A few shots from around the hotel...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Stinky Tofu and Bacon World Domination
Katie started her assignment today so that left me on my own to explore the city. I headed out to try and find a special spice market and take photos along the way. Unfortunately navigation proved harder than I thought!
I was using Taipei 101 as a reference but it's amazing how the density of the city actually makes it possible to loose sight of a 101 story building. I ended up way south of where I thought I was and was shocked to find out just how lost I was! Everything starts to look the same in a new place. Got some nice shots the cows all over the city. It is the year of the cow so they are doing something similar to the pigs in Seattle or angles in Los Angels by hiring artist to decorate them.
I figured I walked about 8 miles and was pretty tired so I made my way back to the hotel and took a nap before dinner. Her coworkers took us to the Shilin Night Market (one of the largest in Taipei). Thus begins our own rendition of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.
We started off with fish cakes, squid and shrimp, all deep fried. The fish cakes were OK but I wasn't a huge fan of the other things. We then tried these crazy pastries that are basically double wrapped like a burrito. I tried the peanut flavored one and it reminded me of a Swedish pastry but not as sweet. Next were the kabobs. Grilled bacon wrapped around shallots...YUM! I could live off these! Katie had grilled pork wrapped in sticky rice and fried for a second. Also good but not as much as the bacon. I'm convinced that bacon is the superior food everywhere in the world.
Next was a gellitan drink made of seeds which reminded me of ice tea gello. Not bad! Finaly
was the stinky tofu (the sign actually says "House of Stinky Tofu"). Basically it is fermented tofu in a variety of flavors. It's...interesting. It changes flavor about 4 times while you are chewing it. VERY rich and I have no idea how you could eat a lot of it.We then made our way over to the retain section of the market which is filled with vendors selling everything under the sun. Most clothes and shoes. It felt amazingly busy for a Monday night, very festive and full of energy. The whole crowd just kind of flows through everything.
Suprisingly to us, things didn't appear as cheep as you would think for more popular items, but if it's not a name brand things are dirt cheap.
We were full and exhausted and decided to call it a night. More photos here.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Dinner: It was still moving when they brought it out.
Katie and I had a very interesting dinner this evening! We went over to a steak house at Taipei 101 that had been recommended. It was teppanyaki style without the "onion volcano" and other antics.
The set menu for dinner appeared to be huge but we through caution to the wind. The first course started with small appetizers: cucumber slice with salmon eggs, cherry tomato with caviar and a salmon slice stuffed with what appeared to be crab and some other things.
Then we moved on to a corn soup that was really good followed by some perfectly cooked scallops and cod. Then it got a little interesting...
We watched as the next course was brought out with prawns and then a lobster sliced down the middle, legs still moving! We were wondering who ordered it, turned out it was somehow part of our meal. We got a few ohs and ahhs from the American businessmen who were sitting at our table.
I had never had full-blown lobster tail before. It was prepared with melted cheese, which was a little interesting, but still was awesome and tasted super fresh (as good as I can tell anyway).
We hadn't even got to our main course yet and we were wondering how we were going to finish what we had. The waiter brings out these interesting salads, which were basically fruit on a bed of iceberg lettuce with either orange or blueberry yogurt for dressing. We were a little puzzled by the choice and timing, but after trying it we realized it was very palette cleansing and helped with digestion. I actually felt less full after eating it.
On to the main course! I had chicken with grilled bacon and Katie had the steak. The chef brought out a mound of garlic that was seriously six inches high and proceeded to cook it up while mixing in all the other flavors. YUM!
We were working on that when suddenly he dumps some onions on the grill and quickly cooks them and adds it to the pile. Almost comatose, I'm wondering how we are going to be able to walk back to the hotel when we see desert roll in...
It was a cake with candied pistachios mixed in. Just a small piece but that was plenty! We finished off the evening with a cup of tea and called it.
I think we might have been taken a little with the lobster upgrade, but it proved to be a great experience we won't forget anytime soon. I just hope that is the last time my food is still moving when they bring it to me!
The set menu for dinner appeared to be huge but we through caution to the wind. The first course started with small appetizers: cucumber slice with salmon eggs, cherry tomato with caviar and a salmon slice stuffed with what appeared to be crab and some other things.
Then we moved on to a corn soup that was really good followed by some perfectly cooked scallops and cod. Then it got a little interesting...
We watched as the next course was brought out with prawns and then a lobster sliced down the middle, legs still moving! We were wondering who ordered it, turned out it was somehow part of our meal. We got a few ohs and ahhs from the American businessmen who were sitting at our table.
I had never had full-blown lobster tail before. It was prepared with melted cheese, which was a little interesting, but still was awesome and tasted super fresh (as good as I can tell anyway).
We hadn't even got to our main course yet and we were wondering how we were going to finish what we had. The waiter brings out these interesting salads, which were basically fruit on a bed of iceberg lettuce with either orange or blueberry yogurt for dressing. We were a little puzzled by the choice and timing, but after trying it we realized it was very palette cleansing and helped with digestion. I actually felt less full after eating it.
On to the main course! I had chicken with grilled bacon and Katie had the steak. The chef brought out a mound of garlic that was seriously six inches high and proceeded to cook it up while mixing in all the other flavors. YUM!
We were working on that when suddenly he dumps some onions on the grill and quickly cooks them and adds it to the pile. Almost comatose, I'm wondering how we are going to be able to walk back to the hotel when we see desert roll in...
It was a cake with candied pistachios mixed in. Just a small piece but that was plenty! We finished off the evening with a cup of tea and called it.
I think we might have been taken a little with the lobster upgrade, but it proved to be a great experience we won't forget anytime soon. I just hope that is the last time my food is still moving when they bring it to me!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
We're here!
We got in around 6am this morning. A little bumpy but otherwise uneventful flight. Business class was worth every penny! We couldn't check in yet so we wandered around the streets of our hotel for a few hours. Not much going on which is a typical Sunday in the city. Lot's of people exercising in the parks (very cool). We wandered down a few of the alleys with the markets starting to get in full swing. VERY noisy but almost poetic as scooters, people, bikes and carts passed within inches of each other. No yelling, no honking, no road rage.
We are noticing that we do stick out a bit and people are definitely not shy about checking you over. Not in a bad way but in three hours on the streets we didn't see one other person that even resembled an American until we got back to the hotel. Checked in and had breakfast, got showered and now we are off to Taipei 101! Snapped a few shots this morning too.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Guru Praemio Titanium
It's here! 
75 miles down and loving it! I was wondering if I was just playing mind tricks with myself that a custom frame would actually "feel" different. However, my first ride was about 3 1/2 hours and all I had to do was adjust the seat. Flawless! More picks if you are curious...
75 miles down and loving it! I was wondering if I was just playing mind tricks with myself that a custom frame would actually "feel" different. However, my first ride was about 3 1/2 hours and all I had to do was adjust the seat. Flawless! More picks if you are curious...My first titanium bike, but now I'm a believer! I like a stiffer ride of aluminum but didn't want to get beat up. Most carbon feels too flexy for me. I know you can get carbon frames that are stiffer, but in terms of durability and performance this thing is just incredible.
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