[quote=“Mianbao”]
CDs are super cheap in comparison to the States too, even cheaper for the pirated stuff. But I haven’t seen many used CD places around- do they exist here?[/quote]
I think I’ve seen a couple of signs for 2nd hand CD stores on Roosevelt Road close to Hsinsheng intersection, but I’ve never been in them.
Iris
[quote=“monkbucket”]
what i wouldn’t give for a big bag of Roma Tomatoes![/quote]
roma tomatoes are great to cook with, but they really don’t taste that great raw. maybe with some basil and olive oil, but it’s a very veggie type of tomato whereas taiwanese tomatoes are treated more as fruits because of their sweetness.
the weird thing is i’ve heard people(local and foreigner) claim that america has better tomatoes, but anyone who has lived in the us knows that our tomatoes are tasteless unripened pieces of wet cardboard loaded with growth hormones that don’t particularly add to the taste.
that’s my point!
i wanna cook up a big pile of homemade tomato sauce…
(drooling)
Thanks, Iris, I’ll keep it in mind when I’m in that area. 
Flipper, I completely agree. Romas taste like crap unless cooked up, but there is no substitute for them when done so properly. Mmmmmm. By the way, tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable, in case anyone really cares. 
i’ve always found it easier to make sauce with canned tomatoes myself. comes from watching so much food network in the states that recommend canned tomatoes because it’s less hassle and more consistent in terms of flavor. canned roma tomatoes have to be available somewhere around here, no? i mean it’s not like they’re super-perishable…
back on topic, i love salted plums. lots of my friends can’t stand it, but i adore the stuff myself. the best is to get salted plum power and put it on a raw guava or a raw tomato. some salted plum power on a big juicy taiwanese tomato split in half = party in my mouth.
Flipper, are you refering to “suan mei” when you mention salted plums? You know, that reddish sour things you see all the youngin’s chewing on like candy…
If so, where do you find the powder, or do you use the remaining poweder that sits at the bottom of the bag after consuming them?
well, i think(based on no facts on my end) suan mei is actually the blackish kind that’s sour as well as salty/sweet. you can find those stuffed into the cherry tomatoes everywhere(which is similar to what i’m talking about). i think i’m refering to mei-zi in general. in taiwanese, it’s giam mooai-ah(which translates as salty plum). the kind that’s completely dry and comes in greyish-white or pink. i’m sure you can buy just the power, but i’ve never done it myself. we had a big bag at home that my dad got from somewhere. sometimes when you buy whole guavas, they’ll include little packets of seasoning. sometimes, though not always, this is the salty-sweet powder made from the mei-zi. it’s actually a pretty versatile powder.
you can also try the mei-zi encased in maltose(extremely thick malt sugar) on a stick. used to love that stuff when i was a kid.
i think the addition of salt in drinks and desserts(tried the salty star fruit drink yet?) is a really interesting change from western foods.
Wow you guys have covered almost everything that I like when I am happy. How about the fact that you don’t have to GO anywhere to run your errands. There is usually a way to get almost everything you need on your may to and from work.
I like teachers day and the mid autumn festival. GIFTS , the Taiwanese, well the one’s I know anyway, are VERY generous with their pressies. Although Chriisy doesn’t even come close to the way we do it back home, I scored shitloads more here than I usually do back home.
Abundances of delicious pomellos (pomelos?) around Moon Festival.
Looking like a hero/generous person for giving my mooncakes (which I don’t want) to other people) Tee hee.
One of the things I love about Taiwan: MOONCAKES (the sweeter the better, but no egg yolk, please!)
[quote=“mjnemesis”]
Looking like a hero/generous person for giving my mooncakes (which I don’t want) to other people) Tee hee.[/quote]
Do you have some left? Nobody gave any to me 
Iris
I love how easy it is to move up the corporate ladder if you work in a company with a lot of foreignors, since most people quit or leave within a year.
I like the “guangxi” factor. It has worked well over the years.
Sometimes I just walk out on the sidewalk in front of my house in my underwear and belch because I know I can do it here and no one will care. I know it’s gross and crude but I’ve always just wanted to try it to see how it feels.
It feels pretty good – really liberating.
I’m always pushing the envelope like that here and, so far, other than sticking my chopsticks upright in my ricebowl, I haven’t found anything here which really grosses people out.
To me, it’s like living in a place where dad is in charge rather than mom. It’s a lot more fun and you can pretty do much anything you want just so long as you don’t poke an eye out or start the house on fire.
[color=yellow]
Lucky Butter Coconut Cookies…
[/color]
I like that! Nice one to file away and use later, always pretending of course that I made it up myself. Thanks!
I like the “guangxi” factor.
:?: What’s that? :?:
GuanXi:It’sthe Taiwanese version of Preparation H. Works
wonders for my haemorrhoids too.(Alien 8)
GuanXi
I’ll GuanXi your back and you GuanXi mine.
What makes me so shiny and happy is the thirty-odd seconds of beautiful breeze the MRT pushes in front of itself as it rolls, oh so conveniently, into the station…
It’s the little things…ya know? 
Toe Save
I like construction workers that work in flip-flops (aka slip toed sandals).
and taiji in the park every morning.