豬腳飯／猪脚饭 zhūjiǎo fàn - pig feet rice, big knuckle rice

Wondering what Taiwanese people eat in Taiwan? My friends in the U.S. often ask me that question. Here is the update of life in Taiwan.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in my hometown, Jhongli (中坜). If you are in Taiwan, you have to, have to, have to try zhūjiǎo fàn. It is a very well-known dish in Taiwanese cuisine. The taste lets me know I am home. :)

開同學會／开同学会 kāi tóngxué huì - to hold classmate reunion 

I am slowly acclimatized to Taiwan. Still jet-lagged, I operate as I recall how the way things work in Taiwan. However, I was happy to attend a junior high school tóngxué huì (同学会) on my second day back in Taiwan. I had not seen most of the people in this crowd for over 10 years! It was great to see them all again! When was your last class reunion? :)

機車／机车 jīchē 

1. scooter  

e.g. 我會騎機車。／我会骑机车。Wǒ huì qí jīchē. - I can ride a scooter. 

2. describe someone is annoying and difficult to get along with  

e.g. 我的老闆很機車。／我的老板很机车。Wǒde lǎobǎn hěn jīchē - My boss is annoying. 

I walked around Jhongli all afternoon long today! I was reminded of the large number of scooters in Taiwan. So here is a new word as well as a Taiwan-based cultural expression in Mandarin, that is jīchē. If you live in Taiwan, don't feel confused when someone says to you, "you are so scooter!" They mean something else. ;)

早餐／早餐 zǎocān - breakfast

蛋餅／蛋饼 dànbǐng - Taiwanese-style egg roll

奶茶／奶茶 nǎichá - milk tea

Today is my day 1 back in Taiwan. I am currently staying with my mother in my hometown, Jhongli or Chungli (中壢／中坜). I slept only for 7 hours last night, which was a lot less than my usual 8 or 9-hour of sleep. I woke up early and asked to get dropped off at one of my favorite breakfast store. Here is an introduction to common Taiwanese-style breakfast (早餐 zǎocān), 蛋饼 dànbǐng ＋ 奶茶 nǎichá. They are so tasty. I am grateful to be home!

韭菜／韭菜 jiǔcài - Chinese leek

餃子／饺子 jiǎozi - dumplings

I am finally back in Taiwan! After nearly 24-hour travel with very little sleep, I needed some home-made food to recoperrate my energy. Here is my the first meal I had after I arrived Taiwan. My mother made me some Chinese leek jiǎozi. They were so good! 

*Mandarin Vocabulary: 

墨西哥／墨西哥 Mòxīgē - Mexico 

文化／文化 wénhuà - culture

Hola! I had a chance to experience a foreign culture when I was in Arksans, that is, Mexican style! Mexican people are some of the warmest and the most generous people I have ever known! I really enjoyed Mexican people and their culture. 

Now, here is a video of me breaking it down Mexican-Peggy style! :D

草莓／草莓 cǎoméi - 1. strawberry 2. hickey, love bite

Here is an interesting double-meaning in Chinese vocabulary. Did you know the word "strawberry" also means "hickey" in Chinese? A hickey does seem like a love strawberry to you, doesn't it? It all makes sense! :*) Learn how to say more fruit in Chinese from the video lesson below. 

*Mandarin Vocabulary: 

咖啡／咖啡 kāfēi - coffee (loanword)

拿鐵／拿铁 nátiě - latte (loanword)

My daily indulgence is coffee! What is yours? :)

地震／地震 dìzhèn - earthquake

A 6.3 magnitutue earthquake took place in Taiwan yesterday. My prayers go out to my people in Taiwan. 

Image source.