A shorty

I was talking to one of my coworkers today before going home and while I can’t recall the conversation that we had, I found it interesting that they pointed out that I have a set number of replies to a lot things in Chinese. While its not something that I do purposely it is something that I just noticed happens frequently.

According to my coworker my set phrases are:

為什麼嗎why?

我不知道啊 I don't know

對不起阿I am sorry

我明白啦I see/understand.

我很好 I am good.

我非常餓I'm very hungry.

好啦好啦 Ok Ok.

你呢 And you? How about you

我/你是笨蛋 I'm/You're an idiot.

我聽不懂 I don't understand.

There are a few others but at the moment I can’t remember them, so when I do I will edit this with the rest. It seems strange that I have a set come back for a lot of thigns in Chinese, but then again it seems that I follow a lot patterns. Also being that these are the first words that I learned to memorize I think that it is appropriate that they are my “auto-replies”

I am Chububobcat and thanks for reading~

You know you have been in Taiwan too long when…

I recently came across a blogger who had a list of things to show you have been in Taiwan longer than the average 外國人 should. So I thought that I would repost it in my blog, and add a few of my own to his already HUGE list. Hoping you enjoy, Chububobcat from Taichung.

1. You can order the entire McDonald's menu in Chinese.
2. You decide it makes more sense to ride on a scooter than driving a car.
3. More than one garment has been ruined by betel-nut spit.
4. Someone doesn't stare at you and you wonder why.
5. You look both ways before crossing the sidewalk.
6. When you order an import beer & find your self drinking Bud Select.
7. You turn left from the right lane.
8. 70 degrees Fahrenheit feels cold.
9. You see three people on a motorcycle and figure there's room for two more.
10. "Squid" sounds better than "steak".
11. You don't notice the smell.
12. There are more things strapped to your scooter than you ever put in a car.
13. Looking at a dog makes you hungry.
14. You stop conjugating verbs.
15. You drive on the shoulder to pass traffic.
16. The main reason you stop at a 7-11 is to buy tea eggs.
17. You expect a Chinese New Year's bonus.
18. Firecrackers don't wake you up.
19. You spend two hours and US$75 to go get potato skins and buffalo wings.
20. You can distinguish Taiwanese from Hakka.
21. Your family stops asking you when you'll be coming back.
22. Taxi drivers are considered "good drivers".
23. You withdraw your money from the bank during Chinese missile tests.
24. Beer really isn't so expensive.
25. You stop and look both ways before driving through a red light.
26. "A", "an" and "the" aren't necessary parts of speech.
27. You know when the next "big bai-bai" is.
28. Getting drunk is an expected part of meeting your girlfriends family.
29. You don't mind when your date picks her/his nose in public.
30. You wear out your horn before your brakes.
31. The police call you to get information about other foreigners.
32. You know which place has the best noodles & duck meat at 3:00 a.m.
33. a) You (male) wear white socks with suits and black socks with tennis shorts.
b) You (female) wear socks with pantyhose in summer.
34. People who knew you when you first arrived don't recognize you.
35. You speak Chinese to your foreign friends.
36. You own a karaoke machine.
37. None of your shoes have laces.
38. Chinese stop you on the street to ask for directions.
39. You leave the plastic on new furniture.
40. Forks feel strange.
41. You can spot the differences between the China News and the China Post.
42. The shortest distance between two points involves going through an alley.
43. You wear blue rubber flip-flops at work.
44. People don't see you for months, and when they do, they don't ask you where you've been.
45. Your deodorant stick has cobwebs on it.
46. You check that the karaoke machine is working before boarding a wild chicken bus.
47. Chinese remakes of Western songs sound better than the originals.
48. You stare at other foreigners.
49. Over half of your clothes were bought at night markets.
50. You become an expert on bug zappers: the best brands & where to get them.
51. The majority of foreigners who have been in Taiwan longer than you are buried here.
52. You find yourself spending a large portion of your pay for “school functions."
53. You know which turn signal should be on when driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
54. You get homesick for Chinese food while away from Taiwan.
55. Praying at a temple for a winning lottery number becomes a regular thing to do.
56. It becomes a tradition that at least a part of Christmas dinner is stir-fried.
57. Other foreigners give you a funny look when you tell them how long you've been here.
58. You can't think of any good reason to leave.
59. The Statute of Limitations has expired and you still don't go home.
60. You understand that smiling and nodding is Chinese body language for "Stop speaking bad Mandarin and leave me alone."
61. Passing a construction site, you realize metal scaffolding is much more dangerous than bamboo.
62. That using sticks and branches are the proper way to warn other drivers of potential road hazards such as holes in the road, and even when a orange cone is available you still pull a branch from a near by tree top off the cone.
63. The last few vacations you've had have been around Taiwan on company outings.
64. You've used up more than one phone card on local calls.
65. Locals are surprised to find out you can't vote in the upcoming election.
66. Your pets are bilingual.
67. Pizza just doesn't taste right unless there's corn on it.
68. Your preferred parking spot is on a sidewalk (and you get upset when someone else parks there).
69. Most meaningful conversations take place in doorways or on slow-moving scooters.
70. You can de-bone a piece of chicken in your mouth within seconds.
71. Your job title has more than three words.
72. You think the service in the restaurants isn't THAT bad.
73. You serve Shaoshing wine at home.
74. You're constantly the first on the elevator to hit the "door close" button.
75. You start cutting off the gravel trucks.
76.You prefer squat toilets.
77.You find having a scooter to be fun.
78.You eat squid on a stick.
79.You no longer find those strange and humorous articles in the paper to send home.
80.Your most commonly used Mandarin phrase is no longer "wo ting bu dong".
81.Your answer to an "either/or" question is "yes".
82.When the fashions in the stores look really hip.
83.You're into Sumo on NHK.
84.When chou tofu is no longer stinky.
85.You go to a nice restaurant and look for the rice bowl to put your food in.
86.You wish they had Lazy Susans in the middle of the tables at TGI Fridays.
87.You spend more time driving ON the lines instead of in between them.
88.You read books from back to front.
89.You start to like Kaoliang brandy more than XO.
90.You think packs of dogs are cute.
91.You are on home leave and you say "xie xie" instead of thank you.
92.You tell friends you are going back home when leaving your home country.
93.You're ready to name the betel nut as a nutritional supplement.
94.You think that $3,000,000NT for a golf club membership is a steal.
95.You get frustrated when driving in the US because you can’t pass in the on coming lane.
96.You think the Taipei-Tamsui ferry is world class cruising.
97.You think that Taiwan is really trying to protect endangered species.
98.Your pinkie nail is over one inch long.
99.You stop using spell check on your word processor.
100.You buy round trip air tickets from Taipei.
101.You are worried when you DON'T see the soldiers on a bridge.
102.You think that ICRT is quality radio.
103.You tell the taxi drivers to hurry up.
104.You think your nose IS kind of big.
105.You hum along to the tunes in the taxi.
106.You've left umbrellas in more than 3 resturants.
107.You understand ICRT traffic reports.
108.You keep stuffed animals in your car.
109.You think walking up Yangmingshan looks like fun.
110.When US $4.00 is just about right for a cup of coffee.
111.You can tell the difference between Spring rain, the Plum rain, and the rainy season.
112.The last time you visited your mother you presented her with your business card.
113.The latest you can stay out is 11:30 pm, even on a weekend.
114.You can tell, just by looking, which moon cake has the egg in it.
115.You're getting allergic to fresh air.
116.You get used to being waken up by the "dump-truck tune" instead of a clock.
117.Cable TV reminds you of boring commercials and stock market advisories.
118.Everything you own is pirated or second hand.
119.You start to treat your scooter like a spouse.
120.You get used to the habit of not paying any tips while traveling.
121.Your first reaction in buying things is to ask for discounts.
122.Your first reaction in hearing the national anthem is to think of the Chinese elementary school.
123.You get addicted to MSG.
124.You get dogdoophobia -- the fear of stepping on dog doo when walking around.
125.You say "Wei?" instead of "Hello?" when you pick up the phone.
126.The red light is merely suggestive to you.
127.You talk on your cellular phone, play Tetris, smoke, and chew betel nuts, all at the same time.
128.You always ask your best friend back home when he's going to get a motorcycle.
129.You greet people by inspecting whatever they're carrying or telling them how fat they've gotten.
130.You can no longer tell the difference between a burp and the hiccups, a cracker and a cookie, or toast and bread.
131.You're on a first name basis with the staff at the local KTV.
132. The perfect date ends at a KTV.
133. You end your IMs, E-mails, and SMS’s with 88 instead of bye-bye or ttyl.
134. You find western foods to be too sweet or too salty.
135. You have lost your celebrity status as a novality westerner.
136. People no longer assume you don’t speak Chinese, and will start in whole conversations in Hakka.
137. You think people who don’t own 2 or more scooter/motorcycles are strange.
138. Instead of being afraid of the coming typhoon you are planning your free day from work.
139. You no longer think it is strange to see police casually driving around with their sirens on.
140. You’re no longer amazed that people run red lights when the police are on the other side of the street.
141. Not having place to do a U-turn safely doesn’t stop you.
142. You notice that your English skills have diminished when talking to people who have newly arrived.
143. You don’t see any problem with setting off fireworks in the middle of the street.
144. You no longer find that people talking about you behind your back in Chinese to be disturbing, you just join in the conversation.
145. When you think of the garbage truck when you hear Beethoven’s Fur Elise.

Well I thought this might bring some cheer to someone’s other wise boring day.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Taiwanese Houses

I have been looking to buy my own house here in Taiwan for quite sometime, which has given me a long time to think about the type the style the features and location of the house that I want. Which has also lead me to looking at and in some cases downloading over 500 different pictures of these houses. Since I am not finished writing the entry about buying a house I figured I could show you the pictures of the places that I was looking into buy. I don’t remember the exact location of each house, and going back through my Firefox history to figure out the sites that I downloaded them from seems a little tedious. So just enjoy the pictures of the nice houses and feel that you learned something today and enriched your life in some way.

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This house is spectacular, but comes with a spectacular price tag too, if I remember correctly it was something like $900-1.2million US.

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This last house is the one I really want but at 29 million NT I don't think I can afford it. But it has everything I want, close to work, good neighborhood, lots of space inside, security, and something that is rare in a congested area like this a back and front lawn. I think I could put up with some crazy neighbors to have that luxury.

Well these are just a few of the 500 places that I have looked at I hope you liked them as much as I do and talk to you later. CB~

Taipei Times Article About Thanksgiving

The other day I some how got conned into being the planner for this years Thanksgiving activity day. Well to tell the truth I know how I got conned but still doesn’t make it any less subversive. Since I only have 5 days to plan the activity and 2 get everything ready I came up with the half hearted idea to do a Thanksgiving dinner, some coloring activities that revolve around English, and a few other small things. When I told my vice principal jokingly of course about the turkey course she jumped all over the idea and before I could explain the joke she was making arrangements for me to cook in the school kitchen. Oh boy. I have never cooked a Turkey before so here is where the topic of this blurb comes in.

Gluttony as patriotic duty

By David Chen
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Nov 19, 2009, Page 13

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and now is the time to make dinner plans if you haven't started already.

This traditional American family get-together means a roast turkey dinner for most. Die-hards who insist on preparing on their own should look no further than their local Costco store, which is selling uncooked turkeys weighing around 4.5kg to 5.5kg (10lb to 12lb) for NT$1,999. All stores are taking advance orders now for pickup next Thursday.

For those who have big appetites but little time, the Taipei Times looks at the plentiful options for Thanksgiving at Taipei restaurants, which include dine-in and take-out, as well as a few choices in Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.

Dining In (under NT$650 per person)

Carnegie's serves its standard Thanksgiving meal all day next Thursday, at NT$490 per person for lunch and NT$630 for dinner, with no service charge. Along with the requisite roast turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce, the set includes mashed potatoes, vegetable casserole, stuffing, butter rolls and cranberry and spinach salad with citrus dressing. For dessert, it's pumpkin cheesecake with coffee or tea. Address: 100, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段100號). Tel: (02) 2325-4433

Citizen Cain is offering Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday and Friday. The bar and restaurant's dinner set includes hearty cream of mushroom soup, roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes with gravy, broccoli and cauliflower with cheese and homemade pie. If you're too stuffed to move afterwards, stay for another Thanksgiving tradition: live NFL football on TV. The cost of dinner is NT$590 per person; online reservations get a 5 percent discount. Drink specials include Don Paul Malbec (Argentina) at NT$780 per bottle, Carlsberg at NT$299 per pitcher and Stella Draft at NT$399 per pitcher. Address: 67 Dongfeng St, Taipei City (台北市東豐街67號). Tel: (02) 2708-4557

The Tavern is aiming for the late crowd - a day late, that is. Next Friday from 7pm to 10pm, the sports bar serves a Thanksgiving spread that includes the standard roast turkey, gravy, stuffing and pumpkin pie. Prices are NT$550 per person for adults (includes a glass of California white or red wine) and NT$300 per person for children. Address: 415, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段415號). Tel: (02) 8789-0892

Dining In (above NT$650 per person)

Capone's is serving a prix fixe Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday evening for six to eight persons at NT$850 per patron, plus 10 percent service charge. For the same price, there's a set menu for individual diners, which includes a "buttery stuffing celery stick" with Waldorf salad, a choice of mushroom or pumpkin soup, roast turkey with cranberry sauce and stuffing, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, and vegetables with gravy. Dessert choices are either pecan or apple pie with ice cream. Those lucky enough to have been born in November get 50 percent off the meal. Reservations are required for the prix fixe dinner and recommended in general. Address: 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號). Tel: (02) 2773-3782

Chicago-themed restaurant Dan Ryan's offers its traditional Thanksgiving dinner next Thursday, which includes roast turkey, walnut green beans and candied yams, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and homemade gravy for NT$700. The price goes up to NT$825 for an additional salad with creamy Italian dressing, pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie. The children's dinner special is NT$500 and does not include dessert. All dinner sets are available for takeout, and whole 4.5kg to 5.5kg (10lb to 12lb) turkeys with stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce are available for NT$3,500. Turkeys without the trimmings are NT$2,500, and whole pumpkin pies are NT$600. Turkeys-to-go must be ordered three days in advance. Address: 8 Dunhua N Rd, Taipei City (台北市敦化北路8號). Tel: (02) 2778-8800

The Grand Hyatt Taipei's Cafe has an excellent buffet spread for NT$880, plus 10 percent service charge. This year the restaurant says its "Thanksgiving Turkey Station" will feature roast turkey with bread and sage stuffing, as well as chestnuts and Brussels sprouts topped with giblet gravy and cranberry sauce. Even though the Grand Hyatt Cafe is a usually a good last-minute choice, call ahead to make sure they're not fully booked. Address: 2F, 2 Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路2號2樓). Tel: (02) 2720-1200, X3198 or X3199

Grandma Nitti's celebrates Thanksgiving from next Thursday until next Sunday with a dinner set of roast turkey, a choice of Japanese-style or Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, tea or coffee, and a glass of wine for NT$880, plus 10 percent service charge. Take-out dinner sets, which the restaurant says will feed up to 15 people, include turkeys ranging from 4.5kg to 5.5kg (10lb to 12lb), mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy; prices are calculated at NT$250 per pound of turkey [1kg = 2.2lb]. Pumpkin pie can be ordered as part of the take-out set for an additional NT$400 or ordered individually for NT$560 each. Dinner starts at 5pm. Make reservations or place take-out orders by this Sunday (Nov. 22). Address: 8, Ln 93, Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路93巷8號). Tel: (02) 2369-9751

Adding a French touch to Thanksgiving,La Brasserie at The Landis Taipei (亞都麗緻大飯店) also offers meals from next Thursday until next Sunday. The set menu starts off with bacon and cheese vol-au-vent (a puff pastry), salad and minestrone soup with Merguez sausage. The main course includes a serving of turkey breast and leg with cranberry sauce and truffle mushroom stuffing, and sides of sweet potatoes, chestnuts and seasonal vegetables. For dessert, it's pumpkin pie served with pecan nuts and vanilla ice cream and coffee or tea. The price is NT$980, plus 10 percent service charge. Address: 41, Minquan E Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市民權東路二段41號). Tel: (02) 2597-1234

Take-out Thanksgiving Meals

The Deli at the Sheraton Hotel offers three types of hampers for Thanksgiving and Christmas priced at NT$2,800 each. The turkey set comes with port wine and giblet sauce and cranberry jelly, the "Roasted Virginia Ham" is garnished with Hawaiian pineapple and raisin and apple sauces, while the "roasted US beef hamper" comes with beef gravy and horseradish sauce. An additional NT$700 gets you a full assortment of trimmings, including sausage and cornbread stuffing, mashed red-skin potatoes with fresh thyme, roasted vegetables and sweet potato bread. Eight-inch pumpkin pies are NT$800. All hampers are available until Dec. 31. Orders must be placed at least three days in advance. Address: 12, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路一段12號). Tel: (02) 2321-5858 ext. 8373

The Grand Formosa Regent's Thanksgiving basket includes a 6kg (13lb) roast hen turkey and stuffing made with green apples and chestnuts imported from France. Side dishes are mixed mushrooms, "fresh glazed vegetables" and mashed potatoes. The set is available from now until Christmas and costs NT$3,000. Orders must be placed in at least three days in advance. Six-inch pumpkin pies made by the hotel's French chef are also available for NT$500. Address: 41, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市中山北路二段41號B3). Tel: (02) 2523-8000 ext. 3157

Liz Gastro's at the Landis Taipei offers a take-out turkey hamper for six people or so, which includes a bacon-basted roast turkey weighing around 5kg (11lb) and seasonal vegetables with freshly made cranberry sauce for NT$2,980. The hampers are available until Christmas and orders placed at least three days in advance receive a 10 percent discount. Address: 41, Minquan E Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市民權東路二段41號). Tel: (02) 2598-5558

Wendel's German Bakery and Bistro offers a Thanksgiving hamper for six to eight people for NT$4,500. The set includes a 6kg (13lb) roast turkey, sherry gravy, glazed chestnuts, Brussels sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes, a house specialty cake, baguette and a bottle of Rivaner or Dornfelder rose wine. All items are available separately; contact the restaurant for prices. Orders must be placed three days in advance. Address: 5 Dexing W Rd, Taipei City (台北市德行西路5號). Tel: 2831-4592

The Westin Taipei's Thanksgiving set is NT$3,500 and includes a turkey weighing approximately 6kg (13lb), roast potatoes, buttered broccoli, wild berry sauce and chestnut stuffing. Orders must be placed three days in advance. Address: 2F, 133, Nanjing E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (南京東路三段133號2樓). Tel: (02) 8770-6565

TAICHUNG
PJ’s Cafe has been offering a price-busting Thanksgiving dinner for 12 years. For NT$195, diners get one plateful of turkey, mashed potato, stuffing, cranberry sauce and coleslaw. The owner, American expatriate PJ McKenna, says that one plate usually manages to satisfy the appetites of most customers, but if it doesn’t, a second plate certainly will. A vegetarian option is also available. Dinner will be served next Thursday and Friday. Address: 23 Dayeh Rd, Taichung City (台中市大業路23號). Tel: (04) 2325-2457

KAOHSIUNG:
The Splendor Kaohsiung (高雄金典酒店) offers a simple Thanksgiving takeout hamper. The set includes a 6kg (12lb) turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce, an assortment of bread rolls and a bottle of 750ml of French red wine for NT$2,600. Three days’ advance notice is needed, and orders placed before Nov. 25 receive a 10 percent discount. Address: 37F-85F, 1, Zihciang 3rd Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市自強三路一號37-85樓). Tel: (07) 566-1149

TAINAN:
The Evergreen Plaza Hotel (台糖長榮酒店) in Tainan has several holiday takeout hampers available until Christmas. The turkey basket, which is NT$2,288, includes a 5kg to 6kg (11lb to 13lb) turkey with black pepper sauce and port wine and giblet sauce, chestnut bread rolls, and a choice of a 7-inch pumpkin pie or four pumpkin cupcakes. An alternative to turkey is the Thai roast chicken basket, which includes the same side dishes and three honey-roasted chickens each weighing between 250g to 300g, for NT$1,988. Orders must be placed three days in advance. Address: 1, Ln 336, Jhonghua E Rd, Tainan City (台南市東區中華路三段336巷1號). Tel: (06) 337-3861

I am Chububobcat wishing you a happy thanksgiving and a happy holidays