Here's a couple of pictures so you all can have photographic proof that we are both still alive. Alas, Paul's is from the back because he was rapidly fleeing the camera, being the shy lad that he is. It's almost more a picture of the water heater than a picture of him. As for my photo, well, I just hope you enjoy the view of the back of Taiwanese apartment buildings as much as I do.
It was a pretty average week, but we had a good weekend. We both talked to our families on the phone, Paul had his weekly dental appointment where they finished his root canal and filled two cavities, and then we went to Taizhong in the evening. We had a near-American meal at TGI Fridays and hit the very trendy shopping district and night market. I didn't get anything, but I did try clothes on at an actual store. They didn't fit, but I could get them on--even after stuffing myself silly at dinner--making me feel like I could find clothes that fit me if I went to a store with wider range of sizes. It was a hopeful moment. We also hit Mr. Donut, where I discovered there is a place in Taiwan that understands a "creamy pastry filling" is mostly sugar and shortening, not just whipped butter. Then we hit it over to a Bed, Bath, and Beyond-style store where we purchased a laundry hamper (I guess the duffel/floor system just wasn't doing it for Paul), cheerful picture frames, and runts. I don't know why they were selling them, but they sure are tasty.
We wrapped up the evening at Jason's, the Western supermarket that we visited in Taipei. They just opened a second store in Taizhong last month. They were sold out of a lot of American speciality stuff (chocolate chips, tortilla chips, rootbeer), but we were still able to clean out the Dr. Pepper supply (which, unbeknownst to us, our roommates had drastically lowered only minutes before), get some real jam, and buy everything need to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving! Hurray for Jason's!
Thanks to Paul's mom for suggesting we try to make mini pumpkin pies, rather than a big one in the toaster oven to prevent overdone crusts and underdone middles (which is a problem with cookies). Audra's charmed the heck out of the owner of the local sandwich place (Derek), who has now graciously opened his personal supply of cookware to us. He's making a German Chocolate Cake this week for her birthday. We're all very excited to try it, especially since he's making two. The first is an experimental version that he's going to try to sell in his shop. The version will probably be Taiwanified, as Derek expressed concern over the amounts of sugar and water the recipe called for, also this thing called "evaporated milk." The second version will hopefully be more delicious as we all convince him that Americans like the things their recipes make, so please put in the outrageous amount of sugar called for.
I don't know why, but Taiwanese folk don't seem to like chocolate, sugar, or salt nearly as much as we Americans do. (Paul says the word I'm looking for is flavor.) It's true though for everything but fried chicken from 3Q [flavors: original ("old secret spice," and black pepper), spicy (tons of red pepper and curry powder), meizi (popular Taiwanese flavor that is sweet and hard to describe. Everyone else in the apartment starts gagging at the mere mention of it, but I really like it.), curry (curry powder), and combo (blend of original and meizi flavor spices)]. The cooking here we've had so far is very light on herbs, spices, etc. I don't miss the salt (in fact, I mostly prefer it with a few exceptions like crackers), but I do miss the spices. And the cheeseburgers. Won't someone please think of the cheeseburgers?
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