The night market last night was absolutely amazing. It is an entire block completely jam packed with small stores, vendors, games (a lot like carnival games), street food, fresh fruit and vegetables, "snow ice" shops, and always many people.
Ali and I left our house at around 9:30 to go get Joy. We picked her up just about 2 miles down the road from our house. We then drove maybe 15 miles to the night market. We parked in a parking lot full of cars (I thought that it was insane that we actually found a place to park) and walked the rest of the way. As we walked closer to the main drag, this awful smell hit me. Like sewage and hot garbage juice, it was absolutely awful. I asked Joy what the smell was and I was half right... she told me that it was the "garbage cars", they only come out at night and when they drive by it fills the air with that terrible stink. As soon as we got to the proper street, there it was- one of the most popular pieces of Taiwanese street eats (in America anyway); BUBBLE TEA. Ali told me that this store had just opened so everything was buy one get one free. The man let us try some free samples, Ali told me that it was honey and lemon flavored: and it was so good. While we were walking down the crowded streets Ali and Joy both grabbed my hands, as natural as could be, just so we could stay together and no one would get lost.
We crossed the hectic street to get closer to the food stands and oh my goodness: I thought we were going to die. If I had crossed a street in America the way we crossed that street last night, I would have gotten killed. The cars here are pretty good at watching out for pedestrians however, the motorcycles and scooters that make up most of the traffic are not. That is probably due to the fact that most of the people who drive them are very young. Ali told me that in Taiwan you have to be 20 years old to drive a car and only 18 to drive a motorcycle. She thought it was crazy that I was allowed to drive in America. :-P
The other side of the street had many different foods that are popular to night markets throughout Taiwan. There were absolutely IMMENSE sausage type thing, Joy said that they are home pa's favorite. (Oh, that is what we all call my host father. He told us he did not want to come to the night market because there were too many people- I get where he is coming from :-P) Next to that was what looked a lot like the typical american version of pork friend rice, a dumpling stand that let you choose what fillings to put in the dumpling, drink stands that looked almost like smoothies, and then what we got: Fried Chicken. Now I know what you all are thinking- "Chelsea, you are in Taiwan, a food capitol of the world; and you choose fried chicken?"- No, Ali and Joy told me it was one of their favorite things to eat there. I quickly found out why. It is not like American fried chicken. You can actually decipher chicken from breading, and it is not very greasy. Ali and I split a piece of spicy chicken, which does the name justice, and Joy got plain. It was absolutely delicious.
I walked through the market with chicken in one hand, camera in the other. It was so amazing to see this many people in one place, for something that happens every night. You can find anything at the night market- and all for very cheap. Ali and Joy showed me this special restaurant (they call anything that is out of the ordinary or very nice, special) called "Modern Toilet". One of the stranger, but more interesting places I have seen in Taipei. It is a novelty restaurant, with toilets as chairs with glittery lids; and they shape their food like- well, like poop. I couldn't help but laugh. Ali told me that someday her, home pa, and Joy would bring me there to eat.
Eventually we made our way to a very colorful little stand. Again it was special. a man sitting in front of the stand was bending beautifully colored wires into cute little key chains, and statue figures. Ali let Joy and I pick out the shape we wanted and we got key chains made with our name on them.
After walking around for about another hour we went to a restaurant that served what Ali and Joy call "snow ice". We shared coffee, and green tea flavored ice with red beans on the side- beans are eaten with sweet things here. It was so good, and worth the 15 minute wait in line. Ali says that the place we went to is the best place to get snow ice in Taipei. It has been around since she was very young.
We returned to the street lined with food to pick home pa up some fried chicken and dumplings before we began our hike back to the parking lot- it was almost midnight. On our way to the car, Joy had a cockroach scamper across here foot. She shrieked- Ali and I, laughed. :-)
We went home, where home pa was watching t.v. (a lot of Taiwanese television is in English). He was happy to see us and told Joy and I that he liked our key rings. Joy and I got in the shower, I let her go first seeing as how she has school today, and we went to bed. I gave a short "wan an" to home ma and home pa first, they were excited that I remembered how they taught me to say goodnight.
Today I will be headed to Danshui with Ali; where two of home pa's, friend's, sons will be showing me around the city. I can't wait to tell you all about it.
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