Month: September 2013

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Mandarin Primer: Are you ready?

First off, Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language, which means that the tone in which you speak has an impact on the meaning of the words. There are four primary tones and a fifth softer tone. Below is a description of the tones with an audio file attached. In it you will be learning an old exercise that I first learned when I began learning Chinese. So what are you waiting for?

The Tones:

First tone(一聲)

Second tone(二聲)

Third tone(三聲)

Fourth tone(四聲)

Fifth tone(輕聲)=literally translates as "light tone"

After practicing along with the audio above, you can start to string all of the tones together in order, practicing each In turn. This can be done with any phonetic sounds in the language. So the above exercise could be practiced like this: mā má mǎ mà ma. It may be difficult for you to differentiate between the tones at first, but as with anything, practice makes perfect. So go do it!
 
As a written language, Chinese is, in my opinion one of the most beautiful, as well as misunderstood in the West. When we first start to learn a new language, it is only natural to work from the foundation we have already formed in our own native tongue; it is comfortable, it's what we know and how we relate to the world…but it's wrong. I encourage you all to learn Mandarin in the context of Mandarin. Because when we try to fit a new language into the framework of our own, it becomes something unnatural. People often want a word-to-word translation for everything, but quite frankly, this is something that doesn't exist. Many people are under the false assumption that Chinese characters are pictographs or symbols and that they each represent one idea or word, but this couldn't be farther from the truth. Most Chinese characters can have many meanings, which are dictated by the manner in which they are used. Not to mention many characters have several alternative pronunciations. I want you to learn to speak and read mandarin, and I'm not trying to make you feel overwhelmed, I just want to introduce the broad idea of the subject as I see it. We will work on refining each stage along the way, so when you get to the more advanced stuff it'll be a piece of cake!
 
Pinyin: Pinyin is an invaluable tool for the Chinese language learner. It is a romanization of traditional Chinese characters, and it offers Westerners a much more reader-friendly take on written Chinese. I personally feel that Pinyin is a great stepping stone, and I still use it all the time when I am typing Chinese or if I come across an unfamiliar Character in my own studies, though I feel that you should ultimately aim at learning the traditional written Characters (at least well enough to read) if you are really committed to learning Chinese. I have included both pinyin and traditional Chinese characters alongside the English translations in each of my lessons, but in order to encourage you to learn the characters, there are also times when I have intentionally omitted the pinyin as a "test", but of you need it, you can always back-track and double-check. I'm not going to include too much information about how to read pinyin, as others have already written about it much better than I could hope to. I think that by listening to the audio files and reading along, you should be able to pick it up pretty quickly. If enough people want it, i may do a video blog on the topic in the future. For further reading on how to read pinyin, please check out the links below:
 
 
Resources: in this section, I will tell you about some of my favorite resources(apps, websites, etc.) that have really aided me in learning Chinese.
 
1. MacBooks, iPads, iPhones and androids all have international keyboards with pinyin input functions that makes typing Chinese really easy.
 
2. iPads, iPhones and androids have a handwriting function, so you can write Chinese characters if you don't know how to type them. It is a really useful function for learning new vocabulary.
 
3. Pleco is my personal favorite app. It's available on Apple and android devices and is the best FREE Chinese dictionary app with a few premium paid upgrades that are well worth the money.
 
4. The website http://chinesebay.com/chinesetools/ has a lot of really useful programs for Chinese learning, and I especially love their Chinese character to pinyin text converter.
 
That's about it for now, i hope you found this article informative and stay tuned for my free language course starting in just under two weeks from now!
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Lunch-On!

One of the things I love the most about living in Taiwan is the food. It may not be what you expect if you have never tried it though. It's not quite the same as the Chinese food we eat back home(except for the fried rice chăo fàn 炒飯, that's a pretty universally similar dish). Today we had a big family lunch, and my fiancé's mother spent the morning preparing lots of tasty dishes.

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(This is where the magic happens, my fiance's mother is a great cook!)

Meals are traditionally eaten at a round table with the various dishes placed in the middle. Unlike most Western style dining scenarios, where you have your own plate of food, what typically happens in a Chinese family is everyone fills a bowl with rice and then takes what they want to eat, serving themselves. Of course, there is etiquette that you should be aware of, such as older people get the first pick, and you shouldn't grab the biggest and best pieces of meat or other dishes, and leave the lesser quality for everyone else(that's just rude!). And you all know about sticking your chopsticks end-up in your rice bowl, right? If not, go check out my article on taboos in Chinese culture.

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(Pull-up a seat, lunch is served!)

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(L: delicious roast duck kăo yā ròu 烤鴨肉 R:a stir-fried egg plant, qié zi 茄子 dish)

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(L: yā jiăo 鴨腳 duck feet, yum! R: I love the fish, but I try not to look it in the eye…it makes me feel guilty)

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(L: boiled bamboo shoots, zhú sŭn竹筍 R: Thai style liáng bàn mù guā sī 涼拌木瓜絲, a crunchy dish consisting of slices of pickled papaya served cold）

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(L: stir-fried beef with yellow and red peppers R: a traditional staple Chinese dish, tofu dòu fŭ 豆腐)

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（a fantastic marinated pork dish called méi gān kòu ròu 梅干扣肉)

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(and no Taiwanese meal would be complete without a good soup, we had lián ŏu tāng 蓮藕湯, lotus root soup)

Do you know another good thing about home-cooked meals? The leftovers shèng cài 剩菜 baby!

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(Round two…FIGHT!)

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Chinese phrases of the day:

炒飯= fried rice

烤鴨肉= roast duck

茄子= eggplant

鴨腳= duck feet

竹筍= bamboo shoots

涼拌木瓜絲= a dish made from pickled papaya

豆腐= tofu

梅干扣肉= a marinated pork dish

蓮藕湯= lotus root soup

剩菜= leftovers

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This Little Piggy Went to Market

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(Recently I saw a procession of decorated, God pig trucks drive by. Too bad I was on a bus at the time so I couldn't take better pictures)

Okay, so yesterday I wrote about the pet industry in Taiwan and how much people care for their animals. I want you to keep that in mind while you read today's article.

The God Pig Festival is a cultural tradition that's roots stem from Hakka origins.  A "God pig" called a shén zhū 神豬 in Mandarin, is a pig that has been raised to be a sacrificial offering. In the past the pigs were slaughtered in public and the meat was used to 拜拜, and then later shared with friends and family. The pigs are shaved but for a thin strip of fur, much like a mohawk, that runs the length of their back.

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(My new hair style. My fiance shaved it for me!)

After they are slaughtered, their skin is cut opened and stretched out to make them look larger and rounder and a pineapple is put in their mouth. The reason for this is that it is thought to bring wealth, as the word "pineapple", fèng lí 鳳梨 which is pronounced o'ng lai in Taiwanese sounds similar to wàng lái 旺來 "bring  wealth and prosperity". The character wàng 旺 means prosperous and many stores will have a sticker with this word written on it placed somewhere in them.

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(look at the pineapple stuffed in his mouth…that's right, a pineapple, not an apple)

But nowadays this practice is seen to be cruel to animals, the days of public-pork executions are over.

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(The picture says it all…)

神豬 are force-fed to the point where they cannot stand, much less walk on their own feet. Families compete against each other in a contest with the goal of raising the fattest pig. It is not uncommon for a 神豬 to weigh over 1000 kg! And the title-holder (or former title-holder, seeing as he's no longer among us) weighed in at a grand total of 1054 kg! That's a big pig!

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(a contest where only the fattest prevail)

There has been a lot of controversy about the inhumane treatment of the 神豬, but it is an old religious tradition that is important to the Kè jiā rén 客家人, Hakka people. I am an animal lover, but I also respect other cultures and their practices, so I will stay neutral on the subject. The point of this article is to let you hear about a unique cultural practice that you might not have heard of otherwise.

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Chinese phrases of the day:

shén zhū 神豬= God pig (sacrificial offering)

fèng lí 鳳梨= pineapple

wàng lái 旺來= bring  wealth and prosperity

Kè jiā rén 客家人= Hakka people

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The second two images of the God pigs were found at http://vivoverde.com.br/em-taywan-ocorre-um-sdico-festival-de-louvor-a-deus-utilizando-porcos/ and the picture of Porky Pig was taken from http://free-extras.com/images/porky_pig_thats_all_folks-5172.htm

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Unconditional Love

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That's what our animals give us, right? But how do we repay them? Recently, with rabies, or kuángquǎnbìng 狂犬病 as it is called in Mandarin, resurfacing in Taiwan, the media and government have blown things way out of proportion. When it was originally found in the ferret-badger, an animal that is eaten by the aboriginal people in the mountains, people went nuts.

Now, I can understand that people were worried. I mean, we are talking about a disease that hasn't been seen on the island in around 50 years, but the poor treatment of domestic animals like dogs and cats that followed was quite unnecessary. But I don't want to dwell on the negative side of the coin, because it's ugly and depressing, and if that's what you wanted to read about, you'd have just picked up a local newspaper or turned on the TV.

In the West, we have the idea that our pets are our family members, and while people in some places in the world may have, and are entitled to their own views on the role animals play in their culture, and some even view cats and dogs as food(something that i don't agree with, but this is not the issue here) I want to assure you that that's is ILLEGAL in Taiwan.

I feel that a growing percentage of Taiwanese people(my future wife and her family included) take the status of pets in the family to a whole new level! My girl cooks more meals for my dog and cat than she does for me!

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(Here are the dogs eating their gourmet meal)

My fiancé's sister has saved multiple dogs and found them homes, most recently a cute poodle mix named Lulu, and we practically feed a family of cats and stray dogs in the neighborhood on a daily basis. Heck, our cat Pumpkin(what can I say, he's big round and orange!) was a poor whelp of a street cat when we found him while riding our bikes around near the Taipei City Hall, not far from the famed Taipei 101.

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(Left: Pumpkin shortly after we found him, Right: Pumpkin now, over a year later…That boy can eat!)

The pet industry is a booming business here as many pet-owners spend tons of money pampering their pooch with food, clothing, accessories, toys…and the list goes on and there are always new devices coming out. Pet salons are all over the place, and a self-wash pet grooming facility recently opened up over by the RT Mart in the Zhongyuan area in Zhongli City. Now, I know we've all heard of DIY car washes, but I thought this was a really awesome and unique idea!

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(Left: Our "children" traveling in style Right: Check out this giant standard poodle, now take a look at Popcorn!)

Heck, there are dog restaurants and hotels where they can go on vacation and get pampered! And if you have a sweet tooth, there is even a dog bakery along the side of all the pet stores at the Tonghua Night Market on Keelung Rd., not far from the Liuzhangli MRT station in Taipei.

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(Popcorn's first birthday cake. They were out of 1s, but do you think she complained?)

Most large pet stores have vets, shòuyī 獸醫 in them and health care for your pets is readily available, and affordable. Check out a coming article on how to take your dog or cat to for a check-up with the vet in Taiwan, including what vocabulary you may need to be able to communicate with the staff and what to expect.

Every year there are also numerous pet shows and exhibitions, the most famous of which takes place in the Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei. We took our dog there a few times, and it was really fun.

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(They had a swimming pool at the pet exhibition…Popcorn went skinny-dipping!)

Some people may be uneducated, or uncompassionate towards animals, there are people like that everywhere and Taiwan is not an exception. But when you think about Taiwan (or any other place really) try to remember the good things first and foremost.

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Chinese phrases of the day:

kuángquǎnbìng 狂犬病= rabies

shòuyī 獸醫= Veterinarian

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拜拜! Zhen Qing Temple

Today I went with my fiance's family to a temple in Bali on guī mă shān 龜馬山(Turtle-Horse Mountain) called zhēn qìng gōng 真慶宮. My fiancé's brother will be joining the military for his obligatory  year at the end of the month, so the family went to the temple to bài bài 拜拜, or pray. It is not uncommon for people to go to temples seeking guidance or to ask for help with their business or to look after their wellbeing.Taiwan is a peaceful country, and generally serving in the military is not very dangerous, but with political tension between Taiwan and the mainland being what it is, you never know what could happen, so we asked for her brother's year in the service to pass safely.

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(Outside the temple from the bottom of the mountain, and up close and personal views)

 
 
 
This temple has been in construction for a long time, and besides the giant plot of land it is on, many Taiwanese families have donated millions of dollars in local currency to see it completed. It is also the largest temple in Taiwan to the God xuán tiān shàng dì 玄天上帝.
 

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(The money for each of these pillars was donated by devout families…they weren't cheap either!)

 
 
 
The first thing we did upon arriving was to place incense sticks into the three giant incense holders. There are three at this particular temple. At each incense holder, we say a silent prayer, bow three times and place the incense stick with the others already burning to ashes. This is called shāo xiāng 燒香, burn incense, in Mandarin Chinese.
 
When you enter the shén diàn 神殿, the innermost portion of the temple, it is customary to use a branch with leaves to sprinkle blessed water on your head and two shoulders to keep you safe and protect you from bad spirits. The reason you put water on these three points, is because in Chinese Taoism/Buddhism these three points are believed to hold fires on them that protect you from evil.
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(Me cleansing myself to enter the inner temple)
 
 
 
In the inner sanctum of the temple, which is decorated heavily in gold ornamentation (gold is a lucky color in Chinese culture) lies a large table in front of giant statues depicting various Gods. here you can donate money and take a píng ān fú 平安符, an amulet, for luck and protection. The 平安符 are separated by color and animal of the 12 year cycle. I was born in the year of the rat.
 
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(We all got a new 平安符. Take a closer look at mine.)
 
 
 
After taking an amulet, you can make wishes or ask questions to the Gods with the jiăo bēi筊杯. Kneel on the knee-rest, hold the two wooden halves together in your hands, tell the Gods your name and address (so they can find you) and make your request. Then bow three times and throw the two halves to the ground. If the two pieces are showing opposite sides, then the answer is yes, if they are the same, it is no, so ask again!
 
 
 
Before going, we revisited one of the incense pots and "super-charged" our 平安符. It is customary to hold your amulet and circle it clock-wise three times over the incense smoke, and then to cup your hands and place the smoke over your head (again, because of the protective fires).
 
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(Bathing my 平安符 in the incense smoke, and a little on myself for good measure)             
 
 
 
I love the feeling inside temples here in Taiwan. The smell of the incense and being surrounded by the beautiful carvings and architecture fill me with a sense of peace and contentment. I can't wait to see what this place looks like when it's finished!
 
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(Some cool carvings from the temple walls, and an image of what the temple will eventually look like when it is finished)
 
 
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How To Get There:
 
The temple is located near Dansui in Bali. If you don't have a car, the best way to get there would be by bus or taxi. You can take the MRT to Luzhou station on the orange line and then either find a taxi to take you there or you could take bus number 928. Here is the address in Chinese, so you can just show a cab driver, as well as the contact information. The temple is open from 6am-9pm.
 
 
Address: 新北市八里區中華路二段165巷33號

Phone: 02 2610 4373

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Chinese phrases of the day:

拜拜= pray

燒香= burn incense

神殿= the inner sanctum of a temple

平安符= a safety talisman

筊杯(pronounced ba-bwei in Taiwanese, and this is how it is usually called in Taiwan)= a pair of crescent shaped wooden tools, rounded on one side and flat on the other which are used for divination

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就 Fun! / Jiufen

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(The long, winding streets of Jiufen are best viewed at night.)

This quaint little town nestled in the mountains above Keelung and Taipei County(now called New Taipei City, though it\’s actually a conglomerate of cities). During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, Jiufen was rich in gold deposits and became very important, because who doesn\’t love bling?

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(One of the miners!)

Located on Keelung Mountain, there are several ways to get there. I have personally taken two of these routes, because I used to live in Keelung, but there is a third option as well. If you are planning to visit Keelung city and want to also see Jiufen, I\’d recommend taking the bus nearby the Keelung train station. The ride is about 30-40 minutes long and the fare is 30NT. Another option would be to take a train to Ruifang station and then take the nearby bus to Jiufen. The ride should be a little shorter than the one from Keelung. Another option, maybe ideal for those of you based out of Taipei, would be to take the Jiufen bus from the Songshan train station. I\’m not sure about the details of the ride or the fare, as I\’ve never taken this bus, but it should be over an hour ride and probably around 100NT(have an easy card with several hundred NT and you should be good).

Well, nowadays if it\’s gold you\’re looking for, then Jiufen might not be the place for you. But it has tons of other attractions that might catch your eye.

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(A cool museum of masks located in Jiufen…what seems to be out of place?)

lăo jiē 老街, old streets are some of my favorite places in Taiwan. They are a perfect blend of the traditional Chinese feel, with a touch of the modern. Jiufen is my favorite old street (I\’ve been there six or seven times, but who\’s counting?), but there are tons more that I\’ll be writing about in the future, and they are all worth a visit.

Jiufen is a great place to see and buy tons of traditional items, from clothing to toys, charms and the list goes on. There are also quite a few stores that sell hand-made leather items(though a little less traditional in nature) and even a novelty sex gag store, which was definitely not around when this was a booming mining town! This is just one of the signs of how much Taiwan has changed in recent years.

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(What can I say? I love playing with all the cool traditional toys!)

Another popular attraction are the beautiful tea houses spread out on the hills of the old street, and the spectacular views that you can get from them!

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(Feeling thirsty? Check out this awesome tea house!)

And of course, you have a wide variety of snacks to choose from(we\’re in Taiwan after all!). You can get just about anything you could possibly want and more, but a few of my favorites are wild boar sausages shān zhū xiāng cháng 山豬香腸, and yù yuán 芋圓.

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(芋圓 a chewy dish made with flower, taro and sweet potato and served with red and green beans)

I\’m not sure if she\’s still there, but there was a very friendly old woman who sold 山豬香腸 at the end of the first part of the old street, before you start climbing all the stairs. Even if you don\’t like sausage, her stand is worth a visit, as she dresses very uniquely. She might look funny, but this clown is a good cook!  

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(You know you want some of her sausage! Get in line already!)

There is a great place to get 芋圓 at the very top of the old street(so save some room). The restaurant is simply called ā pó 阿婆, or grandmother, and the view from the giant window there is amazing! It\’s a great place to get a view of the surrounding mountainside and ocean while eating a great Taiwanese snack.

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(A few pics of the amazing view you get from Jiufen…the pictures really do it an injustice.)

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How To Get There:

If you are planning to visit Keelung city and want to also see Jiufen, I\’d recommend taking the bus nearby the Keelung train station. The ride is about 30-40 minutes long and the fare is 30NT. Another option, maybe ideal for those of you based out of Taipei, would be to take the Jiufen bus from the Songshan train station.

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Chinese phrases of the day:

老街= old street

山豬香腸= wild boar sausage

芋圓= a chewy dish made with flower and different ingredients, usually taro and sweet potato

阿婆= grandmother

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The pictures are all mine, except the ones of the 山豬香腸 and the 芋圓 , I got them from here http://www.flickr.com/photos/22151591@N07/8149875532/ and here http://chriszeekent.blogspot.tw/2010/07/blog-post_15.html

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Beef Cake!

Today I want to introduce you to another of my favorite Chinese dishes. If you have been to Taiwan, then chances are you have at least tried it once.

niúròumiàn牛肉麵, beef noodle soup is easily one of the most popular local dishes, and you can order it just about anywhere. The quality will vary from stand to stand, or restaurant to restaurant, depending on the noodles it is served with, and the herbs and spices that are used to flavor the soup, so the flavor can differ drastically depending where you order it.

If you want to eat the best (in my opinion, of course) niúròumiàn牛肉麵 that Taiwan has to offer, then I suggest you try the two restaurants that I recommend below. The first, niúlǎodà牛老大, is located in the Shida Night Market shīdàyèshì師大夜市 in Taipei, just near NTNU.

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(牛老大, located in the Shida Night Market in Taipei. Worth a vist…or three!)

This is the better of the two, in my opinion, as I really like the flavor of their hand-made noodles, and you know you are are getting the real deal because you can see their master noodle maker doing his thing right as you enter the restaurant. This in and of itself makes it a unique dining experience. The noodles are thick and chewy, and they make a big difference in the overall taste. Their soup is also really great, a little spicy, but not so much that people who don\’t do hot food will be turned off.

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(Just look at those chunks of beef! Yum!)

Though they have a full menu and offer a variety of dishes, pretty much everyone just orders the beef noodle soup, because it\’s just that great! I have also tried their hóngyóuchǎoshǒu紅油炒手 which is also the best of this dish that I have had in Taiwan, so I\’d imagine that their other food must be good too!

The other place that I highly recommend is a chain-store called sānshāngqiǎofú三商巧福, which I love and eat at regularly, as they have a location near one of the schools that I work at.

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(This is the 三商巧福 near my school in Taoyuan county)

This is my fiances favorite, but as much as I like their niúròumiàn牛肉麵, I usually end up ordering their niúròushòuxǐfàn牛肉壽喜飯 because it just tastes awesome. It\’s a simple dish consisting primarily of rice and beef, but the addition of ginger adds an extra kick that really compliments the taste. Plus, I always order a set meal with a side of kimchi(which usually gets stirred in with the rice, yum!). Also included in the set meal are a seaweed soup and a fountain drink of choice.

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(Above, the beef noodle broth 牛肉湯麵 (no beef chunks), and below my favorite, 牛肉壽喜飯 (a beef and rice dish) served at 三商巧福)

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Regardless of where you get your niúròumiàn牛肉麵, you should have access to an ample supply of pickled Chinese cabbage, suāncài酸菜, and I suggest you take advantage of it.

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(A healthy serving of 酸菜, and there\’s always more where that came from!)

It\’s a really good compliment to the soup\’s flavor. A lot of stores also refill soup for free! Take your time and enjoy! mànyòng慢用!——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Chinese phrases of the day:

niúròumiàn牛肉麵= beef noodle soup

hóngyóuchǎoshǒu紅油炒手= dumplings served in a spicy sauce

niúròushòuxǐfàn牛肉壽喜飯= a beef and rice dish

suāncài酸菜=pickled Chinese cabbage

mànyòng慢用= take your time/enjoy

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The first three pictures are taken from http://www.ipeen.com.tw as I didn\’t have any photos of the restaurant on hand, and the rest are my own.