My favorite dish in Taiwan

        When it comes to Taiwanese cuisine, stinky tofu is undoubtedly my favorite dish. People either love or hate it because of the bad smell. Westerners even list stinky tofu as one of the most notorious Taiwanese food. On the contrary, I consider that stinky tofu is a delicious dish, and its smell is aromatic.

        Crispy outside and tender inside, stinky tofu is juicy. In addition, it is usually served in a palatable sauce. Once you eat this dish, you will not easily forget its distinctive flavors. I often buy stinky tofu which is usually sold by the street vendors in the night market; however, many stinky tofu places can also be found in the rural regions and towns. You may smell the strong odor and find these vendors from a distance.

        Actually, stinky tofu is not very difficult to make. The traditional method for producing this dish is to prepare in brine made from fermented ingredients, such as dried shrimp, bamboo shoots, and Chinese herbs. It is commonly prepared by deep fried and cut into bite-sized quarters. Here is a website shows you how to make stinky tofu by yourself: http://about-chinesefood.com/cookbook/self-made-stinky-tofu-700/ Furthermore, this dish is usually severed with pickled cabbage. For me, pickled cabbage is a requisite for this dish because it tastes sour, sweet, and delicious.

        In brief, I love stinky tofu very much because of its special flavor. Whenever I think of this dish, it always makes my mouth water. Stinky tofu is one of the most well-known dishes in Taiwan, and it is also popular in Taiwan’s night markets. I hope more foreigners could try eating this dish because it is not as unpalatable as all that was said about it.

Dogs and cats

Dogs and cats are the most popular pets in the world. People often keep them for companionship because they can improve one's mood, reduce stress, and make an owner's life colorful. No matter how lonely you are, pets will always be there for you.

Do you know what is the difference between dogs and cats?

        Cats:

1. Cats are clean, and do not require too much attention. 
2. Cats are loners and more independent. They love to spend a lot of time alone.
3. They are agile and can move fast.
4. Cats have excellent night vision, which is even superior to dog’s night vision.
5. The basic way that a cat communicates is that it purrs when it is happy.
6. When seeing intruders, cats just run away.

        Some people dislike cats on account of an allergic reaction to cats or because of a fear of infection from a cat bite or scratch.

        Dogs:

1. Dogs are obedient and faithful. However, they require more attention.
2. They bark and wiggle their tails when they are happy.
3. Dogs love to exercise. They need a lot of space to run around.
4. Dos's sense of smell is much better that a human's or a cat's.
5. They are more affectionate towards their owners when compared to cats.
6. Dogs will scare away intruders.

        Dog's owners have to clean dogs regularly and daily walks are a must. Some people dislike dogs because it is demanding to take care of them. Also, it takes time and costs more money to keep dogs as pets.

It is said that whichever pet you choose can say a lot about your personality.

Here is an interesting video. 

Which do you like, cats or dogs?

Have a look at it. ◕∀◕

Let It Go

Are you feel tired, frustrated, depressed, or unhappy?  

Do you know what is worth fighting for?

Do too many things or works weigh you down and take your breath away?

        Stop thinking trivial things for a moment, and relax yourself. Do not let troubles occupy your mind. Just let it go and listen to music!

        Last Thursday night, one of my roommates shared a Taiwanese song from YouTube with me. Actually, it was originally an English song from a movie “Frozen.” However, a man not only rewrote this song but also sang it in Taiwanese. I almost laughed myself to death after hearing this song because it was really funny and creative. Staying in the dormitory, my roommate and I sang with great enjoyment. Music gave us release from tiredness and pressure. Right now, I will share this Taiwanese song!

“A life without a friend is a life without sun.”

To my friends:

        Without you, my life would not be colorful and wonderful. You are willing to share something great with me. And I have received a lot of encouragement from you when I have difficulties. You are always there for me. I am so glad that I have considerate friends like you. I sincerely hope you will have an interesting life and everything is okay. Wish you every happiness! J

Fitzroy garden

        

        

        Last Sunday, I went to Fitzroy garden which was located in Xizhou (溪洲) Township, Changhua County. Xizhou is my hometown, and therefore it took me no longer than ten minutes to get there from my home. On that day, the garden was packed with many tourists. In this garden, there were many kinds of beautiful flowers and some attractive buildings. It was so wonderful that flowerbeds were interspersed everywhere, and clusters of flowers made this garden colorful. Wandering around this very wide park, I can see butterflies flitting from flowers to flowers. Everyone enjoyed viewing the beauty of flowers leisurely, and children were playing around the amusement facilities joyfully. Moreover, those who were tired of walking could take the “small-sized train” to have a look at all the flowers in the park. All in all, Fitzroy garden was an appealing tourist attraction. It has been a worthwhile trip.

        Actually, my hometown holds a flower festival in this park every year, and it is free to get into it. If you do not know where to go this winter vacation, why don’t you choose Fitzroy garden?

2014, the year of the horse

        New Year’s Eve is coming! It is not only an important holiday, but also a time of reunion and thanksgiving. Enjoying the joyful atmosphere, everyone is excited at this moment. To celebrate Chinese New Year, there are many customs, superstitions and activities include:

                                                    

J  House cleaning:

Before New Year’s Day, the entire house should be cleaned in order to remove ill fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. In addition, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family away.

J  Spring Festival couplets:

Doors and windows will be decorated with red color couplets or paper-cuts. These decorations convey a New Year greeting, and the characters on the couplets usually symbolize “blessings”, “wealthy”, “longevity” or “happiness.”

J  Letting off firecrackers:

The origin of it is to scare away evil spirits with the loud noise let out by the firecrackers. Launching firecrackers is also a way to bring in the New Year and send out the old year. Besides, firecrackers with red papers are the most popular as red is auspicious. Also, it is believed that the more fireworks and noise there are, the more luck there will be in the New Year.

J  Red envelopes:

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, children will ask for red envelopes.

Usually, the old generation will not turn down such a request as it means that they will be out of luck by giving money in red envelopes to the unmarried children. Moreover, it is believed that if red envelopes are kept under the pillow and slept on for seven nights before opening will bring in good luck and fortune.

J  Shou Cui(守歲):

        On New Year’s Eve, families will stay up late and get together through the whole night. It is  also called “Longevity Night” because this custom represents the hope that parents will live longer.

UFOs

- Reading from an article.

        Do you believe in flying saucers?

        Appearing in sci-fi movies, it is universally understood that the “little green men and women” that fly UFOs have big black eyes and long fingers. Throughout history, there have been reports about unusual flying objects. In ancient times, such sightings were often regarded as angels, gods, or religious omens. And in the late 1940s, the term “UFO” and “flying saucer” were coined. To describe the UFOs, the writers often used adjectives such as inexplicable, unexplainable, unaccountable, mysterious, baffling, perplexing, and so on.

        Nevertheless, thousands of people claim to have seen “something strange in the sky.” These witness often state that the UFO was disk-shaped or cigar shaped, and moved at an incredible speed. Newspapers sometimes report the stories of individuals who claim to have been abducted by the aliens. These so-called “abductees” even say they were experiencing painful experiments that were performed by the aliens. However, many psychiatrists usually say that UFO abductions are just delusions of people who have mental problems.

        Do UFOs exist? No one can say for sure. Many of people witnessed UFOs were afraid to report what they saw because they feared that others will think they are unreliable or crazy. Moreover, most governments deny the existence of flying saucers. If you saw a UFO or were abducted by aliens, would you then become a silent believer or a public witness?

       

        If you are interested in aliens, I recommend you some movies such as <The Fourth Kind>第四類接觸, <Paul>我們撞到外星人, and <E.T.>外星人.

Here is the information:

http://blog.roodo.com/bluelqe/archives/11445107.html

http://app.atmovies.com.tw/movie/movie.cfm?action=filmdata&film_id=fpen11092026

http://app.atmovies.com.tw/movie/movie.cfm?action=filmdata&film_id=fEone0311652