Cheese problems at Subway

I just encountered the food shortage problem at Subway today.

I noticed that when they made a large sub, they used to put 4 slices of cheese on. Lately they have only been putting 2. I thought this might just be the location that I went to. However, my friend also had the same experience at another location.

So today I asked what was going on. The girl there told me that their cheese came from Australia and that, because of drought, the cows weren't producing as much milk as usual. Also they pointed me to a fax that was posted. It said that the cheese problem was due to crops being shifted to ethanol production. With ethanol being so hot, more crops like corn are being planted to meet the demand and that means other land is being taken out of use for solely food production, for growing vegetables and fruit and raising animals.

I'm not sure what the clear connection is but the food shortage problem is in line with what has been happening in other parts of the world.

Oil prices have reached $117 a barrel. Egypt is trying to stem riots over the price of flour for breads and pasta. Vegetables in Taiwan are getting more and more expensive (this also happens after floods and typhoons because of crop damage). Even vegetable oil, a main staple of Chinese cooking,is creeping up. Things everyone took for granted are being affected.

If conversion to ethanol is really the problem then here is the crux of the environmental movements problem. Drastic changes like this have destabilizing effects as investors gauge the new value of the crops for fuel. And besides, is ethanol really a decent solution or even a stop-gap measure?

Oil and electricity prices have been capped until May 20. What happens after that is anyone's guess. Suddenly, that fourth nuclear reactor for Taiwan doesn't seem like such a bad idea. I wonder if the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) folks will soften under such energy need pressures. Would you rather have coal or prohibitively expensive and sometimes impractical alternative energy (wind, solar, hydro) which amount to just a trickle of what the country needs?

There are some difficult decisions to be made. For now, I decide to let those two extra slices of cheese go and pay the same price so I guess I'm doing my part.

Frankie's Pies and More

Here's a little plug for a friend of mine. He runs a pie shop (not fruit pies though...).

I can vouch for the food. It's decent, authentic and tasty.

We wish him well in his business venture!

Frankie's Pies and More
Open 7 days a week 11:00 to 23:00.

How to get there:
Go to Tinghsi MRT Station (Yellow Line) Exit 2. Turn left, at traffic lights turn left again. You are now in Wen Hua Rd.

Address:
Yong He City, Wen Hua Rd, #31
Google Maps link

On the menu:
Pies:
Pepper steak $95
Vegetables and Cheese $80 (completely vegetarian, no egg)
Chicken and Cheese $85
Chicken Curry $85
Chicken and Mushroom $80
Italian Steak $95

Burgers:
Hamburger $80 (Homemade pork patty)
Chicken burger cheese $80
Burger Chicken Ole $80

Quiche $60/slice ( New flavors daily)

Salads big $60 Small $40

Chips $35 (Frankie's own special flavoring)

Deep Fried Chicken, Salad, thai sauce $90

A message from Frank:
This is just to give you an idea of what we are doing at the moment. We have sets available and much more is coming.

Hope to see you soon.

Frank Thiart

Thank you so much for your support.

Contact info:

Email:	frankiespie@gmail.com
Office:	02-29263535

Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19188971223&ref=nf

McDonalds will do anything...

... to get the S.H.E. girls into tight fitting red leather... for promotional reasons of course.

Come to think of it, I know a few people who would also (well at least the two on the right).

Shi Ba La Dice Game 史八豆

If you are wasted after going to a pub, this scene might be familiar to you: the sausage seller.

I'm personally not a big fan of the meat sausages which are quite sweet and definitely fatty. Locals, upon being told this, will most definitely say that their aroma on the BBQ is heavenly! However, I do recommend the rice sausages which BBQ quite nicely too.

It's funny why there only seems to be two kinds of sausages for the Taiwanese. My wife came to Canada and was delighted to find many different kinds sold by vendors along the street at lunch hour. Furthermore, I bought some German bratwurst for the inlaw BBQ last weekend and they really went for it!

So getting back to my original story, the sausage sellers position themselves outside of drinking establishments in order to take advantage of the drunk, munchie-wanting crowd. In order to liven up the experience, they play a dice game. You can see a bowl in the forefront of the picture with the dice inside. You roll the dice in the bowl. Basically you gamble for the price of your sausage. It's optional, don't worry, although the seller will be delighted if you play!

The game is called 史八豆 and it's often misspelled in Chinese characters. No idea how the game is played since I'm not much of a gambler. It's name is a little mystery too but I was told that 豆 'dou' or 'bean' is often used to describe a die (or dice).

Chopsticks: How's your technique???

So which way to hold chopsticks is correct?

Taiwanese often comment on the way I hold my chopsticks (like the top right or bottom left). They are amazed at how proper it looks. This is besides the fact that, even though I've been in Taiwan for almost 10 years, they are still amazed that I can use chopsticks at all.

In fact, most Taiwanese have a very casual way of holding their chopsticks (most like the top left picture but not with the sticks crossed). I think this happens due to them gradually getting more lax holding the chopsticks over time.

Most foreigners, on the other hand, are relative newbies to holding chopsticks. I remember studying the chopstick holding diagram in the Lonely Planet in order to perfect my technique. Thus, we (mostly) have textbook style technique.

I think an interesting parallel happens when comparing holding chopsticks to people holding pens. There supposedly is a 'proper' way and a more relaxed way. I remember teachers trying to correct my relaxed pen holding to no avail. My aunt once said, to the horror of my father, a teacher, that either way gets the job done so either way is ok.

I would agree with her and apply the same thinking to chopsticks holding. One thing the Taiwanese do have to be thankful for is that they were not raised Japanese. The Japanese are infamous for beating out improper chopstick holding from their kids and even forcing lefties to hold with the right. By comparison, the Taiwanese have relative freedom.

BBQ Season Opens!

BBQ season is here now that the warm weather has arrived. Don't put away those winter jackets though. As the Taiwanese say, only put them away after Dragon Boat festival. The meaning is that there could be cold snaps until that time.

We've had three successive BBQ weekends now. Where the BBQ tradition came from for Taiwan is anyone's guess (particularly for Mid-Autumn Festival). All these BBQs and the preparation they require got me thinking about why Taiwanese don't buy gas BBQs to do their BBQing at home? Do Taiwanese actually like dirty charcoal and its smoke? Do they actually embrace the inconvenience? Do they actually embrace the mess? Ok I take back the last one...

Face it, what is more inconvenient than BBQ on a tiny grill sitting on the ground in front of the home? Or what about trying to get the damn charcoal to light?

Well I did get a couple of plausible reasons for Taiwanese not buying a decent gas BBQ. First is the flavor. Like the Japanese, Taiwanese insist the charcoal gives the food a distinct flavor. This is why BBQ restaurants still only use charcoal and therefore require elaborate fume hoods to take away the smoke indoors.

Second is that Taiwanese believe that food should not be directly on gas. Cooking with a pot or pan between the food and the gas element is ok but the gas will affect the food (read poison).

In all my years here, I've only met one person who owns a gas BBQ. I even tested a student who worked in a gas BBQ import/export company here who was astounded when I asked her the question why they didn't sell any gas BBQs on the local market. It had never occurred to her to do so. Just ship them out to America!

For now Taiwanese seem content to squat by pathetic little grills, set on the ground, for hours trying to feed the mass of starving family members. This will continue for the short term in all likelihood.

Let them not eat cake!

... or how to ruin a perfectly good birthday cake.

Taiwanese have this (annoying) custom of destroying (expensive) brithday cakes at gatherings. Some thoughtful person, or the birthday boy or girl themselves, will buy a cake that cost about NT$500 or more (you do the math).

All of a sudden, someone will dip into the cream on the cake and ambush the birthday victim, smearing cream on them starting on the face. People get carried away, dipping their hands into the cake, and then, finally, everyone has cake and cream on them.

Who wants to eat a mauled birthday cake after that?
Who likes to have the smell of cream slowly going bad on their hands, face and clothes?

If it were me, I'd be pretty damn mad. These guys seem to be enjoying themselves though.
Respect the cake man! Respect the birthday boy or girl!

Of Egg Rolls, Vegetarianism and Fortune Cookies

Fortunately I haven't really had much in the way of digestion problems when it comes to Chinese food but I know many expats who do complain an awful lot about food poisoning, too much MSG and general cleanliness of street food (sitting in the sun all afternoon, with hair or cockroach legs in it or with scooter exhaust billowing over it).

Could they just be weak stomachs or picky eaters in general? I feel like a stoic compared to them.

Another thing occurred to me about foreign expectations of Chinese food. This occurs especially for newbies to Asia. Particularly they go looking for egg rolls or maybe fortune cookies in the restos here. Well, I hate to break it to you but these are a little different than you think.

Egg rolls can be found but are not to be eaten with every meal like a side dish. I find they are commonly found in vegetarian restaurants in the vegetarian variety. There are also vegetarian non-fried spring rolls too.

I find it amazing how many foreigners come to Taiwan and proclaim they are vegetarian. The percentage of vegetarians here compared to the general population back home is amazing. That being said, most of these vegetarians are probably vegetarian for health reasons while Taiwanese are mostly vegetarian for religious reasons. So don't expect to necessarily find all healthy vegetarian choices. In fact, at vegetarian restaurants, most food is fried to death!

Getting back to egg rolls, they can be found in the dessert variety as well, presenting in tin boxes like cookies on special occasions.

Speaking of cookies, we can't forget our fortune cookie. To this date, I have never seen one on the island. Let's hope it stays this way! If you want your fortune, you'll have to go to the local temple and take your chances with the fortune tellers there! Good luck to you!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_roll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_cookie

CNN: Chinese Food Unhealthy - General Tso: Nonsense!

...and just who is General Tso anyhow??? And why has he declared war on Americans and their diet? Well you may know the 'famous' dish but do you know the man???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Tso's_chicken

There is actually a kind of following of the General and some details of his exploits.













That's right! There's a war for the hearts and minds, and, more importantly, the stomachs, of the people of the world!

This CNN article/feature is bound to raise a few eyebrows then, maybe even for a few of expats living in Taiwan:
Chinese restaurants a nutritionist's nightmare, group says - CNN.com

Do you agree with the conclusions/suggestions or are you in the camp questioning: then why are Chinese so damn thin?

Anyone have any comments about the Chinese diet?