Tidbits

I just returned from a trip to the store where I saw things that made me happy: Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Cheetos and Doritos. I purchased some of the last one. And I’m pretty sure a male customer chuckled when he saw me pick them up. What?! Just because this white girl needs reminders of home.

I’m thinking I may get sick of peanut butter and Frosted Flakes (or Frosties as they’re called here) once I’m done with this little adventure. Since those are my staples. Yes Mom, those aren’t the best staples. But they’re so easy! And I have the small problem of minimal appliances (only a stove top), a small fridge, and a language barrier. I don’t know what anything is! Maybe that’s why I’m purchasing stuff like Pringles and Doritos – I can read the packaging.

My walk to the store occurred in the rain. Like a smart person, I prepared for the event. I wore my rain jacket and took an umbrella. On the way back I realized I was totally sweating making the rain jacket seem like a ridiculous idea. I was wet from the heat humidity, not the water falling from the sky!

Since the water from the tap is not drinkable (in all of Taiwan), I make a trip to the store about twice a week to purchase a large container of drinking water. And it is rather heavy. My Dad carried 2 while he was here. I’ve decided to just do one. And so far I haven’t ventured to bring it back on my scooter (I’m sure it will be a good story when it finally happens). Since this blog is about tidbits, I’ll give just one more. My Dad & I met with his agent in Taiwan and Dad asked him about the drinking situation. The man said, “No one would be stupid enough to fix the tap water.” You see, the problem is the pipes. And the reason no one will fix them is the money that is tied up in the situation. I now see what he means. My jug of water cost $45 NT. Times twice a week times 52 weeks. That’s $4,680 NT for one year. For one person! (It’s about $156 US)

Back to the cooking situation. I was thinking about what someone told me – microwaves aren’t that expensive. So I looked around my kitchen. Lo! There is nowhere to put a microwave. We have one small section of counter space and then a table for one (seriously). I do all my “prep” on that little table so a microwave definitely can’t go there. (Although, my prep is putting bread on a plate and spreading peanut butter on it.) My next thought was to store the microwave and just bring it out when I needed it. Lo! There is nowhere to store it. My room is full. Although, now that my brain wheels are cranking. . . I guess I could put it on the other half of my bed. Ha ha.

Hope this entry made you chuckle! Here are some pictures of my spoils. I need to keep working on tomorrow’s lessons.














“Fried Cookies” ? Couldn’t pass them up. The middle thing is a bread-ish roll with sugar. I saw that sugar and figured I couldn’t go wrong. The amazing thing: they aren’t that sweet. They are kind of spongy and hard at the first bite. (Sorry, best I can do in describing them). And then my water jug.