Like:
At the Ting Kua-kua fried chicken restaurant by the Taichung Science Museum there was a balloon machine called “Fanky Malloon”. Think i’ll name my firstborn that.
That first huge hack/cough in the morning bringing forth the previous night’s particulate-laced mucous.
The 80 year old Coach at the Taichung Sports Center/ Old School Pig-Iron Gym off Wen Hsin Lu screaming “LAI LE!!!” when he sees you coming down the stairs every day. The perfect way to start the day.
The shaweima stand outside of my old buxiban…nothing else like shaweima in Taiwan!
Endless beers while painting at the now-defunct Tropics bar in Taichung.
The burgers at Q Bar in Taipei…nothing too special about them, but damn good comfort food.
The ritual climbing of Dajianshan in Kenting…a trip south isn’t complete until you’ve done it.
Enjoying a nice betel nut while tromping around the country.
“Man Niu” Vitamin B drink after a long night out.
The lazer-yello piss you take after having a can of Vitalon P
Chou toufu (there’s a restaurant called 66 in Rockville, MD that serves it, but it’s just not chou enough).
Shorts and t-shirts, 24/7/365.
Passing on the right
The receipt lottery (a year on and I’m STILL finding old Quan Jia store receipts in my pockets!)
The inexpensive one-eyed motorbike mechanic around the corner and his binlang-chewing high school scooter punk lackeys.
Mei-Er-Mei’s Zong Hui club sandwich for breakfast…mmmmmmmmm.
Finga’s jumbo hot dogs. Damn you Derek, you got waaay too much money out of me!
Having to take a jacket with while making mid-summer visa-runs to Hong Kong to avoid freezing to death at CKS airport.
Sitting down to coffee every morning with hard copies of Taipei Times, Liberty Times and the Taiwan Daily. Beats the online editions hands down.
Pudding Pops.
Pudding Pops.
Pudding Pops.
Pineapple fried rice at the Feng Chia night market.
When my neighbors had to shave their persian cat in the summers to keep her from overheating. Just ridiculous.
Playing “Guess that Earthquake”
Hanging with the laundry laoban drinking kaoliang.
Having a legitimate excuse for missing people’s birthday’s across the date line.