Notes from a New Zealander on moving to and living in Taipei, Taiwan. No politics, no angst, just the good stuff. Brownie promise.
Monday, 28 December 2009
Last post on MEK in Taipei and New beginnings
Once I realised the target audience (my family) didn't actually read this blog, I decided to retire it. Many thanks to all those faceless strangers that did. I also retired the old domain name and have shifted this to Blogger so that is available online (as an archive). It's a shame afterall to waste the guide to ordering on Pizza Hut - I could have done with one when I first arrived.
"New beginnnings" you hear me say? I am going to attempt to blog in Mandarin from here on in, in a separate new blog. Purpose: practicing my Mandarin. Target audience: myself. You're welcome along for the ride - it's a crazy descent to increasing my Mandarin level to mediocre and decreasing my English level to ...mediocre. Wild.
A traditional Tuesday night meal in Wellington was often Hell’s Pizza. Why Tuesday? Because on Tuesdays if you ordered online home delivery was free. (Never mind that the closest Hell’s Pizza was a 2 minute walk down the hill.)
Here in Taipei you can order Pizza Hut online, but you have to do it in Mandarin. So far, I have therefore only ordered over the phone (my closest store’s English being good enough and my Mandarin being good enough to have a pretty accurate meeting of the minds). Today however, throwing off the shackles of low carbing for an evening of pizza, I decided to give online ordering a try.
Here is my basic step by step for non Mandarin speakers on how to order Pizza Hut Online in Mandarin in Taiwan. Go to http://www1.pizzahut.com.tw/eorder/step1.asp. The page will come up looking something like this:
1. Select home delivery or take out
The first orange box with the text “請登入會員，即可帶出你預設的聯絡資料，進行訂購作業” states that for already registered users, they can click the first button (to bring up their information). Carry on down to the second orange box which reads “第一次訂購的朋友，也可以填寫下面的資料直接進行訂購流程” (essentially, first time friends proceed from here).
Immediately underneath are two options, the first “外帶” which is what you click on for store pick-up, and the second “外送” which is for home delivery. I am assuming you are selecting the latter option.
2. Complete your delivery address
Following on below are boxes to select and write in your address. The first box is which city you live in, so if you are in Taipei City the correct option “台北市” will automatically have been selected.
The second box is which area of the city you live in. For this you will need to know the mandarin characters for your area, such as 中山 for Zhongshan, 大安 for Da-an, or 士林 for Shilin. Select your area from the drop down box.
In the third box, write your street name in Mandarin. If you do not know the characters for your street name, this could be tricky. I have one slightly complicated method described at the end of this step.
In the fourth box, select from the pull-down options which section of the road you live on (段 or “duan4” is Mandarin for road section). On the second address line, fill in your lane (巷 or “xiang4”), alley (弄 or “long4”), street number (號 or “hao4”), street sub-number/letter (之 or “zhi1”), floor (樓 or “lou2”) and room/apartment number/letter (室 or “shi4”) as appropriate in the relevant boxes.
2.1 Learn how to type your address in Mandarin
First, you will need to know the pin yin sound of your city street (tones not necessary). Go to Google maps and look up your area of the city to see what the Mandarin symbols for your street look like. Then go to http://www.mandarintools.com/worddict.html. Select to search by pin yin, then one syllable at a time search the list of characters for the sound of your road’s name to find the correct one. Finally, copy paste the symbols into a notepad file so you will never need to repeat the search. Usually the word “lu4” or 路 is used for “road”.
3. Fill in your other contact details
Click on the button at the end of the second address line to bring up your closest store and its contact details.
Ignore the next box down labeled Hot 點卡卡號 (“dian4ka3ka3hao4”) as it is a friend referral scheme.
In the box labeled 姓名(“xing4ming2”) type in your name, and in the box labeled E-mail – well I think you get the picture.
In the box labeled 電話 (“dian4hua4”) fill in your telephone number. The area code for Taipei will be pre-selected. The 分 機 (“fen1ji1”) box is for your phone extension if you have one.
Alternatively, enter your cell phone number in the third box labeled 手機 (“shou3ji1”).
Finally click on the red button with the arrow. Before you do so though, you may want to know what the small print underneath is saying:
4. Pretend to read the small print (then read this very rough translation)
1. The store will call to confirm roughly within 15 minutes (credit card over phone not accepted), if you don’t receive a call please call the store to confirm they have received the order. 2. Stores will try to deliver within the expected time. 3. If picking up, at time of collection you will need to provide your name and telephone number. 4. Minimum delivery order is NTD300, below that a service charge will apply. 5. When using credit cards, order changes will need to be paid in cash and coupons may not be used (this translation is verging on a guess).
5. Time to check out the menu
Moving onto the Step 2 screen, the cluster of seven brightly coloured boxes bring up different menu options in the drop down boxes. This is where is starts to get tricky for non Mandarin speakers.
Until such time as I can be bothered translating out the whole Pizza Hut menu, the best thing to do is to open up the Pizza Hut website in another window. On the Mandarin version of the site, look at the Menu, use the pictures to see what appeals, and then find the correct characters in the drop down menus on your order page.
For example, I take a look at the afternoon tea menu 下午茶 “xia wu cai” and like the look of the shrimp and pineapple foldover:
I see that the characters are 明太子鮮, so back on the order page, I select the green下午茶 box, find the correct symbols (in this case in the second pull down box) and add two to my order.
6. Completing the order
After selecting the big red button to continue on to Step 3, you will be greeted by a page looking something like this:
First, check your order carefully. Then use the drop down boxes to select your preferred delivery time.
In the next box down, with the sentence above reading “1.現金交易時若持有優惠券，請於備註欄中註明（信用卡刷卡不能使用其他優惠券）”, write down the details of any coupons you wish to use (remember, if using a credit card they don’t accept any coupons”, or any other special instructions.
The final box at the bottom is a place for businesses to add some sort of a uniform tax code if required.
Finally, there are two buttons for continuing on. From what I can understand, if you intend to pay in cash, select the button on the left. If you intend to use a credit card, use the button to the right. (I have not selected the latter of these options so don’t know what will follow).
A small pop-up box in Mandarin will appear noting the time of the order, and you will then be directed back to the first order page. At this point you should check your email to see that the Order has gone in.
7. Enjoying the fruits of your labour
If your local store is as awesomely fast as mine is, you won’t be receiving a phone call within 15 minutes because your pizza will arrive at about the 17 minute mark. You’ll receive some packages that look like this:
At this point, you should open the boxes and consume the contents. Pro tip: Cheese stuffed crust is yum.
Panda-monium
Taipei Zoo is a nice escape from the city; cheap, convenient by MRT, park-like and suitable for all ages. First time visitors may be surprised by the breadth of the collection and the on the whole well-set up enclosures. (See http://english.taipei.gov.tw/zoo/index.jsp for further general information.)
As all and sundry know, the Zoo recently become the home to two panda bears (this blog is non-political so no political comments please). Using the excuse of a Kiwi visitor, earlier this week we set off to check out these iconic animals (in Mandarin, 熊貓 or “xiong2mao1”). When you enter the zoo, you will be given a little ticket with a time to enter the viewing area to help crowd control. The actual enclosure is on the left hand side of the park beyond the first train-car station.
Their reputation for cuddlyness and cuteness is well deserved. For the most part, they seemed oblivious to their stardom, content to snack and play around their enclosure. Here are some video clips and photos of the dynamic duo:
While you’re at the Zoo, don’t forget to check out some of the other more unusual animals, such as the penguin house:
the multitude of monkeys, apes, gorillas, orangutans and chimps (who were especially friendly, coming up and tapping on the glass to get our attention):
and the insectorium where you can walk around in rooms full of butterflies such as this pair of pretty ladies:
Keep an eye out for this pretty lady too, who followed us from one end of the enclosure to the other. Have you ever met a giraffe that you didn’t like? Neither have I.
Pro tip: Go at opening as the animals will be livelier as the temperature will still be cooler, and the animals will probably be still getting fed, like this herd of hippos:
Addendum on ICLP:
In response to visitor comments, I was considering posting on my experiences so far at ICLP. As I am attending for specific learning objectives which are not applicable to usual students, on reflection I feel it would be inappropriate to attempt any sort of assessment, particularly as I have not studied Mandarin previously and therefore do not have a baseline to compare it to. Best of luck to those applying for the next intake, hope to see you there in the next academic year.
If you’re a New Zealander living in Taiwan, I’d recommend signing up to the New Zealanders (Kiwis) in Taiwan Facebook Group. From time to time useful organized souls post details of upcoming kiwi events in Taiwan, such as ANZCham sundowner events. ANZCham= Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (http://www.anzcham.org.tw).
This week, the New Zealand U18 Ice Hockey Team were in town to participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation Div III competition (http://www.iihf.com). I was unaware of this until the game roster was posted on the Facebook group website (many thanks!) but once informed I turned up for the first game in the tournament held this afternoon between New Zealand and Australia.
Bear in mind that I have never in my life watched an ice hockey game. It had been so long that I’d even set foot inside an ice skating rink that I only thought to grab a jersey for the cooler temperature as I was heading out the door. Needless to say, I’d never visited Tapei Stadium before, but the facility to my eyes was first rate and well maintained. Also, entrance was free. Bonus!
When I walked inside, the ice smoothing machine was hard at work only minutes before the match, the event banner was hanging up on the far end wall, and the officials were settling into their sideline spot at the computer table:
And the five flags of the participating teams hung on the wall at one end of the rink; Australia, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, South Africa and Mongolia:
As I try to give a description of how the game proceeded, please bear in mind – I know nothing about the rules, and about every 5 seconds I cringed at players full body slamming, skating full bore into a wall and spectacularly going skates-up on the ice. The New Zealander supporters were far out numbered by the Auzzie supporters, but it was great to see all the parents who had flown out from New Zealand to watch their sons play.
First the Kiwis came out for a quick lap around their half of the court:
Huddled in front of the goal – either having a last minute pep talk, or fighting over which night market was first on the list – who can tell from the sidelines!
Then both teams lined up to face off before the game kicked off:
Once the game got underway, it all got a little unclear. Lots of sin-binning, lots of breaks to change players, lots of narrowly averted goals (thumbs up to NZ’s goalies who were put hard to work from the get go), lots of elbows, tangling of sticks, falling over – even a broken stick. I had no idea what was going on, so I just kept yelling – Go NZ, Let’s go NZ, You can do it NZ, (“insert encouraging words here that avoid the fact I have no idea what exactly I’m encouraging the players to do”) NZ!!! P.s. my throat is sore.
Our boys gave it a good effort, although the end result was a substantial win for the Auzzie team. After the game, the teams gathered for a sportsman-like shake-the-hand down the line:
If you can get along for a match, it’ll be worth it to support our boys in black. The rest of the games are at the following times (copied from the Facebook group):
28 February, 2009 (Sat) 16:00 Tapei Ice Rink 3 AUS vs. RSA 19:00 Tapei Ice Rink 4 TPE vs. NZL
2 March, 2009 (Mon) 16:00 Tapei Ice Rink 5 AUS vs. MGL 19:00 Tapei Ice Rink 6 NZL vs. RSA
3 March, 2009 (Tue) 16:00 Tapei Ice Rink 7 MGL vs. NZL 19:00 Tapei Ice Rink 8 RSA vs. TPE
5 March, 2009 (Thu) 16:00 Tapei Ice Rink 9 RSA vs. MGL 19:00 Tapei Ice Rink 10 AUS vs. TPE 21:30 Tapei Ice Rink Closing & Awards Ceremony
Finally, what you’ve all been waiting for: game shots! Capping off this post is a (very shakey sorry - especially near the beginning where we thought we'd scored a goal but didn't and the camera went everywhere - I may have been both jumping and screaming at the time, uncomfirmed rumour) video of random footage from the game, and the few of my pictures that didn’t come out blurry:
One of ICLP’s catch phrases is “Shuo hua, shuo hua,shuo hua.” Continually reinforcing the vocabulary and grammar structures during group class conversations and getting immediate suggestions/corrections from teachers has been an important part of my learning so far.
This semester (my third semester both learning Mandarin and at ICLP) my texts are Modern Chinese Conversation (新編會話), Practical Audio-Visual Chinese III (實用視聽華語(三)), and Taiwan Today (今日台灣). The third textbook is a series of readings around different everyday life in Taiwan topics. This can lead to some quite wide ranging conversations about cultural differences. In a class of three guys and one gal, a fly on the wall during the chapter on finding a husband or wife would have been well entertained.
During the current chapter, discussion wound its way to the completely unrelated topic of cougars. What is the significance of “cougar”, the teacher asked. In English, a cougar is typically thought of as either an adorable yet dangerous large feline, or a lady of a certain age who particularly seeks out the company of younger men. A short side debate on whether the cougar had spots, stripes or nothing later, the teacher thought the meaning might be equivalent to the local expression Bai4 Quan2 (敗 犬) – literally roughly meaning lost/lowly dog. After some further exploration, I thought “bai quan” might be closer to spinster or old maid.
Queen of the cougars
In any case, during the cougar – lost dog debate, my teacher in all her wisdom fed my Taiwan drama addiction by mentioning the phrase was used in the title of a new local drama: 敗犬女王 (Bai4 Quan2 Nu3 Wang2), roughly translating to lost queen. This drama stars the charismatic Cheryl Yang (楊謹華 / Yang Jin Hua) and the leading man of the moment, Ethan Ruan (阮經天 / Ruan Jing Tian). You may remember Ruan from Fated To Love You – he was the good looking guy with a lot of screen time who kept saying “Jia you Chen Xin Yi!” You remember? Good.
Yang plays Shan Wu Shuang, an almost 33-year old unmarried career woman who is trying to make her name in the media business by busting a local politician who has a wife and kids, plus a bit on the side. Ruan plays Lucas, a roughly 25-year-old odd job man; a younger man (oooooh!).
We quickly find out he is the heart throb martial art instructor at a local high school (some of the translation in that scene is a bit strong, surely attack would have been less cringe worthy than molest with the same dramatic effect!), and dresses in a Santa costume for rent money (the first scene is set on Christmas Eve). As a side note, these actors are playing roles that are the same or thereabouts as their real ages; a breath of fresh air from western dramas where 20-somethings will play high school roles.
Things get rolling when they of course have an encounter of the infuriating kind with each other. Although I’m only on the first episode, this is definitely finding a regular slot on my watch-list. Catch up on the first six episodes at my http://www.mysoju.com/my-queen/ then follow the drama as it unfolds on TTV/SETTV Sundays 22:00 - 23:30.
Carb Catch-up
For those who were interested in my previous post on low-carbing in Taiwan/Taipei, here’s a quick update: Boy is it hard to low-carb over holidays. Never you mind, I’m back in the saddle.
Jasons now has ground flax seed both at the location mentioned in the previous post, and in the health supplement section between the frozen fish/salmon and the toiletries at the back of the store. Also, I located at the top right hand shelf of the oils section virgin coconut oil, for those who like to (hopefully) kick the metabolism this way.
Weight Watchers drink flavour sachets are now available at Jasons. If you enter the store through the bakery, immediately as you exit the bakery into the store one of the aisles on the far upper left has them alongside lime flavouring sachets. Beware; they’re pricey and do have carbs which could easily add up!
Hot-pot as it turns out is not just for eating out. I am well into my exploration of turning out a just as yummy low-carb equivalent at home. This has been made very easy by the availability of low in carb frozen hot-pot soup bases at just about every grocery store I’ve seen so far. I like to pep up the soup base with a good handful of fresh coriander. So far duck and ginger has been my personal favourite packet base. This mutton and herbs base was also pretty good, and (according to the back of the packet, cross fingers it’s accurate) is particularly low in carbs:
For those who want to branch out into different kinds of mushrooms (I’ve been a traditionally timid button girl myself, although golden mushrooms as mentioned in a previous post have stolen my heart); pick up a pre-packed selection such as this ones which also came from Jasons:
Everything can be easily picked up from your local supermarket – thin sliced meats, seafood and veges of all descriptions. If you have others in the house who are not low-carbing, they can add noodles (near the end of the meal so that not too much leeched sugar is contaminating the soup base), and dumplings which can also be found in pre-packed hotpot selections, such as the one below:
There you have it – low-carb hotpot at home, it’s so so easy.
As part of the 2009 Yang Ming Shan Flower Festival (further information, see http://www.taipei.gov.tw) flocks of locals have migrated to Chiang Kai Shek’s Shilin Presidential Residence at no. 60 Fulin Road to take in its extensive gardens, in particular the many rose (mei2 gui1 玫 瑰) varietals.
It’s easy to get to these gardens using public transport. Hop on the MRT to the Shilin Station (not Jianguo) and take Exit 2. Immediately turn left and follow the road (including across a traffic light intersection) for about 5 minutes. If it was anything like today, it will be easy to figure out as everyone else will be flooding out of the station and following the same path:
You’re getting close when you pass some massive herbaceous bovines on your right:
Then a driveway leads the way inside (you may miss the relatively small entrance sign but it’s fairly easy to figure out):
Alternatively, from Exit 2 you can walk straight ahead and take the other entrance on your left hand side. A short way inside the entrance you’ll find a pathway lined by the same tall trees used at the Taipei Botanical Gardens:
Their dramatic effect helps distract from the decidedly un-picturesque open drains:
From some perspectives, they also make this collection of sculptures appear to be behind jail bars – an eerie but cool (presumably unintended) effect:
The main reason for the crowds was the large collection of rose bushes planted throughout the grounds. Although it’s hard to match the Wellington Botanical Garden’s rose garden for quality and beauty, the Shilin Residence was by no means lacking for admirers. Families young and old enjoyed the relatively comfortable weather and each other’s company; and of course life here is not just to be experienced, but also (importantly) captured on camera.
Some areas of the gardens smelled rather like bubblegum - I never found the source of the fragrance. Artistically ordered in a number of configurations, you could view rose bushes winding up trellis arbours:
Alongside curving paths:
Set out in row upon row and flanked with trees, as though it were a rose orchard:
And inside greenhouses, protected from the elements and decorated with ribbons, pearls and trinkets:
Dui wo lai shuo, the most enjoyable parts of the gardens were not the roses, but the number of other treasures tucked around the place, such as this large shady tree with its trunk and branches completely wrapped in leafy vines:
Scultures complementing existing plants and trees, and in turned enhanced by the foliage:
Traditional gardens with plenty of shade and dancing fountains:
Wide open spaces for families to picnic and kids to run amok:
And buildings with tiny details that many people might walk right past and miss:
Set alongside a lily lake, this tucked-away building was lush with greenery, tiny blossoms and berried plants (although the ceiling was low so taller people needed to duck!):
Other greenhouses contained large numbers of orchid plants, and indoor courtyards decorated with draped vines and flower arrangements including animal figures:
To the amateur's eye, the orchids themselves were no different in quality to those found at the Jianguo flower markets, but the setting served to enhance their beauty:
(These were my favourite!):
And of course, who can resist checking out a rich dude's wheels!
If you're interested in checking out the roses, I'd recommend not putting it off if you want to view the blossoms in their best condition (many were already showing that they were into the second half of their race to the grave). As this is a blog post on rose gardens, please humour me as I cap off the entry with a few snaps of the day's beauties. Enjoy!
