Lunch in Yingge (鶯歌)

Hooray, it's make your own pottery day. I've been planning this one for a while. I've been wanted to bring some of my friends back to Shu's pottery to attend another one of their pottery classes. The first time I went, it was with my Chinese class at Shida. It was the end of the semester field trip and it was a blast. However I wanted another hand at this pottery wheel. It's A LOT harder than the instructors make it out to be. But in the end, everyone asks for help from the instructor. So some people's pottery end up being made by the instructor entirely or at least partially. That's ok, because the fun part is messing up the first few tries yourself. Shu's pottery also has a wonderfully modern and large storefront that sells unique and sometimes very expensive porcelain gifts. After washing off, we headed out for some lunch in the old town of Yingge, which isn't far. Shu's pottery is pretty much in the old town, so it's convenient. First restaurant we came across has a line forming out front. So we understood it as a clue that this place had something special to offer. After waiting for about 15 minutes and goofing off on the rickshaw in front of the store, we headed in to our seats. It's a small restaurant and you'll most likely have to share your table with others. But the interior design was cool. It resembles an old Chinese shanty town with an old telephone pole, old 40's era Chinese movie posters, antique nick-nacks, wood shingles and discolored lamps. We asked what the speciality was and the cashier said, fried pork/chicken steak over rice with vegetables and tofu. So thats exactly what we ended up ordering. It's not a fancy dish by any means, just a local blue collar worker's meal that this place has done right. It's simplistically delicious and wish all 便當 (bento) tasted this good. I usually find typical 便當 oily, but this wasn't. If your in the neighborhood checking out the pottery (or making pottery), I'd definitely drop by this place for some down to earth, simple and cheap Taiwanese cuisine. It's called 厚道飲食店 (no english name), look for the bicycle rickshaw in the front.Afterwards, I bought some Taiwanese ox horn croissants. There are several bakeries around here that sell it and it just smells so good to pass up. Some even offer ice cream on top. If you see some of these around, buy one. It's cheap and tastes awesome. It's not light and fluffy like a french croissant, but thicker and more doughy like a (American) southern butter biscuit.

新旺集瓷 The Shu's Pottery
239台灣新北市鶯歌區尖山埔路81號
http://www.shus.com.tw

厚道飲食店
新北市鶯歌區育英街85號
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/hoodow

My Yingge pot arrived!

My YingGe salsa dish has arrived. I got an email from my teacher because I had it sent to the school. It turned out pretty good. Although I'm not digging the color. The color graduation was better on the sample cup at the shop. But I guess since mine wasn't the ideal shape they were expecting either. That just means I'll have to get together a group of friends and go there to make another one with a different color scheme. Maybe white with a blue gradient. For now, it's time for some chips and salsa to put my pottery to good use.

YingGe porcelain district (鶯歌區)

Today, I went with my class and 2 other classes on a school field trip to YingGe district. YingGe is a famous porcelain district that offers an opportunity to make your own pottery (cups, bowls, plates...). The two teachers that brought us there was my first and last semester teachers since they were good friends from their college days. Today is our last day of class! So it was a proper send off leaving a lasting impression of the great time I had at Shida University. We got in around 10AM and signed up for classes which cost us $320 per person. You get as many tries at making something on the "wheel" as you want. You can choose one successful creation and they'll fire it in a kiln and mail it to you when it's done. It takes about a week. Let me tell you, it was harder than the instructor made it seem. But the learning curve isn't that hard, it only took one try to get the hang of it. The hardest part I think is get the clay centered on the wheel. If it's not centered, you can't make a perfect circle. After that, it's just a matter of being gentle and not adding too much pressure. I first created a cup, turned out kind of lopsided after it dried though. The second was a salsa dish, but I made it too big and thin for the instructor to take off the wheel. So I had to ditch that one :(. Too bad I really liked it. But the staff was helpful and the instructor helped me make a second one. Albeit smaller, so it'll hold less chips, but at least I can bring it home and use it! I can't wait for it to arrive in the mail. After your done, there is also plenty of stores and restaurants along YingGe Pottery Street (鶯歌老街). But my group decided to split up and one group ate at YingGe and the other headed off back to Taipei for lunch. You can get to and from YingGe via the train (火車) from the Taipei Main station. Unfortunately I had to attend my second interview, so I had to bail out before lunch. Too bad, I really missed that last opportunity to spend more time with my classmates. It was a fun time while it lasted, Thank you for the experiences. I'll always remember Shida and I hope I can find a chance to return for another semester or two. I'll also definitely want to return back to YingGe with my friends or girlfriend to make more pottery. It's an affordable day trip and a unique enough experience to leave a lasting impression! I highly recommend!

P.S. Your clothes will get dirty, but it's washable.
The Shu's Pottery
http://www.shuandws.com
No. 81, Jianshanpu Road
Yingge Township, Taipei County, Taiwan