再見! Bye for now!

In preparation for my upcoming trip to Taiwan, I've been flipping through photos when I was there last, March of 2009. A little more than two years ago, I was jobless and in a rut, went back to Taiwan mostly to escape the staleness that comes with winter blues in NY. A good amount of energy went into researching and planning a five day half-tour of the island. Utilizing my forth-grade level Mandarin, I rented a car and drove from the west coast, over the mountains to the east shores, staying at hostels/homestay along the way. It was a good learning experience, and I got to see first hand the dynamic landscape of this Formosa island.

Scenery aside, I am very excited for the variety of food to come. Taiwan is known for Night-markets, which are open into wee hours of the night with carts that sell ''small eats'' all along the streets. These markets always surprise me with innovative combinations of ingredients and flavors.

Clockwise: taro ice cream on crush peanuts wrapped in flaky rice crepe, man making 'Oil-rice', freshly steamed black sesame bun. And lastly, my mom's cooking!


Before I go, if you would love a postcard from the my motherland, please email your mailing address, and I'll be sure to get around to it!

The only Eggplant I would eat....

 

It was how I felt about eggplants growing up when my mom would serve a plate of stir fry purple-brown stuff. But I've come to enjoy this fruit for its lovely color and versatility in cooking. Since eggplants are in season, I got two small ones at the farmer's market. Unsure which direction these eggplants should go, they sat in the fridge for a week, then was inspired by the prettiness of it on Smitten Kitchen.

As always, mine are slightly different from the original receipt. After baking the sliced eggplant, a layer of quick-boiled spinach went over. Then the marinara sauce with onions and cubed baked tofu. Sprinkled with germinated rice crackers and a fresh basil leaf! Similar to a bruschetta, the baked eggplant acted like a piece of soft bread, needless to say, I ate all of them in one sitting.