Booking the train ticket in convenient store in Taiwan

Travel in Taiwan is getting convenient! Why? Because convenient store! I was booking the train ticket online few days ago, usually I have to drive to the train station and get the tickets. This time, I realize that I could get the train tickets from SEVEN - ELEVEN,  the biggest convenient store business in Taiwan. It might be a new experience to me but why not? Close to the place I live and also no need to drive out at 9 pm, so I would give it a try.

Usually there is a computer system "i-bon" in the mostly 7-11 in Taiwan, looks like a ATM machine. SEVEN - ELEVEN have dealing with many different type of businesses, through the i-bon, you could order public transit ticket, concert ticket or movie ticket etc., or if you are looking for a hotel to stay, you could booking a hotel through the i-bon as well. But it's not only the i-bon can do, pay the bills, print document won't be a problem in convenient store anymore. Of course, it's very convenient, but you have to pay a bit service charge, you better pay attention before you make an order on i-bon.

Read this before you are going to tattooo Chinese characters on your body!!

This is interesting. I read an article yesterday, it's about westerner like to tattoo Chinese character on their body, but most of them even don't know what's the meaning, then, interesting things just happen again and again. However, tattoo is not just a paint on your body, but a mark difficult to remove on the skin, understand the Chinese character you are going to tattoo is a very important homework you should do first, after all, it can't be wash by water.

I have watch a TV advertisement, the advertisement was about extractor fan, it's a common kitchen appliance in Asia, it usually need a net to catch the oil and avoid the oil would drop from the fan. The company guarantee their customer will provide the new net for their customer. Anyway, the idea came from a western young man want to tattoo something on his back to show his girl friend how much that he loves her. The tattooist suggest him to tattoo Chinese characters on his arm. After the tattoo finish, he said to the young man, in Taiwan, it means promise forever, but it actually mean "buy xxx extractor fan, get the net for free". Well, although it just a TV adverisement, but I believe the things like this happen all the time, no matter westerner want to tattoo Chinese characters, or some asian want to tattoo English characters.

Not only misunderstanding about the Chinese character's meaning, the script also bother me... I mean, come on, if you want to tattoo Chinese characters on your body, don't you want it to looks like an art? Even it looks the same to you but at least it might impress people who could read Chinese. Here is a story. Many years ago, use ink to draw on the body as tattoo was very popular in Taiwan, Thailand, even Greece. I have been to Greece, there is an island names Myknos, at night, you could just walk around the lanes in the city center, just like night market. I met a guy whos doing the ink tattoo, of course, there are samples that you could choose to ink tattoo on your body. I was checking out the samples and laughed, because I saw the characters that I use to read, Chinese. Yes, it's Chinese, but I don't know how he got the characters, be honest, the scripts looks awful to me. It doesn't looks like art, but seems like someone try to "draw" the Chinese character and didn't do a good job.

I understand why so many westerners would like to tattoo Chinese characters, because it looks like art as I said before, also could tell want they try to show. But before tattoo it, you better make sure the meaning is what you really want, and try to get the suit script on your body. If you need a suggestion, maybe I could help you.

Seek Tea Culture In Taiwan

Have you try the pearl milk tea? You might had it in your country, but the pearl milk tea definitely is the product from Taiwan. Many Taiwanese know it emerged from Taichung, but do you know, as breakfast shop, you could see there are take away tea shop anywhere. The take away tea shop is popular especially in the summer time, charge low price and also many different choices and flavoring. Beside the take away tea shop, the tea house also provide tea, the price is higher, but also provide meals and snacks, is a nice place to have a meeting, relaxing and chatting.

I was guiding Singaporean friends many weeks ago, they were so starving when they were just arrive Hualien, because they don't eat pork, so I took them to a tea house in Hualien. The menu of the tea house is diversify, chicken, pork, beef even hot pot, fried rice etc. Some meal serve with veges and I have talk to the waiter about my guests don't eat pork, so the chef cook the veges without add any pork, my guests were grateful about this. They were all ordered chicken but cook in different way, Gong bao chicken, Thai spicy chicken, and San bei chicken, each flavoring taste different. The experience in the tea house was new for them, they never thought about you can have nice meals and also nice tea in a place at the same time.

Not just young generations like to hang out with friends in the tea house, tea house also a place to spend time with family, for this reason, that's why the menu is getting diversify. If you are not that hungry but would like to have something to taste, snacks would be a good choice too, deep fried tofu, Dian xin, fried chips, western and Taiwanese snacks would be server in the tea house as well.

Different take away tea shops and tea houses are keeping sort out interesting flavoring tea. Also, each tea shop or tea house have their own customer. If you travel to Taiwan, you must try the tea culture in Taiwan. If you can't speak or read Chinese, then I could tell you what my Singaporean friends did. They used finger to point items on the menu and tell the staff what they want, it's a good way to make an order, don't you think so?

Gou Mao, a wild vegatable in Taiwan

Do you remember the article about the country side in Hualien? I was mention about a wild vages FERN, people call it Gou Mao in Taiwan. Few days ago my mum bought a big bunch of Gou Mao from a farmer whom cultivate it, she picks the soft part and get ready to cook it. As I said before, you could boiling it or fried it, my mum choose to fried it by wok.

Add oil to the wok and add chili, garlic and ginger, when you smell the fragrance of them, add Gou Mao and fried it. Don't forget to add some rice wine, it could make the fried vages taste better and keep the vages green, after flavoring, there is a yummy fried Gou Mao get ready for eat. So if you never try Gou Mao before, I think you sure give it to go, maybe you would love it!

Seek Breakfast in Taiwan

You will be surprise about the breakfast in Taiwan, because there are too many choices, western and eastern styles, sometimes you could see there are 5-6 breakfast shops in a street. Most of Taiwanese like to go to the breakfast shop, no matter take away or have it in the shop, it's too convenient and save time. I remember when I was in Australia, not many choices for breakfast and also cost more, that's why I usually make it at home by myself, but in Taiwan, breakfast are cheaper and have more options. 

As a westerner, my husband actually feel culture shock about the food while the first time he came to Taiwan, after a while, he's getting love the breakfast in Taiwan, especially the eastern style breakfast. In Hualien, here is a breakfast shop in the center, small, old, and maybe a bit not looks clean for western, but it's popular to tourist and people local Hualien. There and 1000s breakfast shops in Hualien but why I only mention about this one? Because my husband like to have a breakfast here and always enjoy it. In Hualien city center, there is a parking area and local Hualien calls it Toyo, because there was a hotel name Toyo hotel in long long time ago. Beside the Toyo parking area, there is a breakfast shop in the corner, old bungalow and small, but always busy in the morning, I came here since I was a high school student. Anyway, as a westerner, the first image about here to my husband is the shop not really clean, always plates been use on the table (too manypeople come and leave), but after a while, he was getting like here. Kindly boss, nice meal, yes, now he is very into Taiwanese breakfast. The famous meal here is Dan-Bing, which is Taiwanese omelet, egg, spring onion, pastry and sauce, simple but delicious. Of course, not just traditional Dan Bing, you could add different ingredients with it, bacon, cheese vages etc., make Taiwanese omelet becomes varied. My husband love Dan Bing, but he loves Xin Bing more. Xin Bing is something like western pie, pastry fill pork mince, ginger and spring onion, hmm... yummy! 

This breakfast shop also server Taiwan style sandwich as well, soy milk, black tea... The menu cover many different meal. So if you are coming to Taiwan or you are in Taiwan, don't forget try the local breakfast, experience the breakfast culture in Taiwan.

Country side in Taiwan Hualien...

I was lived in the outskirts of Hualien, because my mum is helping me to look after my baby girl, so I moved to her place, which in Ji-An of Hualien county. The place I live now is very close to the fields, mountains and rivers. Sometimes I like to take a long walk and look around the area, I always could find something different in my little trip.

The farmers near this area are growing many different vegetables but not rices, they usually work in early morning or nightfall, especially in the summer, because the heat would be very high during the day time. I could see many different vegetables are growing in the fields, such as cabbage, spring onion, leek, tomato, cucumber and other veges Taiwanese usually to eat, I believe there is one wild vege that many westerner never try before. Have you try fern before?? Aboriginal in Taiwan use to pick wild veges for eat, fern is one of them, now more and more people to eat it but not just aboriginal. Farmers pick the branches with leafs on the tip, it still fresh and tender. You could just boiling it and flavor it, it taste a bit sticky but good for stomach. It calls Guo Mao in Chinese, means Pass Cat if you translate it straight, mostly westerner would feel scare but actually it's just a name of the fern for eat in Taiwan.

Here is a river near by name's "Qi Jiao River", Qi Jiao means 7 feet. There is a cycling way beside the Qi Jiao River, local people love to walking or cycling around the river, or just set there and chating. Sometimes you could see the buffaloes rest in the water, cause it doesn't like the heat. Of course, ther are not wild animals, it was farmer left them there, the buffaloes could enjoy the water and also have food which is grass in the same time.

Although it's just a little part of the country side, but there are too many stories could be happen in this area everyday. For me, I could find out something different in each walk time, and always make me feel so exciting. If you are coming to Taiwan, maybe you could arrange a day tour in the country side, maybe you would have different experiences about Taiwan.

Chinese tone

In last article, I was talking about we learn Chinese pronunciation by phonetic symbols in Taiwan. Now I am trying to explain how it works.

Chinese's pronunciation have 5 different tone, light tone, first tone, second tone, third tone and 4th tone, it's hard to explain how it sounds like, but as long as you practice the speaking and listening, you could understand how it works. Usually for foreigner the third tone is difficult for them to pronounce. I have join a Chinese for teaching foreigner spouse in Taiwan, the teacher use gesture to help them to understand the tones.

1. First tone: The same level sound.
2. Second tone: From the low to the high.
3. Third tone: From the high to the low and back to the high.
4. 4th tone: From the high to the low(stress sound).
5. Light tone: Light and short.

Still confuse? OK, let me use A as an example. Please watch the video and listen to the sound, maybe you would have an idea about the tones.
 

Start to learn Chinese

Have you ever thought about learning Chinese? I know, English is international language, but must population in the world actually speak in Chinese. Why? Because the population in China are more than 13 hundred million people, mostly of them speak in Chinese, besides, there are many Chinese live in different countries in the world, such as Singapore and Malaysia, Chinese still the main language in their own social life. I don't have experience in teach foreigner Chinese, but my husband is the only student I have. I know there are many way to learn Chinese, for me, I think Pin Yin is the best way for beginner try to learn Chinese. In Taiwan, we use our own phonetic symbols to learn Chinese, kids start to learn it when they are in kindergarten and elementary school, as long as you could remember what's the pronunciation for each symbol, then you could spell the sound really easy and quick, also could type Chinese in Taiwan's system. There are many foreigners are not use to this way to learn Chinese in Taiwan, but also many foreigners learning Chinese really well in this way. No matter what, learning Chinese is the future.

Although my husband is the only student I have, but I keep thinking how to teach foreigner Chinese since I never had the formal training. Maybe I might use the wrong way to teach, but I think I would get more experiences from the mistakes I made. I realize foreigners could learn Chinese really well as long as they try hard, because mostly of them are not afraid to speaks wrong. After all, the important key to learn language is speak and learn from the mistakes. Just like me, my husband is a nature English speaker and I am a nature Chinese speaker, although I know a little bit English, but I still make a lot mistakes when I talk to him, he and I used to it after a while, cause he understand what was I trying to say. Sometimes he try correct me about the simple grammar, that's why I could fix the mistakes I made.

Now, I am trying to teach simple useful Chinese sentence through SeekTaiwan.blogspot.com, and expect it could help you in your trip or somewhere, and maybe you could learn something as well.

Taiwanese Style BBQ Chicken

I never BBQ in Australia while I live in there, so I don't know how to do BBQ chicken in western way, but I do know how to make BBQ chicken in Taiwanese way. In mostly Asian culture, every part of chicken could be eaten, from head to the foot. I understand westerner not use to see the chicken head still there after BBQ, but it's a part of food culture in Taiwan, so please be confidence to read this article.

You could get BBQ chicken easily in traditional market or large supermarket, but sometime you just feel like that you want to make BBQ chicken by yourself. You can do it in traditional way; use burn charcoal to BBQ the chicken, or use metal bucket. Before smart Taiwanese invented the bucket for making traditional BBQ chicken, we use a bucket which was the container for oil, it's easy to get and also a part of recycle. Try to cut a big hole and make sure all the chicken could get into the bucket. How to flavor the chicken? In my family we just smear salt on chicken skin and inside the chicken, and put some spring onion and chili etc. inside it, and use bamboo slip make sure ingredients won't fall out when it's cooking.

Drill and small hole on the bottom of the bucket, we are doing this because we need to fixed the chicken by wire and nail on the bottom of the bucket. Time to BBQ! After fixed the chicken, leave the bucket on the ground. At the moment, chicken is hanging up on the bottom of the bucket. Before to burn woods, put a metal plate under the chicken, because when it's BBQ it would drop lots oil, it would be a part of sauce with BBQ chicken. Leave woods around the bucket, try to put them even.

Start to burn woods and adjust fire all the time, we don't want burn or uncook chicken, are we? Remove the burned woods( it's charcoal now) after 15-20 minutes, it's all depend on the fire.  Carry the bucket carefully because it's very hot at the moment, and also the chicken still fixed on the bucket. Get a big plate which could handle all the chicken, cut the wire. Now we got a perfect cook BBQ chicken. Sometime we leave sweet potato with charcoal, it would cook by the heat, it also taste good. I usually chop spring onion and chili make the sauce, mix slat, black pepper and the oil from BBQ chicken. Although it looks oily, but it really taste good with chicken. Would you like to try it??

Sticky Rice Balls

Have you ever seen such a big Sticky Rice Ball?

Living in Taiwan, you could experience many different cultures, no matter it comes from western or eastern countries, you can get any food that you want/like.

I was work for a small company, although it's a small company the people who work there are very kind. One of my colleagues who's from Vietnam and married to a Taiwanese man, is one of my coworkers. Because I have been to Vietnam many times, I like to talk about Vietnam with her. Vietnamese food, cities in Vietnam, we always have fun when we're chatting. I really miss one thing about Vietnam which is Vietnamese food. After we talked about this, I knew she is good at cooking traditional Vietnamese snacks. I asked her if she could show me how to cook a home made Vietnamese dish. She was surprised that I want to learn how to cook Vietnamese food, but she still said OK with a big smile.

After a few days, on a Monday morning, the Vietnamese lady had an odd smile and said that she wanted to share something with me. It really surprised me, and I asked, 'What is it?'. She said she made Vietnamese Sticky Rice Balls at home and wanted me to try if it taste good or not. Well, the Vietnamese Sticky Rice Balls really impressed me because I have never seen such a big Sticky Rice Ball in Taiwan, and it also looks cute. She tried to explain to me that Sticky Rice Balls in Vietnam are usually served with cold soup ( if you have ever tried it in Taiwan you would know Sticky Rice Balls are usually served with hot soup), because it could make the sweet flavor taste better. I asked her what the stuffing is made of, she wouldn't tell but wanted me to try by myself to see what's the difference between Vietnamese and Taiwanese Sticky Rice Balls.

It's tea time, now! And I remember that I have two big Vietnamese Sticky Rice Balls. I put a cold Sticky Rice Ball into my mug,  I try what the soup tastes like... It tastes very sweet, made from ginger and brown sugar. Next would be to try the Vietnamese Sticky Rice Balls. First bite; the stuffing is salty green bean, very different than the Taiwanese style. The stuffing of Taiwanese Sticky Rice Balls is usually made from either red bean, sesame or peanuts.

I never use too salty a stuffing inside Sticky Rice Balls but with sweet soup. I felt weird about this flavoring, but when you taste it together, hmm, it's very balanced. I asked the Vietnamese lady again, is the Vietnamese Sticky Rice Ball really that big? She just smiled at me and said:  'No, I am a bit lazy, I might have to make many many Sticky Rice Balls if I make it too small, but if I make it bigger, then I don't have to spend so much time for make it.'.

Well,  I don't know what to say about this.

The traditional Taiwanese Sticky Rice Ball usually is without stuffing. Fried Chinese mushrooms,  dried shrimp and julienne of meat, and you could add some flavoring like soya sauce, salt etc.; then add soup-stock until it's boiling. Add Sticky Rice Balls to be boiled in the heated vegetable soup until it's boiling again, finish.

This would be the traditional way to cook the sticky rice balls,  but there are many different ways to cook it as well.

Besides the salty flavor it also good for taste as dessert. In a Taiwanese wedding, usually you could see a dish which is deep fried, small Sticky Rice Balls with peanut powder mixed with sugar, it means completely happiness.
No matter what kind of way to cook Sticky Rice Balls, it's important food in the winter solstice day. Chinese use to cook a pot of sticky rice balls soup, it means that you a year older after you eat the sticky rice balls.

In the Chinese calendar, the winter solstice day has longest night in a year, and it also have a tale about the weather of the winter solstice day: If it rains in the winter solstice day then it would be sunny day in Chinese new year, but if it's a sunny day in the winter solstice day then it would be a raining day in the Chinese new year. Now I wonder what's the weather in this Chinese New year, because I don't remember what was the weather in  the winter solstice day. But anyway, I still hope it will be nice weather during Chinese new year.

Introduction Of SeekTaiwan

Have you heard a country names Taiwan? Or you always confuse about Taiwan and Thailand? Believe me, many people made a mistake like this? I married to an Aussie, my mother in law thought that I'm from Thailand until I show her a map, and she realized Taiwan is an small island beside China. When my husband talk about Taiwan with other Aussie, they still thought he was talking about Thailand.
Yes, Taiwan is a small island beside south China, long time ago Portuguese call Taiwan "Ilha Formosa" which means "An beautiful island". After that, Formosa is main name of Taiwan to Euro countries before 1950. When I was travel in Mykonos, an island in Greece, I met a restaurant owner also a fisherman, he asked me where I from. After he heard Taiwan and he said "Formosa" to me, I was very surprised. Anyway, if you still wonder about Taiwan, maybe you should visit my blog, come and check the information of Taiwan, and see what's new in this small island. Of course, any message would be welcome to me.
I am qualified English tour guide in Taiwan. Although I am not in tour business, but I love  and would love to share information of Taiwan to anyone who have interested in this island. Travel, culture, food, people and language, because I got passion in travel things, that's why I try to build up a website about where I born and grew up. Also, it should be more people to know the beautiful of Taiwan, and hope more traveler around the world would love to visit my blog.