Author: eazychinese.com

Posted on

Pancakes!

Who doesn't love them? Especially lathered in butter and dripping with maple syrup! Yum! I'll be blogging about the best place to get pancakes in Taiwan in the second part of this article, but for now I'd like to introduce you to a local equivalent. Chēlúnbǐng（車輪餅）is one of my all time favorite Taiwanese snacks (shown below)

\"IMG_5531\"\"IMG_5534\"

They are called Chēlún= wheel bǐng=round cakes due to their shape. In fact, they are a lot like pancakes in sandwich form, and what self respecting Westerner doesn't like sandwiches?!? In all seriousness, these tasty little treats will fill you up, and it won't hurt your wallet much at 10NT a piece (though some more famous stores can sell them for as much as 20NT). They come in an assortment of favors, such as cabbage, chocolate, peanut, hóngdòu(紅豆) or red bean, and cream….Let's try a bite!

\"IMG_5533\" \"IMG_5540\"

Boy, that was GOOD!

The two most popular flavors by far are cream or nǎiyóu(奶油) and red bean. In fact, they are also often called hóngdòubǐng(紅豆餅), or red bean cakes. Whatever you call them, they're delicious and I'm going to get some! See you at the night market!

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Chinese phrases of the day:

Chēlúnbǐng（車輪餅）= tire cakes

hóngdòu(紅豆)= red beans

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Posted on

Trick or….wait, that\’s not quite right…

\"DSC05690\"

But happy Ghost Month all the same!

Ghost Month, or guǐyuè(鬼月) is a period of time when the gates to the underworld open and ghosts are free to roam the Earth. Ghost Month has many interesting superstitions and observances associated with it. According to tradition, during Ghost Month, it is unlucky to move into a new home, buy a new car, get married or even hang your clothes to dry(as ghosts may wear them!). Colorful lanterns are hung all along streets, and lanterns in the shape of houses are painstakingly constructed, only to be later burned.

My first year in Taiwan, I was very lucky to witness a very special celebration in Keelung, where Ghost Month is still an important tradition. The locals assembled at the mouth of a temple in the harbor and a speech was given by the mayor, welcoming all to the year's celebration. Afterwards there were fireworks and martial arts displays, and if this wasn't enough, it began pouring rain.

Rain or no rain, the celebration was just getting started. Parade floats marched through the city in the wake of performers and dragon dancers, loaded with drummers and children tossing handfuls of candy to the masses. It was very colorful to say the least, and I honestly had no idea what to expect next.

I followed along with the procession, which was slow and jam-packed with what seemed like the entire city's population. Slowly but surely we made our way to a beach miles down the coast where the house-shaped lanterns were unloaded and pushed out into the ocean and set a flames.

\"92572\"                 \"92571\"

The ceremony is called fàngshuǐdēng(放水燈) which can be loosely translated to the placing of the water lanterns. This was truly one of the most memorable of my experiences in Taiwan, and I recommend you all to check it out if you have the chance!

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

Chinese phrases of the day:

Ghost Month or Ghost Festival = guǐyuè(鬼月) or ZhōngyuánJié(中元節)

placing of the water lanterns = fàngshuǐdēng(放水燈)

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

The first picture is my own, the second and third are from http://big5.huaxia.com/jjtw/jtzdtw/csxc/2009/09/1557857.html

Posted on

Trick or….wait, that\’s not quite right…

\"DSC05690\"

But happy Ghost Month all the same!

Ghost Month, or guǐyuè(鬼月) is a period of time when the gates to the underworld open and ghosts are free to roam the Earth. Ghost Month has many interesting superstitions and observances associated with it. According to tradition, during Ghost Month, it is unlucky to move into a new home, buy a new car, get married or even hang your clothes to dry(as ghosts may wear them!). Colorful lanterns are hung all along streets, and lanterns in the shape of houses are painstakingly constructed, only to be later burned.

My first year in Taiwan, I was very lucky to witness a very special celebration in Keelung, where Ghost Month is still an important tradition. The locals assembled at the mouth of a temple in the harbor and a speech was given by the mayor, welcoming all to the year's celebration. Afterwards there were fireworks and martial arts displays, and if this wasn't enough, it began pouring rain.

Rain or no rain, the celebration was just getting started. Parade floats marched through the city in the wake of performers and dragon dancers, loaded with drummers and children tossing handfuls of candy to the masses. It was very colorful to say the least, and I honestly had no idea what to expect next.

I followed along with the procession, which was slow and jam-packed with what seemed like the entire city's population. Slowly but surely we made our way to a beach miles down the coast where the house-shaped lanterns were unloaded and pushed out into the ocean and set a flames.

\"92572\"                 \"92571\"

The ceremony is called fàngshuǐdēng(放水燈) which can be loosely translated to the placing of the water lanterns. This was truly one of the most memorable of my experiences in Taiwan, and I recommend you all to check it out if you have the chance!

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

Chinese phrases of the day:

Ghost Month or Ghost Festival = guǐyuè(鬼月) or ZhōngyuánJié(中元節)

placing of the water lanterns = fàngshuǐdēng(放水燈)

———————————————————————————————————————————————–

The first picture is my own, the second and third are from http://big5.huaxia.com/jjtw/jtzdtw/csxc/2009/09/1557857.html

Posted on

Welcome!

Hello everyone!

My name is Logan, and for the past four and a half years I have been living in Taiwan. Life as an expat is never dull, and is full of both challenges and rewarding life experiences. Over the years I have gained a lot of insight into Chinese culture and way of thought, as well an above average command of the language. But a lot of my knowledge has come  the hard way, though luckily for you, your's doesn't have to! I will be updating advice on how to get around in Taiwan, what to expect and how to cope with the cultural differences you will encounter…basically anything and everything that is Taiwan. I would love to hear from my readers, and encourage you to post any questions you may have and I will answer them as quickly as I can! Taiwan has changed my life in more ways than one, and I hope the same will happen for all of you.

Thank you for reading.