How to Make Your Own Chinese-Style Dumplings

Anyone who has eaten authentic Chinese style dumplings will tell you that they are awesome! So much better than what you can get in American Chinese restaurants.

But what are you supposed to do if you live in America? Easy! Make your own.

It may sound like a daunting task, and it can be a little tricky, but once you get the hang of it it'll be a piece of cake (and a ton of fun too!).

First, there are a few things that you will need. So head on down to your local Asian supermarket. I'm sure you have one in town, just google it.

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Here's your shopping list:

1. Ground pork

2. Cabbage 

3. Green onions

4. Dumpling skins(they'll be in the frozen section)

5. Soy sauce

6. Minced garlic

7. White pepper

It also helps if you have a food processor, but you don't need to buy one just for dumplings.

Now that you have everything that you need, let's get cooking!

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Here's how you do it:

1. Thoroughly wash all of the vegetables.

2. Finely dice cabbage and creep onions.

3. Put your ground pork in a mixing bowl, and mix in the vegetables.

4. Set out a tray to put your finished dumplings on, and a bowl of water to the side.

5. Grab a dumpling skin, slap on a spoon of your pork/veggie mix.

6. Dip your spoon in the water and wet the edges of your dumpling skin.

7. Fold it together and fold along the sides to keep it shut.

8. Repeat about a hundred or so times!

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Cooking dumplings is easy, but you have a choice to make. There are two different ways to prepare them. Steamed, or pan fried. To steam them, it works best if you have a pot with a steamer attachment on top. If you want to pan-fry them, oil up a hot pan, set your dumplings in, mix a cup with flour and water and pour it over the dumplings. This makes them nice and crispy! 

To eat them, you can prepare a small bowl of soy sauce, mix in some garlic and pour it over your dumplings, or just dip them and eat. 

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However you choose to make them, you can be sure that you will have an awesome meal!

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I hope you enjoyed the article and are ready to try out your own homemade dumplings! Let me know how they turn out!
 
Also, I'd like to take a moment to tell you guys to hop on over to my new friend Yang Yang's site. They recently interviewed a lot of Chinese language learners(myself included) about their top Chinese learning resources. Check out what they (and I!) had to say here!
 
Like always, comment below and let's get a discussion going!
 

Taipei in Seven Days: Top 5 Places to Hang-Out Near 101

Hey everyone, before continuing on, I want to remind you that this is an ongoing series. If you haven't been following it, click here and here to see the first two installments that I have posted over the past few weeks. Enjoy, and let us hear your opinons down below! 

Free-Time:

All right, now that we've checked off one of our must-see destinations from our list, I'm going to give you guys some time to freely explore.  See, aren't I nice? Though I strongly suggest that you spend some time walking around downtown. There is always a lot of art on display, which I personally always enjoy checking out. And there are heaps and heaps of department stores and shopping malls for those of you who want to shop-til-you-drop! Even if shopping isn't your thing, take a look around. The new ESLITE shopping center located a short walk from the city hall MRT station has a lot of cool alternative activities for those of you who don't need any new clothes or shoes.

There you can participate in a DIY silver smithing class where you can choose to make either a ring or a bracelet from a bar of silver, or you can try your hand at *blowing glass or pottery. That's where my wife and I got our wedding bands, FYI, because nothing says love like "hand-made". You can even conveniently rent a bike and ride around for fun if the outdoors are more your thing. Especially if you're from the suburbs like I am, the big city can be an awesome experience, so make the most of it!

Here's my top-five recommendations for how to spend your free-time. And again, these are just some of your options. There is really so much more that you could do and see. Whether you follow my lead and visit on of my recommended spots from the list below, or pave your own adventurous path, the choice is yours. And as these are "extracurricular" activities, I'll leave the "cheapskate" and "big spender" tips out of this section. It's your time, and your money. I'll offer you some suggestions on how to spend them, but  I'll leave the decision making up to you. Just do me one favor though…have fun! You're on vacation, remember?

 

1.Simple Market

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Conveniently located within walking distance from Taipei 101, Simple Market is just one of the many art markets that have popped up around Taipei over the last several years. I have to say that I really love how the Taiwanese people take run-down old historical buildings and re-purpose them. Rather than tear down these rich, culturally significant buildings, they make them into places of art, and beauty. 44 South Village(44南村) was originally a military dependents housing complex that had been abandoned and in shambles for years. Now every Saturday and Sunday, it houses Simple Market. On Saturdays they rent-out stalls to people selling second-hand clothing and other items, while on Sunday's they're filled with vendors selling their own hand-made foods, clothing, leather bags, accessories of all kinds and much more. Back in our hay-day, my wife Ruby and I would often rent a space to sell our own handmade wares. She sold handmade dresses, shirts, scarves and other things like that, and I sold handmade leather bags, belts and wallets. We got to supplement our income nicely, and had a blast being there and checking out all of the unique items that were for sale. They also have a restaurant, an ice-cream shop and several stores selling various hand-made and novelty items, even a guitar store, all inside the main building. They also always have an art exhibition of some kind or another in one of the rooms in the same central building. Outside, in addition to all of the handmade goodness, you can also buy fresh vegetables and fruits from the farmers market, and one of my favorite snacks, baked sweet potato (烤地瓜). Those suckers are both delicious and nutritious, plus they're cheap and will fill you up. The  market also has several grassy areas and trees to sit under and rest and enjoy the weather on a nice day. Plus they usually have live music, so that's just one more thing for you to enjoy as you soak in the sunshine.

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Transportation:

This is the trickiest destination to get to on this list. It's very close, and easy to walk to, but if you are worried about getting lost, you can grab a taxi from in front of 101 and show him the Chinese sentence 「我要到四四南村」. The driver will know where it is. If you want to hoof it, then follow my directions closely. When you exit Taipei 101, turn right on Songzhi St. Keep going until you reach Songqin St. And then turn right. Keep straight, pass Xinyi Elementary School and go straight until you come to the next intersection. Cross the street and you'll be at Simple Market.

 

2. Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Songyan ESLITE

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Like Simple Market and the restored 44 South Village, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park is another prime example of how the Taiwanese give new life to their old, run-down buildings. The park occupies what was once the Songshan Cigarette Factory(松山菸廠), and the area surrounding it. The first building you come across when you enter former cigarette factory grounds is now home to a store that sells all kinds of fancy glass figurines and decorations, as well as a high-class restaurant. The area right out front has lots of picnic tables, and a pond with a path around it which is nice for taking a stroll. The water is home to fish and turtles, and lots of birds make there home there, in fact you can buy seeds from a vending machine to feed them if you want. I think it's especially nice to hang out around the water and relax when it's evening, and there's a cool breeze. To the left of the restaurant is some kind of tall smokestack that I assume must have once been integral to the functionality of the factory, but now you can sometimes go in and check out exhibitions inside.

Last time I was there, there were a lot of photographs on display as well as an artsy film projected on one of the walls. When you continue in to the largest building of the complex, past the restaurant, you have the option to explore it further. It's quite large and you might get lost, but don't worry, it'll be easy enough to find your way. There's a neat garden in the middle between two of the buildings, and the frequently have art exhibitions on the first and second floors of the building. You may find something cool that you never expected you'd find, so check it out! Outside on the right side of the compound are several other exhibition halls, which always have something to see in them. The coolest one that I've been to was Nathan Sawaya's amazing collection of larger-than-life LEGO sculptures.  Once you've checked all of that out, you can head into the Songyan ESLITE department store and do some shopping. You can grab some bread from their famous bakery on the basement level, but be warned, there's always an insanely long line (that's just part of life in Taiwan). After chewing down. Check out the theater next to the bakery. They play really artistic movies, do they may not be your thing, still it's an option. There are also some really cool and unique activities for you to try your hand at upstairs. You can be a silver smith for a day, and craft your own bracelet or ring. If jewelry isn't your thing, why not blow glass, or make pottery? Making something with your own hands makes for a much better souvenir, and a memory that you'll always treasure.

 

Transportation:

It's pretty easy to get there from Taipei City Hall Station, all you have to do is turn left on Zhongxiao E Rd and walk straight and cross the intersection, then keep going straight for around 3-5 minutes until you pass the park on the right side of the street. The building directly behind the park is home to one of the cram-schools that I worked for in Taipei, if anyone's interested. You can see their advertisement draped across the side of the building. You'll want to cross over to the park-side of the street, and then turn right down the alleyway directly after the park. Head down that way for a few more minutes, and you'll see the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park on your left-hand side.

 

3. Hankyu Department store (阪急百貨公司) and Xinyi ESLITE (信義誠品)

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Hankyu department store was always one that I frequented when I lived in Taipei, especially since it's conveniently connected to the City Hall MRT Station, and Xinyi ESLITE underground and to the City Hall Bus Station one the ground level. There are tons of great shops throughout the department store, but my favorite is definitely MUJI, which can be found in the basement level. MUJI is a world-famous Japanese brand that sells everything from slippers to stationary, and both my wife and I loved shopping there, we just didn't usually purchase much since their prices are quite steep. I bought the most comfortable, form-fitting bean-bag chair that the world has ever seen from one of their locations, and I really miss it since I left it with my in-laws in Taiwan…it was the perfect video-gaming chair! Another store you should check out is UNIQLO. It's another famous Japanese brand and they always have a lot of trendy clothes. Unlike MUJI, however, their prices are quite reasonable and they have some good sales. On the rooftop level above the bus station is another cool spot to visit. The space used to not be used for anything, which I always thought was a shame since it's such a nice space. Now they've remedied this by hosting another art market on the Weekends. You can browse the various hand-made wares, try some gourmet coffee and listen to live music. There's also a Starbucks up there, as well as a TGI Friday's and a NY Bagels(This is the best place to get American style breakfast food in Taipei, in my opinion) if you need a snack. After checking out Hankyu, I'd take the underground path over to ESLITE. There's a lot more to see and do here. There are floors upon floors of shops, an awesome food court (I especially love the Korean stone bowl rice, and the shaved ice store that's by the escalator), exhibitions and special events, and the largest bookstore in Taiwan, which happens to be open late. I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I've spent at this place, and while the selection of English language books is considerably smaller than that of Page One, I still find ESLITE to be the more interesting, and entertaining of the two. Check them out and let me know what you think.

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Transportation:

It's pretty easy to get there; all you have to do is turn left on Songzhi St. when you exit Taipei 101. After that it's just a straight shot to ESLITE. Now all you have to do is keep walking straight, between the two buildings on the walkway and you'll arrive at the back entrance to Hankyu.

 

 

4. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Is a memorial to the Father of Taiwan, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, and was completed on 1972. The building itself is massive, and the park that surrounds it is beautiful. Throughout it are displayed statues depicting Sun's life and the revolution he led which led to the founding of The Republic of China. If you want to learn more about his story, then I suggest you rent a copy of the 2009 film, Bodyguards and Assassins. While the film is very much a dramatization of events and not to be taken as an accurate account, it is still a good movie and one I recommend you watch. There is always a pair of guards silently standing watch in the hall, still-as-statues, much like the Queen's Guards of England. And if you're lucky, you just may whiteness the changing of the guards, which is a very special and memorable ceremony. On a sunny day, the park will be filled with families having picnics, playing games and flying kites. You may also be lucky enough to witness one of the traditional Chinese Kungfu classes that take place in the shadows of the memorial hall. And there are often large groups of young-people break dancing, or playing guitar or involved in some other kind of activity. And during the lantern festival, the park will be filled with decorative lanterns of all shapes and sizes. The festival takes place in either January or February, close to Chinese New Year, and the lanterns are best viewed at night. It's a must-see if you're there when the festival is taking place. You can get there by MRT (the stop is Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station) or you can take a walk, or rent a bike and pedal your way over there if the weather is nice.

 

Transportation:

You can get there by MRT(the stop is Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station) or you can take a walk, or rent a bike and pedal your way over there if the weather is nice. If you choose to be adventurous, it's just a straight shot down Zhongxiao E Rd, like you were going to the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, only you keep going until you see the memorial hall. It'll be on your left, and you can't miss it.

 

5. Taipei World Trade Center

The World Trade Center is home to most of the big, important expos in Taiwan. Or, rather, "they" are. I say "they", because the Trade Center actually consists of three separate buildings, all of which are conveniently located close-by Taipei 101. When I say "close", I really mean, "right next door". The architectural design of the buildings themselves is very modern, and pleasant to look upon, much like the buildings that surround them in the heart of the Xinyi district of the capital city. The buildings resemble an assortment of boxes stacked one-on-top-of-the-other, like the "blocks" you may have played with as a child. And inside, they are very spacious. They have to be by necessity, as they are constantly filled with elaborate displays, stages and booths for the variety of exhibitions that they are used for. I've been to several such exhibitions. I've been to one on travel, one on books, and several other subjects as well. One of the most popular is the comic convention they host yearly. Expect to see plenty of scantily clad anime heroines straight from the pages of your favorite manga, and flocks of fan-boys crowding around them. And expect to find a lot of merchandise for sale, so I hope you brought your wallet! Just check online before you go to see if there is anything on exhibit that interests you. It can be a fun way to kill some time. Here's their website: http://www.twtc.com.tw

 

Transportation:

It's just next to Taipei 101, all you have to do is walk outside and over to the trade center. Look for the building shaped like a bunch of blocks stacked on each other.

Unlocking Chinese in 28 days is out!

Hey guys, today I want to introduce myself a little and share my story with you. You may have heard I've released a Chinese learning book "Unlocking Chinese in 28 Days", so let me share with you how I came to learn Chinese. But first…

"What were you  doing in Taiwan?" is a question I have heard countless times, but not one I enjoy answering, because it's hard to do it justice without a long, drawn-out answer.

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I first moved to Taiwan shortly after graduating from college, and at that time I really had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I had a bachelors in education, and I had always loved traveling and learning about foreign cultures and languages. So I decided to spend a year abroad. But not in Taiwan.

Originally I had looked into living abroad in Ireland, but that was a no-go since I lacked a European passport. Oh well. Then I started talking with a friend who also wanted to live abroad and teach English for a year, and we settled on Japan. But after interviewing for a job, my friend was accepted into the program, and I wasn't! Curses, foiled again!

So after getting turned down for the second time, I got up, dusted off my jacket and applied to another recruitment agency called Reach To Teach. This time I wanted to get a job teaching in China. But when the first few schools that I had offers from didn't pan out, eventually the agent I was working with told me of a school in Keelung, Taiwan that wanted to hire me. I decided that it sounded like a great place to spend a year abroad, I was emailed a contract, read it over, signed it and faxed it back. And my life was forever changed.

That, in a shell(tried to keep it very brief for you guys since I've written on the subject on my blog) is what I was doing in Taiwan. I was there to travel, work and learn Chinese. And I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It was in Taiwan that I discovered my passion for Chinese food, culture and language…oh, and did I mention that it's where I met my wife? Talk about an awesome souvenir!

That's it for today, we'll continue tomorrow with more information on how I learned Chinese in Taiwan, and what my philosophy is on language learning. As always, let me know if you have any questions. See you soon!

Logan

Get a Free chapter of my book! 

I want to get print colorful copy, and get 10% off now.

I don't want to wait and get E-guide version now.

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5 Things to do When You\’re Bored in Taipei

The last few days have been pretty darn boring here in Houston Texas.

Why, you ask? Because it's been pouring down rain constantly, and my wife and I are running out of movies to watch. I mean, it feels like we've seen everything on Netflix!

Do you ever get bored? If so, what do you do to keep from going crazy? Whether withstanding, here's a list of five things to do when you're bored stupid in Taipei. Read, and enjoy!

 

1. Purchase an MRT day pass and ride the lines from one end to the other. There are tons of stops, do why not check them all out! Who knows, you may just find an interesting place that you never knew existed. 

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 (Picture from Taipei MRT)

 

 

2. Go to the ESLITE department store in Xingyi District.

There are always exhibitions going on, good foods to eat in the food court, lots of interesting and novel stores, and of course   the largest bookstore in Taiwan! They're usually open to 2AM(just the book store), so it's great for those of you who suffer from insomnia. 

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3. Go to the night market. Any of them. Heck, make it a night market night and hit up all of them! Everybody loves going to Shilin Night Market, but that's not the only good one. I used to love going to Tonghua Night Market and Shida Night Zmarket, since they were the closest ones to my home. There's also tons more that are worth a visit.

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4. Take a walk through the beautiful Da'an Forest Park. It's a fun place to go in the morning on weekends, since there are always lots of families there, playing, laughing and eating. It's even easier to get there now that they gave finished constructing the new(ish) MRT station there.

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5. Call up a friend and go to an all-you-can-eat BBQ restaurant. It's fun, because you get to barbecue everything yourself. It's a lot more fun than just eating out, since you're  doing the cooking, and it's a great fun with a group of friends telling stories and joking. You can conveniently find places like this in Gonguan and Ximen. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

These are just five suggestions of fun activities for when you're bored in Taipei, try them out and let me know what you think. Also feel free to share with us your favorite thing to do when you're bored to tears! 

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5 Things to do When You\’re Bored in Taipei

The last few days have been pretty darn boring here in Houston Texas.

Why, you ask? Because it's been pouring down rain constantly, and my wife and I are running out of movies to watch. I mean, it feels like we've seen everything on Netflix!

Do you ever get bored? If so, what do you do to keep from going crazy? Whether withstanding, here's a list of five things to do when you're bored stupid in Taipei. Read, and enjoy!

 

1. Purchase an MRT day pass and ride the lines from one end to the other. There are tons of stops, do why not check them all out! Who knows, you may just find an interesting place that you never knew existed. 

\"oneday_1010701\"

 

 

 (Picture from Taipei MRT)

 

 

2. Go to the ESLITE department store in Xingyi District.

There are always exhibitions going on, good foods to eat in the food court, lots of interesting and novel stores, and of course   the largest bookstore in Taiwan! They're usually open to 2AM(just the book store), so it's great for those of you who suffer from insomnia. 

\"DSC01709\"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Go to the night market. Any of them. Heck, make it a night market night and hit up all of them! Everybody loves going to Shilin Night Market, but that's not the only good one. I used to love going to Tonghua Night Market and Shida Night Zmarket, since they were the closest ones to my home. There's also tons more that are worth a visit.

\"下載\"(Picture form here

 

 

 

 

 

4. Take a walk through the beautiful Da'an Forest Park. It's a fun place to go in the morning on weekends, since there are always lots of families there, playing, laughing and eating. It's even easier to get there now that they gave finished constructing the new(ish) MRT station there.

\"images\"(Picture from here)

 

 

 

 

 

5. Call up a friend and go to an all-you-can-eat BBQ restaurant. It's fun, because you get to barbecue everything yourself. It's a lot more fun than just eating out, since you're  doing the cooking, and it's a great fun with a group of friends telling stories and joking. You can conveniently find places like this in Gonguan and Ximen. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

These are just five suggestions of fun activities for when you're bored in Taipei, try them out and let me know what you think. Also feel free to share with us your favorite thing to do when you're bored to tears! 

\"DSC02673\"

We are back!

Hey everyone, sorry for such a long lapse in my posting, life has been crazy! I just wanted to let y'all know that I'll be back to writing soon, and we're also going to have a new co-author on the blog...my wife Ruby! Also, my Chinese learning book that I have been working on since last year is nearing completion, so keep checking back for more information. That's all for now, stay tuned! 

Also we like to know what new things you want to hear from us.

1. Travel

2. Language

3. Cuture

4. Others

Please leave us comment in the below then we can get into it!

Have a awesome day!

Logan and Ruby

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5 Things I don\’t like about Taiwan(WHAT?!???!)

Living in a foreign country offers many unique and exciting opportunities. You get the chance to really get to know your new "home" a lot better than you would if you had just visited it for a week or two of travel. You will get the chance to see and do things that people who are merely visiting will never get the chance to do or see. You'll get to know and appreciate your host culture, discover new favorite foods, and have the best possible chance for succeeding in learning a foreign language. This sums up nicely my time spent in Taiwan.

 

It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. As fun as it is living abroad, It can be equally frustrating.  As often as I spend time talking about all of the things that I love in Taiwan, today I will be sharing my top 5 "complaints" about what has become my "second home". Enjoy, and as always please share your experiences/opinions below!

 

1. Random old guys backing you into a wall and forcing you into endless conversations:

\"photoI love a good conversation as much as the next guy, but sometimes it's just not a good time to chat me up. But this happens pretty often. You know that feeling you get when you are reading a really good book, intently turning the pages to see what happens next? I love reading, and always brought a book on the train ride from Taoyuan county to Taipei for my weekly martial arts classes. It's a great way to kill the time you are otherwise wasting in transit. Can't tell you how many times I've had a well meaning elderly man sit next to me and interrupt me every few seconds, even after I tried as tactfully as possible to disengage myself from conversation. The results? Me still on the same page ten minute later! This used to drive me nuts.

 

2. People don't understand your Chinese, because you look funny:

\"photoI like to think that I don't have a huge ego problem, but I know that my Chinese is pretty darn good. So it always annoyed me when someone didn't understand my fluent Chinese, because they saw me and expected English to come out of my mouth. It also used to drive me nuts when I was with my wife and someone kept asking her questions about me, even after I displayed that I was more than capable of speaking for myself. I know it's not meant to be rude, but it kinda is!

 

 

3. The lack of concern that many people have for the environment:

\"photoOf course this is getting to be a problem everywhere these days, but I felt it was more so in Taiwan than it is back here in Texas. True, the rapid rate of Taiwan's industrialization has had some negative consequences for the environment, but that's not the whole story. People throw their trash all over the place: streets, bushes, gutters, rivers…no place is safe! I remember vividly one time while I was waiting for my bus, an old man walked by me and casually shoved an empty pack of cigarettes into a bush. Seriously, go hard is it to find a trash can?

 

4. The casual rudeness that people often display:

\"unnamed\"In the big, metropolitan city of a Taipei, people are conditioned to lookout for themselves, and to disregard others around them. When you're in a crowded street, or MRT  station in Taipei, you will get shove, pushed, stepped on, elbowed, and much more. Some of this is, of course, due to the dense population, unavoidable. What I don't like, is how the majority of people won't even give you a simple "excuse me" when they jab you in the kidney as they squeeze by.

 

 

5. The crazy traffic!:

\"photoThis one is pretty self explanatory. There are countless cars, and especially scooters in Taiwan, and only a limited amount of space. This leads to heavily congested traffic, a scarcity of parking spaces, an extremely high rate of deaths on the road(especially for those riding scooters) and generally chaotic streets everywhere. To top it off, people generally have very little regard for the laws of the road, , which makes it doubly dangerous, for drivers and pedestrians alike.

There it is. I'm glad I got that off of my chest. Now, don't take this post the wrong way. For everything on this list, there are at least a hundred things I have to say that are positive about Taiwan. I love Taiwan, and it really and truly is my "home away from home", but I'm here to give you the whole story, and sometimes the truth is ugly!

What has your experience in Taiwan been like? Please share below!

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5 Things I don\’t like about Taiwan(WHAT?!???!)

Living in a foreign country offers many unique and exciting opportunities. You get the chance to really get to know your new "home" a lot better than you would if you had just visited it for a week or two of travel. You will get the chance to see and do things that people who are merely visiting will never get the chance to do or see. You'll get to know and appreciate your host culture, discover new favorite foods, and have the best possible chance for succeeding in learning a foreign language. This sums up nicely my time spent in Taiwan.

 

It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. As fun as it is living abroad, It can be equally frustrating.  As often as I spend time talking about all of the things that I love in Taiwan, today I will be sharing my top 5 "complaints" about what has become my "second home". Enjoy, and as always please share your experiences/opinions below!

 

1. Random old guys backing you into a wall and forcing you into endless conversations:

\"photoI love a good conversation as much as the next guy, but sometimes it's just not a good time to chat me up. But this happens pretty often. You know that feeling you get when you are reading a really good book, intently turning the pages to see what happens next? I love reading, and always brought a book on the train ride from Taoyuan county to Taipei for my weekly martial arts classes. It's a great way to kill the time you are otherwise wasting in transit. Can't tell you how many times I've had a well meaning elderly man sit next to me and interrupt me every few seconds, even after I tried as tactfully as possible to disengage myself from conversation. The results? Me still on the same page ten minute later! This used to drive me nuts.

 

2. People don't understand your Chinese, because you look funny:

\"photoI like to think that I don't have a huge ego problem, but I know that my Chinese is pretty darn good. So it always annoyed me when someone didn't understand my fluent Chinese, because they saw me and expected English to come out of my mouth. It also used to drive me nuts when I was with my wife and someone kept asking her questions about me, even after I displayed that I was more than capable of speaking for myself. I know it's not meant to be rude, but it kinda is!

 

 

3. The lack of concern that many people have for the environment:

\"photoOf course this is getting to be a problem everywhere these days, but I felt it was more so in Taiwan than it is back here in Texas. True, the rapid rate of Taiwan's industrialization has had some negative consequences for the environment, but that's not the whole story. People throw their trash all over the place: streets, bushes, gutters, rivers…no place is safe! I remember vividly one time while I was waiting for my bus, an old man walked by me and casually shoved an empty pack of cigarettes into a bush. Seriously, go hard is it to find a trash can?

 

4. The casual rudeness that people often display:

\"unnamed\"In the big, metropolitan city of a Taipei, people are conditioned to lookout for themselves, and to disregard others around them. When you're in a crowded street, or MRT  station in Taipei, you will get shove, pushed, stepped on, elbowed, and much more. Some of this is, of course, due to the dense population, unavoidable. What I don't like, is how the majority of people won't even give you a simple "excuse me" when they jab you in the kidney as they squeeze by.

 

 

5. The crazy traffic!:

\"photoThis one is pretty self explanatory. There are countless cars, and especially scooters in Taiwan, and only a limited amount of space. This leads to heavily congested traffic, a scarcity of parking spaces, an extremely high rate of deaths on the road(especially for those riding scooters) and generally chaotic streets everywhere. To top it off, people generally have very little regard for the laws of the road, , which makes it doubly dangerous, for drivers and pedestrians alike.

There it is. I'm glad I got that off of my chest. Now, don't take this post the wrong way. For everything on this list, there are at least a hundred things I have to say that are positive about Taiwan. I love Taiwan, and it really and truly is my "home away from home", but I'm here to give you the whole story, and sometimes the truth is ugly!

What has your experience in Taiwan been like? Please share below!

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Interview With a Chinese Learner: Ray Hecht

Hey everyone, how's it going? Today I'm coming at you with another interview. Today's victim is Chinese learner Ray Hecht.  He''s been living in Mainland China for years, and has a lot of interesting things to say on his blog about China, dating in China and learning Chinese. Plus he shares some pretty sweet art and poetry as well, so hop on over to his site and check out his writing! Being a fellow comic geek, I can relate to a lot of what he has to say!

Now on to the interview. 

\"螢幕快照Q: What Made you decide to learn Chinese?

I was first interested in Asian culture by way of Japanese manga and anime, being a long-time comic geek in my youthful days (and still a geek in my older days). As I got older I became more interested in film, and after watching many classic Kurosawa I came upon Cantonese films of Wong Kar-wai in my teenage years. Eventually this led to watching the film Farewell my Concubine, directed by Chen Kaige, which is one of my favorite movies of all time. In addition to watching the 90s films of Chinese 5th generation filmmaker Zhang Yimou, I became fascinated by China. However, I studied Japanese in college. Learning kanji did give me me a head start in learning hanzi, although the languages are quite different. I never did end up moving to Japan, just visiting a few times (learning some of the language did help). I later got an opporutnity to move to Shenzhen and I fully embraced it. Currently, Mandarin is the only other language besides English I speak with any fluency, though I always have more to learn. 

 

Q:How long have you been a student of Chinese, and how long did it take you to become conversational?

I've been studying for six years, and in the first year I learned 'survival Chinese.' I've been getting better at being more conversational in the last 3 years I suppose, but on having deep conversations I know I still have ways to go. The problem is that most conversations are the same: "Where are you from?", "Are you married?" "How many years have you been in China?" etc.

 

Q:What was your biggest challenge learning Chinese? And what came easiest to you?

My biggest challenge at first was definitely the tones. Then, the characters although I am always making progress even though it takes years. When it comes to characters, just be patient but make a little progress all the time. In speaking, the grammar of Chinese is easier and I was able to formulate simple sentences quite fast (even if not pronouncing it correctly). "I like…" "I'm from…" and that sort of thing. 

 

Q:What advice would you give to our readers who are just embarking on their journey with Chinese?

I suppose the best advice is to be fully immersive, go to China — or Taiwan, or Singapore — and start speaking. If you are in a big city in China, be careful not to be in the bubble that is the expat scene in which you rarely even speak Mandarin. Push yourself to practice those phrases you studied in real-life, it's the only way!

 

Q:Do you have a favorite Chinese phrase? If so, what is it and why?

Well, 多少錢 duoshaoqian ("How much money?") would be the phrase I say the most often, in going out shopping everyday. Some vocabulary words are fun, when Chinese can be so literal. Technological words such as 電腦 diannao (electric brain: computer) and 電影 dianying (electric shadow: movie) and many more. 

 

Q:What's your one biggest "hack" for learning Chinese?

One trick is to not stress about tones too much, and just try wait you're best until one day it becomes effortless. You can still communicate, don't be afraid to make mistakes. With pronunciation, one can imitate another more advanced learner of Mandarin instead of imitating native speakers. After all, any fluent learner was once a beginner and can offer great advice. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to share with us Ray! I hope everyone will learn from Ray's experiences, and move forward in their own studies. I especially agree with his point on getting out there and SPEAKING. So what are you still doing here? Get out there and practice your Chinese!

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Lesson 16:Naughty

You know right from wrong, but it doesn't mean everyone always cares about it. You should, but bank robbers don't usually care if what they're doing is right or wrong when they're robbing a bank. Some might, but I'm sure they're the minority. So why don't we learn about what you shouldn't do, in Chinese!

http://youtu.be/2GkwvYWY0K4

 

 

批評 pī píng- Criticize

你最好不要批評你的兒子

nǐ zuì hǎo bù yào pī píng nǐ de ér zǐ 。

You shouldn't criticize your son.

 

嘲笑 cháo xiào- Laugh at

小朋友不該嘲笑老師。

xiǎo péng yǒu bù gāi cháo xiào lǎo shī 。

Kids shouldn't laugh at their teacher.

 

吐口水 tǔ kǒu shuǐ- Spit

哎呀! 不要吐口水,好噁心!

āi ya ! bù yào tǔ kǒu shuǐ ,hǎo ě xīn !

Eww! Don't spit, that's gross!

 

 zòu- Punch

我老婆常常揍我。

wǒ lǎo pó cháng cháng zòu wǒ 。

My wife punches me all the time.

 

推 tuī-Push

媽媽!姐姐一直推我了!

mā mā !jiě jiě yī zhí tuī wǒ le !

Mom! Big sister keeps pushing me!

 

在人家背後說壞話 zài rén jiā bèi hòu shuō huài huà -Talk about others behind their back

小黃很愛在人家背後說壞話。

xiǎo huáng hěn ài zài rén jiā bèi hòu shuō huài huà 。

Small Huang loves to talk about others behind their back.

 

搶 qiǎng- Steal

你不用搶錢,我給你。

nǐ bù yòng qiǎng qián ,wǒ gěi nǐ 。

You don't need to steal money, I'll give it to you.

 

翻白眼 fān bái yǎn- Roll your eyes 

妹妹每一次翻白眼都讓我生氣。

mèi mèi měi yī cì fān bái yǎn dōu ràng wǒ shēng qì 。

 I get so angry everytime my little sister rolls her eyes.

 

 八卦 bā guà- Gossip

我不懂為什麼女人怎麼愛八卦,真無聊!

wǒ bù dǒng wéi shé me nǚ rén zěn me ài bā guà ,zhēn wú liáo !

I don't understand why women love to gossip so much, it's so boring!

 

說謊 shuō huǎng- Lie

你對我說謊,下一次就不相信你。

nǐ duì wǒ shuō huǎng ,xià yī cì jiù bù xiàng xìn nǐ 。

If you lie to me, then next time I won't believe you.

 

That's it for today. I hope this lesson was useful, so make sure to let me know what you think in the comments below! Oh, and stay tuned for the follow up lesson next week on being "Nice". See you then!