5/8
I woke up at around 6:40, which is extremely unusual for me (as some people know...), probably due to persevering jet-lag.
Good morning, Kaohsiung!
My uncle had already left to take my cousins to school, while my aunt had set out a breakfast of homemade green onion bread and a cup of milk.
Afterward, my mom took me over to the grandparents' to eat more breakfast. There, we ate mangoes, as well as small breads and cakes.
My favorite was the green tea cake on top!
Later, as my mom was busy doing something else, my grandma showed me around the numerous artworks and souvenirs acquired from their travels.
One of the numerous calligraphies that were written for my Grandpa's older brother, who later gave them to him.
A painting made from different types of sand.
Oddly-colored crystals...
When my mom was finally done, it was 10:00, so we (except for Grandpa) decided to go to the nearby market to buy ingredients for lunch.
Already 80-some degrees outside!
This market was semi-outdoors; there weren't any doors, yet the whole area was sheltered by a ginormous tin roof. It was a maze of independently-run booths selling everything from clothes to seafood. It was also extremely crowded and colorful!
Market interior.
Here, vendors were shouting out their prices and advertising the quality of their goods, while customers haggled for lower prices. Another difference from American markets was that some sellers "gifted" extra stuff along with the purchase. My grandma bought a bag of sweet potato leaves and the seller threw in some free green onions too.
Food pic spam:
These are still alive... Many of them were spitting water out of the tray!
Tapioca and jellies to add into drinks like bubble tea!
Kaohsiung is a coastal city, so the seafood is super fresh.
Buying a block of tofu.
Guavas, or 芭樂!
Still don't think snails are that good...
Maybe can make samgyeopsal with this?
Last but not least, we stopped at a stand that sold giant bamboo shoots. While the seller peeled and cut the shoot we bought for us, he gave us directions for making both chilled bamboo shoots with mayonnaise and shoots in soup.
My Grandma bought the top one!
Cutting the shoot to make chilled bamboo shoots with mayo.
By the time we were heading back, it was incredibly hot and the sun was beating down on the city.
Godzilla with a lightsaber???
Back at the apartment, we spend another hour or so making steamed egg and clam soup for lunch.
The prepared ingredients!
Afterwards, everyone was tired, so we just sat around in the kitchen and talked. We also talked about the Kyoto trip; my mom firmly believed that Grandma would be able to speak enough Japanese to get us around the city. My Grandma did live during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan where had to learn Japanese, but that was long ago. I later found a sheet of paper on the living room table, where she had been practicing.
In the evening, we all went out to a sushi place, 不老, that my mom, my sis, and I enjoyed the last time we visited. The restaurant was completely full by the time we got there, and we had to wait for quite some time. To pass the time, my cousin taught me how to play the game 2048.
不老literally means "not old".
After a while, we we finally got seats and proceeded to order their sushi combos. There were first appetizers like onion salad and fish miso soup, but the sashimi was the star of the dinner. The fish was so fresh that it would melt on our tongues!
Left to right: Squid, raw shrimp, scallop, and seared salmon.
From left to right: Salmon, whitefish, tuna, ???
Seared flounder and salmon.
Pork with mayo, and interesting combination that actually worked very well!
Classic.
For dessert, we had this citrus-y drink with a layer of chia seeds. Before going to this restaurant, I had never had anything like this for dessert. It was both refreshing and invigorating, as chia seeds are known for boosting energy.
Afterwards, we split up and my mom, aunt, and grandma briefly went to Carrefour (the Asian version of Costco). The last time I went there, there had been a brown dog in a tiny cage next to the pharmacy that looked like it was up for adoption. This time however, I looked again and saw that the cages were part of a "pet hotel"...which I'm still not so sure about.
Around bedtime, as I was brushing my teeth and the cousins were doing homework, my aunt and uncle suddenly left to get some snacks. I was really surprised, especially since they apparently do this regularly! They brought back a bag of shrimp chips and one of Taiwan's famous snacks: 鹽酥雞, or crispy chicken nuggets with fried pieces of corn, squid, and tofu. It was really good at 12am in the morning, but it was also quite spicy...I ended up drinking a ton of water and had to go to the bathroom like 5 times in the middle of the night!
Shrimp chips :)
鹽酥雞!
Anyway, that's it for now... I really have to catch up on the blog, but we haven't really done much yet today (5/9), so it shouldn't be too hard!
Goodnight, Kaohsiung!