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A publication of the <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Services</strong> <strong>Center</strong><br />
<strong>Center</strong>ed<br />
on TAIPEI<br />
February 2013, Volume 13, Issue 5<br />
cover story<br />
exploriNg lukaNg<br />
Make a New Year’s Revolution<br />
Flea Markets iN taipei<br />
educatioN iN taiwaN<br />
Make-a-wish FouNdatioN taiwaN<br />
the tV cheF iNdicator
CoNteNts February 2013 volume 13 issue 5<br />
5 lEttER FRom thE EditoRs<br />
6 RichARd REcommEnds<br />
nAtionAl thEAtER And concERt hAll<br />
FEBRUARY 2013<br />
7 cUltURAl coRnER<br />
NamiNg the BaBy<br />
coURsEs At thE cEntER<br />
8 cEntER GAllERY<br />
thE cEntER’s FAvoRitE Finds<br />
9<br />
9 oFF thE BEAtEn tRAck<br />
aN eNviroNmeNtally FrieNdly visit to PiNgxi<br />
10 covER stoRY<br />
lukaNg<br />
12 commUnitY<br />
tas<br />
13 oRphAnAGE clUB<br />
EvEnts ABoUt town<br />
14 oUtlook<br />
make a New year’s revolutioN<br />
15 tcm coRnER<br />
raiNy taiwaN<br />
16 coFFEE coRnER<br />
toPo CaFé<br />
17 dininG<br />
Jodie’s kitCheN<br />
10<br />
18 photoGRAphY<br />
markets<br />
19 Ask Bin<br />
Flea markets<br />
20 EnviRonmEnt<br />
the other side oF the CoiN<br />
hEAlth<br />
womeN aNd CardiovasCular disease<br />
22 EdUcAtion<br />
aN overview For exPat Families<br />
24 EdUcAtion<br />
loCal sChool studeNt PersPeCtive<br />
25 chARitY<br />
make-a-wish FouNdatioN<br />
26 BUsinEss in tAiwAn<br />
the tv CheF iNdiCator<br />
27 EvEnts At thE cEntER<br />
28 chinEsE kitchEn<br />
taiwaNese desserts aNd sweets<br />
29 csc BUsinEss clAssiFiEd<br />
covER imAGE:<br />
kAtYA iliEvA-stonE<br />
19<br />
25 28<br />
<strong>Center</strong>ed on Taipei is a publication of the <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Services</strong> <strong>Center</strong>,<br />
25, Lane 290, ZhongShan N. Rd., Sec. 6, Tianmu, Taipei, Taiwan<br />
Tel: 02-2836-8134, fax: 02-2835-2530, e-mail: coteditor@communitycenter.org.tw<br />
Correspondence may be sent to the editor at coteditor@communitycenter.org.<br />
tw. Freelance writers, photographers and illustrators are welcome to contact the<br />
editor to discuss editorial and graphic assignments. Your talent will find a home<br />
with us!<br />
Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be<br />
reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner.<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
3
4 FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
LEttER FRom thE EDitoRS<br />
Publisher: <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Services</strong> <strong>Center</strong>, Taipei<br />
Editor: Kari Schiro<br />
Co-editor: Richard Saunders<br />
Advertising manager: Paula Lee<br />
tel: 0926-956-844<br />
Fax: 02-2835-2530<br />
email: paulalee@communitycenter.org.tw<br />
Writing and Photography<br />
Contributors: Leat Ahrony<br />
Katrina Brown<br />
Ivy Chen<br />
Sarah Chen Lin<br />
Aly Cooper<br />
Wendy Evans<br />
Craig Ferguson<br />
Peter Guérin<br />
Monica Hess<br />
Bin Huang<br />
Brandon Huang<br />
Serina Huang<br />
Ting Ting Huang<br />
<strong>Community</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />
<strong>Center</strong> Editorial Panel:<br />
Printed by:<br />
Siew Kang, Fred Voigtmann<br />
Farn Mei Printing Co., Ltd.<br />
1F, No. 102, Hou Kang Street, Shilin District, Taipei<br />
Tel: 02-2882-6748 Fax: 02-2882-6749<br />
E-mail: farn.mei@msa.hinet.net<br />
CommUnitY SERviCES CEntER<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw<br />
Director: Adam McMillan<br />
office manager: Grace Ting<br />
Counselors: Suzan Babcock, Maaike Berteele, I-Wen Chan,<br />
Fawn Chang, Katherine Chang, Jung Chin, Wendy<br />
Evans, Cerita Hsu, Perry Malcolm, Eva Salazar-Liu,<br />
Ming-I Sun, Cynthia Teeters<br />
newcomer orientation Consultant: Amy Liu<br />
Accountant: Monica Cheng<br />
Communications: Kari Schiro<br />
Programs Coordinator: Rosemary Susa<br />
Events Coordinator: Bianca Russell<br />
Chinese teacher: Gloria Gwo<br />
volunteers:<br />
Premier Sponsors:<br />
Katya Ilieva-Stone<br />
Natalie Köhle<br />
Amy Liu<br />
John McQuade<br />
Steven Parker<br />
Shaun Ramsden<br />
Michael Russell<br />
Richard Saunders<br />
Rosemary Susa<br />
Karen Wang<br />
Tina Yuan<br />
Nancy Achorn, Alison Bai, Wen Finamore,<br />
Shana Garcia, John McQuade, Bunny Pacheco,<br />
Gloria Peng, Ruth Reynolds, Amanda Savage,<br />
Desta Selassie, Emmy Shih, Michelle Smith,<br />
Anita Town<br />
3M Taiwan<br />
Bai Win Antiques<br />
BP Taiwan Ltd.<br />
Breitling<br />
China American Petrochemical<br />
Concordia Consulting<br />
Costco Wholesale Taiwan<br />
Crown Worldwide Movers Ltd.<br />
Four Star Int’l<br />
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Taipei<br />
HSBC<br />
ICRT<br />
Metacity Development Corp<br />
ProQC<br />
San Fu Gas Co. Ltd.<br />
Smerwick Ltd<br />
Songfu Li<br />
Standard Chartered Bank<br />
the <strong>Community</strong> <strong>Services</strong> <strong>Center</strong> (CSC) is a non-profit foundation. CSC provides<br />
outreach and early intervention through counseling, cross-cultural education and life<br />
skills programs to meet the needs of the international community in taipei. CSC offers<br />
the opportunity to learn, volunteer, teach and meet others. Check out our website www.<br />
communitycenter.org.tw and drop by the <strong>Center</strong> to chat with us about our programs.<br />
You can also email us at csc@communitycenter.org.tw.<br />
Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote that "Sorry<br />
seems to be the hardest word" - respectfully, Mr.<br />
John and Mr. Taupin, I will have to disagree.<br />
Goodbye is, at least in my experience, a far harder<br />
word. Unfortunately, it is a word we're all too<br />
familiar with when we live in such a transient<br />
community, and finally it is my turn to be the one saying it. It has<br />
been a true honor to work at the <strong>Center</strong> and be responsible for<br />
this fine magazine for 2012. Although I am loathed to let such an<br />
amazing job go, I know I am leaving it in excellent hands with<br />
Kari at the helm and the rest of the team still in place. I hope<br />
2013 and the Year of the Snake brings you all peace, happiness<br />
and good health. Until we meet again!<br />
Kath<br />
Indulge me for a moment while I talk shoes.<br />
Big shoes (figuratively speaking). Fabulous shoes.<br />
Remarkably well-stewarded shoes left neatly at this<br />
magazine’s helm, waiting to be filled. I won’t say it<br />
isn’t daunting, but, never one to resist a new pair<br />
of kicks, I am delighted to have the opportunity<br />
to try them on for size. Which is all to say, I am so honored to<br />
follow in Kath’s capable footsteps as Editor of this wonderful<br />
publication. So with polish at the ready and a hop in my step...<br />
Onward to the issue at hand! This month Katya Ilieva-Stone<br />
takes us to Lukang to meet a master lantern artist, while Richard<br />
Saunders encourages us to consider the environmental impact of<br />
the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. <strong>Center</strong> counselor Wendy Evans<br />
talks about setting achievable New Year’s resolutions, and Dr.<br />
Peter Guérin stresses the importance of a healthy lifestyle in his<br />
article about women and cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile<br />
Katrina Brown lays the groundwork for a new series about<br />
education in Taiwan, and Leat Ahrony offers her perspective on<br />
local schooling. In another set of complementary articles, Craig<br />
Ferguson gives tips for photographing markets, while Bin Huang<br />
and Natalie Köhle help us navigate through Taipei’s flea markets.<br />
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Go ahead, flip through the<br />
pages and see for yourself!<br />
As always, we welcome your contributions — both written<br />
and photographic — and feedback. Whether you have an<br />
article idea, a beautiful photograph to share, or a hankering<br />
to write but no topic in mind, drop me a line at coteditor@<br />
communitycenter.org.tw. I look forward to hearing from you!<br />
Wishing you all a festive and auspicious Chinese Lunar New<br />
Year!<br />
Kari<br />
Richard Saunders<br />
Co-editor<br />
Paula Lee<br />
Advertising Manager<br />
<strong>Center</strong>ed on Taipei is printed on 50% post consumer waste content stock. We have also replaced<br />
the glossy laminated cover with a softer aqueous based resin coating which makes it easier to<br />
recycle. By committing to post consumer paper stock we support the market for recycled fibers and<br />
reduce environmental impact.<br />
Recycling paper uses 60% less energy than manufacturing paper from virgin fiber.<br />
"Every ton of recycled paper saves enough electricity to power a 3 bedroom house for an entire<br />
year." (http://www.greenseal.org/index.cfm)<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
5
RICHARD<br />
ReCommenDs<br />
riChard sauNders<br />
The Lunar New Year holiday knocks a huge chunk out of<br />
an already short month, so there’s only a limited number<br />
of offerings at the National CKS Cultural <strong>Center</strong> in<br />
February. Apart from the self-recommending Cloud<br />
Gate performances, the event that most catches the eye is the<br />
recital given on February 28th of French chamber music, with<br />
two marvelous works: Poulenc’s vivacious Sextet for piano and<br />
wind, and Chausson’s glorious Concert for violin, piano and<br />
string quartet. Filling out the program are a pair of very different<br />
piano pieces: Faure’s darkly expressive first Nocturne and Cesar<br />
Franck’s majestic Prelude, Choral and Fugue.<br />
We have to wait until March 17th for the next in the NSO’s<br />
series exploring French and Slavic music, which will feature a<br />
rare chance in Taiwan to hear Prokofiev’s marvelously barbaric<br />
Scythian Suite (one of my very earliest classical music faves), but<br />
meanwhile let me fill the rest of my ramblings this month with a<br />
wish list of several favorite French and Slavic orchestral works,<br />
with the earnest hope that programmers might one day present<br />
one or two of them here, in Taiwan.<br />
Albert Roussel has long been (and to an extent still is)<br />
among the most underrated French composers of the last<br />
century, so the recent upsurge in recordings of his music on CD<br />
is extremely welcome. Unfortunately this glut of great recordings<br />
has yet to translate into increased performances (in Taiwan at<br />
least). The second suite from the popular ballet Bacchus and<br />
Ariadne received a performance last year, but there’s been no<br />
sign of Roussel’s other ‘popular’ classic, the Third Symphony,<br />
which has more than once been proclaimed one of the finest<br />
symphonies from the last century. If that inspired combination<br />
of exhilarating rhythmic punch and lyrical inspiration is a<br />
bit too ascetic for audiences, the dainty Festin de l’araignée<br />
(usually translated – a bit off-puttingly – as “the Spider’s<br />
Banquet”) would certainly be a hit. Most of Roussel’s piano and<br />
chamber music is something of an acquired taste, but the perky<br />
Divertimento for wind quintet and piano is a winner, and his<br />
suite for chamber ensemble Le Marchand de Sable Qui Passe<br />
(“The Sandman, He Passes”; Roussel had a thing for slightly<br />
kooky titles) is the very definition of Gallic charm.<br />
There are more unjustly neglected composers than you can<br />
shake a conductor’s baton at, but another who immediately<br />
springs to mind as utterly undeserving of his continued<br />
absence in the concert hall is the Russian Alexander Glazunov.<br />
Thankfully the days when his eight symphonies were considered<br />
half-baked Tchaikovsky clones are long gone, but performances<br />
are still basically nonexistent in Taiwan – any of the final five<br />
could easily take the place of Dvorak’s over-played New World<br />
or T chaikovsky’s (admittedly heart-breaking) Pathetique;<br />
one of his two piano concertos (with their meltingly beautiful<br />
slow movements) could substitute for the Rachmaninov or<br />
Tchaikovsky war horses on occasion, and the fantastic ballet<br />
The Seasons should, in a fair world, be played as often as Swan<br />
Lake or the Nutcracker.<br />
So CKS, how about making a belated New Year Resolution<br />
to trim down the repetitions of Rach Three and Dvorak Nine,<br />
and schedule some of the countless eminently worthy but<br />
unjustly neglected composers’ works instead. Please<br />
National theater & Concert hall<br />
FEBRUARY 2013<br />
NATIONAL THEATER<br />
Barak Marshall Dance Theatre:<br />
Rooster<br />
American/Israeli choreographer<br />
Barak Marshall’s second work<br />
February 15-17<br />
Songs of the Wanderers<br />
Cloud Gate Dance Theater’s<br />
signature piece, performed with live<br />
music<br />
February 21-23<br />
Der Spieler (The Gambler)<br />
Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece<br />
(performed mostly in German, with<br />
Chinese subtitles)<br />
February 28-march 3<br />
RR: Richard Recommends<br />
NATIONAL CONCERT HALL<br />
Salamandrum and NSO:<br />
Voyages<br />
The Israeli percussion duo,<br />
accompanied by the National<br />
Symphony Orchestra<br />
February 23<br />
Philipe Bernold Flute Recital<br />
Works by Chopin, Prokofiev, Bizet<br />
and Enescu<br />
February 25<br />
Salon for Virtuosi<br />
Chamber music by Franck,<br />
Poulenc, Faure and Chausson<br />
February 28 RR<br />
For full details, please log on to the culture Express website at<br />
http://express.culture.gov.tw or take a copy of the monthly program<br />
from cks cultural center, available from mRt stations, bookshops<br />
and ticketing offices.<br />
TICKETING OFFICES: • NTCH: (02) 3393 9888<br />
• ERA: (02) 2709 3788<br />
6<br />
FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
Amy's<br />
ulturaal<br />
Corner<br />
台<br />
灣<br />
Naming the Baby:<br />
choosing a chinese name is an Art<br />
How do Taiwanese parents go about giving their baby a<br />
name<br />
Influenced by Western practices, over the last fifteen<br />
years or so many Taiwanese parents have started giving<br />
their baby an English name in addition to their Chinese<br />
one. While the English name is often chosen before<br />
the baby is born, Taiwanese parents spend a long time<br />
choosing their child’s Chinese name, because it is believed<br />
that it will determine his or her future and destiny.<br />
I became an ‘official’ auntie in 2006 and have seen firsthand<br />
the time and effort that goes into coming up with a<br />
Chinese name for my little niece, Lisa.<br />
While a small group of people in Taiwan have just two<br />
characters in their name, a typical Chinese name consists<br />
of three, the first character being the family name and<br />
the next two characters being the given name. In Taiwan,<br />
one character of the given name can represent the child’s<br />
generation within the family. For example, my Chinese<br />
name is Liu, Chien-ju ( 劉 情 如 ): ‘Liu’ being my family<br />
name and ‘Chien-ju’ being my given name. My younger<br />
sister and my female cousins from my father’s side of<br />
the family all have ‘ju’ ( 如 ) as the third character in their<br />
names. So if you run into a ‘Liu’ with a given name of ‘ju’<br />
as the third character in their name, you could be meeting<br />
a girl cousin of mine! On the other hand, all the boy<br />
cousins of mine in the Liu family have the character of ‘si’<br />
( 思 ) as the second character in their name. This tradition,<br />
however, is followed more loosely by the parents of the<br />
current generation as it is becoming increasingly difficult<br />
to cross-check with relatives and to agree upon a pleasing<br />
character that satisfies all parties.<br />
When naming a child, parents have to take into<br />
consideration the newborn baby’s Eight Characters ( 八 字 , ba<br />
zi), four pairs of numbers representing the year, month, day,<br />
and hour of birth, and also the basic Five Principal Elements<br />
( 五 行 , wu xing): metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.<br />
Another factor to take into account is the total number<br />
of strokes in a name, because this also has a lot to do with<br />
the baby’s fate. Finally the characters also have to sound<br />
good together.<br />
Traditionally a nickname (now commonly an English<br />
name) is used until the family comes up with a formal<br />
Chinese name, which is customarily created by the<br />
grandfather but now more often is given by the parents,<br />
sometimes with the guidance of a fortune-teller. As you<br />
can see, it’s quite a task to come up with two desirable<br />
characters for a baby’s given name, matching the time the<br />
baby was born and the Five Principal Elements, generation<br />
order, and the strokes. And most importantly, it has to<br />
sound beautiful as well!<br />
Courses at The <strong>Center</strong><br />
Activity First Meeting Date # of Sessions Instructor Time Meet @<br />
Delicious Dumplings Feb 1 1 Ivy Chen 10:00am-12noon The <strong>Center</strong><br />
Celebrating Chinese New Year: Di Hua Street Tour Feb 5 1 Ivy Chen and 9:45am-12noon Shuanglian MRT Sta. Exit 2<br />
Rosemary Susa<br />
Longshan Temple, Bopiliao and Wanhua Herb Street Tour Feb 20 1 Jennifer Tong 9:30am-12noon Longshan Temple MRT Sta. Exit 1<br />
Ecologically Grown: Farm Tour and Vegetarian Lunch Feb 22 1 Ivy Chen 9:00am-3:00pm Corner of Zhongshan N. Rd.,<br />
Sec. 6 and Lane 290<br />
“The Shi Dong and Local Market Tour” or Feb 26 1 Ivy Chen 9:00am-12noon The <strong>Center</strong><br />
“What Is That Vegetable and How Do I Cook It“<br />
Fostering Your Young Child's Future Success Feb 26 1 Ralph Whalen 4:00pm-5:30pm The <strong>Center</strong><br />
Self-Defense for Boys: Boys Empowered Mar 4 6 Antoine Farès 4:00pm-5:00pm The Farès Academy Dojo<br />
Exploring Scenic Wulai: Hike and Tour Mar 5 1 Richard Saunders 8:30am-3:00pm Corner of Zhongshan N. Rd.,<br />
Sec. 6 and Lane 290<br />
Decorative Fruit and Vegetable Carving Mar 5 3 Sally Duh Chu 12:15pm-2:15pm The <strong>Center</strong><br />
Taipei Hospital Tour Mar 6 1 Juchi Tang-Liu 9:30am-1:00pm The <strong>Center</strong><br />
Self-Defense for Women and Girls Mar 8 6 Antoine Farès 4:00pm-5:00pm The Farès Academy Dojo<br />
Taiwanese Please Mar 9 1 Ivy Chen 10:00am-1:00pm The <strong>Center</strong><br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
7
GALLERY<br />
February 2013<br />
The <strong>Center</strong>'s<br />
Favorite Finds<br />
TEXT: MONICA HESS<br />
anne wu’s elegant Bag hangers<br />
Have you experienced the awkward situation of determining<br />
where to place your handbag when you’re dining at a<br />
restaurant Did you leave your purse on the ground Hang<br />
it on the back of your chair Or just put it on your lap Anne<br />
Wu’s purse hangers will solve your problem. Come to The<br />
<strong>Center</strong> and check out these beautiful hangers decorated with<br />
crystals. They’re fashionable accessories and make great<br />
gifts for friends.<br />
From idea to launch in 54 hours!<br />
If you've ever had an idea for a device (hardware) or an<br />
app (software) but didn't know where to go for help in<br />
turning your dream into reality, check out a cool local<br />
event: "Startup Weekend." A local entrepreneur is using<br />
his experience and vast business contact network to put<br />
together an exciting weekend event designed to take<br />
seed projects through all phases of product creation,<br />
from design to pitching to a panel of venture capitalists.<br />
Startup Weekend is a 54-hour startup event that<br />
provides the networking, resources and incentives<br />
for individuals and teams to go from idea to launch.<br />
Get connected with local developers, innovators, and<br />
entrepreneurs. Build community. Start companies. No<br />
talk. All action.<br />
Jewelry by Primrose vilakati<br />
On the sideboard display in the Gallery this month is a<br />
collection of jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets and<br />
earrings made from precious stone beads, pearls and<br />
silver. The pieces come in multi-cultural styles, with Chinese<br />
knotting and elegant metal chain, which create both an Asian<br />
and a Western feel to the jewelry. To ensure satisfaction with<br />
the jewelry, personalized designs and length alterations can<br />
be made.<br />
tian tung gallery<br />
This month the Gallery features the<br />
wonderful artwork of Huan Yuan<br />
Chen and other artists from Tien Tung<br />
Art Gallery. Priced between NT$700<br />
and NT$1,800, these beautiful<br />
scroll paintings make great gifts or<br />
an excellent addition to your home<br />
decor. Tien Tung also accepts custom<br />
orders.<br />
A percentage of all proceeds of items sold at the Gallery goes to<br />
The <strong>Center</strong>, so please remember that by displaying and shopping<br />
here you are helping us to provide much needed services to the<br />
international community.<br />
Recently I attended a startup weekend in Xindian to<br />
gain insight into the entire process and was amazed<br />
at how much fun it was. All aspects of the event were<br />
well-planned, from the Friday night keynote talks to the<br />
final day of presentations. Here's how it went: anyone<br />
with an idea could bring it to this event. Each idea was<br />
presented to the entire group, and we voted on our<br />
three favorite ideas; the top thirteen ideas were selected<br />
and we each chose a team to join. Then the work ... er,<br />
fun began! The design folks on the team solidified their<br />
design, the writer (me) worked on a presentation, and<br />
the engineers worked on both the front (user interface)<br />
and back end (making the product work). Once we<br />
had a working prototype, we had to do user testing<br />
and get ready to present our idea to a panel of venture<br />
capitalists. We worked from early morning until late into<br />
the evening both Saturday and Sunday. I really enjoyed<br />
meeting my team and working with them to bring an<br />
idea to life. We weren't one of the three teams who got<br />
funded, but we had such a good time working together.<br />
Other highlights included meeting mentors from various<br />
industry segments and trying out a 3D printer. I highly<br />
encourage anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit to<br />
consider attending a Startup Weekend.<br />
For more information, visit http://startupweekend.org/.<br />
8 FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK<br />
RICHARD SAUNDERS EXPLORES TAIWAN'S LESS-TRODDEN PATHS<br />
An Environmentally Friendly Visit to Pingxi<br />
With Lantern Festival approaching once<br />
again (on February 24th), roads and temple<br />
courtyards in Taipei will once again be<br />
magically transformed after dark by masses<br />
of colorful lights, Yuanshan and Fine Arts Parks (site of<br />
this year’s Taipei Lantern Festival) will be packed to the<br />
gills, and the truly brave (or perhaps more foolhardy,<br />
myself included) will be heading down to Tainan for<br />
the screamingly intense festivities at Yanshui Beehive<br />
Fireworks Festival.<br />
Countless others will be heading an hour east of<br />
Taipei for Taiwan’s other famous Lantern Festival event,<br />
the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. Before joining them<br />
though, spare a thought for this outstandingly beautiful<br />
little corner of the island and the enormous ongoing<br />
environmental damage being visited on it by the immense<br />
and unfortunate popularity enjoyed by a traditional<br />
custom-turned-tourist fad. Those meter-round lanterns of<br />
paper and wire were once let off only during the Lantern<br />
Festival and on sunny summer weekends but now ascend<br />
into the skies in large numbers most days of the year. They<br />
have to land somewhere, with the result that the beautiful<br />
wooded mountains around the village are liberally<br />
dotted with the ugly, brightly colored remains of untold<br />
thousands of abandoned lanterns. Take a walk along any<br />
trail in the area, and their broken remains, hanging from<br />
trees, punctuate the walk, while far vaster numbers lie out<br />
of sight, far from any trail. The paper will probably break<br />
down in a few decades; the wire frame will take much<br />
longer; meanwhile they’re an ugly eyesore, a hazard to<br />
wild animals and birds living in the forest, and every year<br />
their numbers are increasing exponentially.<br />
Instead of contributing to the destruction of this<br />
wonderful area, consider visiting a couple of the many<br />
other interesting cultural, historic and natural attractions<br />
nearby. At the edge of the village the unusual Guanyin<br />
Yan Temple is built into a tunnel bored straight through<br />
the little ridge. More man-made caves carved into the<br />
sandstone rock face near the temple were once air-raid<br />
shelters for residents sheltering from allied air raids during<br />
WWII. The alarm was raised with a large bell mounted in<br />
a small tower on the hill above, which can still be seen.<br />
A kilometer to the east of Pingxi lies the tiny hamlet of<br />
Lingjiao, whose attractive main drag is a far less touristy<br />
copy of the narrow streets of Pingxi. Just below the village<br />
the Keelung River drops over Lingjiao Waterfall, one of<br />
the widest in Taiwan, which makes an imposing spectacle<br />
after heavy rain, while in the hills forty minutes’ walk<br />
away lies another unusual temple, the Guanyin Dripping<br />
Water Cave, a large overhang featuring a chalky white<br />
stalagmite that bears a resemblance to the Goddess of<br />
Mercy. And that’s just for starters! Hikers will find some<br />
of the most scenic hiking in the entire Taipei area nearby,<br />
with a selection of wonderful hikes of varying difficulty to<br />
choose from.<br />
The Pingxi area has a great deal to offer apart from its<br />
famed sky lanterns, and by exploring some of these less<br />
touted attractions (and maybe having lunch or a snack<br />
in one of the traditional eateries in the village), you’ll be<br />
supporting the local economy without harming the local<br />
environment!<br />
More information on the Pingxi area can be found on<br />
Richard’s blog, Off the Beaten Track at<br />
http://taiwandiscovery.wordpress.com/<br />
Richard Saunders is a trained classical musician and writer who has lived in Taipei since<br />
1993. He has written several books (available at The <strong>Center</strong> and in bookshops around Taipei),<br />
including Yangmingshan: the Guide (a complete guide to the National Park on Taipei’s doorstep)<br />
and Taipei Escapes I and 2, which together detail sixty day trips and hikes within easy reach of<br />
Taipei city. A fourth book, a guide to Taiwan’s offshore islands, is due out in April 2013.<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
9
cover story<br />
Lukang: Temples, Lanterns<br />
and Master Artists<br />
TexT & Images: KaTya IlIeva-sTone<br />
While visiting a street<br />
fair a few months ago,<br />
some of the friendliest<br />
artists were the ones<br />
from the town of Lukang ( 鹿 港 ).<br />
They spoke warmly of their city,<br />
told me about their work, and gave<br />
me a Lukang Folk Art and Craft<br />
Guide pointing out about eighty<br />
artisan stores. Since I am very much<br />
interested in local art, it wasn’t too<br />
long before I headed to the second<br />
oldest city in Taiwan, whose name<br />
dates back to Dutch colonial times<br />
and means “deer harbor.”<br />
Located about 40 kilometers<br />
from Taichung and about a 2.5-<br />
hour drive from Taipei, Lukang<br />
can be visited as either a day trip<br />
or on an overnight visit (in which<br />
case I would recommend staying in<br />
Taichung, which has better hotels).<br />
Another option is to take the train to<br />
Taichung or Changhua and then hop<br />
on a bus from there. Pay-by-the-hour<br />
and free parking areas are available<br />
but not always easy to find because<br />
of the confusing signs. We parked<br />
beside the road and our car was still<br />
safely there when we returned.<br />
The brochure I obtained at the fair<br />
said that six of Taiwan’s thirty-six<br />
National Heritage Award Winners<br />
live in Lukang, but it turned out that<br />
most of these artists are too old to<br />
continue their work and their shops<br />
are long closed. But our trip was<br />
by no means futile because we met<br />
and talked to the most renowned<br />
traditional Chinese lantern artist: Wu<br />
Dun-hou ( 吳 敦 厚 ).<br />
Even though he was taking a<br />
nap when we arrived at his store,<br />
Master Wu heard us talking to the<br />
shopkeeper and came out of his<br />
room, all smiles, and eager to talk<br />
and have his photo taken with us.<br />
Since he is too old, he has stopped<br />
painting, but his son continues the<br />
10 february 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
trade. The Lunar New Year is the<br />
busiest time for the lantern shops,<br />
and Master Wu’s shop has been<br />
busy for months fulfilling orders<br />
from customers, so nothing was<br />
available for sale. I was not going to<br />
go back home lantern-less, though<br />
– another shop a few meters down<br />
on the opposite side of the street<br />
had hundreds of colorful lanterns<br />
to choose from. Meanwhile Master<br />
Wu’s lanterns can be admired in Xing<br />
Kong Mitsukoshi – a number of his<br />
creations are on display on the 1st<br />
floor in all stores of the chain.<br />
If meeting Master Wu is not<br />
enough reason to make you head<br />
to Lukang, two beautiful temples<br />
might entice you there – Longshan<br />
and Matsu (or Tianhou) Temples.<br />
Longshan is the first Buddhist<br />
temple in Taiwan, and it impresses<br />
with its subdued and toned-down<br />
architecture and truly spectacular<br />
wood carved ceilings. The courtyard<br />
is large and quiet, and you can sit<br />
for hours in one of the comfortable<br />
chairs, undisturbed by anyone. At the<br />
opposite end of Zhongshan Road,<br />
the town’s main street, is the bright,<br />
colorful Tianhou Temple, dedicated<br />
to the goddess of the sea, Matsu.<br />
Every year on the 23rd day of the<br />
3rd lunar month (usually in April),<br />
about a million pilgrims come here<br />
to celebrate Matsu’s birthday. The<br />
temple was decorated with hundreds<br />
of red lanterns – a feast for both our<br />
eyes and cameras.<br />
Lukang Old Street was also very<br />
pleasant, but (maybe because it was<br />
Monday) most of the shops were<br />
closed. The town also has a Folk<br />
Arts Museum, and although we did<br />
not have time to see it, the perfectly<br />
preserved Japanese colonial era<br />
building looked rather spectacular in<br />
the photos we saw.<br />
Lukang’s old master craftsmen<br />
may be mostly retired these days, but<br />
its cultural and historical significance<br />
is still very much active, and this<br />
makes it well worth a visit.<br />
Katya Ilieva-Stone<br />
has been in Taipei<br />
since July 2010,<br />
working for the<br />
American Institute<br />
in Taiwan. She is a<br />
for m e r jour n ali st<br />
who was born in<br />
Bulgaria, and has also lived in Nepal,<br />
the Ukraine and Afghanistan.<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
11
coMMUNIty<br />
second Annual vex<br />
Championship at taipei<br />
American school<br />
TEXT: MICHAEL RuSSELL, COMMuNICATIONS/SPECIAL PROJECTS<br />
IMAGE: TAS<br />
On November 9th and 10th, Taipei American<br />
School again had the honor and pleasure of<br />
hosting an international robotics competition<br />
on campus. The second annual Formosa VEX<br />
Championship showcased student ingenuity, analytical<br />
thinking, technical abilities, and teamwork. Teams from<br />
Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines joined ten TAS upper<br />
school teams and two TAS middle school teams for the<br />
competition.<br />
The event was one of more than two hundred global<br />
qualifying tournaments in the VEX Robotics Competition,<br />
which culminates in a World Championship event in<br />
April 2013 in Anaheim, California. Last year, a TAS team<br />
won the first Formosa VEX Competition held on campus<br />
and continued on to a strong performance at the World<br />
Championship.<br />
This year’s VEX challenge is called Sack Attack and<br />
requires students to design, construct, program, and operate<br />
robots for a game in which competing robots collect, move,<br />
and score colored sacks, both under student control and<br />
autonomously.<br />
For two days, the lower gym was transformed into a<br />
buzzing beehive of robotics activity. Crowds swarmed around<br />
12 ft. X 12 ft. arenas and climbed bleachers to get the best<br />
views of up to four robots jousting, scooping, and scoring<br />
the sacks. Teams and advisors huddled at workstations<br />
around the gym to make last-minute adjustments to their<br />
robots. The action was shown on big screens set up in the<br />
gym, and competitors kept close tabs on their results on<br />
the scoreboards. TAS faculty referees and student score and<br />
timekeepers oversaw the action and kept everything moving<br />
smoothly.<br />
The winner of this year’s Excellence Award, earning a trip<br />
to the next round of the global tournament, was the TAS<br />
H.a.X.X.O.R team. Many robotics, science, and IT teachers<br />
at TAS provided excellent guidance and organization to<br />
ensure a fun and stimulating event for competitors and the<br />
many fans who came to watch.<br />
12<br />
novEmBER 2012 www.communitycenter.org.tw
Orphanage Club<br />
PaCk & mail, raFFle PriZe workdays<br />
Saturday February 2nd<br />
Every Chinese New Year, the TAS Orphanage Club prepares<br />
Chinese New Year food parcels and other necessities such as<br />
toiletries and school supplies for some of the poorest families in<br />
Taiwan. Prior to the workday, members will shop at Carrefour<br />
and Dihua Street for food items such as soy sauce, canned food<br />
and noodles. During the workday, members will be packaging<br />
these items into large boxes, which will then be mailed on<br />
February 4th. In addition, there will be a raffle prize workday in<br />
which the wonderful raffle prizes are organized and prepared for<br />
the annual raffle draw.<br />
ChiNese New year / valeNtiNe’s day sale<br />
Tuesday February 5th and Wednesday February 6th<br />
This two-day Hallmark sale will be a wonderful opportunity<br />
to buy beautiful Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day cards<br />
and other gift items. As usual, there will also be a sweatshirt sale<br />
where we will be selling a wide variety of traditional and new<br />
TAS sweatshirts and T-shirts. The sale will take place in the FDR<br />
hallway the entire day. All profits will be donated to the Puli<br />
Christian Hospital to help aboriginal children.<br />
Book sale doNatioNs<br />
For our annual Book Sale, which will be held at TAS on<br />
March 16th, we are looking for members of the community<br />
who are interested in donating their books for charity. Book<br />
donations can range from children’s books to fiction novels<br />
t<br />
TEXT: TINA YuAN AND BRANDON HuANG<br />
to nonfiction books to magazines and more. We welcome all<br />
donations!<br />
2013 aNNual raFFle draw<br />
Thursday February 21st<br />
The Orphanage Club will hold its annual and much-anticipated<br />
raffle draw, which is the club’s largest fundraising event. For the<br />
past few months, Orphanage Club members have been selling<br />
raffle tickets for NT$100 for a book of six tickets or NT$20<br />
per ticket. The raffle draw will take place in front of the TAS<br />
lobby where members of the TAS community will randomly<br />
draw raffle tickets. Winners will be announced on February 25th<br />
on the Orphanage Club website under “Raffle Prize Winners.”<br />
All winners will also be posted on bulletin boards in the school<br />
lobby. There will be hundreds of prizes available, ranging from<br />
coupons to gift items to hotel stays. Winners are welcome to<br />
claim their prizes outside the lobby on the day of the draw, the<br />
following day, or during our Book Sale (March 16th). Good luck!<br />
Cathwel outiNg<br />
Saturday February 23rd<br />
This school year’s fourth Cathwel outing will take place on<br />
February 23rd, and boys between the ages of six and twenty will<br />
be paired with an Orphanage Club big brother or big sister for<br />
the entire day. Activities will involve playing sports and games,<br />
although exact plans are still being made. As always, we need<br />
any adult volunteering chaperones! If you are interested, feel free<br />
to email us at tas.orphanageclub@gmail.com.<br />
charIty<br />
Please visit our website at www.orphanageclub.com<br />
All inquiries can be directed to tas.orphanageclub@gmail.com or to our sponsor Mr. Arnold at arnoldr@tas.edu.tw<br />
Just a few of the things that are going on around Taipei this month...<br />
National museum of history<br />
Until May 12th<br />
h<br />
A Special Exhibition – The Divine<br />
Michelangelo<br />
One of the three masters of the Italian<br />
Renaissance<br />
1F Rooms 101, 102 & 103<br />
http://www.nmh.gov.tw/en-us<br />
49 Nanhai Road<br />
National taiwan museum<br />
Until April 21st<br />
Death is Just Another Beginning: Legend<br />
of the Taiwanese Mummy: Ko Hsiang<br />
Gallery: G101<br />
http://formosa.ntm.gov.tw/web/en<br />
2 Siangyang Road<br />
National Palace museum<br />
Until March 25th<br />
The Art and Aesthetics of Form:<br />
Selections from the History of Chinese<br />
Painting<br />
Gallery: 210<br />
Until March 25th<br />
The Beauty of Palace-Covering Flowers:<br />
Zhao Chang’s “Picture for the New<br />
Year”<br />
Gallery: 208<br />
http://www.npm.gov.tw<br />
221 Zhishan Road, Section 2<br />
the red room<br />
On the 3rd Saturday of every month<br />
from 6:30 – 10:30 pm<br />
http://www.redroom.com.tw/<br />
2F, 117 Da-an Road, Section 1<br />
taipei Fine arts museum<br />
Until March 10th<br />
2012 Taipei Arts Awards<br />
Gallery: Basement<br />
http://www.tfam.museum/<br />
181 Zhongshan North Road, Section 3<br />
museum of Contemporary art (moCa)<br />
Until March 3rd<br />
Warm Up and Soar Beyond: Solo<br />
Exhibition by Jenny Zhe Chang<br />
A Chinese artist living in Australia<br />
transforming and integrating reality<br />
www.mocataipei.org.tw<br />
39 Changan West Road<br />
National dr. sun yat-sen memorial hall<br />
Until February 17th<br />
Beyond Being There: Solo Exhibition<br />
Su-Hsia Hsu<br />
Venue: 1F, Yat-sen Art <strong>Center</strong><br />
http://www.yatsen.gov.tw/en/<br />
505 Renai Road, Section 4<br />
taipei story house<br />
Until April 7th<br />
The Taiwan Story of Sweets: An<br />
Exhibition<br />
http://www.storyhouse.com.tw/main/<br />
uploads/storyhouse/html/opening/<br />
181-1 Zhongshan North Road, Section 3<br />
sPot taipei – Film house<br />
Daily: Noon to Midnight, six showings<br />
Avant Garde Cross Cutural Films<br />
In the former residence of the USA<br />
ambassador<br />
http://www.spot.org.tw/index_e.htm<br />
18 Zhongshan North Road, Section 2<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
13
oUtlook<br />
make a new Year’s<br />
Revolution<br />
TEXT: WENDY EVANS<br />
Are you among the millions<br />
of people who started the<br />
New Year with a resolution<br />
to lose weight, eat healthy,<br />
or start exercising Maybe you’re<br />
also among the millions w ho,<br />
after just one month, already feel<br />
doomed. You may be saying: “What<br />
happened Why can’t I do this I’m<br />
such a failure!”<br />
Instead of bashing yourself, take a<br />
few minutes to consider two common<br />
New Year’s resolution mistakes:<br />
unrealistic goals and an “all or<br />
nothing” mentality.<br />
uNrealistiC goals<br />
W h e n e v e r w e s e t g o a l s, i t’s<br />
important to make sure that they’re<br />
realistic and achievable. Too often<br />
people set goals that are extreme.<br />
Sometimes this is done to punish<br />
themselves for perceived failures.<br />
When setting goals for exercise,<br />
rather than planning rashly, think<br />
through the time and place you’ll<br />
w o r k o u t a n d p u t i t i n t o y o u r<br />
calendar as an appointment. If it’s<br />
going to be in the morning, make<br />
sure you can get to bed early enough<br />
to help you meet your goal.<br />
Perhaps you are among those who<br />
keep resolving to exercise five to<br />
seven times a week but find yourself<br />
failing year after year. Rather than<br />
beating yourself up over this, change<br />
your goal to exercising two to<br />
three times a week. Recognize that<br />
exercising just a couple of times a<br />
week is a great accomplishment – one<br />
that most people never achieve.<br />
all or NothiNg meNtality<br />
People often set out with the goal<br />
of “all” but end up with nothing.<br />
What went wrong As Voltaire<br />
said, “The best is the enemy of the<br />
good.” We rarely attain perfection<br />
i n a n y t h i n g, e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e<br />
challenging areas of our lives. Yet<br />
many people settle for nothing less<br />
than perfection with eating and<br />
exercise goals. When they miss this<br />
target, which is almost inevitable,<br />
they call themselves a failure. This<br />
kind of message makes it even harder<br />
for us to form habits of regular<br />
exercise and healthy eating.<br />
The dieter may decide that he or<br />
she is going to totally avoid certain<br />
favorite foods. Yet, if we completely<br />
bar ourselves from special treats,<br />
we begin to feel deprived, thinking<br />
that we are missing out on what<br />
we really want. In fact, this total<br />
deprivation may increase our desire<br />
all the more. With this approach,<br />
people may be able to go for a long<br />
time avoiding what they long for.<br />
However, there comes a moment<br />
when they may indulge. At that<br />
point, they may think, “I’ve failed!<br />
But it tastes sooo good! Since I’ll<br />
never let myself be ‘bad’ like this<br />
again, I may as well indulge now!”<br />
These messages contribute to the<br />
infamous “yo-yo” dieting.<br />
Rather than setting all-or-nothing<br />
goals with our eating, we can be<br />
more successful by making a goal to<br />
limit (rather than avoid) our intake<br />
of certain foods. Clients sometimes<br />
tell me they “can’t” have certain<br />
foods because they “always” over-eat<br />
them. They truly believe they’re<br />
not able to eat certain foods in<br />
moderation. Holding onto beliefs<br />
that one “can’t” eat certain foods can<br />
predispose him or her to a vicious<br />
cycle of deprivation and indulgence.<br />
This experience often leads to a<br />
“love-hate relationship” with certain<br />
foods. They love the food and how<br />
it tastes when they’re eating it but<br />
hate their overindulgence and the<br />
out-of-control feeling.<br />
Now that we’ve seen two common<br />
mistakes in setting eating and<br />
exercise goals, let’s explore ways we<br />
can support our good intentions:<br />
1) healthy eating and exercise as<br />
a means of self-care, 2) creating<br />
an environment of supportive<br />
relationships, and 3) counseling.<br />
selF-Care<br />
Over the years I’ve worked with<br />
hundreds of individuals whose<br />
approach to healthy eating or<br />
exercise is viewed as punishment.<br />
However, in reality, given the shortand<br />
long-term benefits, eating<br />
healthy foods and getting our bodies<br />
more physically fit should be viewed<br />
as reward, not punishment.<br />
Having a punishment perspective<br />
about eating healthy and exercising<br />
i s l i k e l y t h e r e s u l t o f s e t t i n g<br />
overly harsh goals, which may be<br />
punishments in themselves. Rather<br />
than setting goals that eliminate<br />
foods that you really enjoy, stop<br />
naming them “bad foods” and call<br />
them “fun foods” instead. Fun<br />
foods can be enjoyed as part of<br />
your regular eating plan. Instead<br />
of viewing exercise as punishment,<br />
think of it as an investment in your<br />
health and longevity.<br />
suPPortive relatioNshiPs<br />
We help ourselves achieve our<br />
goals when we surround ourselves<br />
with people who encourage and<br />
support us in our efforts. Changing<br />
habits takes lots of mental and<br />
emotional energy, and making these<br />
changes on our own can be a difficult<br />
and lonely journey. While one log<br />
will burn out and die when removed<br />
from a campfire, many logs will<br />
keep the fire going. In the same way,<br />
while trying to change habits, if we<br />
go it alone we are likely to burn out<br />
14<br />
FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
and give up, so enlist some help. For<br />
example, to help yourself succeed in<br />
fitness, recruit a friend to exercise<br />
along with you. Accountability to<br />
another person can be a powerful<br />
way to help us reach our goals. The<br />
enjoyment we get from being with<br />
a friend can make up for the mixed<br />
feelings we may have about exercise.<br />
Support can come from family,<br />
friends, or an organized group.<br />
M a n y p e o p l e s t r u g g l i n g w i t h<br />
overeating have been helped through<br />
groups like Overeaters Anonymous<br />
(see below for information on an OA<br />
support group here in Taipei).<br />
COUNSELING<br />
Eating can be a complex event.<br />
Although it’s a simple act we do<br />
every day to survive, it’s also an<br />
involved behavior that gets entwined<br />
with our habits and emotions. For<br />
example, many people react to<br />
emotional pain by overeating, while<br />
never realizing why they find it<br />
hard to control themselves. If you<br />
think this might be true for you,<br />
please reach out for help by calling<br />
or emailing The <strong>Center</strong> to schedule<br />
an appointment with one of our<br />
counselors.<br />
FROM RESOLUTION TO<br />
REVOLUTION<br />
In this new year, set attainable<br />
goals that can be celebrated along<br />
the way. Recruit someone to take<br />
the journey with you. Once you’ve<br />
reached your initial goal, you<br />
An Overeaters Anonymous (OA) group will be starting in the Tianmu<br />
area after Chinese New Year on Sunday evenings. For more<br />
information contact: TaipeiOA@gmail.com<br />
can always decide to increase the<br />
challenge if you choose. Instead<br />
of letting this be another year of<br />
failed goals, follow what you’ve<br />
just read and make a New Year’s<br />
REVOLUTION!<br />
Wendy Evans<br />
is a Master’s<br />
level Certified<br />
Counselor as well<br />
as a Registered<br />
Dietitian with more<br />
than twenty years<br />
of experience in<br />
working with weight management<br />
and eating disorders. In addition<br />
to working with these issues, she<br />
offers help to people struggling<br />
with various issues including<br />
relationships, depression, anxiety,<br />
parenting, substance abuse, and<br />
cross-cultural adjustment.<br />
Rainy Taiwan<br />
TexT: Shaun RamSden<br />
As I sit at my desk I can't help but notice how the<br />
paper I'm writing on is so soft it's nearly like a<br />
serviette. With fourteen days of continuous rain,<br />
the water content in the air is remarkably high.<br />
The excessively wet weather combined with the sweettasting<br />
food of Taiwan brings people into my clinic again<br />
and again with the same symptoms.<br />
The body’s balance between moisture and dryness<br />
is governed by the spleen and lung systems. Taiwan’s<br />
humidity is unavoidable and it is only through a correct<br />
diet and lifestyle that one can regulate the spleen and<br />
lungs to avoid discomfort.<br />
Wetness generally originates in the spleen due to<br />
excessive consumption of oily, sweet, rich foods. The<br />
phlegm it creates is pushed up and stored in the lungs.<br />
The humid air will make the lungs overly moist and<br />
it is this moisture that will run down into the spleen.<br />
Each system affects the other. This wet accumulation<br />
can spread into different organ systems, giving rise to<br />
various uncomfortable symptoms. When the spleen<br />
is wet, then there is commonly a bloated stomach,<br />
occasionally with pain and/or nausea, after eating. When<br />
dampness is in the lungs, there is excessive phlegm at the<br />
back of the throat. When the moisture affects the heart,<br />
there is chest stuffiness, possibly pain, and dizziness.<br />
When the wetness goes into the intestines, there is<br />
diarrhea; when in the kidneys, there is lower back pain<br />
and rice-coloured urination.<br />
Treating the dampness depends on which system is<br />
disturbed:<br />
Spleen: barley 薏 苡 仁 <br />
Lungs: ginger 生 姜 <br />
Heart: cinnamon twigs 桂 枝 Kidneys: poria 茯 苓<br />
Intestines: cardamom 砂 仁 <br />
However, no matter what organ is affected, you must not<br />
eat too much sweet, oily, rich, or strong-tasting food.<br />
The wetness can become complicated when it is<br />
combined with wind, cold, or heat. Wet combined with<br />
heat – as during Taiwan's summer – tends to cause<br />
different skin problems such as eczema and pimples, but<br />
a combination of wet and cold – for instance during the<br />
Taiwanese winter – easily causes arthritis or bone and<br />
joint pains. The first step to protect yourself from this is<br />
to keep your feet dry and warm. Always carry spare socks<br />
and shoes or wear boots. Wetness combined with wind<br />
can penetrate into your bones. If you are wearing enough<br />
clothes and your pores are closed, then you are generally<br />
safe. But exercising in winter and going outside sweating<br />
with open pores can not only lead to arthritis but can also<br />
cause many other problems such as numbness, some forms<br />
of paralysis, and the winter flu. Dealing with rainy Taiwan<br />
is simple: dress warmly, keep dry, and eat a simple diet.<br />
Shaun Ramsden is a native Australian. He has a Bachelor<br />
of Medicine from the Beijing Chinese Medicine University<br />
and numerous Diplomas in Remedial Massage Therapies. In<br />
addition to running his own Physical Therapy and Massage<br />
Clinic he enjoys training in different styles of martial arts.<br />
classictcm@gmail.com<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
15<br />
TCM Corner
coffee corNer<br />
Topo Café<br />
TEXT & IMAGES: ALY COOPER<br />
OK…so I’m not sure if it’s because<br />
of the rainy, “cold” weather that has<br />
settled upon Taiwan, or perhaps it’s<br />
because I’ve been failing to meet my<br />
daily caffeine quota. Regardless of<br />
the reasoning, I will chalk Topo Café<br />
up as a stellar find. The thing is, I’m<br />
not alone. I’ve received multiple rave<br />
reviews and recommendations to try<br />
this place out. With this being said,<br />
in my coffee journey this past year<br />
I’ve found that it is a rarity to come<br />
across A) a café that consistently<br />
serves a great latte/coffee and B) a<br />
café that opens in Tianmu before<br />
10:30 am (Topo recently changed<br />
their hours and now opens at 8 am<br />
– woohoo!!) Check AND Check.<br />
Honestly, I’m not sure what took me<br />
so long, but having been to this café<br />
numerous times, Topo is consistently<br />
fabulous with the product they<br />
deliver.<br />
To date I’ve had: the regular<br />
latte, raspberry latte, caramel latte,<br />
and (one day when I was feeling<br />
especially hardcore) the double<br />
espresso. While Topo’s regular latte<br />
is a bit milkier than its counterparts<br />
that I've written about elsewhere,<br />
the creaminess of the foam in<br />
conjunction with the corresponding<br />
f l a v o r s.... i s… w e l l, i t's j u s t<br />
satisfying. The raspberry latte<br />
was a recommendation from my<br />
waitress and exceeded the built-up<br />
expectation of my palate. Delicate<br />
and light in its flavor, it once again<br />
satisfied without being obnoxious<br />
and overbearing. Did I mention the<br />
foam Ahhhhhh. Total perfection.<br />
Let’s not stop at the raspberry<br />
latte. Moving right along to the<br />
caramel latte, I’m pretty sure this<br />
one stole the show. With foam that<br />
rivaled that of the raspberry latte,<br />
the flavor was spot on and it almost<br />
tasted like toasted marshmallows on<br />
top. I mean, how do they do that!!<br />
Don’t even get me started on the<br />
double espresso! Talk about a drink<br />
with bite that will kick you in the<br />
pants and put hair on your chest<br />
(totally in a good way of course).<br />
Whoa!! The espresso even received<br />
an appreciative nod from a visiting<br />
coffee connoisseur that I brought<br />
there. So much, in fact, that he<br />
ordered a second cup.<br />
I f y o u h a v e n’t d r o p p e d t h i s<br />
magazine yet to make your way<br />
over to get your caffeine fix, indulge<br />
me a moment more while we talk<br />
about the architectural whimsy that<br />
Topo Café has to offer. Apart from<br />
the fish swimming below your feet,<br />
the outside walkway, or the mural<br />
of boats and waterside row houses<br />
that decorates one wall, Topo just<br />
gives off a cozy vibe with its size,<br />
color choices, and overall ambiance.<br />
The architectural details and design<br />
of this café are unparalleled among<br />
other cafés I've been to thus far. I<br />
mean, how many other cafés offer<br />
soft, warm lighting by way of<br />
hanging lightbulbs filled with water<br />
I know. Awesome.<br />
Price point is comparable to other<br />
cafés and is mid- to high-range with<br />
an espresso at NT$80 and lattes<br />
ranging from NT$130 - 150. Bonus<br />
Topo uses coffee beans roasted in<br />
Taiwan.<br />
topo Café 7 | lane 38, Zhongshan north Road section 7<br />
open: weekdays 8 am – 6 pm /weekends 9 am – 9 pm (closed on mondays)<br />
Aly Cooper is an expat wife of two years who enjoys adventures with her five-year-old son, reading,<br />
eating, blogging, having A LOT of coffee with friends, volunteering and spending free weekends exploring<br />
what the island has to offer with the family. http://caffeinatedblisstaiwan.blogspot.tw<br />
Got a suggestion for our resident caffeine addict Send them in via coteditor@communitycenter.org.tw.<br />
16<br />
FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
DININg<br />
Jodie’s Kitchen<br />
TEXT & IMAGES: SERINA HuANG<br />
There's soft jazz playing in the<br />
background. I wander out<br />
to the bougainvillea-framed<br />
balcony, gazing out to the<br />
red-tiled rooftops on the nearby<br />
hills. Wandering back inside, I pause<br />
to enjoy the sight of a white Asian<br />
lily framed next to a peach-rose<br />
painted wall beside a comfortable<br />
wicker chair. Before I can sit down<br />
to enjoy the serenity, my friends<br />
from Topology Travel arrive and my<br />
cooking class begins. Welcome to<br />
Jodie's Kitchen, a secret place hidden<br />
just ten minutes by taxi from Taipei<br />
101, yet a world away.<br />
Our menu is simple yet distinctly<br />
Taiwanese, encapsulating the fresh<br />
ingredients and healthy diet we know<br />
we should eat. And it’s not just the<br />
fruit and vegetables that are healthy;<br />
Jodie uses quality ingredients such<br />
as naturally brewed soy sauce, coldpressed<br />
black and white sesame oil,<br />
and Kaoliang vinegar, which she<br />
passes around so that we can all sniff<br />
and sample. I immediately resolved<br />
to live the healthy life.<br />
Sitting around the kitchen table,<br />
Jodie demonstrates how to make<br />
doujiang ( 豆 漿 ; soy milk), a breakfast<br />
staple. I have recently discovered that<br />
most shop-bought soy milk does not<br />
froth when stirred or shaken. Not so<br />
with Jodie’s doujiang, which frothed<br />
up into a warm and fluffy soy-shake.<br />
Next we learn how to make a soysesame<br />
vinaigrette — frequently used<br />
in Taiwanese-style cucumber salad<br />
— trying it on other ingredients<br />
including freshly baked mushrooms<br />
and tofu. Then comes sesame paste,<br />
which is an essential ingredient in<br />
cold noodles, a Sichuan dish that<br />
is commonly eaten in Taiwan,<br />
especially in summer. While delicious<br />
with noodles, Jodie served it to us<br />
with rosy Japanese Fuji apples so that<br />
we could enjoy the contrast of the<br />
crunchy apples and the nutty paste.<br />
seCret reCiPe<br />
We relax with some freshly brewed<br />
Pu-erh tea before contemplating more<br />
cooking, in the form of Taiwanese<br />
hot and sour soup ( 酸 辣 湯 ; suan<br />
la tang). Here Jodie uses a unique,<br />
secret recipe for making a vegetarian<br />
soup base that still delivers the<br />
full flavor more usually found in a<br />
chicken-consommé base. I went back<br />
for seconds and contemplated thirds.<br />
Finally, we made two hot sauces:<br />
spicy Sichuan flower pepper oil and<br />
Gong Bao sweet and sour sauce,<br />
both common restaurant sauces that<br />
can be bought in a bottle, but can be<br />
made quickly, cheaply, and easily at<br />
home, without unknown additives.<br />
A recent report by the Bill and<br />
Melinda Gates Foundation noted<br />
that Taiwanese women have the fifth<br />
longest life expectancy in the world.<br />
Maybe this is because they eat the<br />
type of food that Jodie teaches people<br />
to prepare at Jodie’s Kitchen.<br />
Taiwanxifu (Taiwan<br />
daughter-in-law) is the<br />
pen name of Australian<br />
expatriate food, travel<br />
and culture writer Serina<br />
Huang, who blogs at: http://<br />
taiwanxifu.com<br />
Jodie’s kitchen<br />
29-1 Ziyun<br />
st, xinyi district . Phone to arrange a class: (02) 2720-0206<br />
topology<br />
travel specializes in real taiwan travel experiences, including<br />
cooking and food tours.<br />
http://www.topologytravel.com/<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
17
photography<br />
Photography in<br />
Markets<br />
TEXT & IMAGE: CRAIG FERGuSON<br />
Markets hold a fascination<br />
for a lot of photographers.<br />
Particularly for the travel<br />
photographer, a market can<br />
afford a look at the everyday activities<br />
of life in a certain place. A wide variety<br />
of markets exist, from strictly tourist<br />
markets to traditional wet markets,<br />
and craft markets to clothing markets.<br />
All offer unique challenges and<br />
opportunities for the photographer.<br />
You may find yourself in a sprawling<br />
outdoor market with tents or canopies<br />
set up for shade, or you may be in a<br />
crowded, dusty indoor market with<br />
narrow aisles and dim lighting.<br />
Yo u d o n ’ t n e e d a n y s p e c i a l<br />
equipment. In fact, the simpler<br />
you can make your kit, the better,<br />
particularly in a busy market. Most of<br />
the time when shooting in a market I’ll<br />
just take a 17-40mm or 24-70mm lens<br />
with me. A good market is a busy one,<br />
and you don’t want to be encumbered<br />
with too much gear.<br />
If you’ve never photographed<br />
in a market, a tourist market is a<br />
good place to start. Vendors are<br />
usually open to and used to hordes<br />
of camera-wielding tourists. These<br />
places, unfortunately, can also attract<br />
pickpockets so a little extra care<br />
may be needed with regard to your<br />
personal possessions. When shooting<br />
in a tourist market, don’t forget to pay<br />
attention to other tourists. You can<br />
often get some great shots of travelers<br />
interacting with locals.<br />
W h e n y o u f e e l a b i t m o r e<br />
comfortable, consider heading into<br />
a local market that doesn’t cater to<br />
tourists. Pay attention to ensure that<br />
you don’t get in the way of people<br />
as they go about their daily business<br />
and be open about your intentions.<br />
Don’t try to hide away and take<br />
furtive photos; instead make your<br />
intentions known. Carry the camera<br />
openly. A surprising number of people<br />
will pay no attention to you at all,<br />
and of the ones that do, most will<br />
give you nothing more than a glance.<br />
Occasionally you will come across a<br />
vendor who doesn’t want his photo<br />
taken, so politely nod or smile an<br />
apology (or say excuse me or sorry<br />
if you know the language) and move<br />
away. I’ve generally found, however,<br />
that it’s rare for someone to wave you<br />
away – most don’t seem to mind as<br />
long as you are not acting suspiciously.<br />
Lighting can often be a challenge in<br />
markets. It may be very dim, or it may<br />
come from mixed sources. Trying to<br />
shoot in conditions where you get a<br />
mixture of daylight, tungsten light, and<br />
fluorescent light can play havoc with<br />
your white balance, but don’t worry<br />
too much about it. Try to get it as close<br />
to what you can see as possible, but<br />
you’ll probably never get perfection in<br />
these situations.<br />
In terms of composition, try a range<br />
of different techniques. If you come<br />
across a vendor who is not too busy,<br />
they may agree to pose for a portrait.<br />
If you buy something from them – say<br />
a piece of fruit – you’ll have entered<br />
into a transaction, and it will often be<br />
easier to get a photo after. Look also<br />
to environmental portraits to show the<br />
vendor and the surrounding products,<br />
as well as close-up detail shots of what<br />
is being sold and wider, more general<br />
shots of the location. Treat your trip<br />
to the market as you would a photo<br />
essay and follow the usual steps you<br />
would take if you were creating that<br />
kind of piece.<br />
Finally, make sure you go at the<br />
correct time of day. Traditional wet<br />
markets that sell vegetables, fruit,<br />
meat, and fish often start early in the<br />
morning and close before lunch. It’s<br />
best to shoot these markets around<br />
dawn or soon after when there is<br />
plenty going on. For a night market,<br />
try to find out what time it’s supposed<br />
to start, and aim to get there just<br />
before, as you can often get some good<br />
photographs of the setup procedures,<br />
and then capture the mood as trading<br />
begins and shoppers arrive.<br />
Craig is a professional photographer and has worked with the likes of Lonely Planet, Monocle,<br />
Asia Business Traveller, Asian Geographic and many more. In addition, he also teaches regular<br />
photography workshops and individual classes in and around Taipei.<br />
18 FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
Flea<br />
Markets<br />
CSC aSk NEWS biN<br />
TexT: Bin Huang and naTalie KöHle<br />
images: Bin Huang<br />
There’s nothing more fun<br />
than finding something<br />
you’ve been looking for for<br />
a long time at an incredible<br />
price, especially if it’s already out<br />
of production and you can't find it<br />
anywhere in the regular shops. That’s<br />
why I keep going to flea markets in<br />
my spare time, looking for surprises<br />
for myself and for my customers.<br />
Among the countless things you<br />
can find at Taipei’s flea markets are<br />
accessories and decorations such as<br />
old drawings, beautiful old pictures,<br />
and lamps both old and new (the<br />
new ones come from warehouses<br />
that want to clear their stock, but I<br />
prefer to look for the vintage lamps<br />
from the 50s and 60s that I can't<br />
find in the shops anymore). Markets<br />
are also a good place to find used<br />
tools for carpenters and electricians,<br />
most still usable and powerful, and<br />
Fuhe Bridge market<br />
Huanhe East Road, Section 3, Zhonghe<br />
City<br />
新 北 市 永 和 區 環 河 東 路 3 段<br />
Open: every day 4:30 am ~12 noon<br />
Chongxin Bridge market<br />
Liuhong 16 Road, Sanchung City<br />
新 北 市 三 重 區 疏 洪 十 六 路<br />
Open: every day from 5 am ~ 12 noon,<br />
except Monday of the second & fourth<br />
weeks of the month<br />
Yongchun weekend market<br />
2nd Floor, 294 Songshan Road (above<br />
Yongchun library)<br />
信 義 區 松 山 路 294 號 二 樓 ( 永 春 圖 書 館 二 樓 )<br />
Open: every weekend, 10 am ~ 5 pm<br />
Yonghe park 4 weekend market<br />
85 Zhongan Street, Zhonghe City<br />
新 北 市 中 和 區 中 安 街 85 號<br />
Open: every weekend, 10 am ~ 6 pm<br />
Tianmu weekend market<br />
Tianmu Square, Corner of Zhongshan<br />
North and Tianmu West Roads<br />
天 母 台 北 市 中 山 北 路 7 段 / 天 母 西 路 交 叉 口<br />
Open: Fridays 4 – 10 pm, Saturdays 9 am –<br />
3 pm, 4 – 10 pm, Sundays 3 – 9 pm<br />
sold at 30-50% of the fixed price at<br />
shops like Homepro. Sometimes you<br />
can also find other useful items for<br />
the home, such as brand new light<br />
bulbs from a factory that went out<br />
of production, or even good quality<br />
furniture, at bargain prices.<br />
The big Two<br />
Once I was helping a customer find<br />
dining chairs, and found beautiful,<br />
good quality chairs at the flea market<br />
that were reduced to just a sixth of<br />
their original price of NT$1,800.<br />
Other times I’ve found vintage<br />
furniture for customers. Compared<br />
w i t h E u r o p e a n f l e a m a r k e t s,<br />
however, you’ll find less vintage<br />
furniture and fewer ornaments at the<br />
Taipei flea markets, and a greater<br />
emphasis on useful contemporary<br />
items such as tools, electronics and<br />
cooking ware.<br />
There are two big flea markets in<br />
Taipei, both located not too far from<br />
the Dansui River: one at Chongxin<br />
Bridge, the other at Fuhe Bridge.<br />
The Fuhe Bridge Flea Market,<br />
which boasts almost 250 stalls (not<br />
including those of the traditional<br />
vegetable market next to it), is just<br />
beside the bridge, and normally<br />
runs every day except for Monday<br />
from 4:30 am to 12 noon. You can<br />
get the best bargains right before<br />
closing time at noon. According to<br />
my experience, in the early morning<br />
(when there are no police around)<br />
there are a lot of illegal booths in the<br />
area right outside the Fuhe market.<br />
The prices in this area are a lot<br />
cheaper than those of the vendors<br />
inside the market, but be sure to<br />
bring a good flashlight with you and<br />
check the things very carefully before<br />
you buy them. At the Taipei flea<br />
markets, you can usually return most<br />
of the products to the vendors if they<br />
don’t work, but since the outside<br />
market disperses as soon as the<br />
police arrive, you might not be able<br />
to find the person who sold you the<br />
item again!<br />
The Chongxin Bridge Flea Market<br />
is even bigger than the Fuhe market,<br />
with over five hundred stalls, and<br />
you can find almost anything there,<br />
including books, CDs, amplifiers,<br />
garden decorations, mobile phone<br />
accessories and repair services. The<br />
other nice thing about this market is<br />
that it’s located under a bridge, so<br />
it won’t pack up if it starts raining.<br />
Again, my advice is to check the<br />
items very carefully. Be especially<br />
on the lookout for copies and fakes,<br />
and make sure to remember the stall<br />
number so that you can return to buy<br />
another item, or (if it doesn’t work)<br />
return it!<br />
oTher markeTs<br />
Other, smaller flea markets in<br />
Taipei include the Tianmu flea<br />
market (which also includes a local<br />
arts and crafts market), an indoor<br />
flea market at Yongchun near<br />
Songshan Railway Station, and<br />
Yonghe Park 4. Tianmu flea market<br />
is relatively up-market, while the<br />
Yongchun market is much cheaper<br />
and much more local in character.<br />
In fact, many Tianmu sellers can<br />
be seen rummaging around the<br />
Yongchun market for the best picks,<br />
only to resell them for twice the price<br />
at the Tianmu flea market! Yonghe<br />
Park 4 is a small weekend market<br />
that also includes arts and crafts.<br />
The weather is getting better,<br />
so now’s the perfect time to start<br />
exploring Taipei’s flea markets!<br />
Bin is an interior designer<br />
with almost thirty years of<br />
experience in Taiwan. In<br />
addition to running his own<br />
interior design studio (www.inkstone.<br />
ws), he recently started a small home<br />
maintenance service company (http://<br />
housewizard.wordpress.com/), in order<br />
to share his local knowledge about<br />
the ins and outs of home decoration<br />
with the expat community of Taipei.<br />
Whatever your household question may<br />
be, he’d love to hear from you.<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
19
eNvIroNMeNt<br />
The other side of the coin<br />
TEXT & IMAGES: SARAH CHEN LIN<br />
Last year was one of high<br />
p e a k s a n d d e e p t r o u g h s<br />
for Taiwan Youth Climate<br />
Coalition (TWYCC), the<br />
first environmental youth nongovernmental<br />
organization (NGO)<br />
in Taiwan. Who would have ever<br />
imagined that a group of less than<br />
thirty youths would one day be<br />
featured in local magazines, TEDx<br />
Taipei and international news,<br />
invited to radio shows, and even<br />
appear on television They’ve given<br />
dozens of talks and led workshops in<br />
schools of all levels across Taiwan.<br />
They’ve sent teams to Brazil for the<br />
Rio+20 International Conference for<br />
Sustainable Development and Qatar<br />
for UNFCCC’s COP18, the annual<br />
International Conference for Climate<br />
Change. They’ve also collaborated<br />
with many other well-known NGOs<br />
such as Greenpeace Taiwan, 350.<br />
org, and Design for Change, just<br />
to name a few. TWYCC has, up to<br />
date, approximately one hundred<br />
volunteers and almost three thousand<br />
followers on Facebook. Yet despite all<br />
their accomplishments, the road was<br />
never a straight nor an ascending one.<br />
TWYCC faced resistance since the<br />
onset of legalizing the organization.<br />
Their desire for independence<br />
was often criticized because they<br />
were seen as just a group of young<br />
people with limited funding, staff,<br />
knowledge, experience, and a passion<br />
that might have been considered<br />
temporary. TWYCC was instead<br />
offered positions as the youth branch<br />
of other NGOs. As an overseasborn<br />
Taiwanese, one of the most<br />
noticeable observations I’ve made<br />
since returning is that the opinions<br />
of Taiwan’s youth are not valued as<br />
much as they should be. This was<br />
one of the reasons TWYCC remained<br />
independent. Other challenges<br />
health<br />
women and<br />
Cardiovascular disease<br />
TEXT: DR. PETER GuéRIN<br />
As we age, thick, sticky stuff<br />
clings to the walls of our<br />
arteries; it collects over the<br />
years and can eventually<br />
create a "clog;" some of it may break<br />
off, forming a clot. So what is the<br />
big deal This clog or blockage will<br />
stop blood from getting to important<br />
parts of your body, such as the brain<br />
or heart, and may lead to the death<br />
of cells, for instance in the form of a<br />
stroke or a heart attack.<br />
We often think of cardiovascular<br />
disease and heart attacks as a disease<br />
that affects mainly men but, in<br />
reality, it is just as much a danger for<br />
women, and is in fact the number<br />
two cause of death among women<br />
between 45 and 65 years of age.<br />
By the time women reach age 65, it<br />
is the number one cause of death.<br />
Unfortunately, it seems that with<br />
regard to this disease men get all of<br />
the attention. Most of what we read<br />
in the media is about men, and most<br />
of the studies concerning disease<br />
treatment and prevention are with<br />
men. However, women need to be<br />
aware of their risks:<br />
• Heart disease is the leading cause<br />
of death for women in the United<br />
States, killing 292,188 women<br />
in 2009 — that is 1 in every 4<br />
female deaths.<br />
• A l t h o u g h h e a r t d i s e a s e i s<br />
sometimes thought of as a “man's<br />
d i s e a s e,” around the same<br />
number of women and men die<br />
each year of heart disease in the<br />
United States. Despite increases<br />
in awareness over the past decade,<br />
20 FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
T W Y C C f a c e d i n c l u d e d s o m e<br />
partnerships with other NGOs which<br />
went sour due to misunderstandings<br />
and different priorities. TWYCC<br />
representatives have also been subject<br />
to mild harassment from those in<br />
higher positions both in private and<br />
in public.<br />
T h e b o t t o m l i n e i s t h a t<br />
environmental activism is very<br />
hard; the other side of the coin is<br />
never pretty, especially for a group<br />
of youths living in a consumerist<br />
society. Since the founding of<br />
T W Y C C, t h e y’v e l e a r n e d h o w<br />
difficult it is to change people’s<br />
h a b i t s a n d m i n d s e t s, e v e n i n<br />
the face of scientific evidence.<br />
They’ve learned that there exists a<br />
certain degree of hypocrisy among<br />
environmental organizations, for<br />
instance handing out imported<br />
bottled water at public events.<br />
Through national conferences<br />
they’ve also discovered that many<br />
scholars and certain environmental<br />
authorities are sadly still disputing<br />
Taiwan’s vulnerability to climate<br />
change. Not to mention that the<br />
Taiwanese media rarely report on<br />
international environmental news.<br />
The truth is, Taiwan still has a<br />
lot of room for improvement. The<br />
environmental authorities must be<br />
firmer in tackling the vast issues at<br />
hand and people must be willing to<br />
change. All environmental activists<br />
should work together because<br />
fragmented efforts don’t always<br />
leave lifelong impacts. TWYCC has<br />
faced many challenges and has done<br />
what it can, given the circumstances.<br />
Though the road travelled has<br />
been rough and steep and the one<br />
ahead is long and winding, true<br />
environmental activists never give up<br />
or give in. Can’t wait to see what’s<br />
in store for TWYCC in 2013!!<br />
Further reading:<br />
Rio+20 - http://www.uncsd2012.org/<br />
UnFccc and cop18 -<br />
http://unfccc.int/2860.php<br />
twYcc website (chinese) -<br />
http://twycc.tw/<br />
Born and raised<br />
in Venezuela by<br />
Taiwanese parents,<br />
Sarah has been<br />
exposed to world<br />
cultures since she<br />
was young. She graduated with an<br />
Environmental Science degree from<br />
Southampton University in the UK and<br />
currently works as a research assistant<br />
for the Civil Engineering Research<br />
Department at National Taiwan<br />
University, as a radio host for Radio<br />
Taiwan International, as TWYCC’s<br />
media coordinator, as the main point<br />
of contact in Taiwan for ECYTF (Earth<br />
Charter Youth Task Force) and as a<br />
freelance photographer.<br />
only 54% of women recognize<br />
that heart disease is their number<br />
one killer.<br />
• Almost two-thirds (64%) of<br />
women who die suddenly of<br />
coronary heart disease have no<br />
previous symptoms. Even if you<br />
have no symptoms, you may still<br />
be at risk of heart disease.<br />
risk FaCtors<br />
High blood pressure, high LDL<br />
cholesterol, and smoking are key<br />
risk factors for heart disease. About<br />
half of Americans (49%) have at<br />
least one of these three risk factors.<br />
Several other medical conditions and<br />
lifestyle choices can also put people<br />
at a higher risk for heart disease,<br />
including:<br />
• Diabetes<br />
• Being overweight or obese<br />
• Poor diet<br />
• Physical inactivity<br />
• Excessive alcohol use<br />
PreveNtative measures<br />
Fortunately, there are many things<br />
you can do to reduce your chances of<br />
getting cardiovascular disease. You<br />
should:<br />
• Know your blood pressure and<br />
keep it under control.<br />
• Maintain a healthy weight. Every<br />
home should have a weight scale,<br />
and it is healthy to check your<br />
weight regularly.<br />
• Exercise regularly, 3-7 times a<br />
week for 15 – 30 minutes.<br />
• Don't smoke.<br />
• Get tested for diabetes, and if you<br />
have it keep it under control.<br />
• Know your cholesterol levels,<br />
e s p e c i a l l y t h e L D L ( b a d<br />
cholesterol), and keep them under<br />
control.<br />
• Eat fruits, vegetables, and whole<br />
grains every day.<br />
Dr. Peter Guérin is a native of New Mexico, where he attended the University of New Mexico for<br />
undergraduate training and Medical School. He completed his Family Medicine training in Phoenix<br />
Arizona and is Board Certified in Family Medicine. He was in private practice for seven years in Rio<br />
Rancho, New Mexico after which he lived in Beijing for four years, working for International SOS as<br />
well as several other joint venture medical clinics. Dr. Guérin joined the Foreign Service in 2004 and<br />
he has served in Ankara, Dakar (Senegal), Baghdad, Washington, DC and now Taipei. He is married to<br />
Kerri Zeelau-Guérin and has three children, Steven, Sophia and Katherine.<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
21
eDUcatIoN<br />
eduCatioN iN taiwaN:<br />
An overview for<br />
Expat families<br />
TEXT & IMAGES: KATRINA BROWN<br />
As a single expat in Taiwan,<br />
I used to pay no attention<br />
to what kinds of schools<br />
children attend, but now<br />
with two school-aged children of<br />
my own, it’s become a topic of daily<br />
conversation among my friends.<br />
What options are available to us<br />
as short-term visitors, long-term<br />
expats or spouses of Taiwanese<br />
citizens What should we do about<br />
our children's Chinese and English<br />
language education With this<br />
short series of articles on elementary<br />
school education in Taiwan, I hope<br />
to share some of the information my<br />
friends and I have gleaned over the<br />
years. To begin, here is a brief look<br />
at the options available to those with<br />
expat children, children with ARCs,<br />
and children holding Taiwanese<br />
citizenship.<br />
iNterNatioNal sChools<br />
When moving school-aged children<br />
to Taiwan, the first option for most<br />
families is one of the accredited<br />
international schools. According<br />
to the Ministry of Education, there<br />
are nineteen such schools in Taiwan<br />
(listed on the Ministry’s website:<br />
see the address at the bottom of this<br />
article). Children attending these<br />
schools will be able to continue<br />
their US or UK education when<br />
they return home. Instruction is<br />
in English, with Chinese taught as<br />
a foreign language. Facilities are<br />
generally enviable, but tuition costs<br />
can prove prohibitive to some,<br />
and the school location means you<br />
have to either live in a particular<br />
area or let your children face a<br />
daily commute. Your child needs a<br />
passport from a country other than<br />
Taiwan to attend.<br />
loCal sChools<br />
As families settle in longer and<br />
as Chinese is valued more as a<br />
language useful to one's career, local<br />
schools are becoming an option for<br />
expat families. Local schools can<br />
be separated into private and public<br />
schools. According to the Department<br />
of Education website, “there are 153<br />
public and private schools in Taipei;<br />
two national elementary schools<br />
(National Chengchi University<br />
Experimental Elementary School<br />
& National Taipei University of<br />
Education Experimental Elementary<br />
School), 141 public schools and ten<br />
private schools.” The school year<br />
starts in September. Children start<br />
first grade in the September after<br />
their 6th birthday. Schools can vary<br />
greatly in their facilities and teaching<br />
methods, and whether your child<br />
thrives can also depend a lot on the<br />
homeroom teacher.<br />
M o r e a f f o r d a b l e t h a n t h e<br />
international schools are local, private<br />
schools. The school days are longer,<br />
ending at 4 pm or 5 pm every day.<br />
This makes private school a good<br />
option for those families who have<br />
commitments all day during the<br />
week. Private elementary schools<br />
generally have a stronger focus<br />
on academic achievement, in the<br />
sense that schools are competing<br />
for students' tuition and so want to<br />
register high test scores. This can be<br />
22 FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
an issue for children learning Chinese<br />
as a foreign language, as they may feel<br />
a lot of pressure in this environment.<br />
There are several private, bilingual<br />
schools in Taipei City, where half<br />
a day is taught in Chinese and the<br />
other half in English. For children<br />
who find the idea of using Chinese<br />
all day daunting, or those who<br />
might be returning to an Englishspeaking<br />
country or transferring to<br />
an international high school, bilingual<br />
schools can be a good option. Be<br />
aware that it is not always the case<br />
that your homeroom teacher can<br />
communicate in English, and some<br />
schools are not prepared to deal with<br />
non-Chinese-speaking students.<br />
Children with an ARC can attend<br />
public school. Your school zone is<br />
determined by the address shown<br />
on your child's ARC. How your<br />
child fits in will depend on their<br />
disposition, how the parent handles<br />
the transition, and how supportive<br />
the school is. The school day starts<br />
at around 7:45 am and finishes at<br />
noon most days for the lower grades.<br />
Hours are extended to four full days<br />
per week in the higher grades. The<br />
curriculum is all taught in Chinese,<br />
with English taught as a foreign<br />
language. There is a strong focus<br />
on learning Chinese characters in<br />
the lower grades, but many other<br />
subjects are covered, too. A future<br />
article will present some expat<br />
families' experiences with public<br />
schools. Tuition is basically free for<br />
elementary-aged children, with a<br />
book fee and lunch fee payable (less<br />
than NT$3,000 per semester). You<br />
can read official descriptions of local<br />
education on the Taipei Education<br />
Portal Site (address above).<br />
useful websites<br />
taiwan ministry of Education: Education institutions for international Residents:<br />
http://english.moe.gov.tw/ct.aspxItem=14795&CtNode=11447&mp=1<br />
taipei Education portal site: http://www.tp.edu.tw/english/edu_elementary.jsp<br />
to apply to the Education Bureau<br />
at your registered or household<br />
address. Taiwan officially recognises<br />
homeschooling as an education.<br />
There is a supportive network of<br />
homeschooling families in Taiwan.<br />
For English speakers, a great place to<br />
start is the Learn@Home in Taiwan<br />
Facebook group.<br />
Finding the best style of education<br />
for your child may take time and<br />
energy, but it’s definitely worth the<br />
effort. This brief introduction should<br />
get you started on your Taiwan<br />
journey of knowledge.<br />
Next month, I’ll share expat<br />
parents' experiences with public<br />
school education.<br />
leat ahrony shares her experiences as<br />
an expat studying in a local school on<br />
page 24<br />
In Taiwan since<br />
1995, New Zealander<br />
Katrina Brown lives<br />
with her Taiwanese<br />
husband in the<br />
mountains of Jilong.<br />
With two elementaryschool<br />
aged children, Katrina is<br />
determined to make Taiwan more<br />
accessible for all families. Visit<br />
her blog www.kidzone-tw.com for<br />
information about family-friendly<br />
spaces and events.<br />
homesChooliNg<br />
Homeschooling is also a viable<br />
option for families in Taiwan.<br />
Homeschooling gives you flexibility<br />
in curriculum, schedules, geographic<br />
location, and expenses. It takes<br />
dedication and commitment, but the<br />
rewards can be great. If your children<br />
are not Taiwanese citizens, you can<br />
apply to homeschool through your<br />
home country or in Taiwan. For<br />
Taiwanese citizens, there are certain<br />
procedures you have to follow to<br />
become a homeschooling family,<br />
which will be covered in a future<br />
article. Most importantly, you have<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
23
eDUcatIoN<br />
eduCatioN iN taiwaN:<br />
Local school student perspective<br />
TEXT: LEAT AHRONY IMAGE: KATRINA BROWN<br />
Ding Dong, Ding dong.<br />
The Yu Sheng Elementary<br />
School bell rang at 8 am.<br />
Time for class Not yet.<br />
It was cleaning duty time.<br />
Every student was assigned<br />
a c l e a n i n g c h o r e. I w a s<br />
in charge of cleaning the<br />
blackboard. Other tasks<br />
i n c l u d e d s w e e p i n g a n d<br />
mopping classroom floors,<br />
outside hallways and toilets,<br />
and wiping mini student<br />
lockers and desk tables.<br />
Basic house cleaning skills are enforced in Taiwan’s public<br />
educational system.<br />
I still remember my first day of elementary school. My<br />
parents cautioned me that the environment would be<br />
drastically different. "Now Leat, today is your first day<br />
in first grade. Don’t be nervous." I was actually really<br />
excited; so excited, I had a hard time sleeping the night<br />
before. "You might not understand the teacher at first,<br />
but you will pick up Mandarin very fast." My mother<br />
was right.<br />
For the first week, my ears did not pick up Mandarin<br />
tones. I played “what did the teacher say” guessing<br />
games all day. Nevertheless, I ran wild with my classmates<br />
playing dodgeball at recess. With sufficient time, children<br />
soak up language like a sponge, and I experienced this.<br />
In less than two months, I almost spoke fluent<br />
Mandarin and wrote Chinese characters with accurate<br />
and delicate strokes. We had mandatory calligraphy<br />
classes on Friday. I was not an A-grade student, but I did<br />
find it interesting. Wednesdays were my favorite.<br />
Half day Wednesdays meant we went home at 12 pm.<br />
The other four days we finished at 4 in the afternoon.<br />
In addition to this, we had to attend school every other<br />
Saturday (until 12 pm). This changed, however, when I<br />
was in 4th grade; we beamed when there were no more<br />
Saturday school days.<br />
Since I lived a five-minute walk from school, my parents<br />
often brought me home-cooked meals. The elementary<br />
school hired a catering company to provide lunch, but<br />
most students brought their own stainless steel lunch<br />
boxes. Often Chinese cuisine must be eaten warm, and<br />
every classroom had a large rectangular steamer which<br />
looked like a metal fridge. Every week, a different student<br />
was assigned to turn on the steamer an hour before lunch.<br />
Repeatedly, these students in charge – including me –<br />
forgot to turn on the steamer. Too often, when various<br />
food aromas did not fill the<br />
classroom around lunchtime,<br />
we knew something was<br />
wrong. Luckily our stomachs<br />
were patient enough to eat a<br />
late lunch.<br />
I n u n i v e r s i t y, t a k i n g<br />
a lunch nap sounds like<br />
heaven, but at age six I<br />
was not impressed with<br />
mandatory nap times. Every<br />
week the teacher would<br />
assign a class leader, and<br />
one of the duties included<br />
patrolling at nap time to make sure each student was<br />
asleep. It was painful to pretend I was sleeping for<br />
thirty minutes every day. It was a pleasant break from<br />
academics though.<br />
The Taiwanese local public education system puts<br />
extreme academic pressure on its students. Most<br />
Taiwanese youngsters can memorize pages of text – wordby-word<br />
– even without understanding its meaning. In<br />
grade 4, I was doing homework until 11 pm. When it<br />
came to test reviews, students memorized chapters of text<br />
or poetry and replicated it on paper. My memorization<br />
skills are now rusty, but it’s not useful if you memorize<br />
and then forget.<br />
Like any student, we always counted down the days<br />
until the next break. There were two major vacations:<br />
winter/Chinese New Year and summer. Unfortunately,<br />
after a long semester of studying, winter and summer<br />
homework was still mandatory. The first two weeks of<br />
vacation were spent doing homework at my desk. I felt<br />
like I’d grown a permanent academic tail.<br />
Ding Dong, Ding dong. The school bell rang at 4<br />
pm. The class collectively rose like an army, bowed, and<br />
annunciated “Thank you, Teacher.” Respect was greatly<br />
valued. I could have stayed in the public education system<br />
until high school graduation, but my parents pulled me<br />
out at the end of fourth grade. I had secured a solid base<br />
in Mandarin, and my parents were afraid my English<br />
would fall behind. The intense homework load and the<br />
lack of creative course options told them it was time to<br />
switch into a private American school.<br />
The easiest and most efficient way for a child to learn<br />
Mandarin is to immerse them in the real thing. If you<br />
happen to be living in Taiwan for a few years with young<br />
children, take advantage of this precious opportunity.<br />
It is the cheapest and easiest way to learn<br />
Mandarin!<br />
Leat Ahrony is a business undergraduate student at the University of Victoria (UVic) in Canada. She began<br />
her journalism career in high school writing for the <strong>Center</strong>ed on Taipei magazine. She has a weekly online<br />
column for the UVic newspaper, The Martlet, and regularly writes print news and culture articles. She plans<br />
to earn her B.A. in Commerce and continue a side career in Journalism.<br />
24<br />
FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
charIty<br />
The Origins of Make-A-Wish Foundation<br />
Chris Grecius was a boy from Arizona who<br />
dreamed of becoming a police officer when he<br />
grew up. On a special day in 1980, shortly before he<br />
succumbed to his battle with leukemia at the age of seven,<br />
Chris received a special gift. He was invited to take a tour<br />
of the city in a police helicopter. He was also presented with<br />
his own custom-made police uniform and battery-powered<br />
motorcycle so that he could become the state’s first honorary<br />
patrolman! His spirits were greatly lifted by the efforts of<br />
others to help him realize his dream. This event inspired<br />
the establishment of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an<br />
international organization dedicated to granting the<br />
wishes of children with life-threatening medical<br />
conditions. To date, the foundation has reached<br />
more than 300,000 children like Chris all<br />
around the world.<br />
Foundation Taiwan<br />
TEXT: KAREN WANG IMAGES: MAKE-A-WISH FOuNDATION<br />
wishes graNted By make-a-wish<br />
FouNdatioN<br />
The wishes granted by Make-A-Wish<br />
Foundation are grouped into four categories –<br />
To Be, To Want, To Have, and To Meet.<br />
To Be – Ah Xun, 13 years old<br />
Ah Xun’s biggest wish was to be able to<br />
cook with a chef that he idolized and to share<br />
his cooking with his family and friends. With<br />
the help of Make-A-Wish Taiwan, his parents<br />
planned a special dinner at a restaurant where<br />
Ah Xun would have the opportunity to cook<br />
alongside his favorite chef. To make the event<br />
truly memorable, he was also presented with<br />
a custom chef’s hat and uniform and his own<br />
set of pots and pans.<br />
Share the Power of a Wish<br />
You can help Make-A-<br />
Wish Taiwan with their mission<br />
in many ways. Please visit the<br />
organization’s website for more<br />
information on how to make<br />
donations, or to learn about<br />
current wishes that need<br />
sponsorship.<br />
Make-A-Wish Taiwan<br />
The Taiwan affiliate of Make-<br />
A-Wish was started in 1994. With<br />
the help of generous sponsors and<br />
donors, the foundation is able to grant<br />
more than a hundred wishes a year,<br />
helping children with life-threatening<br />
medical conditions between the<br />
ages of 3 and 18.<br />
make-a-wish taiwan:<br />
http://www.mawtpe.org.tw<br />
Karen Wang is the Managing Director of Happy Kids school in<br />
downtown Taipei. Happy Kids recently worked on a service project<br />
with Make-A-Wish Foundation. Happy Kids students helped raise<br />
funds to grant a wish by designing "wish bags" and made "wish<br />
cards" for the Make-A-Wish children.<br />
To Go – Ah Shen, 3 years old<br />
Ever since seeing images of a cruise ship<br />
on TV, Ah Shen has dreamed of going on a<br />
cruise. Ah Shen’s wish came true when Make-<br />
A-Wish Taiwan made it possible for him and<br />
his family to go on a 3-day cruise leaving<br />
from Keelung harbor. Ah Shen met the<br />
captain and got a special tour of the ship.<br />
To Have – Shiao Lun, 9 years old<br />
Shortly after Shiao Lun was born, she<br />
suffered from vision loss due to a medical<br />
condition. Music became the medium<br />
through which she was able to experience the<br />
beauty and joy of life. Blessed with an angelic<br />
voice, Shiao Lun’s most prized possession was<br />
her portable tape recorder, and she dreamed<br />
of one day recording her own album. Make-<br />
A-Wish Taiwan made Shiao Lun’s dream<br />
come true by setting up a session for her in a<br />
professional recording studio.<br />
To Meet – Shiao Xi, 17 years old<br />
Like many teenage girls, Shiao Xi idolized<br />
the female pop trio, S.H.E. When she was<br />
strong enough, she never missed a concert,<br />
but even when she was not feeling well and<br />
undergoing intensive treatment, S.H.E.’s<br />
music accompanied her and gave her hope.<br />
When Make-A-Wish Taiwan arranged for<br />
Shiao Xi to meet the singers, she received a<br />
lot of encouragement from her idols.<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
25
UsINess IN tW<br />
the tv chef indicator:<br />
marketing taiwan<br />
through its cuisine<br />
TEXT: STEVEN PARKER<br />
I<br />
recently became a Taiwanese<br />
citizen. Well... a permanent<br />
resident in any case. I genuinely<br />
love my adopted country: I can’t<br />
think of anywhere else I would like<br />
to live more than here. And the<br />
Taiwanese are truly passionate about<br />
their country. Everyone I know who<br />
comes here for a visit loves the place<br />
as much as I do. But my question is:<br />
if Taiwan is such a nice place, why is<br />
it that Taiwan is generally so bad at<br />
promoting itself There is a theory I<br />
call the TV Chef Principle… you can<br />
judge how well a country promotes<br />
itself by the proliferation and the<br />
quality of its TV chefs.<br />
the world’s Best CuisiNe<br />
In doing research for this article,<br />
I asked a group of Taiwanese which<br />
country in the world had the best<br />
cuisine. As expected they said<br />
their own, and more specifically<br />
Taiwanese or Chinese. I then asked<br />
them what the worst food in the<br />
world was. To a man, they all said<br />
English. I am not here to argue<br />
who has the best food, but this is<br />
the perception that exists, at least in<br />
Taiwan.<br />
Then I asked them to name me<br />
a famous Taiwanese chef. They<br />
thought about it. They thought<br />
about it some more. And then they<br />
thought about it still more. A group<br />
of Taiwanese could not name a single<br />
famous chef from the cuisine that<br />
they claimed to be the best in the<br />
world. Then I asked them to name<br />
any famous chef in the world. There<br />
were some mumblings and a vague<br />
statement of “someone French”<br />
was mooted. I pushed further for a<br />
specific name until finally someone<br />
mentioned Jamie Oliver, and they<br />
agreed that he was the most famous<br />
chef in the world. I then pointed<br />
out that he was English. It’s an<br />
irony that the worst cuisine (in their<br />
opinion) has produced the world’s<br />
most famous chef. The question then<br />
became one of why<br />
The answer helped me to solve a<br />
problem that has been bothering me<br />
for a very long time. Why is it that<br />
if Chinese food is so delicious, and<br />
the Chinese spend so long talking<br />
about food, that Chinese food is so<br />
low in the world’s culinary pecking<br />
order For romance we think of<br />
French, for comfort we think of<br />
Italian, for delicateness we think of<br />
Japanese, for hearty fare we might<br />
think of German or English, but for<br />
Chinese we generally think quick and<br />
easy – and this despite the obvious<br />
intricacies of many of the greatest<br />
Chinese dishes.<br />
it’s all aBout the<br />
PreseNtati oN<br />
T h e a n s w e r w a s s i m p l e –<br />
presentation. And this pervades most<br />
Chinese business dealings as well. In<br />
Taiwan the restaurant is all about<br />
making money: the presentation<br />
is secondary to the output, the<br />
ambience irrelevant to the taste of the<br />
food. When you watch Jamie Oliver<br />
or any number of TV chefs the food<br />
almost leaps out of the screen at you.<br />
The colors are vibrant and enticing.<br />
No expense is spared to make us<br />
believe that what is being presented<br />
is amazing in every culinary sense<br />
we can imagine: sight, smell, taste,<br />
feel. Anthony Bourdain (another<br />
TV foodie) describes this as “food<br />
porn”. We are seduced by every<br />
aspect of the food: the location, the<br />
colors, the very words that the TV<br />
chef uses. In contrast, our Taiwanese<br />
TV chefs produce food that looks<br />
unappetizing, as though it had been<br />
filmed with the cheapest possible<br />
equipment available. It looks like<br />
we here in Taiwan don’t care, and<br />
this is what is wrong with our food<br />
industry from an international<br />
perspective. People who grow up<br />
with local food know the tastes;<br />
they can remember the flavors of<br />
their youth. Those who are new to<br />
it, however, need it to be presented<br />
first visually. Only then will they<br />
fall in love with the great flavors.<br />
The perception of Chinese food will<br />
always remain cheap, quick, and easy<br />
until it can elevate itself beyond the<br />
immediate concerns with turnaround<br />
26 FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
and production costs.<br />
There is a metaphor here for our<br />
business climate in Taiwan as well.<br />
Food is important for people wanting<br />
to travel, live, and work in a country.<br />
How many times have you heard<br />
people say they’d love to live in Italy<br />
or the south of France It’s the food<br />
and culture that they are seduced<br />
by, partly because of TV chefs and<br />
foodies celebrating this culture<br />
regularly on our TV screens.<br />
The English, through people like<br />
Jamie Oliver (and my personal<br />
favorite, Nigella Lawson) have come<br />
to understand this, the French have<br />
always known it, and the Italians<br />
were born knowing how to present<br />
food. Japan has an innate sense of<br />
style and presentation. Korea has<br />
realized that to sell to the world<br />
you need to have great marketing,<br />
and this includes TV chefs and food<br />
presentation. Korean food, to most<br />
Taiwanese, is country-style, hearty<br />
but not sophisticated. And yet now<br />
we have shows like the Kimchi<br />
Chronicles (sponsored by Korean<br />
tourism) that present Korean food<br />
in vibrant and enticing ways that<br />
have many people planning trips<br />
around the food experiences they<br />
want to have there. Even China has<br />
discovered this with its beautiful<br />
program called A Bite of China,<br />
which celebrates regional cuisines<br />
and dishes, and is the closest to<br />
Anthony Bourdain’s definition of<br />
(Chinese) “food porn” that I have<br />
seen during my twenty years in Asia.<br />
short term gaiNs vs. loNg<br />
term marketiNg<br />
The Taiwanese are brilliant at<br />
calculating costs and profits for<br />
short-term gain, but I am talking<br />
about long-term marketing to take us<br />
to a higher level. I love Taiwan, and<br />
I want everyone else to have a chance<br />
to love it too. Like a frumpy sister<br />
with a good heart, we may have to<br />
push Taiwan to put on a nice outfit<br />
just to let others get to love its food<br />
as much as we do. We have a great<br />
variety of good food here in Taiwan<br />
– local styles, Chinese regional<br />
varieties, and international cuisines –<br />
we just have to learn how to promote<br />
it. And that means being willing to<br />
put that little bit of extra effort in<br />
dressing the food up a bit when we<br />
film it (and, in some cases, the staff<br />
in the restaurant too!)<br />
In the United States, Korean<br />
restaurants are typically more<br />
expensive than Chinese restaurants<br />
even though the food costs are not<br />
higher and in actual fact are, in some<br />
cases, significantly lower. They have<br />
just done a better job of marketing<br />
this food so they can get a higher<br />
return. Come on Taiwan, let’s try<br />
to look at the future return and not<br />
just at the initial cost and spend some<br />
money on some great food porn.<br />
You’re worth it.<br />
Steven Parker, formerly<br />
the Director of the<br />
<strong>Community</strong> <strong>Services</strong><br />
<strong>Center</strong>, is an Australian<br />
of Scottish ancestry<br />
who has been living and<br />
working in Taiwan for<br />
over a decade.<br />
Events at The <strong>Center</strong><br />
sPeCial toPiC CoFFee morNiNg<br />
disaster Preparedness: are you Prepared<br />
Thursday, February 21, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm<br />
Join us at the <strong>Center</strong> with this month’s speaker, Dr. Peter<br />
Guérin (AIT), for an informative presentation about what<br />
you can do to keep your family safe.<br />
Book CluBs: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by amy<br />
Chua<br />
The morning book club will meet Tuesday, February<br />
19, 10:30 am onwards. For more information email<br />
coteditor@communitycenter.org.tw.<br />
The evening book club will meet on Thursday, February<br />
21, 7:15 pm onwards. For more information, email<br />
melanie.k.leonard@gmail.com.<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
27
taiWanese desserts<br />
and sWeets<br />
text: Ivy Chen<br />
Images: tIng tIng huang and Ivy Chen<br />
Last month Chinese Kitchen described<br />
a selection of sweet soups common<br />
in Taiwanese cuisine. This month we<br />
continue to explore the sweet tooth<br />
of Taiwan by introducing a variety of<br />
puddings, pastry-like cakes, risen cakes<br />
and other desserts found in bakeries and<br />
kitchens across the country.<br />
豆 包 hongdou bao) and steamed custard<br />
bun ( 奶 黃 包 naihuang bao).<br />
Others<br />
Egg yolk cake ( 蛋 黃 酥 , danhuang su) is<br />
ball-shaped; it’s made from flaky pastry<br />
wrapped around a salty egg yolk and<br />
sweet red bean paste.<br />
Glazed and spun sweet potato ( 拔 絲 地 瓜 ,<br />
basi digua) is fried sweet potato coated<br />
with caramelized sugar. Taro, banana,<br />
or apple are sometimes used instead of<br />
sweet potato.<br />
Puddings<br />
Mango pudding ( 芒 果 布 丁 , mangguo<br />
buding) is made from puréed mango and<br />
whipping cream and is very aromatic and<br />
creamy.<br />
Almond jelly ( 杏 仁 豆 腐 , xingren doufu)<br />
is made from ground Chinese apricot<br />
kernels and water. It is cooked and<br />
gelatin or agar-agar is added to set it,<br />
forming a tofu-like shape.<br />
Tofu pudding ( 豆 花 , douhua, or 豆 腐 腦 ,<br />
doufu nao) is made from soy bean milk<br />
with bittern or food gypsum as a setting<br />
agent. Both tofu pudding and almond<br />
jelly are often served with beans and<br />
fruits in a sugar soup.<br />
Pastry-like cakes<br />
Pineapple cake ( 鳳 梨 酥 , fengli su) is<br />
made from shortcrust pastry with butter<br />
or lard and filled with pineapple jam. It is<br />
molded like a little brick and baked.<br />
Taro cake ( 芋 頭 酥 , yutou su) is similar<br />
but with sweet taro purée inside.<br />
Green bean paste cake ( 綠 豆 椪 , ludou<br />
peng) is also made from flaky pastry, has<br />
sweetened green bean paste inside, and is<br />
shaped like a wheel.<br />
risen cakes:<br />
Mala cake ( 馬 拉 糕 , mala gao) is made<br />
from wheat flour, baking powder, egg<br />
and milk. It’s steamed and can be served<br />
hot or cold.<br />
Brown sugar cake ( 黑 糖 糕 , heitang gao)<br />
is made from wheat flour, tapioca and<br />
brown sugar and is topped with sesame<br />
seeds. It’s also steamed and can be served<br />
hot or cold.<br />
Desserts which use yeast as a rising agent<br />
include steamed red bean paste bun ( 紅<br />
Golden water chestnut cake ( 馬 蹄 條 ,<br />
mati tiao) is made from starchy water<br />
chestnut ( 馬 蹄 , mati in Cantonese, 荸 薺 ,<br />
biqi in Mandarin), formed into a sticklike<br />
cake, steamed and fried to give a<br />
crisp exterior and soft interior.<br />
Taro cake stuffed with red bean paste ( 豆<br />
沙 芋 棗 , dousha yuzao) is made from taro<br />
purée with a red bean paste filling, shaped<br />
into cork-sized pieces and deep fried.<br />
Sesame ball with red bean paste filling<br />
( 豆 沙 芝 麻 球 , dousha zhima qiu) is<br />
made from glutinous rice filled with red<br />
bean paste, rolled into balls, coated with<br />
sesame seeds and deep fried.<br />
Pumpkin cake ( 南 瓜 糕 , nangua gao)<br />
is made from mashed pumpkin and<br />
28<br />
february 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw
ean and dried fruits. It’s popular during<br />
Chinese New Year.<br />
Snow cake ( 雪 花 糕 , xuehua gao) is made<br />
from milk, egg white, agar-agar and<br />
cornstarch. It’s topped with shredded<br />
coconut.<br />
glutinous rice filled with red bean paste.<br />
The patties are flattened and steamed or<br />
pan-fried.<br />
Fluffy rice cake with red bean ( 紅 豆 鬆<br />
糕 , hongdou song gao) is a steamed cake<br />
made with rice flour mixed with red<br />
Glutinous rice ball ( 麻 糬 , mashu, mochi)<br />
is made from steamed glutinous rice<br />
pounded until sticky and then shaped<br />
into balls. They are served either filled<br />
or coated with peanut powder or black<br />
sesame powder with sugar.<br />
Pancake stuffed with red bean paste ( 豆<br />
沙 鍋 餅 , dousha guo bing) is pan-fried<br />
and served hot or warm.<br />
csc BUsinEss clAssiFiEd<br />
weB CoNsultaNt<br />
Beauty<br />
mover<br />
hair dresser<br />
#14 Tienmu E. Road | Telephone 2871-1515 | GP168@hotmail.com.tw<br />
WorshIp DIrectory aND coMMUNIty groUps<br />
listings are now available online at http://communitycenter.org.tw/life-in-taiwan/worship-directory and http://communitycenter.org.tw/<br />
life-in-taiwan/community-groups.<br />
www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013<br />
29
30 february 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw