin and go to bed at 8pm last night. if you know me in real life you know how cranky I get without enough sleep. thankfully I did some napping so I was mostly just completely out of it. hoping that after today I'll be back in the groove... the melatonin makes me feel like I'm in outer space, but I slept until 7am.<br /><br />2. I had a really awkward moment before I left the states. my parents dropped me off at the airport in Detroit, and since I had 3 bags which were 50 pounds or more we decided to use the curbside bag drop. well. this lady scanned all my document and went in to get an overweight bag tag and took care of me. my dad tried to slip me money to tip her, and maybe it was the emotional trauma of leaving or residual crankiness from fighting with verizon over ending my prepaid service or because people don't tip like that in taiwan, I waved him off. she had to give her little "I'll be handling your bags from here" speech about 4 times before it sank in, <i>yes you idiot you should tip her</i>. so I slipped her the money and scampered away in shame to the security line.<br /><br />3. on the long stretch of my flight, the guy next to me decided to fall asleep propped up on our shared armrest and totally invaded my personal space. as a result I had to twist myself into some interesting positions in an attempt to get some sleep and not have my butt go numb from sitting so long. one of the passengers who was also on the Tokyo to Taipei leg struck up a conversation with me by saying "I was watching you sleeping..." and because I was twisting myself up like a pretzel she thought I must be an interesting person and wanted to talk to me. a little less creepy than it sounds because she was actually a very nice middle aged Asian woman going to visit her uncle in Taipei, but still. this is why I hate sleeping in public.<br /><br />4. saturday night we went to- where else?- <a href="http://inkandadventure.blogspot.tw/search/label/din%20tai%20fung" target="_blank">Din Tai Fung</a> with friends. I've been dreaming of soup dumplings and fried rice ever since mid-August. I avoided Asian food while in the states because I knew it just wouldn't measure up. [ok, there was that one time I went to Pei Wei and was totally wierded out by the Asian family at the table next to us... must be like when we go to "American" restaurants here. the Chinese food they serve in America is not real Chinese food, people. there is no such thing as sweet + sour chicken over here. it's all a tasty sham, created to cater to American tastebuds.] anyway. we stuffed ourselves on pork and mushroom dumplings, sauteed spinach and hot + sour soup until we couldn't eat another bite. and it was beautiful.<br /><br />5. post-dumpling feast we played <a href="http://cardsagainsthumanity.com/" target="_blank">cards against humanity</a>. it's sortof like apples to apples, only in an adult and totally inappropriate and my-face-still-hurts-this-morning-I-laughed-so-hard way.<br /><br />6. I got back on the scooter yesterday. ok, well, I got on the back of the scooter while Husband drove. we went downtown to our favorite curry spot. they always give you a bowl of broth when you sit down. it was really cloudy yesterday and tasted very basil-y. and while I was stirring up the stuff on the bottom I realized there was a tiny fish in my spoon. <b>staring at me with its eyeball.</b> the broth was really tasty, and tiny dried fish/shrimp are not rare to find in your food in Asia. but it totally wigged me out. I spent the rest of my meal thinking I had a tiny fin stuck in my teeth... and regretting I didn't bring my phone/camera to document the moment. <i>thanks for the welcome home, Taiwan.</i>

from the land of dragons + dumplings

I'm home. back with Husband. in the land of dragons and dumplings. let's kick things off with a list, shall we? 1. jetlag is a biatc...

Read more »

life lately // hsinchu summer

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpS9rGB1WHRG5SbEzrWyw7NuFcV_-yh5mWchDed67yFYY2FtW8bMnEicQ5rUO6aJgN9J7rpi0d3uFSoPWxXgo-8zlva7A98QYd3flIgmT_2x_S7kiNtNQc75pGQj8hUnnPYxIEytZHO8t0/s1200/summer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpS9rGB1WHRG5SbEzrWyw7NuFcV_-yh5mWchDed67yFYY2FtW8bMnEicQ5rUO6aJgN9J7rpi0d3uFSoPWxXgo-8zlva7A98QYd3flIgmT_2x_S7kiNtNQc75pGQj8hUnnPYxIEytZHO8t0/s640/summer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />school is out and expat friends are taking off for home or other travels. walking outside feels a little bit like stepping into a bowl of soup... the humidity is now in full force. the sunrise starts at 4:43am. <b>summer has officially arrived in Hsinchu.</b><br /><br />Husband's mother has also arrived. for her first meal out in Taiwan we - <i>of course -</i> took her to Din Tai Fung.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQtmd7y8E32_UVMHB4NDmL3KeWG07Tl0ln38qC2wJx2nk6lRvMnw_URKmMTAEPLgdYVVhbeTuRwwwg3sptoCd_klTzNeVUo9hZZlfJLgfRJ3lIv1L5kuopLetxFLWk4Dt6WU2hDROqIDO/s900/IMG_0815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQtmd7y8E32_UVMHB4NDmL3KeWG07Tl0ln38qC2wJx2nk6lRvMnw_URKmMTAEPLgdYVVhbeTuRwwwg3sptoCd_klTzNeVUo9hZZlfJLgfRJ3lIv1L5kuopLetxFLWk4Dt6WU2hDROqIDO/s640/IMG_0815.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJJT13-YbwtcGePFhy2hX-G_1H4rvUQ6QAHLUpbrLPP6UQj3qVE22m-Jup3lWCmcB3T3pTMyVqEmJ42pvqJJGJy5KPXu5_bEvBzEnLvAbbvLuTIuUXrVtxY1vDOAmNkqQRnyC8GPBBYXa/s900/IMG_0823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJJT13-YbwtcGePFhy2hX-G_1H4rvUQ6QAHLUpbrLPP6UQj3qVE22m-Jup3lWCmcB3T3pTMyVqEmJ42pvqJJGJy5KPXu5_bEvBzEnLvAbbvLuTIuUXrVtxY1vDOAmNkqQRnyC8GPBBYXa/s640/IMG_0823.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnDRNAX1SqalSdZdaIQ1k4_3YvO2bK8s7McpUM2RHyEIZ6JoD2E5RuCxlc1SfNt6ulutw4QPcCQxxa8xIgZuRvh2KVB88CqFpRusZU9PGcd0DgJuz-ddgPGEYPehqBF_oD6zfdN1dwcAi/s900/IMG_0819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnDRNAX1SqalSdZdaIQ1k4_3YvO2bK8s7McpUM2RHyEIZ6JoD2E5RuCxlc1SfNt6ulutw4QPcCQxxa8xIgZuRvh2KVB88CqFpRusZU9PGcd0DgJuz-ddgPGEYPehqBF_oD6zfdN1dwcAi/s640/IMG_0819.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPRToDvrwo-I2tK4K830grnaCuCf5XL2k9mkJ9r7Jc_7tcuzyXGH4nxSmfk_xkTO1Ux0ncKVyupdb1J9fPjSZzpzvWtXJAy4tbHYeAZqQsm5xJ0KDhyphenhyphenJS_d6viMbFuuA9BPDp9IDy4fQZ/s900/IMG_0821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPRToDvrwo-I2tK4K830grnaCuCf5XL2k9mkJ9r7Jc_7tcuzyXGH4nxSmfk_xkTO1Ux0ncKVyupdb1J9fPjSZzpzvWtXJAy4tbHYeAZqQsm5xJ0KDhyphenhyphenJS_d6viMbFuuA9BPDp9IDy4fQZ/s640/IMG_0821.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfi2J_NvyATvHDCf8VhM4S2-_XevpEQLpmrswnV_vxQlv2o5ug_a_tk1VlWm9yOn_eOT0HhHHxehkGO7NQT4q4_ZLtsAPKthWHavJBnX5i_ePtizzo-1hfetchRmkKWJu4j_uUkMHnQaZS/s900/IMG_0822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfi2J_NvyATvHDCf8VhM4S2-_XevpEQLpmrswnV_vxQlv2o5ug_a_tk1VlWm9yOn_eOT0HhHHxehkGO7NQT4q4_ZLtsAPKthWHavJBnX5i_ePtizzo-1hfetchRmkKWJu4j_uUkMHnQaZS/s640/IMG_0822.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />the boys had fun picking out a selection of our favorites for her to try. I think I reminded Husband to order me soup too many times because a GIANT bowl arrived, but we managed to finish it. we had 13 of us so they split us into 2 tables [you can see the rest of our friends in the back of the last picture] and stuck us in the far back corner of the restaurant. but we still had a good time. and ate <b>lots</b> of good food.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUctsmxfBYmhxXVtNvow0ftFhHzQlT_Lky9ueqCi9uKDkHA-TZVg1fj44UADB2k3pfErpnU9HXnPuydHdzoT26q2RBZcuSIRLdOfEHItRbTTTgNU49YbA3FI5yQoC0sGyZZDRx2OwJijw/s900/IMG_0824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUctsmxfBYmhxXVtNvow0ftFhHzQlT_Lky9ueqCi9uKDkHA-TZVg1fj44UADB2k3pfErpnU9HXnPuydHdzoT26q2RBZcuSIRLdOfEHItRbTTTgNU49YbA3FI5yQoC0sGyZZDRx2OwJijw/s640/IMG_0824.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />today we put my mother-in-law on the back of a scooter and saw a few Hsinchu sights. we walked through the <a href="http://inkandadventure.blogspot.tw/2012/09/hsinchu-flower-market.html" target="_blank">flower market</a>, and a bit of the attached <a href="http://inkandadventure.blogspot.tw/2012/09/to-market-to-market.html" target="_blank">day market</a> that was just setting up. then we stopped in the glass museum [no pictures allowed, boo!] and headed to our favorite burger place [Rick's] for lunch.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DHhzbzCy8ePOrDyBSKGs5eY7N-nZem_ErsEe-U_-1s4vPkmmRF-HSFWxxPo7bU3nlFC1BWENUwXr9cLqTx3FH-3O6vswHks4TOrnL8npkMSMFqX0UxZxhTPtpHnCG6QzjDRz7ZAMWRHu/s1200/IMG_0831.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DHhzbzCy8ePOrDyBSKGs5eY7N-nZem_ErsEe-U_-1s4vPkmmRF-HSFWxxPo7bU3nlFC1BWENUwXr9cLqTx3FH-3O6vswHks4TOrnL8npkMSMFqX0UxZxhTPtpHnCG6QzjDRz7ZAMWRHu/s640/IMG_0831.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUh9kAM2Nx0i4_c1IddFKnHkg98CscX5cNWjfIF9GX73X9TpQL6gN38EHq6ElOwCrsfXlPXVp017RPN7Ss_f7t43PER5vEVwDT7EJN5ljr12yTn7_LBRjw5oQuax0ZA2ydaH_wths5mDe/s900/IMG_0832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUh9kAM2Nx0i4_c1IddFKnHkg98CscX5cNWjfIF9GX73X9TpQL6gN38EHq6ElOwCrsfXlPXVp017RPN7Ss_f7t43PER5vEVwDT7EJN5ljr12yTn7_LBRjw5oQuax0ZA2ydaH_wths5mDe/s640/IMG_0832.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dwlNg5xcrbvx36PYauiwyQX6VPhaophDyDtFaKP1BDi1daTWmGO-bPLOpnu5nazs7dNw91GFpD7IfxSRQBwJ9EQzOOYPbh1oCCjP4kXDlLznJS_TyZlrOHZbng7VXddiSPe8mZqUBgEW/s1200/IMG_0835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6dwlNg5xcrbvx36PYauiwyQX6VPhaophDyDtFaKP1BDi1daTWmGO-bPLOpnu5nazs7dNw91GFpD7IfxSRQBwJ9EQzOOYPbh1oCCjP4kXDlLznJS_TyZlrOHZbng7VXddiSPe8mZqUBgEW/s640/IMG_0835.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwRAcpCKvUlbiSN4hmk0-r1uwk3Ozx6EHeagXjaE85NvyB7XoSAUPj18wyDpYNE5Nxjzm_suYmjXKDM3uZuLPyp80yglQ3Qp6gFeYDfnA1rEii0_YPE9BjGWX2pvq_792TYWVLebDHYGUO/s1200/IMG_0838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwRAcpCKvUlbiSN4hmk0-r1uwk3Ozx6EHeagXjaE85NvyB7XoSAUPj18wyDpYNE5Nxjzm_suYmjXKDM3uZuLPyp80yglQ3Qp6gFeYDfnA1rEii0_YPE9BjGWX2pvq_792TYWVLebDHYGUO/s640/IMG_0838.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />it's definitely fun to have visitors and play tourist in your own town. I'm excited for all the exploring and adventures in the next few weeks [and of course to share them!]<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDFKObtRe2l2CKqWvwM6BXhZQo0maqlxov9r3rq1uOwIUka3aVuqUGL3yoIxE5f5gPo2wRTqweSm4KDz9810uEDVQIFzKtFV0Fj70g9ckAXsldnuRmL_3pUxUBj9sm6ILovwcGrFSUQMT/s900/IMG_0826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDFKObtRe2l2CKqWvwM6BXhZQo0maqlxov9r3rq1uOwIUka3aVuqUGL3yoIxE5f5gPo2wRTqweSm4KDz9810uEDVQIFzKtFV0Fj70g9ckAXsldnuRmL_3pUxUBj9sm6ILovwcGrFSUQMT/s640/IMG_0826.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />

life lately // hsinchu summer

school is out and expat friends are taking off for home or other travels. walking outside feels a little bit like stepping into a bowl of so...

Read more »

din tai fung date night

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuRJBIIYJI32Rx2ZxMbahCadDP6TfEjKn08Tc2WhMtVrQ40ls6WhLYzM-zW1pMZFtsxxdLh8F67GheaWUIgfaXxtGjtahBJgCbyf_KwC0ycXaUesmrm88RlhaxqM8XgysCdj2-9U0gx53/s640/blogger-image-192213964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBuRJBIIYJI32Rx2ZxMbahCadDP6TfEjKn08Tc2WhMtVrQ40ls6WhLYzM-zW1pMZFtsxxdLh8F67GheaWUIgfaXxtGjtahBJgCbyf_KwC0ycXaUesmrm88RlhaxqM8XgysCdj2-9U0gx53/s640/blogger-image-192213964.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKAtKpQRSAzd4ZuSb534SJ4W4sQZhug2J0EApA_pZtcwiSAaq4o4ptcEr7CYTAk0cdB5QzXI5DLewzBX1QdiDDIzW1Dk1V8Gm-M1LhWUjQXVMen-qDNnTNN_VnoTm89-d5zBPbCcuRucE/s640/blogger-image-1752367880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKAtKpQRSAzd4ZuSb534SJ4W4sQZhug2J0EApA_pZtcwiSAaq4o4ptcEr7CYTAk0cdB5QzXI5DLewzBX1QdiDDIzW1Dk1V8Gm-M1LhWUjQXVMen-qDNnTNN_VnoTm89-d5zBPbCcuRucE/s640/blogger-image-1752367880.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI56kq8hYJdAdT5TvH1cOYQyz_woHWTgzXOy7b8TYb_73yJe1t_itVG6ZiqrOspXoyYMlpafuTeOJGHkGlBn9MVpC2FPGKjINkrldiJ9NYkbfc3amiBAJmZmyX3czc2mpQA9B7jPNfE0M/s640/blogger-image--952731886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI56kq8hYJdAdT5TvH1cOYQyz_woHWTgzXOy7b8TYb_73yJe1t_itVG6ZiqrOspXoyYMlpafuTeOJGHkGlBn9MVpC2FPGKjINkrldiJ9NYkbfc3amiBAJmZmyX3czc2mpQA9B7jPNfE0M/s640/blogger-image--952731886.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTzgVY7xG3cgsXOLNnnklOTc0W5pW5U3m3ltggrGJPK6Mx6kH14zHPF3Y-Tx9sL7gMtieB4iyzipo8-sIr8quqexEFNK8RTP1ehveKT9chNYL9dbc7-PSOInsgCEzhJ6iboLoRNxQxvgw/s1600/date1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWTzgVY7xG3cgsXOLNnnklOTc0W5pW5U3m3ltggrGJPK6Mx6kH14zHPF3Y-Tx9sL7gMtieB4iyzipo8-sIr8quqexEFNK8RTP1ehveKT9chNYL9dbc7-PSOInsgCEzhJ6iboLoRNxQxvgw/s640/date1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">this post is brought to you by... my iPhone. [you know, the one that doesn't work as a phone anymore.] </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">as much as my inner practical nerd/scaredy cat/goody two-shoes hates to admit it... I <i>do</i> find climbing on the back of the <strike>motorcycle</strike> scooter to zip off on a date somewhere with my man kinda sexy. last week we went<a href="http://inkandadventure.blogspot.tw/2012/10/din-tai-fung-dumplings.html" target="_blank"> back to Din Tai Fung</a>. Husband had received some gift certificates for the holidays from his students, so we had ourselves a little feast: spicy pickled cucumbers, sauteed spinach, green beans with bacon, spicy pork + vegetable wontons, pork chop fried rice, hot + sour soup, and a diet coke [<i>real</i> diet coke, not coke zero] for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">as usual, the food was delicious and the company pleasant ♥</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">cheers + happy weekend!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>

din tai fung date night

this post is brought to you by... my iPhone. [you know, the one that doesn't work as a phone anymore.] as much as my inner practical ner...

Read more »

din tai fung [dumplings!]

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMo0L_n1de7XfwsfMLwdHSlSjApSYyPObDXKm9BbYnzuFR7t0lRMpKKCusnc6y9sJkCbkUb63JE9Fs0Qjlc8J7gldY-iIvafE77nnlgrRXycl_wBwGC9zDQvGetcHjJcdqIfZwEVO2myJ/s1600/IMG_5408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMo0L_n1de7XfwsfMLwdHSlSjApSYyPObDXKm9BbYnzuFR7t0lRMpKKCusnc6y9sJkCbkUb63JE9Fs0Qjlc8J7gldY-iIvafE77nnlgrRXycl_wBwGC9zDQvGetcHjJcdqIfZwEVO2myJ/s640/IMG_5408.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><b>dumplings.</b> delicious little packets of juicy, salty, spicy, goodness. <br /><br />hands down, the dumplings from <a href="http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/about_a.asp" target="_blank">Din Tai Fung</a> are best dumplings we've had in Taiwan. [so good that once they land on the table they disappear faster than my lens can capture] <b>obviously</b> that puts it on our "must-do" list for any visitors that may roll through. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXucFZkL1T8LOzGtxjvgUzHNlPNzjlnsU4YB7cB2vveF4od0JT9lTM9_Vq-UYU5aPpkcG5No3UPekL2rbNeb8WOUEfXY_4B1qX-ALlLKjHOgymebckFIanpBBEIybtiTur7e8SRkVDL_n/s1600/IMG_5398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXucFZkL1T8LOzGtxjvgUzHNlPNzjlnsU4YB7cB2vveF4od0JT9lTM9_Vq-UYU5aPpkcG5No3UPekL2rbNeb8WOUEfXY_4B1qX-ALlLKjHOgymebckFIanpBBEIybtiTur7e8SRkVDL_n/s640/IMG_5398.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />so this past weekend, we headed there with our first visitor and a group of friends. since they don't do reservations on weekends, we spent our waiting time planning out what we wanted to order for our feast. [and of course taking pictures]<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1jwTtkkyRtx4qTyxihDb1QkyEMYICUlSY_a-htZwRTYXpvbWVoTTgJn-bVbcqAMd_SyK8dHM0gWvKNT3rPWoxfNxv-TBNtU9haSDx53pV15JqFqll2oPIzaDOsQJY39qeuaeOp8Q58VF/s1600/IMG_5393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1jwTtkkyRtx4qTyxihDb1QkyEMYICUlSY_a-htZwRTYXpvbWVoTTgJn-bVbcqAMd_SyK8dHM0gWvKNT3rPWoxfNxv-TBNtU9haSDx53pV15JqFqll2oPIzaDOsQJY39qeuaeOp8Q58VF/s640/IMG_5393.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8ljLT5pZc-N3WE9dke1WU5_5SLicnEcF66yEsSNAzH3-rqfuT0PbH2HZ9YALvr9OJwfZwmVMUgLtdNg0E8Ms1PrweoTCgLoQaUHAoRK4RyaTlsQR8-4fobsAiR1s5rUbKxNMweIhN_zY/s1600/IMG_5389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8ljLT5pZc-N3WE9dke1WU5_5SLicnEcF66yEsSNAzH3-rqfuT0PbH2HZ9YALvr9OJwfZwmVMUgLtdNg0E8Ms1PrweoTCgLoQaUHAoRK4RyaTlsQR8-4fobsAiR1s5rUbKxNMweIhN_zY/s640/IMG_5389.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24JNTTmvDWe-Q3cVFgUl43HgwyPs_9NhyphenhyphenkKuYRKnAv4Z-Usn9a5gOPfsTdJDVpKEE_H54aDAGA_eNqDA5R8tT4EN-fD11960y_juWjzj0v1jlTQhb4wRp7wPLs0wyVAZWWB8ZSEjb7RxT/s1600/IMG_5397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24JNTTmvDWe-Q3cVFgUl43HgwyPs_9NhyphenhyphenkKuYRKnAv4Z-Usn9a5gOPfsTdJDVpKEE_H54aDAGA_eNqDA5R8tT4EN-fD11960y_juWjzj0v1jlTQhb4wRp7wPLs0wyVAZWWB8ZSEjb7RxT/s640/IMG_5397.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />there are literally a dozen of these guys working in the kitchen, all day long, just to make and enough dumplings for the day. they mix the dough, portion it and roll it and stuff it and pinch it, and then the dumplings are steamed to order. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPCm7Mfmow9G36TaOZn80IogNMslS_JHsYqRMFn5q3OO3cG7PolqEfWtV3_-sjDMwHFd17jzh1KYbWoyPVpoqj-6u8ZDn1VHjS2TdJ3VkKn_m76K8aiEDgBnWvUzwvVY1pIT6pSnf4lmz/s1600/IMG_5413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPCm7Mfmow9G36TaOZn80IogNMslS_JHsYqRMFn5q3OO3cG7PolqEfWtV3_-sjDMwHFd17jzh1KYbWoyPVpoqj-6u8ZDn1VHjS2TdJ3VkKn_m76K8aiEDgBnWvUzwvVY1pIT6pSnf4lmz/s640/IMG_5413.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYttmFbarC52eOsVf_jwtgFFDBkfwgoF0P5oK1snbnYqSnm9TD-JQYPEPnG67ejORuaXcD6ZjHmf5sbL8y7JAFqzhR3gTOo6njpZfHABjsI4WqtGvuVIJQiCwO_FvGlXIEvlnocQcI2d41/s1600/IMG_5421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYttmFbarC52eOsVf_jwtgFFDBkfwgoF0P5oK1snbnYqSnm9TD-JQYPEPnG67ejORuaXcD6ZjHmf5sbL8y7JAFqzhR3gTOo6njpZfHABjsI4WqtGvuVIJQiCwO_FvGlXIEvlnocQcI2d41/s640/IMG_5421.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVt5Ent2okTLioy_MaKeZMzPn7svlu_7W9uznyJuxegf0RH5Mfi9BtoGgBkI4fi_VndMvBE_qWGGozoIW1S_M1ywMFnI9MRGRhRuzeM61ZeJIFSw2DeWs4IzPsuTehJg-8ltKlBdLhJV0/s1600/IMG_5407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVt5Ent2okTLioy_MaKeZMzPn7svlu_7W9uznyJuxegf0RH5Mfi9BtoGgBkI4fi_VndMvBE_qWGGozoIW1S_M1ywMFnI9MRGRhRuzeM61ZeJIFSw2DeWs4IzPsuTehJg-8ltKlBdLhJV0/s640/IMG_5407.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>some of the things we ordered: vegetable dumplings with pork, soup dumplings, fried shrimp dumplings, wonton dumplings in spicy sauce, sauteed spinach, sauteed cabbage with garlic, pork buns, green beans with pork, sour melon, and fried rice.<br /><br />I was disappointed that they were sold out of spicy pickled cucumbers for the day, but the green beans with pork [basically BACON] were phenomenal. I also thoroughly enjoyed my other "gluten-less" options of pork fried rice and cabbage with garlic. and... one dumpling.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD25JHxH3IJEw4cVq8RmwpbKHB79CMgiE4dXA6X7PFAABoqpThv3KVtEDBnRJjTm0E9DEYu2_6ijNlxVxZ_QebXK1bulXpwr31iJWAYgcVYXBwBQqx1wESuD-aM3XYCPdwCTnz-jn8yPBF/s1600/IMG_5405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD25JHxH3IJEw4cVq8RmwpbKHB79CMgiE4dXA6X7PFAABoqpThv3KVtEDBnRJjTm0E9DEYu2_6ijNlxVxZ_QebXK1bulXpwr31iJWAYgcVYXBwBQqx1wESuD-aM3XYCPdwCTnz-jn8yPBF/s640/IMG_5405.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />I was also excited that they had REAL DIET COKE!  and though I know diet coke gives you cancer and has all sorts of icky things in it but it just tastes soooo good. most places here only serve regular coke or coke zero, so it's not like I drink it every day. in fact this is the first time I've had a diet coke since moving to Taiwan. crazy.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct5n7nyJ0QUxR5hqcBvldxFvAdFxbVktmW3WWL5Lj3HUlZrR3i4Wx2BAnhYegiYtqSMXkRjBMPGHXkL_mIP3ts14O4icK7bRwYG5lRupCccIs0wXDC7drm8KUYp9k3r5KZ9BKhtCoVgY4/s1600/IMG_5402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct5n7nyJ0QUxR5hqcBvldxFvAdFxbVktmW3WWL5Lj3HUlZrR3i4Wx2BAnhYegiYtqSMXkRjBMPGHXkL_mIP3ts14O4icK7bRwYG5lRupCccIs0wXDC7drm8KUYp9k3r5KZ9BKhtCoVgY4/s640/IMG_5402.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />overall it was an awesome meal... good conversation and lots of great food. seriously, someone else needs to come visit soon so we have an excuse to go back! <br /><br />[by the way... our first visit to <a href="http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/about_a.asp" target="_blank">Din Tai Fung</a> was a stop at Taipei branch for dinner on our way back from <a href="http://inkandadventure.blogspot.tw/2012/08/the-hualien-night-market.html" target="_blank">Hualien</a> and<a href="http://inkandadventure.blogspot.tw/2012/08/taroko-gorge.html" target="_blank"> Taroko Gorge</a>. they have a few other branches in Taiwan, including Hsinchu, and also around Asia. they actually have <a href="http://www.dintaifungusa.com/" target="_blank">3 branches in the states</a>: two in LA and one in Seattle. if you happen to live nearby or find yourself in that neck of the woods, I highly recommend stopping by.]<br /><br />

din tai fung [dumplings!]

dumplings. delicious little packets of juicy, salty, spicy, goodness. hands down, the dumplings from Din Tai Fung are best dumplings we...

Read more »