Beer & Cheese Social

Finally, the holy grail of beerdom has arrived in Taipei! The Beer & Cheese Social! Taiwan is full of bars and beer pubs that only carry belgian beer. Where belgian beer is great, it need more variety from other countries that can make great beer. What about America, Germany and the rest of Europe? Thanks to Beer & Cheese Social, they have imported beer from the likes of Anchor Steam, Elysian, Rogue, Mikkeller, Brewdog and Maisels Weisse. See the photo of the beer list for more. Outside of straight beer, they also delve into hard ciders, beer cocktails, frozen cocktails, some spirits, shots and even some house wine (red and white). And what really put a smile on my face...growlers! They'll be offering growlers soon. $220 a pint, I may never need to drink Taiwan beer for a cheap throw back again. The B&C Social is located conveniently on the east side of Daan park. So take the MRT and exit from Daan Park MRT station and walk. You know your at the right place, when you walk into a small bar with humongous letters spelling out BEER above the bar. The decor has a very industrial bolts and rivets look. The chairs have a rusty beat-up look with a nice patina growing on it. The walls, ceilings and crossbeams were painted in chalkboard black. Obviously for a reason. All around the place, scribbled in chalk were the daily specials, flights and special deals.

There was probably more written, but I didn't get a chance to read everything. There's a loft above for overflow on the weekends and reservations for parties. Getting on to the food, I ordered a jalapeño grilled cheese sandwich and a spicy beer pretzel. As the menu puts it, a classic American Tillimook extra sharp cheddar grilled cheese sandwich between two pieces of fresh baked rustic herb bread smothered with Jalapeños and a dill pickle on the side. The pretzel was good, but what makes it special is the jalapeño cheese dip that it comes with. It's the same melted Tillimook cheese and jalapeño spread used in the sandwich. It worked well with the baked rosemary pretzel. They also offer daily special and beer flight paired with cheese. So they DO have cheese. That's one this I was disappointed with. I was hoping for cheese as an independent selection on the menu. I'm as much of a fan of cheese as I am beer.
I got to also meet the owner (or partner) and beer crafter, Shaun. This tall, bearded and heavy sat man in appearance, is a Canadian ex-pat that moved here 9 years ago. He has a degree in brewing and distilling and has been in the industry for years. He first started out in Taichung and other smaller cities near Taipei. But he feels Taipei has a better, livelier environment for his beer social. He plans for B&C social to brew their own house branded beer. However there are some difficulties with local laws. Shaun informed me that Taiwan beer has a monopoly in Taipei. No other company is allowed to brew beer within the Taipei city limits. He's currently looking for a place outside of Taipei to brew his own house beer, which I eagerly look forward to. So until he gets that sorted out, we'll stick to the awesome american and european selections he already has at the social. Don't forget to show the waitress that you checked-in on Facebook for a free shot glass of a frozen margharita.

Stinky Tofu Fries

Yes another food creation from Taiwan. My friend and I were just walking around Gongguan last night for a supplementary snack to our dinner. We saw a street booth with a picture of fries smothered in cheese. Or what we thought were fries. Upon ordering our fries, we started up a chat with our fellow street stand owner. He asked where we were from and if we've tried stinky tofu before. We answered and continued the conversation as we thought it was a reasonable question to ask a foreigner. We were presently surprised when he revealed that it wasn't made with potatoes, it was made with stinky tofu. At first, I didn't understand. I thought he was saying french fries cooked in the same method of stinky tofu. My friend thought he meant, fermented potato fries. We backed up and read the chinese on the street stand. oooooh...it is stinky tofu! Julienned stinky tofu deep fried and topped with melted cheese (tasted like american not cheddar). They had 4 other flavors like Thai spice, which I think would have been better than cheese now that I know it's stinky tofu. Our "fries" were served in a cup accompanied by it's usual partner, pickled cabbage. We found it on Tingzhou road section 3 south of the movie theatre.

First scooter accident

Some say your not officially inducted into the Taiwanese life until you've tried sticky tofu and gotten into a scooter accident. Well if you've been reading, the stinky tofu was checked off quite some time ago. But since I don't dare own or drive a scooter in Taiwan, I haven't experienced any vehicular accidents. However I've just entered Taiwandom. Although I was only riding my bike, I was hit by a scooter. It was at an intersection to a small street. NO stop signs, NO traffic lights. Your typical Taiwanese free-for-all intersection. So I can't say anyone was particularly at fault here. However I kind of do feel bad for the guy. His scooter was badly broken. My cheap $1300 NT bicycle is now significantly less functional than before. And the poor guys mirror and dashboard was busted. His steering arm was definitely tweeked. When we went our separate ways, he scooter was dead in the water. The engine wouldn't turn over. Bodily, he was OK since he had protection. And miraculously, I'm fine. No scratches, no bruises, no blood. Well, I have some ravioli cooking in the kitchen, so...Dinner time!

The Sconester

Happy October everyone! Look what I found on my Costco trip yesterday. Scones! I love eating these delectable English quick breads for breakfast. I happen to have some jam and awesome tea I brought back from Seattle. So Cheers! to an awesome Wednesday morning breakfast. If you've been reading my blog, you know I'm always on the search for western treats wherever I can find them. I'm just finishing my first one right now. Although not the best scone I've had in Taiwan, but it's a cheap. I think I picked it up the pack of 6 for $130 NT at the Neihu Costco. And in the spirit of Halloween, my scone looks positively ghoulish with it's mouth wide open and gleaming raisin eyes. Next week is the TAS food fair, so I hope I'll have time to make it out and post what delicious food awaits.

Mid-Autumn Festival 2013

The time of 中秋節 (zhong qiu jie) is upon us. It is otherwise known as mid-autumn festival or moon festival. In Taiwan, a notable part of celebrating the holiday is the carrying of brightly lit lanterns and hanging them outside of buildings. Some even light and set off sky lanterns. Additionally, as with many Chinese holidays, family and friends gather in celebration. It's a hallmark tradition to exchange moon cakes between family members and friends. In Chinese culture, a round shape symbolizes completeness and unity. Finally, my favorite activity is to join with friends and BBQ on a rooftop over-looking Taipei. Have an awesome 中秋節 everyone!

Home cookin': Moules a la Mariniere

Sunday was a nice day out on the town with a good friend visiting in from Taoyuan. It was yet another scorching hot day in Taipei. But we continued to survive the heat at Huashan 1914 creative park. Fortunately we were there for the Star Trek exhibition. A 3 month event showcasing some of the legendary show's set props and concept art. I went to another Star Trek exhibition in Seattle years ago and was amazed and spoiled by it. So sorry to say, but the Taipei event was quite mild. Majority of the displays were set costumes and various USS enterprise models. However it was interesting to discuss the quality of the set costumes with my friend, who majored in textiles. While we were talking food over some coffee at VVG thinking. What ended up was a sudden craving for steamed mussels. So we headed over to the local Carrefore for supplies. Your basic recipe calls for mussels, butter, garlic, white wine and more butter and garlic. Add a bay leaf, some herbs and steam...done! Julia Child's Moules a la Mariniere. Add some french bread, aged balsamic, Beecher's smoked flagship cheese and finish that bottle of white. Bon appetit!

Kenting!

Over the past weekend I had the privilege of a three day weekend, so I took full advantage of it and headed out of town to Kenting. If your an ex-pat living in Taiwan and you don't already know of Kenting...where have you been? For those planing on living in Taiwan..put Kenting on your to do list. As a fellow Californian, it's a taste of home.

I'm talking about beaches, clubs, night markets, BBQ, water sports, awesome food and tons of other activities. Before going into detail about this list, let talk about getting to Kenting. Transportation unfortunately isn't as convenient, but still as convenient as Taiwan could make it. From any major city in Taiwan, you can take the High Speed Railway to Zuoying station aka Kaohsiung. From the Zuoying station, there is a express shuttle bus that departs every 30 minutes to Kenting. If I remember correctly, ticket prices were around $350 NT one-way and $650 round trip. It's an open ticket, so there's no assigned time. It's a 2.5 hour ride into Kenting. OK so now lets go down that list. Beaches. There's only a handful but they vary in size and quality and popularity. My favorites were Baishawan (白沙灣), xiaowan (小灣), dawan (大灣) and Jialeshui (佳樂水) which I didn't get a chance to visit. I heard Jialeshui is the one to go to for surfing. Xiaowan and Dawan however are easy ones to visit on since they are just off the Kenting road main strip. Baishawan is a higher quality whiter sand beach that is less crowded however is further west near Maopi and requires figuring out your own mode of transportation. If your looking for a hotel on the beach, the only one is The Chateau. It's right on Dawan, which is one of the longest beaches. However the sand is  a little dirty and the waters are littered with churned up seaweed bits. Adidtionally, If you want to travel a few kilometers north, there's Nanwan (南灣) which is an awesome but crowded beach. They have many water sport businesses that sell rides on a jet-ski or water tubes (of varying size and shape). When I was there I picked a set package of three (三合一) for $700 NT. Also, there's plenty of small restaurants, cafes and board rentals along the street across from the boardwalk. Clubs. You can't miss them along the Kenting main strip. The night market and the clubs start getting wild as soon as the sun starts to set. There's even a large and quite famous transvestite club. I haven't felt adventurous enough to go in, but perhaps some else would be willing to report back. As for food, the popular dish around the Kenting area seems to be Thai food, seafood and light meals like sandwiches and pasta. But all if not most restaurants have a nice surf shack feel to them, that really lends itself to the laid back atmosphere of Kenting. It's like no other place on the Taiwan island.

If you want a outdoor tiki torch BBQ with a pit roasted pig, then steer your nose to the Ceasar Hotel before sunset and grab a table by the street. Prices are about $1000/person, all you can eat and beer is extra. There are plenty of things to do outside of Kenting too. Unfortunately, they are some distance away. It's better to charter a taxi for 8 hours at $3000 NT or rent a scooter for $1000 NT a day (International driver's license required). You can watch the sun set from Eluanbi lighthouse, visit the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, soak in the Sichongxi hot springs (四重溪溫泉), hike in the Kenting Forest National Park or the Sheding Natural Area, go snorkeling, scuba diving or go-karting. There's so much more to write about, but i'll stop for now. I'll definitely be making a return visit and exploring some more.

Getting a cellphone is now easier

The requirements for getting a cellphone plan in Taiwan have changed since I came here. You can either sign up for a 2-year plan or sign up for a 7-11 pay-as-you-go sim card. Both should be no problem for foreigners to get while here. It requires your passport, an international driver's license, an address for the application and a $3000 NTD (approximate) deposit. Depending on what carrier you choose, some additional requirements may be required. For example, a health report, an alien residency card or a work permit. Gone is the requirement for a citizen’s endorsement! You can sign up for a 2-year contract at any local cellphone company and they'll provide discounted cellphones. The biggest being Taiwan Mobile (台灣大哥大）and FarEastone. Or you can sign up for a pay-as-you-go sim card at 7-11 and use your own unlocked cellphone.

Where are we? 船仔頭

On the weekend of October the 13^th I had a chance to join my fellow Shida classmates on a trip to a small village called船仔頭 (chuan zi tou). It was a unique experience to say the least. Together with the comradery, the new friends I met, the dragon boat rowing and the midnight oyster grilling, it was an experience I will not soon forget.

            From the video showed to us at the very beginning of the trip, we learned that 船仔頭 had a population of 300. It was a long forgotten and run down village until a recent renewal of the village brought in tourists and business. It still remains a village of traditional three-section courtyard houses with the three houses enclosing the courtyard. Many of the other houses still haven’t been renovated and still have the feel of a sleepy old ghost town. It’s a stark contrast to city life in Taipei. I found it relaxing and easy going as if life slowed down for those two days.

The accommodations were very acceptable for a tiny village in the middle nowhere Taiwan too. I’m a bit of a stickler for well-kept and clean living quarters and I’d have to say they held up their end.  The bathrooms were new and clean. The sleeping quarters were traditional style (Japanese style?). We sleep on a mattress that is on top of a platform (like a stage), so it still feels like sleeping on the floor without being on the floor. I slept so well that night. Better than I’ve slept in a while. And since it was a bed and breakfast place, we woke up to a typical Taiwanese breakfast in the dining hall. Toast, rice porridge and soymilk!

Our Shida coordinator, Lisa, was kind enough to arrange many wonderful activities for us to participate in. These included two days of dragon boating and kayaking down the Puzi river, making red turtle cakes, Chinese embroidery, bicycling and a night of oyster grilling. The last one is my favorite. I can’t deny the beer, oysters, good food and great friends. The staff at the village was kind, friendly and courteous. They helped us setup a grill, a table and chairs. In addition, they also brought a giant basket of oysters and several large bottles of beer. We all ate, drank and laughed into the hours of the night until everyone passed out. Might I add, the weather was perfect. Slightly warm during the daytime and cooling during the evening. You could have asked for better weather. Oh I almost forgot to include the awesome picnic lunch we had outside under the whispering trees. 米粉, shrimp, earthen jar oven roasted chicken, deep fried king oyster mushrooms and earthen jar cooked sweet potatoes. There’s still the surprising large 朴子市觀光夜市 night market that went to, Garlic’s Sugar Factory (Garlic is the town name) and a tour through the town and it’s traditional farming techniques. Thinking back on it, we experienced a lot of activities on such a short and slow paced trip.

In the end, it is a memorable departure from your usual touristy spots in Taiwan and I appreciate it. My thanks goes out to Lisa for organizing this for us and to the friendly townsfolk of船仔頭 for the wonderful time I had.

My apologies for a lack of entries

I'd like to apologies for my recent lack of entries. I found a job two months ago as well as joined a competitive sports team with a demanding schedule. Hopefully things will calm down soon and I can get back to entertaining my readers with my adventures in Taiwan.