taiwan series: bookstore for beginners

i was facetiming with my mom the other day, and she asked (again) when i was going to go home for a visit. i love my annual visits, but have had an overwhelming sense of dread on the topic since Z was born. not that i don't want to take him home to meet his great-grandmother and introduce him to ding tai fung, but the thought of having to deal with baby jet lag makes me want to stay on EST for the next 10 years. from all accounts, it will ruin your trip. (i'm still recovering from our trip to L.A. last week, and that was only 3 hours' difference!) so while i ponder whether or not i have the courage to do such a thing, here are some photos of an adorable bookstore 「新手書店」 in taichung that we visited last may.   

i love the wood and black metal exterior. when i build our dream house, this is the look i'll be going for. 

the interior is a similar aesthetic, with stripped wood and lots of vintage taiwanese tchotchkes. 

hhh picked up a few photography books while we were there - he couldn't read the others. :) 

if you're in the neighborhood and want to visit, it's at: Táizhōng shì xīqū xiàngshàng běi lù 129 hào [台中市西區向上北路129號]. 

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: taichung cultural and creative industries park

for the longest time, there was a derelict liquor factory across the street from my friend aileen's house in taichung. the facility was a ghost town all through my childhood, but was reanimated as a cultural event space and park a few years back. now they host concerts, exhibits, and other arty happenings there. it's a similar initiative to huashan 1914 in taipei, where long-abandoned spaces like tobacco and liquor factories are being converted into new creative venues. taichung cultural and creative industries park 「台中文化創意產業園區」is much quieter than huashan 1914, it seems, but it makes sense given that taichung is generally a much sleepier place than taipei. (but the weather is waaay better here.) 

i went to the park around noon on a weekday, and aside from a few tour groups, it was pretty empty. the cafes open around 11am, although i think the exhibits open at 10am. mostly though, i like going there just to walk around outside. the old buildings have been restored and the landscaping is lovely, so it's a pretty relaxing environment to enjoy a walk and a cup of coffee away from the city streets. 

if you get hungry, there are a few options, including the ark cafe 「方舟咖啡廚房」and sole cafe. ark has full meals but since i wasn't hungry, i went to sole for some coffee and a valrhona brownie.  

check it out if you're in the area. i love seeing how abandoned spaces are being turned into useful and beautiful new parks, and it's nice to have one so close to my parents' house! 

taiwan series: tea & ice cream @ miyahara

 i've done a lot of walking on this trip. yesterday, i walked about 6 kilometers, first from my parents' house to miyahara near the train station, then onwards to an entirely different part of town. it's been a long time since i've walked that route - probably not since before i got my license! (scooter license that is...but hey, that's a legit motorized vehicle.)

anyway, miyahara has the most amazing ice creams. i can't stop thinking about them. they are light and gelato-like, meaning i ate a huge scoop and felt nothing but refreshed afterwards.  they are divided into three sections: chocolates, fruits, and teas. i tried a couple of the tea flavors and they were all divine.

 i settled on the earl grey tea, topped with toasted buckwheat and purple rice. may seem weird, but it was soooo good. it's also strange (but delightful) to taste traditional taiwanese teas like oriental beauty 「東方美人」in ice cream form. 

the toppings were really interesting too. i want to try more of them! claire, aileen and i are planning to go back on saturday for lunch. stay tuned for a more comprehensive post on the delights of miyahara!