taiwan series: coffee shops

we just booked our tickets to go home to taiwan for the holidays. wish us luck...that's 45 minutes from brooklyn to JFK, a 16-hour flight, and a 2-hour car ride to taichung with a 16-month old toddler. [insert panic!] anyone want to fly with us and take a few shifts? :D if we survive, it'll be awesome. maybe we'll just stay there and never come back (a real possibility, depending on the outcome of the election). 

i was thinking of all the places we could take Z, and all the places we won't be able to visit because of Z. generally speaking, i think that east asian countries are way more baby-friendly for travel than the U.S., so hopefully we'll still be able to hit up our favorites. plus we'll have family who will be obsessed with Z, meaning maybe we'll be able to escape for a few hours here and there on our own! 

looking back through the photos of the trip we took when i was 5 months pregnant, i realized that we went to a lot of gorgeous coffee shops! one of the best ones was in one of those quiet alleys behind the taichung SOGO, where i used to hang out a lot as a high schooler. my friends and i would take the public bus (which took forever), or hop on a scooter (even though no one had a license). this cafe is a new addition though, and a pretty cute one. if you want to take a look: 

i'll report back once we go...and in the meantime, i'll try to be around more often now that the dissertation is (almost, hopefully, i think?) done. xo

taiwan series: another look at eslite spectrum

on this, the first day of the great blizzard of 2015*, i'm going to go back to sunny taiwan. want to come?

when i was in taipei a few months ago, i had to go back to eslite spectrum for a second look, since it was such a good time when i went in 2013. (it's since been featured on afar's taiwan travel guide.) again, i failed to stay at the eslite hotel, but it is looking amazing. there is so much to see and do and eat in that complex! there is, of course, a big bookstore (eslite's original source of fame), locally- and regionally-made clothing, and enough kitchen goods to stock ten downton abbey kitchens. (although i guess the style of the kitchen goods would be slightly out of place in edwardian england. there is a lot of enamelware though..but i think that is more downstairs than upstairs. anyway, i digress.) this time, i also noticed a custom leather shop called hsu & daughters. it looks like they make wallets, bags, and belts on the spot. and if you get thirsty or hungry, there are a whole row of fancy tea shops to choose from, as well as a decent food court in the basement. there is also a large section featuring taiwanese specialty snacks, like 100 kinds of dried fruit - my favorite are the wild mangos (these are different from regular old domesticated mangos, i suppose) - and jerky and pork floss and edamame.  yum.

anyway, check it out: 

the entrance to the home goods section.

one of the independent clothing and textile vendors on the first level.

a glimpse of some hasami porcelain from above. definitely on my wish list.

some of those kitchen goods i was talking about. very japanese-brooklyn, if you know what i mean.

i love these two-toned pieces!

the leather-maker's shop.

a selection of the dried taiwanese goods.

more yummy things. 

all of those photos have successfully distracted me from the fact that everything is gusty and swirling outside, and that we're in for some thundersnow tonight. now i'm going to have some lemon-ginger tea with the last of those dried wild mangos i brought home, while rejoicing at the fact that the first day of the semester has just been canceled. (does that make me a bad teacher?)  

anyway. stay cozy, folks. xoxo

*mayor di blasio says that "this will mostly likely be one of the largest blizzards in the history of new york city." all the reporters on msnbc are positively gleeful about all the terrible weather that is to come. i bet dante is glad he isn't responsible for shoveling the snow this year.

taiwan series: miyahara

miyahara! i'd already stopped in for some ice cream but had to go back again before leaving taiwan. on the saturday before i left, claire and aileen met me there for some taiwanese snacks and iced milk teas in the cafe on the second floor. it's been a few weeks since i left, and looking at these photos made me want to go right back! i've said it before but miyahara should be one of your must-see spots on your visit to taichung. and there are actually two of them now, just minutes from each other on the same street, so there shouldn't be a problem getting in. (it does get very crowded on weekends!) try the taiwanese snack platter and one of their house tea concoctions...you'll be happy you did. 

the exterior of the original miyahara store, which serves both savory and sweet snacks in its cafe. 

a close-up of the front door of miyahara I. 

right inside, there are beautiful displays of interesting chocolates. 

the emporium, all decked out for christmas. 

one of the many tea displays. the boxes are really creative and would make gorgeous gifts.

some of the more traditional but still lovely packaging. i got a rose tea and a long-yan tea in this style. 

a view of the shop floor, from the second-story cafe. 

the cookie counter!

a side area with more tea, cookies, and biscuits arranged on bookshelf displays. 

a trio of taiwanese honey. 

some close-ups of the biscuit gift boxes. 

more bookstore-like displays. 

on the second floor, there is plenty of seating for you to enjoy a meal, afternoon tea, or a light snack. the space is cavernous - i love the exposed beams.

a taiwanese snack platter with tasty sauces handily labeled for your eating pleasure.

a "poutine" - looks more like chili fries, actually.

the logo, which incorporates the building's past as an eye clinic during the japanese colonial era. the building was abandoned for years, and its current iteration as a sweets emporium recalls this history in small details like this. love it! 

inside the second-story cafe, near the bar area. 

the second miyahara, another converted building that retains its original signage as a taiwanese cooperative bank. this location is just up the street from the first, and also serves ice cream, tea and other sweets.