centered on taipei february 2013

A p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e C o m m u n i t y S e r v i c e s C e n t e r

February 2013, Volume 13, Issue 5

Make a New Year’s Revolution

Flea Markets iN taipei

educatioN iN taiwaN

Make-a-wish FouNdatioN taiwaN

the tV cheF iNdicator

Centeredon T A I P E I

cover storyexploriNg lukaNg

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3www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013

5 lEttER FRom thE EditoRs

6 RichARd REcommEnds nAtionAl thEAtER And concERt hAll FEBRUARY 2013

7 cUltURAl coRnER NamiNg the BaBy coURsEs At thE cEntER

8 cEntER GAllERY thE cEntER’s FAvoRitE Finds

9 oFF thE BEAtEn tRAck aN eNviroNmeNtally FrieNdly visit to PiNgxi

10 covER stoRY lukaNg

12 commUnitY tas

13 oRphAnAGE clUB EvEnts ABoUt town

14 oUtlook make a New year’s revolutioN

15 tcm coRnER raiNy taiwaN

16 coFFEE coRnER toPo CaFé

17 dininG Jodie’s kitCheN

18 photoGRAphY markets

19 Ask Bin Flea markets

20 EnviRonmEnt the other side oF the CoiN hEAlth womeN aNd CardiovasCular disease

22 EdUcAtion aN overview For exPat Families

24 EdUcAtion loCal sChool studeNt PersPeCtive

25 chARitY make-a-wish FouNdatioN

26 BUsinEss in tAiwAn the tv CheF iNdiCator

27 EvEnts At thE cEntER

28 chinEsE kitchEn taiwaNese desserts aNd sweets

29 csc BUsinEss clAssiFiEd

CoNteNts February 2013 volume 13 issue 5

covER imAGE: kAtYA iliEvA-stonE

Centered on Taipei is a publication of the Community Services Center, 25, Lane 290, ZhongShan N. Rd., Sec. 6, Tianmu, Taipei, Taiwan Tel: 02-2836-8134, fax: 02-2835-2530, e-mail: [email protected]

Correspondence may be sent to the editor at [email protected]. Freelance writers, photographers and illustrators are welcome to contact the editor to discuss editorial and graphic assignments. Your talent will find a home with us!

Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner.

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4 FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw

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Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote that "Sorry seems to be the hardest word" - respectfully, Mr. John and Mr. Taupin, I will have to disagree. Goodbye is, at least in my experience, a far harder word. Unfortunately, it is a word we're all too familiar with when we live in such a transient

community, and finally it is my turn to be the one saying it. It has been a true honor to work at the Center and be responsible for this fine magazine for 2012. Although I am loathed to let such an amazing job go, I know I am leaving it in excellent hands with Kari at the helm and the rest of the team still in place. I hope 2013 and the Year of the Snake brings you all peace, happiness and good health. Until we meet again!

Kath

Indulge me for a moment while I talk shoes. Big shoes (figuratively speaking). Fabulous shoes. Remarkably well-stewarded shoes left neatly at this magazine’s helm, waiting to be filled. I won’t say it isn’t daunting, but, never one to resist a new pair of kicks, I am delighted to have the opportunity

to try them on for size. Which is all to say, I am so honored to follow in Kath’s capable footsteps as Editor of this wonderful publication. So with polish at the ready and a hop in my step...

Onward to the issue at hand! This month Katya Ilieva-Stone takes us to Lukang to meet a master lantern artist, while Richard Saunders encourages us to consider the environmental impact of the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. Center counselor Wendy Evans talks about setting achievable New Year’s resolutions, and Dr. Peter Guérin stresses the importance of a healthy lifestyle in his article about women and cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile Katrina Brown lays the groundwork for a new series about education in Taiwan, and Leat Ahrony offers her perspective on local schooling. In another set of complementary articles, Craig Ferguson gives tips for photographing markets, while Bin Huang and Natalie Köhle help us navigate through Taipei’s flea markets. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Go ahead, flip through the pages and see for yourself!

As always, we welcome your contributions — both written and photographic — and feedback. Whether you have an article idea, a beautiful photograph to share, or a hankering to write but no topic in mind, drop me a line at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!

Wishing you all a festive and auspicious Chinese Lunar New Year!

Kari

CommUnitY SERviCES CEntER

Publisher:Editor:

Co-editor:Advertising manager:

tel:Fax:

email:

Writing and Photography Contributors:

Community Services

Center Editorial Panel:

Printed by:

Community Services Center, TaipeiKari SchiroRichard SaundersPaula [email protected]

Leat AhronyKatrina BrownIvy ChenSarah Chen LinAly CooperWendy EvansCraig FergusonPeter GuérinMonica HessBin HuangBrandon HuangSerina HuangTing Ting Huang

Siew Kang, Fred Voigtmann

Farn Mei Printing Co., Ltd.1F, No. 102, Hou Kang Street, Shilin District, TaipeiTel: 02-2882-6748 Fax: 02-2882-6749E-mail: [email protected]

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Suzan Babcock, Maaike Berteele, I-Wen Chan, Fawn Chang, Katherine Chang, Jung Chin, Wendy Evans, Cerita Hsu, Perry Malcolm, Eva Salazar-Liu, Ming-I Sun, Cynthia TeetersAmy LiuMonica ChengKari SchiroRosemary SusaBianca RussellGloria Gwo

Nancy Achorn, Alison Bai, Wen Finamore, Shana Garcia, John McQuade, Bunny Pacheco, Gloria Peng, Ruth Reynolds, Amanda Savage, Desta Selassie, Emmy Shih, Michelle Smith, Anita Town

3M TaiwanBai Win AntiquesBP Taiwan Ltd.BreitlingChina American PetrochemicalConcordia ConsultingCostco Wholesale TaiwanCrown Worldwide Movers Ltd.Four Star Int’lGrand Hyatt Hotel, TaipeiHSBCICRTMetacity Development CorpProQCSan Fu Gas Co. Ltd.Smerwick LtdSongfu LiStandard Chartered Bank

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the Community Services Center (CSC) is a non-profit foundation. CSC provides outreach and early intervention through counseling, cross-cultural education and life skills programs to meet the needs of the international community in taipei. CSC offers the opportunity to learn, volunteer, teach and meet others. Check out our website www.communitycenter.org.tw and drop by the Center to chat with us about our programs. You can also email us at [email protected].

LEttER FRom thE EDitoRS

Katya Ilieva-StoneNatalie KöhleAmy LiuJohn McQuadeSteven ParkerShaun RamsdenMichael RussellRichard SaundersRosemary SusaKaren WangTina Yuan

www.communitycenter.org.tw

Centered on Taipei is printed on 50% post consumer waste content stock. We have also replaced the glossy laminated cover with a softer aqueous based resin coating which makes it easier to recycle. By committing to post consumer paper stock we support the market for recycled fibers and reduce environmental impact.Recycling paper uses 60% less energy than manufacturing paper from virgin fiber. "Every ton of recycled paper saves enough electricity to power a 3 bedroom house for an entire year." (http://www.greenseal.org/index.cfm)

Richard SaundersCo-editor

Paula LeeAdvertising Manager

Feb_2013_p3-end.indd 5 2013/1/25 2:16:49 PM

FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw6

TICKETING OFFICES: • NTCH: (02) 3393 9888 • ERA: (02) 2709 3788

For full details, please log on to the culture Express website at http://express.culture.gov.tw or take a copy of the monthly program from cks cultural center, available from mRt stations, bookshops and ticketing offices.

riChard sauNders

The Lunar New Year holiday knocks a huge chunk out of an already short month, so there’s only a limited number of offerings at the National CKS Cultural Center in February. Apart from the self-recommending Cloud

Gate performances, the event that most catches the eye is the recital given on February 28th of French chamber music, with two marvelous works: Poulenc’s vivacious Sextet for piano and wind, and Chausson’s glorious Concert for violin, piano and string quartet. Filling out the program are a pair of very different piano pieces: Faure’s darkly expressive first Nocturne and Cesar Franck’s majestic Prelude, Choral and Fugue.

We have to wait until March 17th for the next in the NSO’s series exploring French and Slavic music, which will feature a rare chance in Taiwan to hear Prokofiev’s marvelously barbaric Scythian Suite (one of my very earliest classical music faves), but meanwhile let me fill the rest of my ramblings this month with a wish list of several favorite French and Slavic orchestral works, with the earnest hope that programmers might one day present one or two of them here, in Taiwan.

Albert Roussel has long been (and to an extent still is) among the most underrated French composers of the last century, so the recent upsurge in recordings of his music on CD is extremely welcome. Unfortunately this glut of great recordings has yet to translate into increased performances (in Taiwan at least). The second suite from the popular ballet Bacchus and Ariadne received a performance last year, but there’s been no sign of Roussel’s other ‘popular’ classic, the Third Symphony, which has more than once been proclaimed one of the finest symphonies from the last century. If that inspired combination of exhilarating rhythmic punch and lyrical inspiration is a bit too ascetic for audiences, the dainty Festin de l’araignée (usually translated – a bit off-puttingly – as “the Spider’s Banquet”) would certainly be a hit. Most of Roussel’s piano and chamber music is something of an acquired taste, but the perky Divertimento for wind quintet and piano is a winner, and his suite for chamber ensemble Le Marchand de Sable Qui Passe (“The Sandman, He Passes”; Roussel had a thing for slightly kooky titles) is the very definition of Gallic charm.

There are more unjustly neglected composers than you can shake a conductor’s baton at, but another who immediately springs to mind as utterly undeserving of his continued absence in the concert hall is the Russian Alexander Glazunov. Thankfully the days when his eight symphonies were considered half-baked Tchaikovsky clones are long gone, but performances are still basically nonexistent in Taiwan – any of the final five could easily take the place of Dvorak’s over-played New World or T chaikovsky’s (admittedly heart-breaking) Pathetique; one of his two piano concertos (with their meltingly beautiful slow movements) could substitute for the Rachmaninov or Tchaikovsky war horses on occasion, and the fantastic ballet The Seasons should, in a fair world, be played as often as Swan Lake or the Nutcracker.

So CKS, how about making a belated New Year Resolution to trim down the repetitions of Rach Three and Dvorak Nine, and schedule some of the countless eminently worthy but unjustly neglected composers’ works instead. Please?

National theater & Concert hallFEBRUARY 2013

NATIONAL THEATER

Barak Marshall Dance Theatre: RoosterAmerican/Israeli choreographer Barak Marshall’s second workFebruary 15-17

Songs of the WanderersCloud Gate Dance Theater’s signature piece, performed with live musicFebruary 21-23

Der Spieler (The Gambler)Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece (performed mostly in German, with Chinese subtitles)February 28-march 3

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL

Salamandrum and NSO: VoyagesThe Israeli percussion duo, accompanied by the National Symphony OrchestraFebruary 23

Philipe Bernold Flute RecitalWorks by Chopin, Prokofiev, Bizet and EnescuFebruary 25

Salon for VirtuosiChamber music by Franck, Poulenc, Faure and ChaussonFebruary 28 RR

RICHARDReCommenDs

RR: Richard Recommends

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How do Taiwanese parents go about giving their baby a name?

Influenced by Western practices, over the last fifteen years or so many Taiwanese parents have started giving their baby an English name in addition to their Chinese one. While the English name is often chosen before the baby is born, Taiwanese parents spend a long time choosing their child’s Chinese name, because it is believed that it will determine his or her future and destiny.

I became an ‘official’ auntie in 2006 and have seen first-hand the time and effort that goes into coming up with a Chinese name for my little niece, Lisa.

While a small group of people in Taiwan have just two characters in their name, a typical Chinese name consists of three, the first character being the family name and the next two characters being the given name. In Taiwan, one character of the given name can represent the child’s generation within the family. For example, my Chinese name is Liu, Chien-ju (劉情如): ‘Liu’ being my family name and ‘Chien-ju’ being my given name. My younger sister and my female cousins from my father’s side of the family all have ‘ju’ (如) as the third character in their names. So if you run into a ‘Liu’ with a given name of ‘ju’ as the third character in their name, you could be meeting a girl cousin of mine! On the other hand, all the boy

cousins of mine in the Liu family have the character of ‘si’ (思) as the second character in their name. This tradition, however, is followed more loosely by the parents of the current generation as it is becoming increasingly difficult to cross-check with relatives and to agree upon a pleasing character that satisfies all parties.

When naming a child, parents have to take into consideration the newborn baby’s Eight Characters (八字, ba zi), four pairs of numbers representing the year, month, day, and hour of birth, and also the basic Five Principal Elements (五行, wu xing): metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Another factor to take into account is the total number of strokes in a name, because this also has a lot to do with the baby’s fate. Finally the characters also have to sound good together.

Traditionally a nickname (now commonly an English name) is used until the family comes up with a formal Chinese name, which is customarily created by the grandfather but now more often is given by the parents, sometimes with the guidance of a fortune-teller. As you can see, it’s quite a task to come up with two desirable characters for a baby’s given name, matching the time the baby was born and the Five Principal Elements, generation order, and the strokes. And most importantly, it has to sound beautiful as well!

Corner Cornerulturaal CornerCornerCornerulturaal ulturaal ulturaal ulturaal Amy's


Naming the Baby: choosing a chinese name is an Art

Delicious Dumplings Feb 1 1 Ivy Chen 10:00am-12noon The CenterCelebrating Chinese New Year: Di Hua Street Tour Feb 5 1 Ivy Chen and 9:45am-12noon Shuanglian MRT Sta. Exit 2 Rosemary SusaLongshan Temple, Bopiliao and Wanhua Herb Street Tour Feb 20 1 Jennifer Tong 9:30am-12noon Longshan Temple MRT Sta. Exit 1Ecologically Grown: Farm Tour and Vegetarian Lunch Feb 22 1 Ivy Chen 9:00am-3:00pm Corner of Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 6 and Lane 290“The Shi Dong and Local Market Tour” or Feb 26 1 Ivy Chen 9:00am-12noon The Center“What Is That Vegetable and How Do I Cook It?“Fostering Your Young Child's Future Success Feb 26 1 Ralph Whalen 4:00pm-5:30pm The CenterSelf-Defense for Boys: Boys Empowered Mar 4 6 Antoine Farès 4:00pm-5:00pm The Farès Academy DojoExploring Scenic Wulai: Hike and Tour Mar 5 1 Richard Saunders 8:30am-3:00pm Corner of Zhongshan N. Rd., Sec. 6 and Lane 290Decorative Fruit and Vegetable Carving Mar 5 3 Sally Duh Chu 12:15pm-2:15pm The CenterTaipei Hospital Tour Mar 6 1 Juchi Tang-Liu 9:30am-1:00pm The CenterSelf-Defense for Women and Girls Mar 8 6 Antoine Farès 4:00pm-5:00pm The Farès Academy DojoTaiwanese Please Mar 9 1 Ivy Chen 10:00am-1:00pm The Center

Activity First Meeting Date # of Sessions Instructor Time Meet @

Courses at The Center

台灣台灣台灣

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From idea to launch in 54 hours!

If you've ever had an idea for a device (hardware) or an app (software) but didn't know where to go for help in turning your dream into reality, check out a cool local event: "Startup Weekend." A local entrepreneur is using his experience and vast business contact network to put together an exciting weekend event designed to take seed projects through all phases of product creation, from design to pitching to a panel of venture capitalists.

Startup Weekend is a 54-hour startup event that provides the networking, resources and incentives for individuals and teams to go from idea to launch. Get connected with local developers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Build community. Start companies. No talk. All action.

Recently I attended a startup weekend in Xindian to gain insight into the entire process and was amazed at how much fun it was. All aspects of the event were well-planned, from the Friday night keynote talks to the final day of presentations. Here's how it went: anyone with an idea could bring it to this event. Each idea was presented to the entire group, and we voted on our three favorite ideas; the top thirteen ideas were selected and we each chose a team to join. Then the work ... er, fun began! The design folks on the team solidified their design, the writer (me) worked on a presentation, and the engineers worked on both the front (user interface) and back end (making the product work). Once we had a working prototype, we had to do user testing and get ready to present our idea to a panel of venture capitalists. We worked from early morning until late into the evening both Saturday and Sunday. I really enjoyed meeting my team and working with them to bring an idea to life. We weren't one of the three teams who got funded, but we had such a good time working together. Other highlights included meeting mentors from various industry segments and trying out a 3D printer. I highly encourage anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit to consider attending a Startup Weekend.

For more information, visit http://startupweekend.org/.

The Center's The Center's The Center's Favorite FindsFavorite FindsFavorite Finds

anne wu’s elegant Bag hangers Have you experienced the awkward situation of determining where to place your handbag when you’re dining at a restaurant? Did you leave your purse on the ground? Hang it on the back of your chair? Or just put it on your lap? Anne Wu’s purse hangers will solve your problem. Come to The Center and check out these beautiful hangers decorated with crystals. They’re fashionable accessories and make great gifts for friends.

Jewelry by Primrose vilakatiOn the sideboard display in the Gallery this month is a collection of jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets and earrings made from precious stone beads, pearls and silver. The pieces come in multi-cultural styles, with Chinese knotting and elegant metal chain, which create both an Asian and a Western feel to the jewelry. To ensure satisfaction with the jewelry, personalized designs and length alterations can be made.

tian tung gallery This month the Gallery features the wonderful artwork of Huan Yuan Chen and other artists from Tien Tung Art Gallery. Priced between NT$700 and NT$1,800, these beaut i fu l scroll paintings make great gifts or an excellent addition to your home decor. Tien Tung also accepts custom orders.

A percentage of all proceeds of items sold at the Gallery goes to The Center, so please remember that by displaying and shopping here you are helping us to provide much needed services to the

international community.

February 2013

GALLERY


TEXT: MONICA HESS

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Richard Saunders is a trained classical musician and writer who has lived in Taipei since 1993. He has written several books (available at The Center and in bookshops around Taipei), including Yangmingshan: the Guide (a complete guide to the National Park on Taipei’s doorstep) and Taipei Escapes I and 2, which together detail sixty day trips and hikes within easy reach of Taipei city. A fourth book, a guide to Taiwan’s offshore islands, is due out in April 2013.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACKRICHARD SAUNDERS EXPLORES TAIWAN'S LESS-TRODDEN PATHS

An Environmentally Friendly Visit to Pingxi

With Lantern Festival approaching once again (on February 24th), roads and temple courtyards in Taipei will once again be magically transformed after dark by masses

of colorful lights, Yuanshan and Fine Arts Parks (site of this year’s Taipei Lantern Festival) will be packed to the gills, and the truly brave (or perhaps more foolhardy, myself included) will be heading down to Tainan for the screamingly intense festivities at Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival.

Countless others will be heading an hour east of Taipei for Taiwan’s other famous Lantern Festival event, the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. Before joining them though, spare a thought for this outstandingly beautiful little corner of the island and the enormous ongoing environmental damage being visited on it by the immense and unfortunate popularity enjoyed by a traditional custom-turned-tourist fad. Those meter-round lanterns of paper and wire were once let off only during the Lantern Festival and on sunny summer weekends but now ascend into the skies in large numbers most days of the year. They have to land somewhere, with the result that the beautiful wooded mountains around the village are liberally dotted with the ugly, brightly colored remains of untold thousands of abandoned lanterns. Take a walk along any trail in the area, and their broken remains, hanging from trees, punctuate the walk, while far vaster numbers lie out of sight, far from any trail. The paper will probably break down in a few decades; the wire frame will take much longer; meanwhile they’re an ugly eyesore, a hazard to wild animals and birds living in the forest, and every year

their numbers are increasing exponentially.Instead of contributing to the destruction of this

wonderful area, consider visiting a couple of the many other interesting cultural, historic and natural attractions nearby. At the edge of the village the unusual Guanyin Yan Temple is built into a tunnel bored straight through the little ridge. More man-made caves carved into the sandstone rock face near the temple were once air-raid shelters for residents sheltering from allied air raids during WWII. The alarm was raised with a large bell mounted in a small tower on the hill above, which can still be seen.

A kilometer to the east of Pingxi lies the tiny hamlet of Lingjiao, whose attractive main drag is a far less touristy copy of the narrow streets of Pingxi. Just below the village the Keelung River drops over Lingjiao Waterfall, one of the widest in Taiwan, which makes an imposing spectacle after heavy rain, while in the hills forty minutes’ walk away lies another unusual temple, the Guanyin Dripping Water Cave, a large overhang featuring a chalky white stalagmite that bears a resemblance to the Goddess of Mercy. And that’s just for starters! Hikers will find some of the most scenic hiking in the entire Taipei area nearby, with a selection of wonderful hikes of varying difficulty to choose from.

The Pingxi area has a great deal to offer apart from its famed sky lanterns, and by exploring some of these less touted attractions (and maybe having lunch or a snack in one of the traditional eateries in the village), you’ll be supporting the local economy without harming the local environment!

More information on the Pingxi area can be found on Richard’s blog, Off the Beaten Track athttp://taiwandiscovery.wordpress.com/

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While visiting a street fair a few months ago, some of the friendliest artists were the ones

from the town of Lukang (鹿港). They spoke warmly of their city, told me about their work, and gave me a Lukang Folk Art and Craft Guide pointing out about eighty artisan stores. Since I am very much interested in local art, it wasn’t too long before I headed to the second oldest city in Taiwan, whose name

dates back to Dutch colonial times and means “deer harbor.”

Located about 40 ki lometers from Taichung and about a 2.5-hour drive from Taipei, Lukang can be visited as either a day trip or on an overnight visit (in which case I would recommend staying in Taichung, which has better hotels). Another option is to take the train to Taichung or Changhua and then hop on a bus from there. Pay-by-the-hour and free parking areas are available but not always easy to find because of the confusing signs. We parked beside the road and our car was still safely there when we returned.

The brochure I obtained at the fair

said that six of Taiwan’s thirty-six National Heritage Award Winners live in Lukang, but it turned out that most of these artists are too old to continue their work and their shops are long closed. But our trip was by no means futile because we met and talked to the most renowned traditional Chinese lantern artist: Wu Dun-hou (吳敦厚).

Even though he was taking a nap when we arrived at his store, Master Wu heard us talking to the shopkeeper and came out of his room, all smiles, and eager to talk and have his photo taken with us. Since he is too old, he has stopped painting, but his son continues the

co

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story

Lukang: Temples, Lanterns and Master Artists

TexT & Images: KaTya IlIeva-sTone

10 february 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw

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trade. The Lunar New Year is the busiest time for the lantern shops, and Master Wu’s shop has been busy for months fulfilling orders from customers, so nothing was available for sale. I was not going to go back home lantern-less, though – another shop a few meters down on the opposite side of the street had hundreds of colorful lanterns to choose from. Meanwhile Master Wu’s lanterns can be admired in Xing Kong Mitsukoshi – a number of his creations are on display on the 1st floor in all stores of the chain.

I f meet ing Master Wu i s not enough reason to make you head to Lukang, two beautiful temples might entice you there – Longshan and Matsu (or Tianhou) Temples. Longshan i s the f i rs t Buddhist temple in Taiwan, and it impresses with its subdued and toned-down architecture and truly spectacular wood carved ceilings. The courtyard is large and quiet, and you can sit for hours in one of the comfortable chairs, undisturbed by anyone. At the opposite end of Zhongshan Road, the town’s main street, is the bright,

colorful Tianhou Temple, dedicated to the goddess of the sea, Matsu. Every year on the 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month (usually in April), about a million pilgrims come here to celebrate Matsu’s birthday. The temple was decorated with hundreds of red lanterns – a feast for both our eyes and cameras.

Lukang Old Street was also very pleasant, but (maybe because it was Monday) most of the shops were closed. The town also has a Folk Arts Museum, and although we did not have time to see it, the perfectly preserved Japanese colonial era building looked rather spectacular in

the photos we saw.Lukang’s old master craftsmen

may be mostly retired these days, but its cultural and historical significance is still very much active, and this makes it well worth a visit.

Katya Ilieva-Stone has been in Taipei s i n c e J u l y 2 0 10 , w o r k i n g f o r t h e American Institute in Taiwan. She is a former journal i s t who wa s bo r n i n Bulgaria, and has also lived in Nepal, the Ukraine and Afghanistan.

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On November 9th and 10th, Taipei American School again had the honor and pleasure of hosting an international robotics competition on campus. The second annual Formosa VEX

Championship showcased student ingenuity, analytical thinking, technical abilities, and teamwork. Teams from Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines joined ten TAS upper school teams and two TAS middle school teams for the competition.

The event was one of more than two hundred global qualifying tournaments in the VEX Robotics Competition, which culminates in a World Championship event in April 2013 in Anaheim, California. Last year, a TAS team won the first Formosa VEX Competition held on campus and continued on to a strong performance at the World Championship.

This year’s VEX challenge is called Sack Attack and requires students to design, construct, program, and operate robots for a game in which competing robots collect, move, and score colored sacks, both under student control and autonomously.

For two days, the lower gym was transformed into a buzzing beehive of robotics activity. Crowds swarmed around 12 ft. X 12 ft. arenas and climbed bleachers to get the best views of up to four robots jousting, scooping, and scoring the sacks. Teams and advisors huddled at workstations around the gym to make last-minute adjustments to their robots. The action was shown on big screens set up in the gym, and competitors kept close tabs on their results on the scoreboards. TAS faculty referees and student score and timekeepers oversaw the action and kept everything moving smoothly.

The winner of this year’s Excellence Award, earning a trip to the next round of the global tournament, was the TAS H.a.X.X.O.R team. Many robotics, science, and IT teachers at TAS provided excellent guidance and organization to ensure a fun and stimulating event for competitors and the many fans who came to watch.

second Annual vex Championship at taipei American schoolTEXT: MICHAEL RuSSELL, COMMuNICATIONS/SPECIAL PROJECTSIMAGE: TAS

novEmBER 2012 www.communitycenter.org.tw12

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tOrphanage Club TEXT: TINA YuAN AND BRANDON HuANG

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National museum of history

Until May 12thA Special Exhibition – The Divine MichelangeloOne of the three masters of the Italian Renaissance1F Rooms 101, 102 & 103http://www.nmh.gov.tw/en-us49 Nanhai Road

National taiwan museum

Until April 21stDeath is Just Another Beginning: Legend of the Taiwanese Mummy: Ko Hsiang Gallery: G101http://formosa.ntm.gov.tw/web/en 2 Siangyang Road

National Palace museum

Until March 25thThe Art and Aesthetics of Form: Selections from the History of Chinese PaintingGallery: 210

Until March 25thThe Beauty of Palace-Covering Flowers: Zhao Chang’s “Picture for the New Year”Gallery: 208http://www.npm.gov.tw 221 Zhishan Road, Section 2

the red room

On the 3rd Saturday of every month from 6:30 – 10:30 pmhttp://www.redroom.com.tw/2F, 117 Da-an Road, Section 1

taipei Fine arts museum

Until March 10th2012 Taipei Arts AwardsGallery: Basementhttp://www.tfam.museum/ 181 Zhongshan North Road, Section 3

museum of Contemporary art (moCa)

Until March 3rdWarm Up and Soar Beyond: Solo Exhibition by Jenny Zhe ChangA Chinese artist living in Australia

transforming and integrating realitywww.mocataipei.org.tw39 Changan West Road

National dr. sun yat-sen memorial hall

Until February 17thBeyond Being There: Solo Exhibition Su-Hsia HsuVenue: 1F, Yat-sen Art Centerhttp://www.yatsen.gov.tw/en/505 Renai Road, Section 4

taipei story house

Until April 7thThe Taiwan Story of Sweets: An Exhibitionhttp://www.storyhouse.com.tw/main/uploads/storyhouse/html/opening/181-1 Zhongshan North Road, Section 3

sPot taipei – Film house

Daily: Noon to Midnight, six showingsAvant Garde Cross Cutural FilmsIn the former residence of the USA ambassador http://www.spot.org.tw/index_e.htm18 Zhongshan North Road, Section 2

Just a few of the things that are going on around Taipei this month...

National National museum of history

2 hA Special Exhibition – The Divine

National museum of history

PaCk & mail, raFFle PriZe workdays Saturday February 2nd

Every Chinese New Year, the TAS Orphanage Club prepares Chinese New Year food parcels and other necessities such as toiletries and school supplies for some of the poorest families in Taiwan. Prior to the workday, members will shop at Carrefour and Dihua Street for food items such as soy sauce, canned food and noodles. During the workday, members will be packaging these items into large boxes, which will then be mailed on February 4th. In addition, there will be a raffle prize workday in which the wonderful raffle prizes are organized and prepared for the annual raffle draw.

ChiNese New year / valeNtiNe’s day saleTuesday February 5th and Wednesday February 6th

This two-day Hallmark sale will be a wonderful opportunity to buy beautiful Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day cards and other gift items. As usual, there will also be a sweatshirt sale where we will be selling a wide variety of traditional and new TAS sweatshirts and T-shirts. The sale will take place in the FDR hallway the entire day. All profits will be donated to the Puli Christian Hospital to help aboriginal children.

Book sale doNatioNsFor our annual Book Sale, which will be held at TAS on

March 16th, we are looking for members of the community who are interested in donating their books for charity. Book donations can range from children’s books to fiction novels

to nonfiction books to magazines and more. We welcome all donations!

2013 aNNual raFFle drawThursday February 21st

The Orphanage Club will hold its annual and much-anticipated raffle draw, which is the club’s largest fundraising event. For the past few months, Orphanage Club members have been selling raffle tickets for NT$100 for a book of six tickets or NT$20 per ticket. The raffle draw will take place in front of the TAS lobby where members of the TAS community will randomly draw raffle tickets. Winners will be announced on February 25th on the Orphanage Club website under “Raffle Prize Winners.” All winners will also be posted on bulletin boards in the school lobby. There will be hundreds of prizes available, ranging from coupons to gift items to hotel stays. Winners are welcome to claim their prizes outside the lobby on the day of the draw, the following day, or during our Book Sale (March 16th). Good luck!

Cathwel outiNgSaturday February 23rd

This school year’s fourth Cathwel outing will take place on February 23rd, and boys between the ages of six and twenty will be paired with an Orphanage Club big brother or big sister for the entire day. Activities will involve playing sports and games, although exact plans are still being made. As always, we need any adult volunteering chaperones! If you are interested, feel free to email us at [email protected].

Please visit our website at www.orphanageclub.com All inquiries can be directed to [email protected] or to our sponsor Mr. Arnold at [email protected]

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RevolutionTEXT: WENDY EVANS

Are you among the millions of people who started the New Year with a resolution to lose weight, eat healthy,

or start exercising? Maybe you’re a l so among the mi l l ions who, after just one month, already feel doomed. You may be saying: “What happened? Why can’t I do this? I’m such a failure!”

Instead of bashing yourself, take a few minutes to consider two common New Year’s resolution mistakes: unrealistic goals and an “all or nothing” mentality.

uNrealistiC goalsWh en e v e r w e s e t goa l s, i t ’s

important to make sure that they’re realistic and achievable. Too often people set goals that are extreme. Sometimes this is done to punish themselves for perceived failures. When setting goals for exercise, rather than planning rashly, think through the time and place you’ll workout and pu t i t i n to your calendar as an appointment. If it’s going to be in the morning, make sure you can get to bed early enough to help you meet your goal.

Perhaps you are among those who keep resolving to exercise five to seven times a week but find yourself failing year after year. Rather than beating yourself up over this, change your goal to exercis ing two to three times a week. Recognize that exercising just a couple of times a week is a great accomplishment – one that most people never achieve.

all or NothiNg meNtality People often set out with the goal

of “all” but end up with nothing. What went wrong? As Voltaire said, “The best is the enemy of the good.” We rarely attain perfection

in any th ing, e spec i a l l y i n the challenging areas of our lives. Yet many people settle for nothing less than perfection with eating and exercise goals. When they miss this target, which is almost inevitable, they call themselves a failure. This kind of message makes it even harder for us to form habits of regular exercise and healthy eating.

The dieter may decide that he or she is going to totally avoid certain favorite foods. Yet, if we completely bar ourselves from special treats, we begin to feel deprived, thinking that we are missing out on what we really want. In fact, this total deprivation may increase our desire all the more. With this approach, people may be able to go for a long time avoiding what they long for. However, there comes a moment when they may indulge. At that point, they may think, “I’ve failed! But it tastes sooo good! Since I’ll never let myself be ‘bad’ like this again, I may as well indulge now!” These messages contribute to the infamous “yo-yo” dieting.

Rather than setting all-or-nothing goals with our eating, we can be more successful by making a goal to limit (rather than avoid) our intake of certain foods. Clients sometimes tell me they “can’t” have certain foods because they “always” over-eat them. They truly believe they’re not able to eat certain foods in moderation. Holding onto beliefs that one “can’t” eat certain foods can predispose him or her to a vicious cycle of deprivation and indulgence. This experience often leads to a “love-hate relationship” with certain foods. They love the food and how it tastes when they’re eating it but hate their overindulgence and the out-of-control feeling.

Now that we’ve seen two common mis takes in se t t ing eat ing and exercise goals, let’s explore ways we can support our good intentions: 1) healthy eating and exercise as a means of self-care, 2) creating an env i ronment o f suppor t ive relationships, and 3) counseling.

selF-CareOver the years I’ve worked with

hundreds of individuals whose approach to hea l thy eat ing or exercise is viewed as punishment. However, in reality, given the short- and long-term benef i t s, eat ing healthy foods and getting our bodies more physically fit should be viewed as reward, not punishment.

Having a punishment perspective about eating healthy and exercising i s l i k e l y t h e r e su l t o f s e t t i ng overly harsh goals, which may be punishments in themselves. Rather than setting goals that eliminate foods that you really enjoy, stop naming them “bad foods” and call them “fun foods” instead. Fun foods can be enjoyed as part of your regular eating plan. Instead of viewing exercise as punishment, think of it as an investment in your health and longevity.

suPPortive relatioNshiPs

We help ourselves achieve our goals when we surround ourselves with people who encourage and support us in our efforts. Changing habits takes lots of mental and emotional energy, and making these changes on our own can be a difficult and lonely journey. While one log will burn out and die when removed from a campfire, many logs will keep the fire going. In the same way, while trying to change habits, if we go it alone we are likely to burn out


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and give up, so enlist some help. For example, to help yourself succeed in fitness, recruit a friend to exercise along with you. Accountability to another person can be a powerful way to help us reach our goals. The enjoyment we get from being with a friend can make up for the mixed feelings we may have about exercise.

Support can come from family, friends, or an organized group. M a n y p e o p l e s t r u g g l i n g w i t h overeating have been helped through groups like Overeaters Anonymous (see below for information on an OA support group here in Taipei).

COUNSELING Eating can be a complex event.

Although it’s a simple act we do

every day to survive, it’s also an involved behavior that gets entwined with our habits and emotions. For example, many people react to emotional pain by overeating, while never realizing why they find it hard to control themselves. If you think this might be true for you, please reach out for help by calling or emailing The Center to schedule an appointment with one of our counselors.

FROM RESOLUTION TO REVOLUTION

In this new year, set attainable goals that can be celebrated along the way. Recruit someone to take the journey with you. Once you’ve reached your in i t ia l goa l, you

can always decide to increase the challenge if you choose. Instead of letting this be another year of failed goals, follow what you’ve just read and make a New Year’s REVOLUTION!

W e n d y E v a n s i s a M a s t e r ’ s l e v e l C e r t i f i e d Counselor as well a s a R e g i s t e r e d Dietitian with more than twenty years of expe r i e nc e in working with weight management and eating disorders. In addition to working with these issues, she offers help to people struggling w i th var iou s i s sue s inc lud ing relationships, depression, anxiety, parenting, substance abuse, and cross-cultural adjustment.

An Overeaters Anonymous (OA) group will be starting in the Tianmu area after Chinese New Year on Sunday evenings. For more information contact: [email protected]

Rainy Taiwan

As I sit at my desk I can't help but notice how the paper I'm writing on is so soft it's nearly like a serviette. With fourteen days of continuous rain, the water content in the air is remarkably high.

The excessively wet weather combined with the sweet-tasting food of Taiwan brings people into my clinic again and again with the same symptoms.

The body’s balance between moisture and dryness is governed by the spleen and lung systems. Taiwan’s humidity is unavoidable and it is only through a correct diet and lifestyle that one can regulate the spleen and lungs to avoid discomfort.

Wetness generally originates in the spleen due to excessive consumption of oily, sweet, rich foods. The phlegm it creates is pushed up and stored in the lungs. The humid air will make the lungs overly moist and it is this moisture that will run down into the spleen. Each system affects the other. This wet accumulation can spread into different organ systems, giving rise to various uncomfortable symptoms. When the spleen is wet, then there is commonly a bloated stomach, occasionally with pain and/or nausea, after eating. When dampness is in the lungs, there is excessive phlegm at the back of the throat. When the moisture affects the heart, there is chest stuffiness, possibly pain, and dizziness. When the wetness goes into the intestines, there is diarrhea; when in the kidneys, there is lower back pain and rice-coloured urination.

Treating the dampness depends on which system is disturbed:

Spleen: barley 薏苡仁� Lungs: ginger 生姜�Heart: cinnamon twigs 桂枝� Kidneys: poria 茯苓Intestines: cardamom �砂仁�However, no matter what organ is affected, you must not eat too much sweet, oily, rich, or strong-tasting food.

The wetness can become complicated when it is combined with wind, cold, or heat. Wet combined with heat – as during Taiwan's summer – tends to cause different skin problems such as eczema and pimples, but a combination of wet and cold – for instance during the Taiwanese winter – easily causes arthritis or bone and joint pains. The first step to protect yourself from this is to keep your feet dry and warm. Always carry spare socks and shoes or wear boots. Wetness combined with wind can penetrate into your bones. If you are wearing enough clothes and your pores are closed, then you are generally safe. But exercising in winter and going outside sweating with open pores can not only lead to arthritis but can also cause many other problems such as numbness, some forms of paralysis, and the winter flu. Dealing with rainy Taiwan is simple: dress warmly, keep dry, and eat a simple diet.

TexT: Shaun RamSden

Shaun Ramsden is a native Australian. He has a Bachelor of Medicine from the Beijing Chinese Medicine University and numerous Diplomas in Remedial Massage Therapies. In addition to running his own Physical Therapy and Massage Clinic he enjoys training in different styles of martial [email protected]

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OK…so I’m not sure if it’s because of the rainy, “cold” weather that has settled upon Taiwan, or perhaps it’s because I’ve been failing to meet my daily caffeine quota. Regardless of the reasoning, I will chalk Topo Café up as a stellar find. The thing is, I’m not alone. I’ve received multiple rave reviews and recommendations to try this place out. With this being said, in my coffee journey this past year I’ve found that it is a rarity to come across A) a café that consistently serves a great latte/coffee and B) a café that opens in Tianmu before 10:30 am (Topo recently changed their hours and now opens at 8 am – woohoo!!) Check AND Check. Honestly, I’m not sure what took me so long, but having been to this café numerous times, Topo is consistently fabulous with the product they deliver.

To date I’ve had: the regular latte, raspberry latte, caramel latte, and (one day when I was feeling especially hardcore) the double espresso. While Topo’s regular latte

is a bit milkier than its counterparts that I've written about elsewhere, the creaminess of the foam in conjunction with the corresponding f l a v o r s . . . . i s… w e l l , i t ' s j u s t sat is fying. The raspberry latte was a recommendation from my waitress and exceeded the built-up expectation of my palate. Delicate and light in its flavor, it once again satisfied without being obnoxious and overbearing. Did I mention the foam?? Ahhhhhh. Total perfection.

Let’s not stop at the raspberry latte. Moving right along to the caramel latte, I’m pretty sure this one stole the show. With foam that rivaled that of the raspberry latte, the flavor was spot on and it almost tasted like toasted marshmallows on top. I mean, how do they do that??!!

Don’t even get me started on the double espresso! Talk about a drink with bite that will kick you in the pants and put hair on your chest (totally in a good way of course). Whoa!! The espresso even received an appreciative nod from a visiting

coffee connoisseur that I brought there. So much, in fact, that he ordered a second cup.

I f you haven’t d ropped th i s magazine yet to make your way over to get your caffeine fix, indulge me a moment more while we talk about the architectural whimsy that Topo Café has to offer. Apart from the fish swimming below your feet, the outside walkway, or the mural of boats and waterside row houses that decorates one wall, Topo just gives off a cozy vibe with its size, color choices, and overall ambiance. The architectural details and design of this café are unparalleled among other cafés I've been to thus far. I mean, how many other cafés offer sof t, warm l ight ing by way of hanging lightbulbs filled with water? I know. Awesome.

Price point is comparable to other cafés and is mid- to high-range with an espresso at NT$80 and lattes ranging from NT$130 - 150. Bonus? Topo uses coffee beans roasted in Taiwan.

Topo Café

Aly Cooper is an expat wife of two years who enjoys adventures with her five-year-old son, reading, eating, blogging, having A LOT of coffee with friends, volunteering and spending free weekends exploring what the island has to offer with the family. http://caffeinatedblisstaiwan.blogspot.twGot a suggestion for our resident caffeine addict? Send them in via [email protected].

TEXT & IMAGES: ALY COOPER

topo Café 7 | lane 38, Zhongshan north Road section 7 open: weekdays 8 am – 6 pm /weekends 9 am – 9 pm (closed on mondays)


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Feb_2013_p3-end.indd 16 2013/1/24 5:25:00 PM

17www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013 17www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013www.communitycenter.org.tw

There's soft jazz playing in the background. I wander out to the bougainvillea-framed balcony, gazing out to the

red-tiled rooftops on the nearby hills. Wandering back inside, I pause to enjoy the sight of a white Asian lily framed next to a peach-rose painted wall beside a comfortable wicker chair. Before I can sit down to enjoy the serenity, my friends from Topology Travel arrive and my cooking class begins. Welcome to Jodie's Kitchen, a secret place hidden just ten minutes by taxi from Taipei 101, yet a world away.

Our menu is simple yet distinctly Taiwanese, encapsulating the fresh ingredients and healthy diet we know we should eat. And it’s not just the fruit and vegetables that are healthy; Jodie uses quality ingredients such as naturally brewed soy sauce, cold-pressed black and white sesame oil, and Kaoliang vinegar, which she passes around so that we can all sniff and sample. I immediately resolved to live the healthy life.

Sitting around the kitchen table, Jodie demonstrates how to make doujiang (豆漿; soy milk), a breakfast staple. I have recently discovered that most shop-bought soy milk does not froth when stirred or shaken. Not so with Jodie’s doujiang, which frothed up into a warm and fluffy soy-shake.

Next we learn how to make a soy-sesame vinaigrette — frequently used in Taiwanese-style cucumber salad — trying it on other ingredients including freshly baked mushrooms and tofu. Then comes sesame paste, which is an essential ingredient in cold noodles, a Sichuan dish that i s commonly ea ten in Ta iwan, especially in summer. While delicious with noodles, Jodie served it to us with rosy Japanese Fuji apples so that we could enjoy the contrast of the crunchy apples and the nutty paste.

seCret reCiPeWe relax with some freshly brewed

Pu-erh tea before contemplating more cooking, in the form of Taiwanese hot and sour soup (酸辣湯; suan

la tang). Here Jodie uses a unique, secret recipe for making a vegetarian soup base that sti l l delivers the full flavor more usually found in a chicken-consommé base. I went back for seconds and contemplated thirds.

Finally, we made two hot sauces: spicy Sichuan flower pepper oil and Gong Bao sweet and sour sauce, both common restaurant sauces that can be bought in a bottle, but can be made quickly, cheaply, and easily at home, without unknown additives.

A recent report by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation noted that Taiwanese women have the fifth longest life expectancy in the world. Maybe this is because they eat the type of food that Jodie teaches people to prepare at Jodie’s Kitchen.

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Ta i w a n x i f u ( Ta i w a n d a ught e r - i n - l a w) i s t he pe n n ame of A u s t ra l i an e x pa t r i a t e fo o d , t ra ve l and culture writer Serina Huang, who blogs at: http://taiwanxifu.com

TEXT & IMAGES: SERINA HuANG

Jodie’s kitchen 29-1 Ziyun st, xinyi district . Phone to arrange a class: (02) 2720-0206

topology travel specializes in real taiwan travel experiences, including cooking and food tours. http://www.topologytravel.com/

Jodie’s Kitchen

Jodie’s 29-1 Ziyun

topology topology tcooking and food tours.


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Markets hold a fascination for a lot of photographers. Particularly for the travel photographer, a market can

afford a look at the everyday activities of life in a certain place. A wide variety of markets exist, from strictly tourist markets to traditional wet markets, and craft markets to clothing markets. Al l of fer unique chal lenges and opportunities for the photographer. You may find yourself in a sprawling outdoor market with tents or canopies set up for shade, or you may be in a crowded, dusty indoor market with narrow aisles and dim lighting.

Yo u d o n ’ t n e e d a n y s p e c i a l equ ipment. In fac t, the s impler you can make your kit, the better, particularly in a busy market. Most of the time when shooting in a market I’ll just take a 17-40mm or 24-70mm lens with me. A good market is a busy one, and you don’t want to be encumbered with too much gear.

I f you’ve never photographed in a market, a tourist market is a good place to start. Vendors are usually open to and used to hordes of camera-wielding tourists. These places, unfortunately, can also attract pickpockets so a little extra care may be needed with regard to your personal possessions. When shooting in a tourist market, don’t forget to pay attention to other tourists. You can often get some great shots of travelers interacting with locals.

W h e n y o u f e e l a b i t m o r e comfortable, consider heading into a local market that doesn’t cater to tourists. Pay attention to ensure that you don’t get in the way of people as they go about their daily business and be open about your intentions.

Don’t try to hide away and take furtive photos; instead make your intentions known. Carry the camera openly. A surprising number of people will pay no attention to you at all, and of the ones that do, most will give you nothing more than a glance. Occasionally you will come across a vendor who doesn’t want his photo taken, so politely nod or smile an apology (or say excuse me or sorry if you know the language) and move away. I’ve generally found, however, that it’s rare for someone to wave you away – most don’t seem to mind as long as you are not acting suspiciously.

Lighting can often be a challenge in markets. It may be very dim, or it may come from mixed sources. Trying to shoot in conditions where you get a mixture of daylight, tungsten light, and fluorescent light can play havoc with your white balance, but don’t worry too much about it. Try to get it as close to what you can see as possible, but you’ll probably never get perfection in these situations.

In terms of composition, try a range of different techniques. If you come across a vendor who is not too busy,

they may agree to pose for a portrait. If you buy something from them – say a piece of fruit – you’ll have entered into a transaction, and it will often be easier to get a photo after. Look also to environmental portraits to show the vendor and the surrounding products, as well as close-up detail shots of what is being sold and wider, more general shots of the location. Treat your trip to the market as you would a photo essay and follow the usual steps you would take if you were creating that kind of piece.

Finally, make sure you go at the correct time of day. Traditional wet markets that sell vegetables, fruit, meat, and fish often start early in the morning and close before lunch. It’s best to shoot these markets around dawn or soon after when there is plenty going on. For a night market, try to find out what time it’s supposed to start, and aim to get there just before, as you can often get some good photographs of the setup procedures, and then capture the mood as trading begins and shoppers arrive.

Photography in Markets

TEXT & IMAGE: CRAIG FERGuSON

Craig is a professional photographer and has worked with the likes of Lonely Planet, Monocle, Asia Business Traveller, Asian Geographic and many more. In addition, he also teaches regular photography workshops and individual classes in and around Taipei.


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There’s nothing more fun than f ind ing someth ing you’ve been looking for for a long time at an incredible

price, especially if it’s already outof production and you can't find itanywhere in the regular shops. That’s why I keep going to flea markets in my spare time, looking for surprises for myself and for my customers.

Among the countless things you can find at Taipei’s flea markets are accessories and decorations such as old drawings, beautiful old pictures, and lamps both old and new (the new ones come from warehouses that want to clear their stock, but I prefer to look for the vintage lamps from the 50s and 60s that I can't find in the shops anymore). Markets are also a good place to find used tools for carpenters and electricians, most still usable and powerful, and

sold at 30-50% of the fixed price at shops like Homepro. Sometimes you can also find other useful items for the home, such as brand new light bulbs from a factory that went out of production, or even good quality furniture, at bargain prices.

The big TwoOnce I was helping a customer find

dining chairs, and found beautiful, good quality chairs at the flea market that were reduced to just a sixth of their original price of NT$1,800. Other t imes I’ve found vintage furniture for customers. Compared w i t h E u r o p e a n f l e a m a r k e t s , however, you’ll find less vintage furniture and fewer ornaments at the Taipei flea markets, and a greater emphasis on useful contemporary items such as tools, electronics and cooking ware.

There are two big flea markets in Taipei, both located not too far from the Dansui River: one at Chongxin Bridge, the other at Fuhe Bridge. The Fuhe Br idge F lea Market, which boasts almost 250 stalls (not including those of the traditional vegetable market next to it), is just beside the bridge, and normally runs every day except for Monday from 4:30 am to 12 noon. You can get the best bargains right before closing time at noon. According to my experience, in the early morning (when there are no police around) there are a lot of illegal booths in the area right outside the Fuhe market. The prices in this area are a lot cheaper than those of the vendors inside the market, but be sure to bring a good flashlight with you and check the things very carefully before you buy them. At the Taipei flea markets, you can usually return most of the products to the vendors if they don’t work, but since the outside market disperses as soon as the police arrive, you might not be able to find the person who sold you the item again!

The Chongxin Bridge Flea Market

is even bigger than the Fuhe market, with over five hundred stalls, and you can find almost anything there, including books, CDs, amplifiers, garden decorations, mobile phone accessories and repair services. The other nice thing about this market is that it’s located under a bridge, so it won’t pack up if it starts raining. Again, my advice is to check the items very carefully. Be especially on the lookout for copies and fakes, and make sure to remember the stall number so that you can return to buy another item, or (if it doesn’t work) return it!

oTher markeTsOther, smaller flea markets in

Taipei include the Tianmu flea market (which also includes a local arts and crafts market), an indoor f l ea market a t Yongchun near Songshan Railway Station, and Yonghe Park 4. Tianmu flea market is relatively up-market, while the Yongchun market is much cheaper and much more local in character. In fact, many Tianmu sellers can be seen rummaging around the Yongchun market for the best picks, only to resell them for twice the price at the Tianmu flea market! Yonghe Park 4 is a small weekend market that also includes arts and crafts.

The weather is getting better, so now’s the perfect time to start exploring Taipei’s flea markets!

TexT: Bin Huang and naTalie KöHle images: Bin Huang

Bin is an interior designer with almost thirty years of experience in Taiwan. In addition to running his own interior design studio (www.inkstone.ws), he recently started a small home maintenance service company (http://housewizard.wordpress.com/), in order to share his local knowledge about the ins and outs of home decoration with the expat community of Taipei. Whatever your household question may be, he’d love to hear from you.

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Flea Markets

Fuhe Bridge marketHuanhe East Road, Section 3, Zhonghe City新北市永和區環河東路3段Open: every day 4:30 am ~12 noon

Chongxin Bridge market Liuhong 16 Road, Sanchung City新北市三重區疏洪十六路Open: every day from 5 am ~ 12 noon, except Monday of the second & fourth weeks of the month

Yongchun weekend market 2nd Floor, 294 Songshan Road (above Yongchun library)信義區松山路294號二樓(永春圖書館二樓)Open: every weekend, 10 am ~ 5 pm

Yonghe park 4 weekend market 85 Zhongan Street, Zhonghe City新北市中和區中安街85號Open: every weekend, 10 am ~ 6 pm

Tianmu weekend marketTianmu Square, Corner of Zhongshan North and Tianmu West Roads天母�台北市中山北路7段/天母西路交叉口Open: Fridays 4 – 10 pm, Saturdays 9 am – 3 pm, 4 – 10 pm, Sundays 3 – 9 pm


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As we age, thick, sticky stuff clings to the walls of our arteries; it collects over the years and can eventually

create a "clog;" some of it may break off, forming a clot. So what is the big deal? This clog or blockage will stop blood from getting to important parts of your body, such as the brain or heart, and may lead to the death of cells, for instance in the form of a

stroke or a heart attack. We often think of cardiovascular

disease and heart attacks as a disease that affects mainly men but, in reality, it is just as much a danger for women, and is in fact the number two cause of death among women between 45 and 65 years of age. By the time women reach age 65, it is the number one cause of death. Unfortunately, it seems that with regard to this disease men get all of the attention. Most of what we read in the media is about men, and most of the studies concerning disease

treatment and prevention are with men. However, women need to be aware of their risks:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing 292,188 women in 2009 — that is 1 in every 4 female deaths.

• A l t h o u g h h e a r t d i s e a s e i s sometimes thought of as a “man's d i s e a s e,” a r o u n d t he s a m e number of women and men die each year of heart disease in the United States. Despite increases in awareness over the past decade,

women and Cardiovascular diseaseTEXT: DR. PETER GuéRIN

The other side of the coin

Last year was one of high peaks and deep t roughs for Taiwan Youth Climate Coal i t ion (TWYCC), the

f irst environmental youth non-governmental organization (NGO) in Taiwan. Who would have ever imagined that a group of less than thirty youths would one day be featured in local magazines, TEDx Taipei and internat ional news, invited to radio shows, and even appear on television? They’ve given dozens of talks and led workshops in schools of all levels across Taiwan. They’ve sent teams to Brazil for the

Rio+20 International Conference for Sustainable Development and Qatar for UNFCCC’s COP18, the annual International Conference for Climate Change. They’ve also collaborated with many other well-known NGOs such as Greenpeace Taiwan, 350.org, and Design for Change, just to name a few. TWYCC has, up to date, approximately one hundred volunteers and almost three thousand followers on Facebook. Yet despite all their accomplishments, the road was never a straight nor an ascending one.

TWYCC faced resistance since the onset of legalizing the organization.

The i r des i re for independence was often criticized because they were seen as just a group of young people with limited funding, staff, knowledge, experience, and a passion that might have been considered temporary. TWYCC was instead offered positions as the youth branch of other NGOs. As an overseas-born Taiwanese, one of the most noticeable observations I’ve made since returning is that the opinions of Taiwan’s youth are not valued as much as they should be. This was one of the reasons TWYCC remained independent. Other chal lenges

TEXT & IMAGES: SARAH CHEN LIN


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TWYCC fa c ed i n c luded some partnerships with other NGOs which went sour due to misunderstandings and different priorities. TWYCC representatives have also been subject to mild harassment from those in higher positions both in private and in public.

T h e b o t t o m l i n e i s t h a t environmental act iv ism is very hard; the other side of the coin is never pretty, especially for a group of youths living in a consumerist soc i e ty. S ince the founding o f TWYCC, they’ve l ea rned how difficult it is to change people’s h a b i t s a n d m i n d s e t s , e v e n i n the face of sc ient i f ic evidence. They’ve learned that there exists a certain degree of hypocrisy among environmental organizations, for

instance handing out imported bott led water at public events. Through nat iona l conferences they’ve also discovered that many scholars and certain environmental authorities are sadly still disputing Taiwan’s vulnerability to climate change. Not to mention that the Taiwanese media rarely report on international environmental news.

The truth is, Taiwan still has a lot of room for improvement. The environmental authorities must be firmer in tackling the vast issues at hand and people must be willing to change. All environmental activists should work toge ther because fragmented efforts don’t always leave lifelong impacts. TWYCC has faced many challenges and has done what it can, given the circumstances.

Though the road travel led has been rough and steep and the one ahead is long and winding, true environmental activists never give up or give in. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for TWYCC in 2013!!


Dr. Peter Guérin is a native of New Mexico, where he attended the University of New Mexico for undergraduate training and Medical School. He completed his Family Medicine training in Phoenix Arizona and is Board Certified in Family Medicine. He was in private practice for seven years in Rio Rancho, New Mexico after which he lived in Beijing for four years, working for International SOS as well as several other joint venture medical clinics. Dr. Guérin joined the Foreign Service in 2004 and he has served in Ankara, Dakar (Senegal), Baghdad, Washington, DC and now Taipei. He is married to Kerri Zeelau-Guérin and has three children, Steven, Sophia and Katherine.

Further reading:Rio+20 - http://www.uncsd2012.org/ UnFccc and cop18 - http://unfccc.int/2860.php twYcc website (chinese) - http://twycc.tw/

B o r n a n d r a i s e d i n V e n e z u e l a b y Taiwanese parents , S a r a h h a s b e e n e x p o s e d t o w o r l d c u l t u re s s i n c e she was young. She graduated with an Environmental Science degree from Southampton University in the UK and currently works as a research assistant for the Civil Engineering Research Depar tment at Nat ional Taiwan University, as a radio host for Radio Taiwan International, as TWYCC’s media coordinator, as the main point of contact in Taiwan for ECYTF (Earth Charter Youth Task Force) and as a freelance photographer.

only 54% of women recognize that heart disease is their number one killer.

• Almost two-th irds (64%) of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. Even if you have no symptoms, you may still be at risk of heart disease.

risk FaCtorsHigh blood pressure, high LDL

cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. About half of Americans (49%) have at least one of these three risk factors.

Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including:

• Diabetes • Being overweight or obese • Poor diet • Physical inactivity • Excessive alcohol use

PreveNtative measuresFortunately, there are many things

you can do to reduce your chances of getting cardiovascular disease. You should:

• Know your blood pressure and

keep it under control.• Maintain a healthy weight. Every

home should have a weight scale, and it is healthy to check your weight regularly.

• Exercise regularly, 3-7 times a week for 15 – 30 minutes.

• Don't smoke.• Get tested for diabetes, and if you

have it keep it under control. • Know your cholesterol levels,

e s p e c i a l l y t h e L D L ( b a d cholesterol), and keep them under control.

• Eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains every day.

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eduCatioN iN taiwaN: An overview for

Expat families

As a single expat in Taiwan, I used to pay no attention to what kinds of schools children attend, but now

with two school-aged children of my own, it’s become a topic of daily conversation among my friends. What options are available to us as short-term visitors, long-term expats or spouses of Taiwanese citizens? What should we do about our children's Chinese and English language education? With this short series of articles on elementary school education in Taiwan, I hope to share some of the information my friends and I have gleaned over the years. To begin, here is a brief look at the options available to those with expat children, children with ARCs, and children holding Taiwanese citizenship.

iNterNatioNal sChoolsWhen moving school-aged children

to Taiwan, the first option for most families is one of the accredited international schools. According to the Ministry of Education, there are nineteen such schools in Taiwan (listed on the Ministry’s website: see the address at the bottom of this article). Children attending these schools will be able to continue their US or UK education when they return home. Instruction is in English, with Chinese taught as a foreign language. Facilities are

generally enviable, but tuition costs can prove prohibit ive to some, and the school location means you have to either live in a particular area or let your children face a daily commute. Your child needs a passport from a country other than Taiwan to attend.

loCal sChoolsAs families settle in longer and

as Chinese is valued more as a language useful to one's career, local schools are becoming an option for expat families. Local schools can be separated into private and public schools. According to the Department of Education website, “there are 153 public and private schools in Taipei; two national elementary schools (Nat ional Chengchi Univers i ty Experimental Elementary School & National Taipei University of

Education Experimental Elementary School), 141 public schools and ten private schools.” The school year starts in September. Children start first grade in the September after their 6th birthday. Schools can vary greatly in their facilities and teaching methods, and whether your child thrives can also depend a lot on the homeroom teacher.

M o r e a f f o r d a b l e t h a n t h e international schools are local, private schools. The school days are longer, ending at 4 pm or 5 pm every day. This makes private school a good option for those families who have commitments all day during the week. Private elementary schools generally have a stronger focus on academic achievement, in the sense that schools are competing for students' tuition and so want to register high test scores. This can be

TEXT & IMAGES: KATRINA BROWN

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an issue for children learning Chinese as a foreign language, as they may feel a lot of pressure in this environment. There are several private, bilingual schools in Taipei City, where half a day is taught in Chinese and the other half in English. For children who find the idea of using Chinese al l day daunting, or those who might be returning to an English-speaking country or transferring to an international high school, bilingual schools can be a good option. Be aware that it is not always the case that your homeroom teacher can communicate in English, and some schools are not prepared to deal with non-Chinese-speaking students.

Children with an ARC can attend public school. Your school zone is determined by the address shown on your child's ARC. How your child fits in will depend on their disposition, how the parent handles the transition, and how supportive the school is. The school day starts at around 7:45 am and finishes at noon most days for the lower grades. Hours are extended to four full days per week in the higher grades. The curriculum is all taught in Chinese, with English taught as a foreign language. There is a strong focus on learning Chinese characters in the lower grades, but many other subjects are covered, too. A future art ic le wil l present some expat families' experiences with public schools. Tuition is basically free for elementary-aged children, with a book fee and lunch fee payable (less than NT$3,000 per semester). You can read official descriptions of local education on the Taipei Education Portal Site (address above).

homesChooliNgHomeschooling is also a viable

opt ion for fami l i es in Taiwan. Homeschooling gives you flexibility in curriculum, schedules, geographic location, and expenses. It takes dedication and commitment, but the rewards can be great. If your children are not Taiwanese citizens, you can apply to homeschool through your home country or in Taiwan. For Taiwanese citizens, there are certain procedures you have to follow to become a homeschooling family, which will be covered in a future article. Most importantly, you have

to apply to the Education Bureau at your registered or household address. Taiwan officially recognises homeschooling as an education. There is a supportive network of homeschooling families in Taiwan. For English speakers, a great place to start is the Learn@Home in Taiwan Facebook group.

Finding the best style of education for your child may take time and energy, but it’s definitely worth the effort. This brief introduction should get you started on your Taiwan journey of knowledge.

Next month, I’l l share expat parents' experiences with public school education.

I n Ta i w a n s i n c e 1995, New Zealander Katrina Brown lives with her Taiwanese h u s b a n d i n t h e mountains of Jilong. With two elementary-school aged children , Katr ina i s determined to make Taiwan more accessible for all families . Visit her blog www.kidzone-tw.com for information about family-friendly spaces and events.

useful websitestaiwan ministry of Education: Education institutions for international Residents: http://english.moe.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=14795&CtNode=11447&mp=1taipei Education portal site: http://www.tp.edu.tw/english/edu_elementary.jsp

leat ahrony shares her experiences as an expat studying in a local school on page 24


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Ding Dong, Ding dong. The Yu Sheng Elementary School bell rang at 8 am. Time for c lass? Not yet. It was cleaning duty time. Every student was assigned a c l ean ing chore. I was in charge of cleaning the blackboard. Other tasks i n c l u d e d s w e e p i n g a n d mopping classroom floors, outside hallways and toilets, and wiping mini student lockers and desk tables. Basic house cleaning skills are enforced in Taiwan’s public educational system.

I still remember my first day of elementary school. My parents cautioned me that the environment would be drastically different. "Now Leat, today is your first day in first grade. Don’t be nervous." I was actually really excited; so excited, I had a hard time sleeping the night before. "You might not understand the teacher at first, but you will pick up Mandarin very fast." My mother was right.

For the first week, my ears did not pick up Mandarin tones. I played “what did the teacher say?” guessing games all day. Nevertheless, I ran wild with my classmates playing dodgeball at recess. With sufficient time, children soak up language like a sponge, and I experienced this.

In less than two months, I almost spoke fluent Mandarin and wrote Chinese characters with accurate and delicate strokes. We had mandatory calligraphy classes on Friday. I was not an A-grade student, but I did find it interesting. Wednesdays were my favorite.

Half day Wednesdays meant we went home at 12 pm. The other four days we finished at 4 in the afternoon. In addition to this, we had to attend school every other Saturday (until 12 pm). This changed, however, when I was in 4th grade; we beamed when there were no more Saturday school days.

Since I lived a five-minute walk from school, my parents often brought me home-cooked meals. The elementary school hired a catering company to provide lunch, but most students brought their own stainless steel lunch boxes. Often Chinese cuisine must be eaten warm, and every classroom had a large rectangular steamer which looked like a metal fridge. Every week, a different student was assigned to turn on the steamer an hour before lunch. Repeatedly, these students in charge – including me – forgot to turn on the steamer. Too often, when various

food aromas did not fill the classroom around lunchtime, we knew something was wrong. Luckily our stomachs were patient enough to eat a late lunch.

I n u n i v e r s i t y, t a k i n g a lunch nap sounds l ike heaven, but a t age s ix I was not impressed wi th mandatory nap times. Every week the teacher would assign a class leader, and one of the duties included

patrolling at nap time to make sure each student was asleep. It was painful to pretend I was sleeping for thirty minutes every day. It was a pleasant break from academics though.

The Taiwanese local public education system puts extreme academic pressure on its students. Most Taiwanese youngsters can memorize pages of text – word-by-word – even without understanding its meaning. In grade 4, I was doing homework until 11 pm. When it came to test reviews, students memorized chapters of text or poetry and replicated it on paper. My memorization skills are now rusty, but it’s not useful if you memorize and then forget.

Like any student, we always counted down the days until the next break. There were two major vacations: winter/Chinese New Year and summer. Unfortunately, after a long semester of studying, winter and summer homework was still mandatory. The first two weeks of vacation were spent doing homework at my desk. I felt like I’d grown a permanent academic tail.

Ding Dong, Ding dong. The school bell rang at 4 pm. The class collectively rose like an army, bowed, and annunciated “Thank you, Teacher.” Respect was greatly valued. I could have stayed in the public education system until high school graduation, but my parents pulled me out at the end of fourth grade. I had secured a solid base in Mandarin, and my parents were afraid my English would fall behind. The intense homework load and the lack of creative course options told them it was time to switch into a private American school.

The easiest and most efficient way for a child to learn Mandarin is to immerse them in the real thing. If you happen to be living in Taiwan for a few years with young children, take advantage of this precious opportunity. It is the cheapest and easiest way to learn Mandarin!

Leat Ahrony is a business undergraduate student at the University of Victoria (UVic) in Canada. She began her journalism career in high school writing for the Centered on Taipei magazine. She has a weekly online column for the UVic newspaper, The Martlet, and regularly writes print news and culture articles. She plans to earn her B.A. in Commerce and continue a side career in Journalism.

Local school student perspective eduCatioN iN taiwaN:

TEXT: LEAT AHRONY IMAGE: KATRINA BROWN

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Chris Grecius was a boy from Arizona who dreamed of becoming a police officer when he

grew up. On a special day in 1980, shortly before he succumbed to his battle with leukemia at the age of seven, Chris received a special gift. He was invited to take a tour

of the city in a police helicopter. He was also presented with his own custom-made police uniform and battery-powered

motorcycle so that he could become the state’s first honorary patrolman! His spirits were greatly lifted by the efforts of others to help him realize his dream. This event inspired the establishment of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an

international organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. To date, the foundation has reached

more than 300,000 children like Chris all around the world.

The Taiwan affiliate of Make-A-Wish was started in 1994. With the help of generous sponsors and

donors, the foundation is able to grant more than a hundred wishes a year,

helping children with life-threatening medical conditions between the

ages of 3 and 18.

You can help Make-A-Wish Taiwan with their mission in many ways. Please visit the

organization’s website for more information on how to make donations, or to learn about

current wishes that need sponsorship.

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ar

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wishes graNted By make-a-wish FouNdatioN

The wishes granted by Make-A-Wish Foundation are grouped into four categories – To Be, To Want, To Have, and To Meet.

To Be – Ah Xun, 13 years oldAh Xun’s biggest wish was to be able to

cook with a chef that he idolized and to share his cooking with his family and friends. With the help of Make-A-Wish Taiwan, his parents planned a special dinner at a restaurant where Ah Xun would have the opportunity to cook alongside his favorite chef. To make the event truly memorable, he was also presented with a custom chef’s hat and uniform and his own set of pots and pans.

To Go – Ah Shen, 3 years old Ever since seeing images of a cruise ship

on TV, Ah Shen has dreamed of going on a cruise. Ah Shen’s wish came true when Make-A-Wish Taiwan made it possible for him and his family to go on a 3-day cruise leaving from Keelung harbor. Ah Shen met the captain and got a special tour of the ship.

To Have – Shiao Lun, 9 years oldShortly after Shiao Lun was born, she

suffered from vision loss due to a medical condit ion. Music became the medium through which she was able to experience the beauty and joy of life. Blessed with an angelic voice, Shiao Lun’s most prized possession was her portable tape recorder, and she dreamed of one day recording her own album. Make-A-Wish Taiwan made Shiao Lun’s dream come true by setting up a session for her in a professional recording studio.

To Meet – Shiao Xi, 17 years oldLike many teenage girls, Shiao Xi idolized

the female pop trio, S.H.E. When she was strong enough, she never missed a concert, but even when she was not feeling well and undergoing intensive treatment, S.H.E.’s music accompanied her and gave her hope. When Make-A-Wish Taiwan arranged for Shiao Xi to meet the singers, she received a lot of encouragement from her idols.

The Origins of Make-A-Wish Foundation

Make-A-Wish Taiwan

Share the Power of a Wish

Foundation Taiwan

Karen Wang is the Managing Director of Happy Kids school in downtown Taipei. Happy Kids recently worked on a service project with Make-A-Wish Foundation. Happy Kids students helped raise funds to grant a wish by designing "wish bags" and made "wish cards" for the Make-A-Wish children.

make-a-wish taiwan: http://www.mawtpe.org.tw

TEXT: KAREN WANG IMAGES: MAKE-A-WISH FOuNDATION

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I recently became a Taiwanese citizen. Well... a permanent resident in any case. I genuinely love my adopted country: I can’t

think of anywhere else I would like to live more than here. And the Taiwanese are truly passionate about their country. Everyone I know who comes here for a visit loves the place as much as I do. But my question is: if Taiwan is such a nice place, why is it that Taiwan is generally so bad at promoting itself? There is a theory I call the TV Chef Principle… you can judge how well a country promotes itself by the proliferation and the quality of its TV chefs.

the world’s Best CuisiNe?In doing research for this article,

I asked a group of Taiwanese which country in the world had the best cuisine. As expected they said their own, and more specifically Taiwanese or Chinese. I then asked them what the worst food in the world was. To a man, they all said English. I am not here to argue who has the best food, but this is the perception that exists, at least in Taiwan.

Then I asked them to name me

a famous Taiwanese chef. They thought about it. They thought about it some more. And then they thought about it still more. A group of Taiwanese could not name a single famous chef from the cuisine that they claimed to be the best in the world. Then I asked them to name any famous chef in the world. There were some mumblings and a vague statement of “someone French” was mooted. I pushed further for a specific name until finally someone mentioned Jamie Oliver, and they agreed that he was the most famous chef in the world. I then pointed out that he was English. It’s an irony that the worst cuisine (in their opinion) has produced the world’s most famous chef. The question then became one of why?

The answer helped me to solve a problem that has been bothering me for a very long time. Why is it that if Chinese food is so delicious, and the Chinese spend so long talking about food, that Chinese food is so low in the world’s culinary pecking order? For romance we think of French, for comfort we think of Italian, for delicateness we think of Japanese, for hearty fare we might think of German or English, but for Chinese we generally think quick and easy – and this despite the obvious intricacies of many of the greatest Chinese dishes.

it’s all aBout the PreseNtatioN

T h e a n s w e r w a s s i m p l e – presentation. And this pervades most Chinese business dealings as well. In Taiwan the restaurant is all about making money: the presentation is secondary to the output, the

ambience irrelevant to the taste of the food. When you watch Jamie Oliver or any number of TV chefs the food almost leaps out of the screen at you. The colors are vibrant and enticing. No expense is spared to make us believe that what is being presented is amazing in every culinary sense we can imagine: sight, smell, taste, feel. Anthony Bourdain (another TV foodie) describes this as “food porn”. We are seduced by every aspect of the food: the location, the colors, the very words that the TV chef uses. In contrast, our Taiwanese TV chefs produce food that looks unappetizing, as though it had been filmed with the cheapest possible equipment available. It looks like we here in Taiwan don’t care, and this is what is wrong with our food industry from an international perspective. People who grow up with local food know the tastes; they can remember the flavors of their youth. Those who are new to it, however, need it to be presented first visually. Only then will they fall in love with the great flavors. The perception of Chinese food will always remain cheap, quick, and easy until it can elevate itself beyond the immediate concerns with turnaround

TEXT: STEVEN PARKER

the tv chef indicator: marketing taiwan through its cuisine


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and production costs.There is a metaphor here for our

business climate in Taiwan as well. Food is important for people wanting to travel, live, and work in a country. How many times have you heard people say they’d love to live in Italy or the south of France? It’s the food and culture that they are seduced by, partly because of TV chefs and foodies celebrating this culture regularly on our TV screens.

The English, through people like Jamie Oliver (and my personal favorite, Nigella Lawson) have come to understand this, the French have always known it, and the Italians were born knowing how to present food. Japan has an innate sense of style and presentation. Korea has realized that to sell to the world you need to have great marketing, and this includes TV chefs and food presentation. Korean food, to most Taiwanese, is country-style, hearty but not sophisticated. And yet now we have shows l ike the K imchi Chronicles (sponsored by Korean tourism) that present Korean food in vibrant and enticing ways that have many people planning trips around the food experiences they want to have there. Even China has

discovered this with its beautiful program called A Bite of China, which celebrates regional cuisines and dishes, and is the closest to Anthony Bourdain’s definition of (Chinese) “food porn” that I have seen during my twenty years in Asia.

short term gaiNs vs. loNg term marketiNg

The Taiwanese are brilliant at calculating costs and profits for short-term gain, but I am talking about long-term marketing to take us to a higher level. I love Taiwan, and I want everyone else to have a chance to love it too. Like a frumpy sister with a good heart, we may have to push Taiwan to put on a nice outfit just to let others get to love its food as much as we do. We have a great variety of good food here in Taiwan – local styles, Chinese regional varieties, and international cuisines – we just have to learn how to promote it. And that means being willing to put that little bit of extra effort in

dressing the food up a bit when we film it (and, in some cases, the staff in the restaurant too!)

In the United States, Korean res taurants are typica l ly more expensive than Chinese restaurants even though the food costs are not higher and in actual fact are, in some cases, significantly lower. They have just done a better job of marketing this food so they can get a higher return. Come on Taiwan, let’s try to look at the future return and not just at the initial cost and spend some money on some great food porn. You’re worth it.

sPeCial toPiC CoFFee morNiNgdisaster Preparedness: are you Prepared?Thursday, February 21, 10:30 am – 12:30 pmJoin us at the Center with this month’s speaker, Dr. Peter Guérin (AIT), for an informative presentation about what you can do to keep your family safe.

Book CluBs: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by amy ChuaThe morning book club will meet Tuesday, February 19, 10:30 am onwards. For more information email [email protected] evening book club will meet on Thursday, February 21, 7:15 pm onwards. For more information, email [email protected].

Events at The Center

Steven Parker, formerly the D i rec to r o f t he Community Services Center, is an Australian of Scot t i sh ancestry who has been living and working in Taiwan for over a decade.

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Last month Chinese Kitchen described a selection of sweet soups common in Taiwanese cuisine. This month we continue to explore the sweet tooth of Taiwan by introducing a variety of puddings, pastry-like cakes, risen cakes and other desserts found in bakeries and kitchens across the country.

PuddingsMango pudding (芒果布丁, mangguo buding) is made from puréed mango and whipping cream and is very aromatic and creamy.

Almond jelly (杏仁豆腐, xingren doufu) is made from ground Chinese apricot kernels and water. It is cooked and gelatin or agar-agar is added to set it, forming a tofu-like shape.

Tofu pudding (豆花, douhua, or 豆腐腦, doufu nao) is made from soy bean milk with bittern or food gypsum as a setting agent. Both tofu pudding and almond jelly are often served with beans and fruits in a sugar soup.

Pastry-like cakes Pineapple cake (鳳梨酥, fengli su) is made from shortcrust pastry with butter or lard and filled with pineapple jam. It is molded like a little brick and baked.

Egg yolk cake (蛋黃酥, danhuang su) is ball-shaped; it’s made from flaky pastry wrapped around a salty egg yolk and sweet red bean paste.

Taro cake (芋頭酥, yutou su) is similar but with sweet taro purée inside.

Green bean paste cake (綠豆椪, ludou peng) is also made from flaky pastry, has sweetened green bean paste inside, and is shaped like a wheel.

risen cakes:Mala cake (馬拉糕, mala gao) is made from wheat flour, baking powder, egg and milk. It’s steamed and can be served hot or cold.

Brown sugar cake (黑糖糕, heitang gao) is made from wheat flour, tapioca and brown sugar and is topped with sesame seeds. It’s also steamed and can be served hot or cold.

Desserts which use yeast as a rising agent include steamed red bean paste bun (紅

豆包 hongdou bao) and steamed custard bun (奶黃包 naihuang bao).

Others

Glazed and spun sweet potato (拔絲地瓜, basi digua) is fried sweet potato coated with caramelized sugar. Taro, banana, or apple are sometimes used instead of sweet potato.

Golden water chestnut cake (馬蹄條, mati tiao) is made from starchy water chestnut (馬蹄, mati in Cantonese, 荸薺, biqi in Mandarin), formed into a stick-like cake, steamed and fried to give a crisp exterior and soft interior.

Taro cake stuffed with red bean paste (豆沙芋棗, dousha yuzao) is made from taro purée with a red bean paste filling, shaped into cork-sized pieces and deep fried.

Sesame ball with red bean paste filling (豆沙芝麻球, dousha zh im a qiu) i s made from glutinous rice filled with red bean paste, rolled into balls, coated with sesame seeds and deep fried.

Pumpkin cake (南瓜糕, nangua gao) is made from mashed pumpkin and

taiWanese desserts and sWeets

text: Ivy Chen Images: tIng tIng huang and Ivy Chen

february 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw28

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glutinous rice filled with red bean paste. The patties are flattened and steamed or pan-fried.

Fluffy rice cake with red bean (紅豆鬆糕, hongdou song gao) is a steamed cake made with rice flour mixed with red

bean and dried fruits. It’s popular during Chinese New Year.

Snow cake (雪花糕, xuehua gao) is made from milk, egg white, agar-agar and cornstarch. It’s topped with shredded coconut.

Glutinous rice ball (麻糬, mashu, mochi) is made from steamed glutinous rice pounded until sticky and then shaped into balls. They are served either filled or coated with peanut powder or black sesame powder with sugar.

Pancake stuffed with red bean paste (豆沙鍋餅, dousha guo bing) is pan-fried and served hot or warm.


csc BUsinEss clAssiFiEd

hair dressermover

weB CoNsultaNt Beauty

#14 Tienmu E. Road | Telephone 2871-1515 | [email protected]

listings are now available online at http://communitycenter.org.tw/life-in-taiwan/worship-directory and http://communitycenter.org.tw/life-in-taiwan/community-groups.

WorshIp DIrectory aND coMMUNIty groUps

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30 february 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw

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centered on taipei february 2013

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