After an unfortunate ipad crash I lost a blog or two, but I'm back and will try to make up for lost time! I have been so busy-- which means there is much to tell, but little time in which to tell it. Therefore I'll devote this post to the most important subject in my life-- food. (I mean second, after my proposal, of course.)
Before I left I wrote a list of promises to myself. One was to eat anything traditional that was offered to me (as long as it was okay for me to eat and I had never had it.) Being incredibly worried about offending your hosts makes it easier to eat what's put in front of you. Here's my list (so far) of new food from best to worst.
Hot pot- It's like a game of chance, a cooking lesson and a challenge all wrapped in one. Hot pots are exactly what you're probably thinking they are-- bowls of hot soup on your table in which you cook different vegetables and meats. The game of chance comes into play because you never really know what you're adding. The cooking lesson happens when you have to remember what has been cooking for how long and guess how long everything should cook. The challenge all comes down to the chopsticks. I think I could become good at probably anything if the alternative made me impolite, embarrassed and hungry. Manners are a powerful motivator for me, food even more so. Having only used chopsticks for a few weeks I'm becoming so much better. Still, when the hot pot contains small, round and slimy things, I struggle.
(As soon as I get hot pot pictures from my friends I'll post them. Get ready to be hungry.)
Passionfruit- It is a crime we don't import passionfruit. Having become addicted to these in Australia I was thrilled to find they're twice the size here. K, you would love them. They taste like a pulpy, slighty fruity, lemon.
Rambutan- I think this fruit was a result of Mother Nature becoming bored. Besides looking awesome, and having an awesome name they also taste awesome. They're sweet, firm and delicious.
Dragon fruit- Dragon fruit looks like it was co-designed by a toddler and an abstract painter. Bright red and green on the outside with a bright purple center, they are a joy and a mess to eat. Slightly sweet with a refreshing after taste, they are wonderful to eat in the hot weather.
Section fruit- I have no clue what these are called. They look like dragon eggs-- or what I think dragon eggs would look like. Bright green, they are super sweet but have a pit in each section, so take a while to eat.
Duck- I have no clue why I've never had duck, but it will not be the last time.
Star fruit- You're probably noticing a trend in the fruit.
Oysters- I've had one oyster in my life, so it's not technically my first time eating one. However I ate one (or four) since they were freshly caught and grilled. Texturally not super appealing, but the taste makes up for it. Eating them hot really improves the whole texture problem.
Duck Blood- The true Cinderella story of this edition. Despite looking and texturally being like purple tofu it tastes like meat. I would eat it again.
Fish Cheek- Supposily the best part of the fish. I was flattered to be served them. They were pretty good, but I still like the filet better.
Century Egg- Black, gelatinous, months old eggs that smell and taste sulfuric. They're super popular here.
Frog- Slimy with a slightly chickeny taste. The green skin throws me off and the meat to bone ratio makes it a lot of work.
Squid- Street stalls frequently sell squid on a stick. Now that I've had it once, I think I'm good. It's like eating slightly pleasant tasting rubber. Totally okay, but not my first choice.
Chicken Feet- There's no denying what these are. It's even harder to chew than the squid. Boneless they're much better, but I ended up having to swallow them whole... I think I'll pass next time as death by choking on a chicken foot in taiwan wouldn't be the best way to end my fellowship.
Durian- Durians are illegal on the subway in Singapore because they smell so terribly and strongly. They taste better than they smell, but only just.
Rice sausage- I'm still not quite sure what was in it. The rice is sticky, with an almost bitter taste.
Cow Stomach & Intestine- Bleh. The small cilia make chewing unpleasant. The black color threw me off as well.
Snails- I thought they'd be better than I expected, I was wrong.
Fish Eye- Mushy with a hard center, I think once is enough. Despite tasting better than I expected, the eating of eyes just becomes too mental for me.
During the meal where I ate a fish eye I had two (post-mortem) chickens staring at me. I'm told you can hit the top and eat out of it, luckily no one served me one.
& to all Watson Candidates- good luck! If you have any questions or just need some sympathy for how stressful applying can be, feel free to Facebook me this week. I will have Internet!
I'll admit, when I was asked if I wanted to go fishing I first thought of a river, when they said it was indoors I envisioned a few probably older men around a small kiddie pool. No, this was serious. There were three ponds, and probably about 50 people, a majority of them around my age. My favorites brought their own poles and bait (and were much more successful.)
Now, I've never been fishing, though I was once taught the basics of fly fishing on a rugby field (thanks Colyer.) If I'm bad at this, where they literally dump gigantic amounts of shrimp the the pool as you sit there, I feel like fishing might not be my thing. But hey, it was fun.
