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| Mangoes brought by my uncle and aunt - these were freshly plucked from their relative's yard! |
I am so grateful that I had the chance to go to Taiwan this past weekend to see my relatives and also see my mom before she headed back to the US. I left late Friday night after work and returned Monday morning before work.
The nice thing about traveling to Taiwan is its proximity to Hong Kong - my plane took off at 7:50 AM, I landed at 9:20 AM, and I was at my desk by 10:20 AM.
I stayed with my aunt and mom in Tianmu, a more residential neighborhood in Taipei, and for two days basically just relaxed, shopped, and ate a lot of Taiwanese specialties and fresh fruit.
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| My aunt and mom walking the streets of Tianmu |
Lessons learned from the trip? When you think you're full, you usually can eat a little more (yikes). And, just like with beets, if you eat too much purple dragonfruit, your pee turns red (yikes again).
On Saturday morning, I spent some time with my mom at a spa getting a facial and massage.
Then we went to eat individualized hotpot at a hotpot bar.
I guess my mom knows my food preferences...
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| This cost NT198, which is US$6.50. And I didn't even take a picture of the meat platter. |
After hotpot, we relaxed at home for a bit, then proceeded to eat an epic family-style meal with my aunt and two uncles. This is literally the first time I can remember, ever(!), that I shared a meal with all of my mom's siblings. And almost all of my cousins were there too (although we were missing two). It was such a rare occasion, I couldn't stop marveling at it throughout dinner. We went to a Taiwanese restaurant.
Here is what we ate:
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| Watercress sautéed with shredded wood ear mushrooms |
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| Sweet potato leaves sautéed with garlic |
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| Tender chicken with chili soy dip |
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| Fish vermicelli soup |
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| Breaded pork ribs |
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| Steamed fish, eyeballs included |
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| Marinated fish skin |
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| Tofu, slightly spicy |
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