Taiwan trip 2

[jm21-2]

Haven't been posting much as I got overloaded with work getting ready to leave (snow storm that knocked out the power and made the roads impassable for a couple days didn't help either). I've got time to burn at Narita between flights so here goes...

General observations on air travel:

The radio was blaring about the new intensive searches, especially at seatac, before I left so I wasn't sure what to expect. Service turned out to be the best and least intrusive I've experienced in years. More intrusive than Taiwan or Japan, but less so than typical America. Even let me keep my toothpaste that I forgot to take out.

In Narita, the yen has gone up against the dollar quite a bit since last I checked. Didn't realize it at first and bought a ~16oz beer for what I thought was a $3 rip-off but was probably a $5 rip-off. Saw a ~12oz can of Asahi going for ~$8 at a kiosk here, but most seem to be a bit over $3.

Status of relationship:

We are moving into a more comfortable phase of our relationship and just enjoying being together. We had two small fights but are otherwise doing well. Nothing I'm really worried about. Just some mis-communications.

The main trial was some of the spots we went to are frequented by late high school and college girls. Some of those girls push short skirts/shorts to the limit and have some pretty amazing legs to show off. Extremely distracting and the little head briefly takes over. Pretty much all the girls seem to start dressing more modestly and ditching the make-up in their mid-twenties to early-thirties. A shame in many ways. Seems like after the youthful spurt of sexiness most Taiwanese girls settle into comfortable.

Observations on Taiwan:

I was thinking more about the possibility of eventually moving to Taiwan so was paying a lot more attentionb to prices this time. Last time I must have really had my head in the clouds and not paying much attention to currency conversions. The price of things is actually higher in Taiwan than the US in many cases, and not many things are much cheaper.

The main savings is in certain cheap dishes at restaurants. You can get fried rice, chow mein, bao'zhi, dumplings, and other dishes that are fairly labor intensive but with cheap ingredients for an extremely good price. We got a box of 8 home-made bao'zhi for about $1.33. But if you want a dish with good quality meat and vegetables it quickly gets up to $8-10 for an American-sized portion. ~$5 will get you a Taiwan-sized portion that really takes 1.5-2 dishes to fill you up.

Beer and other alcohol are more expensive and not so great. The Qingdao beer sold in Taiwan is not real Qingdao beer but rather just uses the name. Tastes almost exactly like Taiwan beer. Piss beer is about the same price as micro-brews in WA. Spirits are more expensive in general, though there are some cheap (and incredibly nasty) Taiwanese spirits. Tried one last trip and it's a taste you won't soon forget. A bit worse than really cheap Tequila Blanco.

Meat is significantly more expensive, especially good cuts of beef. Probably doesn't matter anyways because most Taiwanese seem to prefer boiling meat which would waste a good steak. Some vegetables are cheaper, almost all are fresher, many are heavily genetically engineered, but a few are more expensive. Fruit is pretty cheap (saw WA apples for cheaper than in WA grocery stores somehow).

Taiwan for the most part seems to be either urban or very rural. Not a whole lot in between. Most houses are 3-5 stories. Quality ranges from a basic shack to very modern and high quality. Sometimes almost side-by-side. A little strange to see some run-down hovel next to a nice new building.

The weather is fairly warm all year. Gets a little chilly at night in the winter, especially in the mountains, but nothing bad. Haven't seen any hotels with heaters so far. Space heaters are expensive little suckers there.

Where we went:

We stayed near the airport the first night as my flight was late. Took a little bit to get re-acquainted with each other after not seeing each other for 6 months, but that part went very fast. Maybe a half hour at most.

We spent most of our mornings together and usually didn't really get out until noon or so. Spent the second day in Taipei going to one of the big markets. Then on to her mom's house for a bit. Spent a day in Taichung but didn't realize the science museum was closed so just went to check out some of the markets again. She thought I would be really interested in the afternoon/night markets so this was a bit of a trend. They're OK but you end up seeing the same stuff over and over again. Taiwan is strange to me in that you can have 2-5 shops within a stone's throw of each other selling the same products at the same price and they somehow all remain in business.

Lushan hot springs was the next stop. Pretty nice, decently priced hotels, and not many tourists this time of year. About $50 for a room with 2 beds and an enormous bath tub for soaking. We were the only ones at the hot spring attached to the hotel for about 2 hours. Next day we spent the afternoon hiking on Mount awanda which was nice but not anything terribly amazing. Might be better when the river is fuller.

Went back to her mom's house for the night then the next day went to Kending. We stayed at the hotel we had previously and got a good rate on the room we had stayed at previously (she loves it). Only difference was they put in wood flooring (last time was cement). About $53/night for amazing ocean view, across the street from the water with nothing in between, big windows, and a big soaking tub which also has a great view. Hard to beat. Had a crisis at work and my laptop was screwed up so spent a bit getting a keyboard and headset and downloading some software so I could do some work and call my paralegal. Otherwise enjoyed the beach, views, and the sort of promenade/boulevard there with all the street vendors. Street vendors here are kind of expensive but not too bad. Stayed there 2 nights.

Went up to Kaohsiung for the night, then little liaociao island for the day. She wanted to go snorkeling but due to various reasons (forgetting equipment, etc) it took us quite a while to get to snorkeling and then there were a bunch of stinging jellyfish in the water. Didn't effect me much but really got her. She got out pretty quick but already had about 20ish stinging bumps on her arms.

Went to her mom's house for the rest of the trip and did some stuff around her town. Was planning on going to a hotel the last night to have some privacy, but she didn't want to drive home from the airport after seeing me off (she was very upset/sad last time and even more this time). Pricing out train/hotel/taxi/bus/etc. it was going to cost $100+ and take a lot of extra time so I gave up the idea.

One thing we did that may seem kind of lame to most but we enjoyed was going to a home depot type store and checking out a bunch of stuff. Gave us a lot of insights into each other's tastes and we were able to compare a lot of things as far as what we're used to and what we like as far as housing/lilving goes. We also took some time and went to a big mall and got some basic stuff that is common/cheap in Taiwan but harder to find in the US. Things like stainless chopsticks, some knives, etc. Also previously got some dried mushrooms and some tea that she liked. I coudl carry two bags at 50 pounds for checked luggage and was hoping to take a lot of stuff back for her, but they lost her luggage in Malaysia so she didn't have much to take. Still am taking quite a bit back which makes her coming here seem more real. Hopefully the visa process will move forward a bit faster but what can you do....

Overall we spent most of our time together just talking and cuddling so not a whole lot to report. She was kind of in panic mode quitting her job and moving home from Australia so easier to upset than normal, but wasn't a big deal to me. She gets over things very fast (couple minutes) so wasn't a big deal. I made some dumb ass comments and she over-reacted a bit so we were both somewhat at fault each time. She really broke down at the airport when I was leaving and if I ever had any doubts about her feelings they were pretty much erased at that point.

[stevjulietb]

I enjoyed your trip report Jim...nice job!

Steveb

[Ray]

Good report jm!

I haven’t been to Taiwan in over 30 years so I was interested in your comments about local prices. It sounds like Taiwan Beer (that’s the brand folks) is still using the same horse-piss recipe. Taiwan Whiskey tasted like something between Windex and Tidy Bowl toilet bowl cleaner.

I spent 2 months in Kaohsiung and rarely partook of the local beer if I could avoid it. Imported American beers and were plentiful and at a very reasonable price. I think a can of Budweiser in a bar was around 50 cents back then. But the bar at the Navy club in town must have made a great purchase on Primo Beer (from Hawaii) because they had a special the whole time I was there on 15-oz bottles of Primo at 5 cents each. It felt weird ordering a beer and plopping a nickel up on the bar, so I usually just ordered a dollar’s worth a time. Happy hour prices on top quality import mixed drinks were 10 cents.

I was curious if Taiwan ever started enforcing copyright laws on books and music. There used to be bookstores all over where you could get bootleg copies of almost any US titles dirt-cheap. I used to get Motor’s auto repair manuals for $2 US and I picked up a complete set of World Book encyclopedias for $15. LP records were $.25 and then cassette tapes came out and they charged a dollar each. It was all legal and out in the open over there and customs didn’t hassle you when returning to the States as long as you declared it all for personal use.

Oh, are the Taiwan cab drivers still a bunch of suicidal psychopaths who aim for pedestrians just for fun?

Good luck on the visa…

Ray

[Jeff S]

Good report jm.

God yea - another major thumbs down for that horse-piss Taiwan beer and the traditional Taiwanese spirits - incredibly nasty is right. It's only slightly less nasty than the mainland China spirits - but the beer on the mainland is far, far better and on a par with the Japanese beers IMO.
 
Pretty much anywhere in Asia, American sized beef dishes will set you back a lot of folding cash. You have to learn to adapt to the local foodstuffs if you plan on settling anywhere. One thing you didn't mention though was the seafood quality and prices. If you hang anywhere in that neck of the woods, especially any of the island locals it's usually plentiful, fresh and excellent.

Yep- and modern day young Asian girls know how to strut their stuff as well as anywhere - and do it completely without the ghetto edge they do here in the US.

[Capstone]

Nice trip report. Sounds like things went really well during your visit and that you and your girl got along well. It's good that you were able to spend some more time with your girl's mom - that will pay dividends on down the road.

You are definitely right about Taiwan Beer - that stuff is pretty bad. There are some pretty decent Taiwanese beers though. When I was in Taipei I discovered a chain of brew pubs called Le ble d'or which brews/serves some pretty good products which are available not only at the pubs but also at several stores in town. Two commercially brewed beers there that I thought were not too bad were Takau and White Beer which is a wheat beer.

I am glad that everything turned out for you. Hopefully USCIS will process your visa petition soon!

[thekfc]

Nice report jm.

I am glad that you enjoyed yourself.
I also want to know how is the local food & how much of it did you get to sample?

[robert angel]

Re:

>>There are some pretty decent Taiwanese beers though. When I was in Taipei I discovered a chain of brew pubs called Le ble d'or <<

Wow, even the name sounds like a genuwine Taiwanese name-->> ""Le ble d'or ""

[Capstone]

Wow, even the name sounds like a genuwine Taiwanese name-->> ""Le ble d'or ""

Yea, definitely has an authentic Taiwanese name now doesn't it! It also has a cheesy Bavarian Motif to it - but the place does brew a decent beer.   

[jm21-2]

So about 24 hours door to door from her mom's house to my house...leaves me pretty tired. At least seatac customs has gotten better and they let you pick up your bag directly from customs rather than having to send it to a second baggage claim like they used to.

From what my fiance said, the government grants monopolies or near-monopolies to certain alcohol and beer companies which allows them to set a pretty high price for domestic products. The imports seemed to be about the same price for the most part though (heineken, busch, etc.). They all taste about the same to me. I like Qingdao beer but like I said the stuff they sell in Taiwan is brewed in Taiwan and doesn't taste the same at all. Busch and taiwan beer don't taste significantly different to me. I didn't drink much at all this trip (maybe 5 bottles total) and just went for Asahi...seems to be the best option and they're all around the same price. About $1.00 for a 12oz can or $1.50 for the larger can (not sure what size). About 2-3 times the price at a bar or restaurant. There are two styles of Taiwan beer and one is actually OK. Comes in what I would consider a more old fashioned style of bottle. As far as spirits go, I think johnny walker black label was something like $44 for a fifth, Taiwan style whisky (tastes like cheap vodka with syrup added) was something like $7-8. I got a bottle last trip because the name was cool ("Liquor Saint").

Didn't see much in the way of pirated stuff but didn't really look. My impression is that now that Taiwan is more developed they're a lot more strict about patent and copyright laws. Did see some VCD shops though which probably involve pirated stuff.

Drivers in Taiwan are not that bad for the most part. You just really need to look out for the scooters on the smaller roads as they go all over the road. Also watch out on windy mountain roads because most drivers will go partially or fully into the opposing lane of traffic, especially on sharp/blind corners. The bigger the vehicle they are driving the more likely it appears they will go into the opposing lane on blind corners, so gotta watch out for those double decker tour buses....

Speeding is heavily enforced with traffic cams and cops can give you a ticket by taking a photo of you speeding, but doesn't seem like a lot of the other traffic laws are enforced too much. Freeway driving is similar to the US. Driving around town is a lot more difficult due to scooters, lots of pedestrians, and people getting impatient with traffic signals.

Seems like most Taiwanese families have one car and several scooters. Just use the car for family occasions. My Fiance's mom's car has something like 40,000km on it and is over 10 years old. Pretty good way to do things imho. Scooters are dirt cheap and very convenient around town running errands.

Certain seafood is definitely cheaper. There seems to be a lot more aquaculture in Asia compared to the US. It made me scratch my head a bit when we went to a restaurant and the clam dish I ordered (about $3) was cheaper than the same dish with chicken, and they had a bowl of small clams as a free appetizer. Similar clams go for about $4-5 per pound here in the shell. I don't eat a lot of fish so didn't really look into fish prices that much. Sashimi is a little bit cheaper there, especially at smaller shops, and better. I like the Taiwanese style because they give you big chunks of fish.

My fiance knows I love trying new food so both trips we went to all sorts of different places. We mostly ate street food though because it's cheap and convenient. She also thinks it would be cool to own a food cart and so often asked the vendor about their rent and profits. Here are some basic ranges...

Street food:
Smallest would be someone with a truck or cart they aren't paying any rent on. Some have seating for 2-4 customers, the largest have seating like a very very tiny restaurant. Prices are about $1-4 for a modest sized meal. Cheap items would be chow mein, noodle soup with duck, noodle soup with pig intestine, bao'zhi, steamed dumplings. More expensive items would be peking duck, stir-fried lamb, and sashimi. There are tons of afternoon and night markets with a lot of vendors so better to buy a little here, a little there. If you share with your girlfriend/fiance/wife you can sample probably 4 dishes or so and probably under $10 total. Taiwanese seem to like fusion style kind of cooking but in their own way. They'll grab flavors or cooking styles from Thailand, Myanmar, Japan, or the US and get fairly creative. We had some balls that were made from shrimp, octopus, a bunch of vegetables, some dough, fried and then covered with a wasabi sauce that were really good. My fiance bought some korean BBQ and vegetables rolled up in seaweed like a sushi roll at one place. Also common to see fried chicken but with unique spice blends in the batter. Corn dogs are all over too, I don't know why. Couldn't bring myself to buy one. I think I counted 5 corn dog stands within 300 feet of each other in Kending.

Small town restaurant:
Mom and pop place. Usually have some cheap chow mein and fried rice dishes for $2 or so. Most dishes are around $5 and can vary a lot in quality depending on the restaurant. Most are pretty good. I never had any bad food at one.

Small restaurant in tourist place:
Still can get chow mein and fried rice for $2 or so, but dishes go up to $10 pretty quick. But often the most expensive dishes contain local ingredients you can't really get elsewhere, like deer, boar, or unique local vegetables. Like we had a stir fry of Island deer last trip on Green Island. Later I spotted a couple of the deer crossing the road and they were the cutest things I've ever seen...glad my fiance didn't see them....

All you can eat restaurants:
Taiwanese people seem to love these. They range in price from about $10-30 per person. Some are hot pot restaurants where you choose the style of hot pot you want then go get all the ingredients you can eat (usually have dumplings, deserts, and some other food items too). Higher end restaurants will have sashimi and unlimited cooked to order dishes. Not like buffet style all you can eat restaurants in the US. We went to one and the food was excellent and they didn't cheap out in any way on the ingredients. It just seems like kind of a waste to me because we usually didn't eat that much to warrant having all you can eat.

Fine dining:
About the same as anywhere else in the world.


There is some sort of squash her mom cooked that tasted amazing and I will have to look for. Don't know the English name. Will also have to find fresh Taro root I guess since my fiance loves it. Taiwanese seem to lvoe to make drinks with vegetables and milk (pumpkin milk, taro milk, green bean milk, red bean milk, etc.) and most area actually pretty good. Milk there tastes different though and it's crazy expensive compared to the US.

[Capstone]

All you can eat restaurants:
Taiwanese people seem to love these. They range in price from about $10-30 per person. Some are hot pot restaurants where you choose the style of hot pot you want then go get all the ingredients you can eat (usually have dumplings, deserts, and some other food items too). Higher end restaurants will have sashimi and unlimited cooked to order dishes. Not like buffet style all you can eat restaurants in the US. We went to one and the food was excellent and they didn't cheap out in any way on the ingredients. It just seems like kind of a waste to me because we usually didn't eat that much to warrant having all you can eat.

This must be a Chinese thing in general because those cooked to order all you can eat places are extremely popular on the Mainland as well - pretty much every Japanese restaurant that I have gone to in China are like that. I liked them because they include all you can drink beer in the price as well which at the Japanese places was either Sapporo or Ashahi or both.

Will also have to find fresh Taro root I guess since my fiance loves it. Taiwanese seem to lvoe to make drinks with vegetables and milk (pumpkin milk, taro milk, green bean milk, red bean milk, etc.) and most area actually pretty good.

You shouldn't have any trouble finding fresh Taro at a larger Chinese or Asian grocery store - we buy it pretty often without any trouble. My wife loves it also.

[robert angel]

Jm,

Really sounds like another nice trip--no getting lost, no majorcash access issues or losing back packs--cell phones!

It's good that you can have little 'disagreements' and get over them, instead of letting them escalate or ignoring them til they boil over and create bigger problems later. A lot of Filipinas seem to me to be a bit diffrent, in that you might get cold, quiet 'tampo' and not always know why, or even 'if' she's upset. I am glad I don't have to deal with that like I did the first time around and it sounds like your gal will tell you how she feels appropriately..

We have a chain of frozen yogurt places out here (east coast) called 'Le Berry'--kind of attracts the 'artsy' crowd and they have an awesome frozen yogurt--we love taro root based foods.

That place also has a kazzilion toppings, such as little aloe balls and all kinds of common and exotic fruits, that you can add and they charge by the ounce for whatever you put in the cup. For 4 or 5 bucks you can get pretty filled up. I bet there are similar places out there--it' a great concept.

I remember times in the Philippines reading about poisonings and even deaths from taro root not properly processed so that the cyanide wasn't eliminated--we just buy the already processed version and occasionally make home baked goods--it's not too hard and is a 'comfort food' of sorts.

[thekfc]

You shouldn't have any trouble finding fresh Taro at a larger Chinese or Asian grocery store - we buy it pretty often without any trouble. My wife loves it also.

Yep, I see them all over in NYC. You should have no problem finding them in your area.

I remember times in the Philippines reading about poisonings and even deaths from taro root not properly processed so that the cyanide wasn't eliminated--we just buy the already processed version and occasionally make home baked goods--it's not too hard and is a 'comfort food' of sorts.

I used to cook Dasheen & loved it but I haven't cook it in a while (5+ years).

[Jeff S]

We had some balls that were made from shrimp, octopus, a bunch of vegetables, some dough, fried and then covered with a wasabi sauce that were really good.

Sounds like Japanese tako-yaki (tako = octopus)

There is some sort of squash her mom cooked that tasted amazing and I will have to look for.

I'll wager it was what the Japanese call kabocha - now found in a lot of high-end American grocery stores as well - looks like a green pumpkin with yellow spots and orange meat. Just boil it or even better, use it in butternut squash soup recipe - fantastic.

As an aside, my father-in-law was working in grain logistics for the breweries in Shanghai throughout most of WWII. He was drafted into the Japanese Army in '45 and after basic in Japan, was sent back to China since he spoke Chinese. He was with a small unit that ended up walking from near Beijing to Shanghai through the summer of '45. They had to hide from the Chinese in the day and move at night and had to scavenge for their own food. The only thing in plentiful supply were kabocha (I don't know the Chinese word for them.) To this day he still cannot eat them and he just turned 91. Anyway he arrived back in Shanghai in October, and only them found out that the war had ended in early August.

Will also have to find fresh Taro root I guess since my fiance loves it.

Any Asian grocery store will have them and many American stores too, at least around where I live. If it's a Japanese store they're sato-imo (sugar potatoes.) They have about the same consistency, taste, and nutritional content as library paste IMO. No thanks.

[thekfc]

Any Asian grocery store will have them and many American stores too, at least around where I live. If it's a Japanese store they're sato-imo (sugar potatoes.) They have about the same consistency, taste, and nutritional content as library paste IMO. No thanks.

No adventure Jeff? You do not know what you are missing.

[jm21-2]

We're both very inexperienced with this kind of relationship so it's been a struggle at times for both of us. I think we're coming closer together though as time goes on. She doesn't really do tampo, but she will slowly build up her annoyance and then erupt. Fortunately I'm becoming pretty good at calming her down again so it's not so bad. I tend to joke and tease too much and she'll take some comment I made too seriously and think the worst of it. She's extremely worried I'll ditch her and run off with some other girl so I need to stop teasing her...seems like when I tease her she becomes convinced I'm going to leave her. Anyways, marriage seems to be a lifelong effort and a lot of work so it doesn't seem too abnormal.

We did lose our cell phones, haha. My phone can't be used in Taiwan so I borrowed my mom's (she was due for a new phone) but I forgot to get the unlock code and then my fiance lost her phone pretty early on (her mom found it later). Only financial problem was trying to decide what to do about wedding rings. Still haven't figured that one out. Neither of us really wants rings, but I think it would be a good idea to get a pair for immigration purposes if nothing else. But then she wants a ring that will look good so she'll wear it. But she also wants a matched set so if she buys an expensive matched ring the guy's ring is the more expensive of the pair because it's bigger, at which point I think "wtf am I spending hundreds of dollars on a ring for myself when I dislike rings?" Would rather buy a more expensive ring for her and get myself a cheap tungsten carbide ring.

The squash was not like the pictures of kodacha on google images. My fiance showed me some at the store and it looked similar to fennel to me but larger and greener. She didn't know the English word for it though.

There was tako-yaki there but the stuff I got was different. There was also some okinomiyaki at that particular market. This was a big ball with lots of stuff in it and very tasty. I didn't try the octopus balls but the squid balls I can barely stomach. I love spanish calamari but Chinese seem to really overcook most seafood and with squid or octopus that makes it really tough.

[Ray]

I'll wager it was what the Japanese call kabocha - now found in a lot of high-end American grocery stores as well - looks like a green pumpkin with yellow spots and orange meat. Just boil it or even better, use it in butternut squash soup recipe - fantastic.

Any Asian grocery store will have them and many American stores too, at least around where I live. If it's a Japanese store they're sato-imo (sugar potatoes.) They have about the same consistency, taste, and nutritional content as library paste IMO. No thanks.

In the Philippines they call them “kalabasa”. Very popular in various native dishes. The wife loves them, but doesn’t like cutting out the meat. They are readily available here in San Diego.

Ray

[Jedironin]

I'm looking up these foods and some of them sound pretty good! I found a whole website for Okonomiyaki, I think I'm going to have to try making that one! Looks like with pizza, you can make it with just about any kinds of "toppings".    Also checking the local Oriental restaurants around here for some of these... 

[piglett]

Hey JM great trip report

you need cheep rings here ya go
http://cgi.ebay.com/MATCHING-2-TUNGSTEN-CARBIDE-WEDDING-BANDS-PROMISE-RINGS-/370222593790?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5632fc76fe

these are something like what i got. I asked my wife if she wanted a big wedding , a laptop , or i high dollar ring.
she said she didn't really care about the ring so i scored a pair of stainless rings for short money.

I had to force myself to wear mine (never wore a ring in my life) in time i got 99% used to it 
I still don't like the dam thing but i do feel funny if it's not on my finger.


so where are the pictures at dude ??
come on you tell us about all of these places & yet you didn't take up one picture, are you trying to hurt our feelings? 


pig

[jm21-2]

She tried out a stainless ring and didn't like it (too thick). She doesn't want some big diamond ring, but wants a good looking gold one (if it's too cheap, she won't want to wear it). The problem is she wants a matching set, and in a matching set of gold rings the guy's ring is a lot more expensive because it's bigger (value is mostly by weight). So if we buy a set for $600 maybe $400 is for the guy's ring which makes me feel stupid because I don't really want a ring, much less an expensive ring. We may end up just saying screw rings entirely. That was the original plan but I thought it would be a good idea to have an engagement ring for the visa interview. She also wanted to put an inscription on the outside which is something you have to special order so it's something we can't really do together.

All the pictures are on her camera. We only took about 4 anyways. Just a couple pictures to document the trip for immigration.

Taiwan has a good dash of Japanese food due to being under Japanese control for quite a while. Kind of fun to be able to eat some duck noodles then walk across the street and have ramen.

[Bob_S]

I'm looking up these foods and some of them sound pretty good! I found a whole website for Okonomiyaki, I think I'm going to have to try making that one! Looks like with pizza, you can make it with just about any kinds of "toppings".    Also checking the local Oriental restaurants around here for some of these... 

Start with Osaka style.  I prefer Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, but the layering takes a practiced hand.  Osaka style is easier to make when you're just starting out.

[Jedironin]

Thanks Bob! I know I always good info. on Japan from you and Jeff.

I have a recipie for Osaka style, and one or two others. I'll try to find the right ingredients around here over the next few days. I have a nice Wok I borrowed from Mom, so I can start learning how to use it,too. She never used it.

[jm21-2]

Thanks Bob! I know I always good info. on Japan from you and Jeff.

I have a recipie for Osaka style, and one or two others. I'll try to find the right ingredients around here over the next few days. I have a nice Wok I borrowed from Mom, so I can start learning how to use it,too. She never used it.

Bob and Jeff can probably give better advice, but you might try a griddle pan, grill pan, or skillet over a wok for Okonomiyaki. In Taiwan they cook them (as well as many other dishes) on something similar to a big griddle pan. Don't know how they make them in Japan though. If you're new to using a wok heat control can be a royal PITA at first on American ranges, especially if the wok has a round bottom. In China and Taiwan they cook at very high heat over gas and have huge exhaust fans.

I have a wok that my dad bought when he was in college and it has been seasoned for decades. It cooks great and is almost as easy to clean as a teflon coated pan. But if I was looking at buying a new wok, I would probably buy a high end nonstick skillet instead. The new ones can withstand high enough heats to stir fry with and are a hell of a lot easier to clean than an unseasoned wok. I have a very expensive top of the line set of stainless cookware that I basically never use because it's such a pain to clean compared to modern nonstick.

[robert angel]

You need to be careful with some of the newer ring metals. I am not sure if it's tungsten-carbide, titanium or both, but you might want to ask an EMS worker what happens if your hand/finger gets slammed wearing a particular metal.

Gold and silver can be delicately cut off a very swollen finger, while with some ring metals, it's difficult, if possible at all and it could be real bad.

I have a modest gold chain a crucifix I paid $89.95 for about ten years back. Last week at the flea market, I was surprised that it's melt down value alone was $240. I imagine a set of comfort band 14 K gold rings could cost as much as  a decent half caret diamond alone these days. Most everyone's gone to 10K and some nations banned gold jewelry from India for a while (England) because the Indians were bringing in gold stamped '10K' that was only 8 or 9K.

[jm21-2]

Yep. Gold has gone up a lot in value recently. People are scared about their national or the world economy and buy it as an investment which drives up the price. They sell rings by weight in Taiwan and while we were looking a guy bought a set of rings (no stones) for over $1,000. Kind of spooked me, haha. Maybe at this point in time a silver or stainless ring with a nice gemstone is a better buy. Every woman I know who's been married a long time and had a diamond wedding ring has lost or almost lost their diamonds multiple times. They might be forever, but down the drain forever doesn't do much good.

[Jedironin]

Bob and Jeff can probably give better advice, but you might try a griddle pan, grill pan, or skillet over a wok for Okonomiyaki. In Taiwan they cook them (as well as many other dishes) on something similar to a big griddle pan.

Oh, I didn't really mean I was going to use the wok for that, sorry. I could though... I have an electric stove (apologies to the real cooks in the audience!), so this wok has a flat bottom, with high sides and a great non-stick surface. I've used it already for some of the frozen, pre-made meals and it works great for those! It would probably work for okonomiyaki too, if I can get the temperature right. The oven is digital, but the stove burners go from 1-8... weird. How would I find 400 deg. F on that?! Oh wait... I just remembered I have an infra-red temp. sensor I use for my tires and brakes at the track (amateur road-racing), I bet it would work for the stove, too!   

[Bob_S]

Oh, I didn't really mean I was going to use the wok for that, sorry. I could though... I have an electric stove (apologies to the real cooks in the audience!), so this wok has a flat bottom, with high sides and a great non-stick surface.

Bob and Jeff can probably give better advice, but you might try a griddle pan, grill pan, or skillet over a wok for Okonomiyaki. In Taiwan they cook them (as well as many other dishes) on something similar to a big griddle pan. Don't know how they make them in Japan though.

Jm's right.  For okonomiyaki, Japanese do it teppan-yaki style with a great big griddle.  Basically, anything you use to make pancakes you can use to make okonomiyaki as it basically is about the same size.  (NHK is currently running a morning drama about a young lady who aspires to be a teppan okonomiyaki chef and must fail and humble herself before asking her grandmother on how to do it right.  There's a lot of technique that goes into it for a pro.)

[Jeff S]

We've been watching that show here, too. I'm not a big okonomiyaki fan though, but it's interesting.

[z_k_g]

That was the original plan but I thought it would be a good idea to have an engagement ring for the visa interview.

Jm,

You should really get rings.  The small subtle things are what they look for that are "out of place" not whats right but what seems wrong.  It may be somewhat pragmatic to you and your sweetie to opt out on the wedding rings, but the interviewer may be looking for that one thing that's "missing".

Get the rings, eliminate that issue.

Zulu