Tales of an Expat

If you have not seen the feature on the Travel Channel, I am sure you can guess the theme of the restaurant just by the name alone!  Yes folks, it is a toilet themed restaurant where you drink out of urinals, enjoy your dinner in a traditional toilet, and finish off dessert in a squat toilet.  Sounds pretty gross I am sure, but the theme is done tastefully and the food is excellent.  The chain is very popular in Taiwan and is known internationally now, especially after the recent Travel Channel episode appeared.  Not sure what show it was on but a number of people mentioned it was featured in late April/early May sometime.

Brett had heard about it a few months back and we tried it when I was here in April and then again recently when we had Travbuddy friends in town visiting.  It’s truly a fun place with lots of toilet themed decor, not to mention you park your behind on a toilet, while your table is actually a double sink with glass over top.  Napkins are rolls of toilet paper on the wall, and the ice cream resembles, well…I am sure you get the idea! 

The location we visit is off the Shilin MRT stop, near the night market area.  It’s a couple block walk headed down toward the rather busy shopping area but we had no trouble getting in both times.  It is always busy and especially seems popular with the younger generation.  And it’s the one place I don’t feel so much like a tourist – I am yet to see someone without a camera here!

I wanted to share the pictures from our two visits there and you will notice that yes, the pictures from the second visit are a wee bit less civilized thanks to our out of town guests! HAHA.  Thanks again to our TravBuddy friends, RJ (Las Vegas) and Jegs (Poland) for joining us here for a few days!

http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/en/about.asp

Awww, I’ve found heaven! I originally discovered this dumpling house on Trazzler and then several people strongly suggested we check it out. It’s pretty much my favorite restaurant in Taiwan so far!  Their specialty is Xiao Long Bao, which are basically soup dumplings, originating in Shanghai. 

Din Tai Fung, known locally as DTF, provides a sheet at the table describing the method Xiao Long Bao should be eaten. You start with a mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, and fresh ginger. You dip the dumpling in the liquid, place it on a soup spoon, puncture the skin to let the broth escape, put some fresh ginger on top, and then enjoy! 

There are several locations around Taipei, a few other places in Asia, Australia, and even one in the United States.  I have heard the one in the US is not nearly as good as the ones located here.  As such, I am bound and determined to learn to make Xiao Long Bao before we leave Taiwan for good.  I’ve already done some reading and found it is a very involved and time consuming process, especially to master the artistic elements in the pleating of the dough.  I read that DTF chefs train for the better part of a year perfecting the required number of pleats!  Hmmm, I have a year here – if I start now, perhaps I might be half as good???

Several of the locations here are in the shopping areas where we get groceries, so it works out perfectly! We pretty much go once a week, although I did manage to sneak in two visits within 4 days last week! They are usually always packed so we take a number and go wander around the other stores, usually for 45 minutes or so.  Or  you can stand by and watch the DTF crew preparing the dumplings as they have large windows that showcase the prep area.  Guess I need to go do more “research” in my quest to learn their secrets.

As compared to US restaurants, the food is not expensive, especially considering the quality. We typically spend about $30 with no alcohol.  And we are creatures of habit – cucumbers to start, a couple orders of the various dumplings, the spicy shrimp wontons that Brett loves and we are full.  We did branch out and try the steamed red bean cakes on our last visit, which were interesting looking and rather tasty. 

Hmmm…almost the weekend! That means grocery shopping and DTF time again!

Zhongxiao Fuxing
B2F., No.300, Zhongxiao E. Rd,Sec. 3, Da-an District,, Taipei 10654, Taiwan (02)8772-0528

Tien Mu
B1F, No.77,Sec.6, Zhongshan N. Rd., Shilin District, Taipei City 111,Taiwan(B1F of SOGO)

Apartment hunting was quite a challenge, especially making a decision off pictures only! I had to help choose a place without ever being here before!  Brett came out in February to see some places and I was not coming out for a couple more months.  How hard could it really be, right?  Wrong!

To start, measurements here are in Pings (坪), versus the square footage I am used to.  A ping is equal to 35.57 square feet – nice odd number!  We later learned that in the ping measurement also includes common space - meaning balconies and patios were included in the size of the apartment space.  That was not a huge deal since we were looking at some pretty sizable places. 

The main issue with the apartments we viewed – the kitchens!  I admit to being rather spoiled and being used to my big American style kitchen with lots of counter space and new appliances.  Here, kitchens are almost an afterthought, rather than a featured element of space.  Most are very narrow closed off rooms, usually leading to an enclosed patio where the laundry facilities might be.  Good look finding more than two burners and if you score an oven, it’s like hitting the lottery! 

Once I got past the kitchen issues (including one with a small oven in the dining room), we had to hash out parking, gym facilities, and a pool for me!  Since I had not been here yet, I did not appreciate the absolute need for reserved parking until I actually saw the streets here.  The last two issues seemed to be interchangable…we could find parking and a gym but no pool, or parking and a pool, but no gym. 

Finally – I found something on CraigsList that the realtor had not provided specs on yet.  Ironically it turns out one of Brett’s colleagues was to take this same apartment but due to some residency issues, he chose to stay in Holland.  We fell in love with the place – seemed perfect!  About 2200 sq feet – 3 bd, 1 Japan room (great office for me!), 2 ba, a kitchen with two burners and an oven, dining room, balcony with views, washer & dryer, underground parking, a small gym, and a pool which was open the longest (strange, but pools only stay open during the summer months due to the high maintenance expenses). 

Here are some pics before we moved in.  I will update additional posts with the disaster area of my belongings arriving and how we have spruced things up a bit!  Sadly, our only complaint thus far is they are probably not going to open the pool at all this season….grrrr! It should’ve been opened May – September and the Prop Management company is apparently sending a survey to the owners to see if they want to incur the expense since no one really used it last season.

After months of trying to decide whether I wanted more of a website or a blog, I am finally getting this up and going! My goal is to not only share my travel experiences with friends and family, but to be a valuable resource for other travelers and expats.  This is my first experience living outside the US and when contemplating whether to make this move, I relied on blogs for the best information and unbiased reviews as to what I might expect on this journey!  

My lofty goal is to post at least once or twice a day with pictures and information about life here in Taiwan. I am hoping with regular posts, I can try to calm Mom’s fears that I have not been bitten by an angry green snake on the hiking path or swept away in some Typhoon! 

Also, I plan to post photos and some information on places I have already visited.  I am extremely fortunate to have traveled pretty extensively over the past few years and I want to share the amazing places I have been, hopefully inspiring others to travel and appreciate the beauty of the world we live in.  Consider this part blog, part travelogue.   

Now to catch up what I’ve been doing and seen so far – hard to believe I have been living in Taipei for 3 weeks already!