52-week summer

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[ohheytpe]

My final view of the jungle I call home. It's always hard to say see you later to Taipei. Until next time...

[ohheytpe]

Last lunch before heading back to New York at my favorite Shanghainese restaurant. Mom and I went into the mountains with Fox the day before.

[ohheytpe]

Oh sweet, sweet, boba milk tea shaved ice. There is a heaven on Earth after all, a sanctuary I seek in the midst of this sauna called Taipei, and it appears in the form of Ice Monster. To be honest, I almost thought I wouldn't get my Ice Monster fix this time around because their portions are rather monstrous even for someone with an appetite like mine. Their shaved ice means business, and by business I mean it takes at the very minimum two to do the job. Which of my friends besotted with this "clean eating" BS would join me on my quest to taste only the creamiest milk tea flavored shaved ice topped with panna cotta and the only bobas that I consume? Well, not one, and that was my problem. 

Thankfully, I have a mother who doesn't buy into this salad only nonsense and was more than willing to accompany me to Ice Monster post-dinner. I did my usual hack of just getting it to go--I'll take the additional 10% off and lack of a wait, thank you very much--and couldn't wait to start eating as we headed home. Dad was appalled, "Stop eating while you're walking!" 

Sigh - shaved ice roundup now complete. 

[ohheytpe]

On our way home from AAD, we stopped by the old site of Taipei's Flower Exhibit. The space is really beautiful! It's too bad Taipei hasn't made much use of it since the exhibit ended. 

[ohheytpe]

Today was an exceedingly humid day. I felt as if I could wring out the air I walked through. After a week of minimal exercise--my post-10k/work out break of 2014--I decided to get off my lazy ass and go on a run. Actually, my body starts to itch after not working out for a while, and it feels out of sorts. I've also been reading Once a Runner now which has the most accurate description of the pre-race jitters and overall experience I have ever encountered. Reading it makes me feel as if I were running a race. Although, I do not envy nor do I wish to replicate the protagonist's training regimen. These days, I run for clarity. 

Okay I guess my point is that after a painful run in sauna like weather, I was ready to escape the heat. Dad has been quite curious about the take out food from Aquatic Addiction Development, so we drove all the way there and got some of the hot, already prepared foods. Everyone around us was ordering sushi or sashimi to go. Even dad remarked, "Hmm, it seems like you should get sushi if you come here." Yup. Too bad neither dad nor LY eats raw fish! The bottom photo features some live lobsters for sale. 

We did get two delicious panna cottas, matcha green tea and sesame flavored. The texture was exceedingly fine and the custard was rich with the flavors without being overwhelming or too sweet.

A wholesale fruit market neighbors the fish market, so we stopped by and purchased our second box of mangoes for the week, bringing the grand total to 33 mangoes!

[ohheytpe]

Last night we went to Ji Wo for dinner. I finally got some delicious red bean pancake. The one we got in Tian Mu with SO and his family was such a disappointment, I knew I had to get the real deal at least once before I left. After dinner, mom and I walked through the night market, and I got some Zhuang Yuan Gao to go from the old woman who has been making these by hand for years. I love these "Asian" flavors: black sesame, matcha green tea, peanut, and red bean. Can't get enough of it! It's weird. I haven't craved chocolate at all since being back in Taiwan! I just have a completely different palate when I'm here. 

[ohheytpe]

On Friday night, ML, CL, LH, and I went to Trio which was absolutely packed. We ordered a round and even after we finished, there still weren't any available seats. We decided to head to Nox and snagged the last available table. These were probably the two bars I frequented the most last year, and it was my second time back at Nox this visit. Man, I wish I lived within walking distance to some cooler bars in Manhattan. 

[ohheytpe]

The photo on top features one of my favorite snacks from the night market: da bing filled with ground peanut or sesame! I've already gotten it twice since being back in Taipei. I was disappointed to discover that several of my old favorites are no longer there, including the waffle stand and the only sausage stand that I liked. During the day, I've gone to the fresh market with mom a lot. I can't get enough of all the fruit in Taiwan! I've been gorging on mangoes, lychee, water pears, and watermelon. None of that frozen Trader Joe's stuff! 

[ohheytpe]

Dad had a business lunch, so mom took LY and I to dim sum at Ji Pin. She knows I've been craving this! We got shrimp hargow, pan fried chives and shrimp cake, char siu puff pastry, beef roll, stir fried bamboo, and crispy pork. Dessert was a bao filled with molten sweetened salted egg yolk - I know, it sounds like an oxymoron. Afterward, mom and I checked out some of the new clothing stores that opened up on our road. 

[ohheytpe]

Mom and I went to see Fox's puppies and walked this trail to see the waterfall at the end. There was a guy sitting under the drop, at the bottom of a 50 foot waterfall, with a wall of water beating on his back. Nature's massage!

[ohheytpe]

I had both of those on Thursday - yum! I biked to get the almond shaved ice (R) after lunch and brought it home. After dinner, I took my contacts to get cleaned (boo, pinkeye) and picked up some Taiyi red bean and tang yuan shaved ice with milk. I may or may not have stopped by Gakuden bakery for a 35 NTD Valrhona chocolate soft serve as well. Who can resist that?! So refreshing and delicious on these humid, hot days. I swear my brain is like a GPS for good eats in Taipei. At any point when I am walking or biking, I'm constantly thinking of what delicious food I know is nearby. 

[ohheytpe]

Lunch with grandpa at our family's other kitchen! I love all the dishes here.

[ohheytpe]

Mom, dad, and I went to Addiction Aquatic Development for dinner last night. Since the first time I went last summer, I've been thinking I have to go back, and now nearly a year later, I've finally made it back! We shared the fish miso soup, seaweed soup, nigiri platter, seared sushi, and a grilled fish. Dad and mom were pretty pleased, and we has fun browsing through the market afterwards. We left the fish market with 19 mangoes and 5 bananas - shrugs! As for the fish, I really liked the baby shrimp and this one fish I don't know the name of - that's always the problem, besides salmon, tuna, and yellowtail, I have a hard time distinguishing between fish. My taste buds certainly remembered eating this fish in Tokyo though!

[ohheytpe]

I decided to finish watching Breaking Bad before my summer research starts - rough life, I know. In between the dark and thought provoking episodes, I decided to take advantage of the one semi-not rainy day in Taipei and go up Elephant Mountain. I knew I would make it up here at some point during this trip back. There's something about the view up there that inspires reflection. Lots of memories and firsts on this mountain.

[ohheytpe]

On Monday, I had lunch with LH at the Taipei 101 Din Tai Fung, since that's where her office is. I had DTF for dinner the day I arrived in Taipei, but I can never get sick of their chili oil wontons. I know they are famous for their steamed pork dumplings, but to be honest, that ranks maybe 4th or 5th on my list of things to order from there. Tied for #1 with the wontons would be my dear mini steamed red bean buns. I really think I could pop those one after another into my mouth for hours. 

After lunch, I biked to the newest Eslite branch at the Song Shan Cultural Park. The building design is beautiful, and I especially love how sunlight enters through floor to ceiling windows on ever level. An Escape Artist branch opened up there as well. 

[ohheytpe]

That night, I took LY out for a post-10k celebratory dinner, or more like, I just really wanted to make sure I got to eat at 聚, one of my favorite hot pot restaurants in the basement of Eslite. While we were waiting for our seats, we checked out the store next door filled with science oriented games. It was during dinner that I realized my legs were quite tired from a hard run and then walking to get my custard puff. Priorities... 

[ohheytpe]

After my trek to Laetitia, I walked to Simple Market, since it was a Sunday. The indie music that was playing was uplifting in spite of the gloomy weather. I really liked these ceramic pieces that Good Cho's was selling. I wanted one of the black sesame bagels, but I didn't have stomach space! Plus, I'd already picked up six round mochi breads with red bean and taro fillings. Too many foods, too little time...