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I just returned from a two week trip to Taiwan - the longest vacation I've taken in over 11 years. I spent enough time there to soak in the sights, sounds and smells of the Motherland. Thinking about these things is enough to bring a smile to my face.
I was born in the States, and had only visited Taiwan twice, as a young child, until I returned for a visit after 21 years in 2003. I've visited on four separate trips since then, and have grown comfortable navigating around Taipei.
I've talked with friends who were born in Taiwan about their memories growing up there. They've spoken about the friendliness of neighbors, of the best places to buy street food, and where to get your fortune told. I don't have any of these memories of my own, but after these most recent two weeks, I came away with a sense of nostalgia - of the familiar smells and sounds of the streets, of the banter between shopkeepers as I walked by, even of the noxious fumes and rat-a-tat-tat noise from the sea of scooters. Is it possible to have nostalgia for things one never actually experienced? I don't know, but I came home feeling more connected to Taiwan than I ever have before - a pleasant way to start 2010. | | |
| With rising fuel costs, airlines are finding every possible way to cut costs. This has included the deletion of snacks (peanuts, pretzels, trail mix, etc.) served with the complimentary beverage on many major airlines. Those of us flying low-cost airlines are a bit more used to not having something salty to wash down with our drink, but that doesn't mean that we don't yearn for a little snack sometimes.
Take my last flight back from LA...I brought an opened, half-eaten bag of Munchos, quite possibly the least nutritious kind of potato chip Frito-Lay has ever produced. They somehow manage to taste airy and healthy though, if you just ignore the oil dripping from the bottom of the chip as you bring it to your mouth. They bring back fond memories from childhood for me, and seem to only be available at certain 7-11 stores, so I indulge from time to time.
When they're bitten into, these chips produce a louder-than-average crunch. After I stuck a couple in my mouth, I noticed in my peripheral vision that the passengers to my left and right were looking in my direction. At first I thought I had been eating too loudly, but as I turned to the right, I could see that the guy across the aisle was eyeing my chips. And as I slowly turned to my left, the woman with the earbuds an the iPod also was looking at my chips. I thought for a moment about sharing, but I thought it might be construed as kinda gross to share an already-opened bag of greasy potato chips. What is the common courtesy in that situation, anyway - share with strangers (who hadn't said a word to me before that) or keep them to myself? I did have an extra bag of peanuts from my flight down to LA...oops, guess I could have offered those. :) | | |
| Not sure what criteria this is based on, but it's entertaining. ;)
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I guess I shouldn't be surprised that our "Commander-In-Chief" is using the "denial" method of dealing with our current economic crisis. I've certainly been a bit more careful about my spending habits in the past couple months, but it wasn't until a recent shopping trip that things really hit home.
First I went to my favorite Chinese grocery store and found that all the prices on tofu had gone up about 10-15%. Then I went to the gas station and paid more than $60 to fill my tank for the first time. But the clincher was going to my favorite coffeeshop nearby work. They have had a beautiful hand-painted menuboard for years. The price of coffee was increased across the boards, using paste-it numbers over the old numbers. I guess it goes without saying that if they need to raise prices, they won't be able to afford a new menuboard...
Now who's going to rush out and get the new iPhone despite all this gloomy economic news? ;) | | |
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