Virtual China: Taiwanese Tea Eggs

 

The photo above is NOT my eggs.

This is a stock photo...mine failed.

...will be trying again...

The Recipe:

Hard-boil several eggs.

Use a spoon to crack the shells outside, but do not remove.

Simmer cracked eggs in solution of black tea mixed with 5 Spice Seasoning.

Remove and store in refrigerator in solution for 1-3 days.

...I only left mine overnight...this may be the problem...

After which, when peeled, they are suppose to look like this.

 ...mine did not...

They are rubbery and have a distinctive savory smell. I hesitate to use the word good to describe the flavor...perhaps interesting is more accurate. The texture was very off-putting.

These must be an acquired taste.

The #1 street food of Taiwan.

I will post pictures if my second attempt works out.

 

Until then... 

 

TAH DAH!

 

Virtual China: Taiwan

 

 

 

Taiwan...also known as Republic of China

began as a Dutch settlement

and was named'

Formosa 

at one point

by the Portuguese

meaning

Beautiful Island

 

It remained

under Japanese Rule

from

1895-1945

and the traditions, culture and architecture

of that time 

remains

 

Taiwan Tour 

https://youtu.be/dp8xuBqTAUs

Another

Taiwan Tour- Top 50 Places

https://youtu.be/-ltO_iTeiVM

 

Located 100 miles off Mainland China

Taiwan is now fighting
(as is Hong Kong and Macau)

takeover from

PRC

and have been for some time

The legal status of

Taiwan

is 

a matter of serious

contention.

The people are split
almost 50-50

Half consider themselves

Taiwanese

the other 

simply

Chinese.

The Taiwanese 

want to continue their independence.

The Chinese 

want

Reunification.

With 23.4 million 

people living

on the island

this is a tangled

mess.

It will not be quickly solved.

Or solved to everyone's 

satisfaction.

 

Mandarin

is the most common language here.

Buddhism and Taoism

 the primary religions.

There are over 15,000 temples on Taiwan.

In 1995 they implemented Universal Healthcare

known as

NHI

Assuring that all

who need medical

attention

can receive it.

 

Gay rights

have

been acknowledged here

since 2017.

Karaoke

is a holdover

from the Japanese

and is extremely

popular here

Taiwan Karaoke Bar

https://youtu.be/W2RCZFwg3es

It is so popular

that even some taxis offer

karaoke cabs

https://youtu.be/CsQK1LGuQI8

...notify Dante...it seems

we have found

an additional

circle

of

HELL... 

Next
we will

try

the favorite

cuisine treat

of Taiwan

The Tea Egg

Until then...

 

 

Virtual China: Macau-The Eye

 

After a careful look around...I think this building has to be the most incredible feature on Macau.

"The Eye of Macau"

It is a 56 story skyscraper which rises in a loop 230 meters. 

Inside the massive project are multiple hotel suites, an aquarium, gaming and entertainment halls...and from the loop viewing hall, one can see both sides of the island and Pearl Delta.

Positioned at the edge of the water, on a clear calm day, it reflects the Chinese figure 8...considered a lucky symbol in China.

Drone Over Macau

https://youtu.be/WedPbF5-TCs

Sadly, this footage was taken a few years before The Eye was built.

Drone Footage at Night

https://youtu.be/8u0weA61oP0

The only view of the interior I could find.

Next week we will explore Taiwan.

Until then...

Sixty and Me...Our Kids Have Paws...and More

The Sixty & Me group has been like a doorway to a new life. Centering.  I can't say too many good things about it. Exactly what I've needed. Some much appreciated perspective and shared experiences. It is okay to reinvent or rediscover your life. It is okay to say "..no mas..." to being the care-giver after spending decades in that role. It is okay to be done raising your children...or to spend the time/limited resources/energy on what you love/want. Not selfish....self-care.

Today is a Cinderella Day...without the helpful woodland creatures. The laundry is churning...there are dishes to do...dusting..trash to be gathered. And maybe some painting on my new canvas, later.

I was doing some cyber-cleaning recently and found some baby pictures of Our Kids-With-Paws.

Sofi...when she was still tiny and had bat-ears!

And now...

 

Gadget when she was STILL Suri.

And now...

 

Dealing with some huge changes in my life right now...and it helps to stop for a moment and remember that EVERYTHING changes. 

Even us. 

Maybe especially us.

And that's okay.

The weather has been everywhere this week. It's 6...no it is 30...wait...it is snowing...raining...sleeting...19....almost 60 degrees.

Robin Williams described it best

"Weather by Sybil"

Seeing an over-all decrease in Covid...and hoping for the best. Triple vaxxed and still masking out...it has been nearly two years and neither John or I have caught The Plague. 

We didn't get old by being stupid.

Dreamed of GARDENING last night...I have such plans for the Spring and the patio and borders.

Woke to snow still on the ground and 17 degrees.

It may be a while.

I've a deep wide planter that I want to start some bamboo in...and a lotus. 

Also various herbs in other pots to use with my Chinese cooking...and a few clumps of mints to accompany teas.

The new painting (pictures soon) is a multi-medium piece. Different for me...but I'm enjoying it. 

Should have dreamed of dinosaurs this week...after seeing the trailer and first five minutes of Jurassic World: Dominion...I went back and watched the previous five...to refresh my memory...and now we wait until June for the sixth and final one....

sigh

It is going to be amazing.

So, back to the household chores.

Have a Great Weekend!

Virtual China: Macau- Fusion Cuisine and Jade

 

The wok...cleaver...and my hand-carved jade goldfish arrived this week. The long stainless steel cooking chopsticks are coming directly from mainland China and take longer...

The wok is amazing, and I used it to make my Macau Shrimp and Rice.

The cleaver...omg...can be used for slicing, dicing, chopping and probably home security, as well.

Eight inch by 4 inch flat blade...so sharp you could shave with this thing. You can slice so thin you could make homemade potato chips with it!

I'm impressed.

Definitely my go to knife, other than peeling/paring.

The hand-carved jade fancy goldfish arrived on a red braided silk cord with adjustment beads of white jade and a placement bead of green jade.

It is perfect...buttery soft...silky smooth and takes on your body heat when worn much like amber or opal.

I love it.

About Jade

https://www.britannica.com/topic/jade-gemstone

https://youtu.be/DwsEBjtmJ5c

My little fish is Nephrite. 

Carving Jade

https://youtu.be/jRWxs4sRA90

https://youtu.be/3SLhfCo5ck4

 Anyway....

 

Macau is known for its fusion of Chinese and Portuguese flavors.

The favorite street foods here include 

Egg custard tarts.

 ...which we tried a long time back during Virtual Portugal...

Soft bun with crispy fried pork chop.

....basically a steamed bun with a whole bone-in fried pork chop...sounds delicious...but not much cooking involved...

Egg rolls.

...just finished all the egg rolls from Lunar New Year...so no...

The fourth favorite food was fusion of Shrimp and Rice...with a Portuguese Twist.

 While the rice and green beans were steaming I thawed the shrimp...saved several for chilled cocktail...then sliced my lemon.

I put a couple tablespoons of oil in the wok...and stir-fried chopped onions, peppers and shrimp together...then added tomato sauce and chili powder blending all the flavors well. 

I added my steamed rice and mixed thoroughly.

Plated above I added chopped cashews to my steamed green beans.

The completed stir-fry looked like this.

Lemon juice was squeezed over as a finish.

 The spiciness of the chili and tangy flavor of the tomato and lemon made this an exotic treat.

I think it would have been much better with cubes of stir-fried pork instead of shrimp. 

But it was tasty and filling...and went well with the sides. 

Not Chinese...Not really Portuguese...like everything else is Macau...a nice blend.

Sunday, we will check out something interesting Macau has to offer!

Until then!

 

 

Virtual China: Macau and Festival of Lanterns

 

Known as the Las Vegas of Asia...Macau is best known for the 41 casinos on the island.

Tour

https://youtu.be/XQgU54KhG5s

 

The Administrative region (China but not PRC) was under Portuguese Rule from 1557 until 1999. 

This has resulted in a kind of chaos. Languages. Religions. Cuisine. Architecture. 

Chinese and Portuguese are spoken here.

Both Buddhism & Taoism rest comfortably with Catholicism which is a huge holdover from Portuguese times.

Cuisine is all over the place. Chinese, Portuguese and a fusion of the two creating completely new and unique dishes.

Very old architecture to sleek modern Chinese.

The name Macau is derived from the sea goddess.

Today is the 15th Day of the Lunar New Year and the end is marked with the Festival of Lanterns.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ekWlSnRUX3w?feature=share

The Festival of Lanterns often symbolizes letting go...whether it is of something in your past or just the Old Year.

The lanterns can be paper or silk...hand held or floating.

Next time we will sample some of the cuisine from Macau.

 

Macau Walking Tour

https://youtu.be/xnybGgcArSU

 

 

 

 

Post SB...and Valentine's Day

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Maybe just coffee for me...

Way too much snacking last night through the Superbowl. I did discover something new (...well...for me)  These.

 Absolutely amazing! The sauce is sweet and smokey. The chicken is moist, tender and good. Fair price for something you can fix quickly. Nice for a snack, but you could easily serve them with sides and make a delicious meal fit for company!

 The game was great. 

Even though Stafford and The Rams won...it was close all night and could have been either team's game to the last minute and change. Exciting! Expect to see a lot from Stafford and Burrows in the future. We are witnessing the changing of the guard with the retirements of Brady and Brees and new blood with Stafford and Burrows and such...

The commercials were light and funny, for the most part.

Then there was the QR Square that just appeared and bounced from corner to corner of the screen.

Clicking on it would reveal what it was for...

Right.

It also gave the crypto-currency your contact info...so they could spam you endlessly in the future.

The BEST part about the whole commercial was that so many people chased the square down and clicked on it...

wait

for

it

 

...is that the site immediately crashed! 

LMAO.

They paid millions for a spot that promptly crashed their own servers.

(...also they have QR generators, now...wouldn't one of these with your own personal message be a great tattoo...)

The latest upgrade to the bar code.

I still kinda want a bar code of my favorite chocolate.

Know what else generated controversy last night?

Halftime.

 Snoop Dogg, Dr.Dre, 50 Cent, MJB, Eminem (who defied the NFL and knelt for Kap).

For the first time EVER..a halftime show comprised of Hip-Hop and Rappers.

Generation Z'ers were unimpressed...most of this work was before their lifetimes...and it was just a bunch of pushing 50 dudes onstage farting around.

Millennials were happy and excited. "Best Ever" This was their music and their heroes. They grew up with this music and these artists.

Boomers and above ranged from "meh" to aghast. They turned away for more chicken wings...or raved at the TV "You see, Ethel...the world is going to hell in a hand-basket!!!"

The more racist simply glowered with disgust

"Theys knee-grows on the TV, Tammy Sue..."

Rap and Hip-Hop were never my music. I am firmly a Classic Rock girl, myself...but it doesn't mean I can't understand why there are generations of people who LOVE this music.

(...to be fair, I do not care for most new country music either...Merle and Willie wouldn't have done it this way...)

So get a grip, people.

Just like Quarterbacks...things change.

Else we would be listening to Lawrence Welk at halftime, and the stadium would be filled with (tiny) bubbles.

Okay, the bubbles might be cool.

Now to get coffee, and recover from the game!