And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Sum Food

Here's a look at a little bit of the good food in Taiwan. We are surrounded by fresh seafood, noodles of every variety, hotpot (personal pots of boiling water for your chosen ingredients, dipped in your selected sauce), steamed dumplings, egg pancakes, and Japanese style lunchboxes (rice, pickled veggies, egg, mini-eyes-staring-at-you fish, delicious tofu, etc.). There is much to say about the food here, so I will let the photos do the talking. Look for future posts on desserts, vegetarian dishes, etc.

****HotPot Buffet - note the seafood (squid, octopus, shark, etc)****

****Mushrooms, Taro, Fish Products, Green Beans, Yum****

****Fill up your plate as you please, add desired spices to pot, boil, and voila!****

****Different Restaurant: Deep Fried Tofu (Doufu) - less heavy than it sounds; light and crispy on the outside, warm and soft inside****

****Tea and Pastry - lots of good bread and pastry stores here***

****Night Market Steamed Dumpling Deals****

More on Ghost Festival

Great Website about the Keelung Ghost Festival, including origins, mythology, and photos from past events:
Ghost Fest!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Ghost Month via Luodong Night Market

****Click on Photos to Enlarge****

****Not Dead/Only Sleeping****

I'm going to preface this with part of an email I wrote two days ago; it describes the basics of Ghost Month in Taiwan. Afterwards, look for photos from my experiences day 2 of the month.

"Last night was the beginning of Lunar Month July in Taiwan, which means that mid-month (15th) falls on Sunday, August 26.

Ghost Month is unique to Taiwan. It is marked by the opening of the gates of hell, and all "hungry ghosts" (Rough Guide 2007 52) come out to haunt individuals. Taiwanese do not want to talk about the ghosts, because they believe it attracts some of the angrier spirits; that is why we were not told about the parade or start of the holiday yesterday. To appease the spirits and show respect, people pray, burn incense, and burn money in offering daily, though only three days are mandatory for shelling out the cash, the beginning, middle and end of the month (Vickie and Anita).

Not all of the ghosts are bad, or at least, not guaranteed to behave maliciously. According to Kelly, they are not called ghosts, as this attracts the negative ones. They are instead talked about as "hao zhong di" or "hao peng you" (good brother or good friend).

The Ghost Festival in the middle of the month involves the burning of boat effigies and (of course) more money, as well as offering of flowers and fruit, and sacrifices of chicken/duck, pig, and fish (Rough Guide 2007 52). In Keelung, thousands of water lanterns, small floating boats or something of the sort, are released at night over the river with the special intent of calming the spirits of the drowned."

The group participated in a three-team scavenger hunt through the Luodong Night Market this evening, looking for assigned food items that are native to or a specialty of Luodong. Night markets are an important part of Taiwanese culture. They are carnival like in feel, with lots of noise, food vendors, knick-knacks for sale, and games, games, games for kids.
****Julie Playing a Marble Game/Drinking Bubble Tea****

However, they offer quite a bit more in the way of commodities, as a lot of clothing, accessories, and household shopping can be accomplished. There are many families, including grandparents, attending simply out of necessity, looking for practical purchases at the best price.

social development, acting as a neutral ground where groups of teenagers can meet and be asThey offer similar social functions as carnivals or fairs in the United States as well, and are leaned on for these roles more frequently (night markets are nightly, as opposed to the annual county fair). For example, according to one of our Taiwanese advisors, people, particularly teenagers, do not really date too often in Taiwan. Night markets provide a playground for equally interested in each other on a one-on-one level as if they were dating. There are plenty of good things to eat, fun stuff to buy, and friends to talk to, and so it provides an ideal relaxed environment. Many parents bring children to the markets as well, making them quite familiar stomping grounds by the time you are a teenager and looking for anywhere that could possibly allow you to feel confident in front of others.

The Luodong market had a number of fascinating additions in honor of Ghost Month, which included long tables of fresh foods, dead animals, and unopened beverages all arranged delicately and surrounded by clusters of constantly burning incense.

****Fruit/Incense/and a Note written about Next Year (97)****

****At the front of each road/aisle was a slaughtered/flayed pig, complete with writing on the side and a pineapple in the mouth****

****The tables were laden with detailed carvings as well, such as this apparent sage confronting a tiger****

****Some Images were carved out of Standing Watermelons and lit from inside****

****In addition to sacrificed food, people offer incense...****

****...and burn paper money and other paper for appeasement****

We bumped into Ellen, one of the co-teachers, with her 7 year old daughter and 10 year old son. They were on a crowded corner in front of a small grocer. In the middle of the intersection was a stage, blaring music out of mediocre speakers. Songs were sung by nearly-nudes, and everyone was in rapt attention. The majority of onlookers were young or middle-aged males, but couples, children , and young girls were not exempt. Thongs, an open changing room at the side, and music at that volume seem to catch everyone's attention. Both of Ellen's stood with their ears covered, the youngest girl transfixed by the naked bottom on stage. Sex sells because we're human; smart business to take advantage of instinct. Anywhere under the patriarchy and it's typically female sex being sold by males; clearly they train them young as well. Ellen tells us that the women and song are a feature of Ghost Month; apparently the dead don't mind being reminded they have no bodies for the food or sex they see during the month.

****Too Loud For the Performers on Deck****

****Too Loud for the little one, but she can't look away****

****Laura Happy - Loves Ellen's Kids, Not the Girlies****

Field Trip to Dong-ao

The second half of orientation today involved a field trip to Dong-ao Xiao Xue (Elementary School) in Nan-ao township. Within 2 weeks, the 12 ETAs will be assigned to different schools throughout Yilan County, 5 in Yilan City, 5 in Luodong, and 2 in outlying townships in predominantly aboriginal communities. The indigenous groups on Taiwan are primarily of Austro-Indonesian background. Their population is just over 440,000, about 2 percent of Taiwan's 22 million people. However, the vast majority of Taiwanese have some degree of indigenous blood from a long history of marriage integration. Like minority aboriginal groups throughout the world, they face many challenges, but have seen steps to securing more rights within the past few decades, and more recently have been included in a revival (or initial development) of interest for local cultures amongst the average Taiwanese.

The Fulbright teaching program is designed to allow for the maximum impact, which is why part of our commitment will include designing instructional materials and resources for English teachers throughout Taiwan; with any luck, we'll leave much more than a year's worth of teaching when we finally depart. While this facet of the program encourages extensive impact, the move out to the indigenous communities is aimed towards a more intensive impact. Two of us will be welcomed into a community described as close-knit and very appreciative of the Foundation's assistance. In the 3 years of Fulbright education at Dong-ao, children's test scores have increased, as well as their appreciation for learning English.

These teachers will receive as much as they give, as the curricula in these schools emphasize appreciation for and education of traditional indigenous culture. At one school, student's are all required to participate in music, athletic, and dance programs of traditional cultural significance; elementary student dances here are known island-wide.

My first impressions of the community were all very positive. With a population of just 3,000, there is a lot of room for close interaction with the community and substantial subsequent personal growth. I myself would still be confident that there would be many opportunities to practice mandarin within the community, as the majority of students speak mandarin at home, unless, we are told, they are talking to grandparents or elders, in which case they may use and indigenous language. The environment may offer more language reinforcement, as I am sure to develop deeper friendships with community members while simultaneously avoiding some of the distractions of the large(r) cities. My interactions with other ETAs would also be more infrequent; I would be sure to miss out on the company and fun, but see the advantages in regards to my language skills. I'd be willing to make the trade-off, should the situation arise, which is why I am confident that this will be a positive year. I am free to allow my portion of the co-teacher selection (co-teachers are affiliated with specific schools and will be close colleagues, mentors, and ideally, friends throughout the year) to rely on a personality match, an essential element to a successful year.

Rest assured, there is much more to say about both the program and about the indigenous cultures, but I will wait to share in more detail as I learn.

For now, here are some photographs of the trip out to Dong-ao (comfortable charter bus on difficult, winding, cliff-side roads that spill over to the ocean) and the community.

****Out the window during the ride****

****The school is small in population (around 125 children) but beautiful; nestled between mountains and cooled by the breeze of the nearby ocean, the buildings are large and aesthetically pleasing. The grounds are built to exhibit nature as well, harboring a revered, more-than-century old tree amongst other natural goodies. This is a view from the second floor****

****The Elementary school strives to be a bilingual environment, evident of the support for the English program****

****Ronald making sure everyone washes their hands properly; found in the courtyard that also houses the protected tree, the poster provides an interesting contrast****