God Said, 'Let There Be Night Markets'

And so there were.

The day started off on a schedule, with me arising at 6:00 am to train so I could spend the night frolicking around town. A problem with schedules (well, maybe just mine) is that they leave very little room for flexibility, so if one is thrown a curve ball, any chance at punctuality flies out the window. So is what happened to me upon my return, when, drenched with sweat, I discovered the electricity (meaning the lights to my room and shower) were shut off. Splendid.

I immediately devised potential options: 1) don’t shower, 2) shower in total darkness, or 3) shower with the door open and utilize the tiny bit of natural sunlight coming in through the window. I chose door #3. It ended up not being too bad, although I was quite impressed with myself for shaving legs I couldn’t see. Full of pride at accomplishing such a feat, I turned off the water and grabbed my towel, only to suddenly have the lights come on. Sometimes I just love my life.

Lab, always a breeding ground for education and communicative dysfunction, proved no different today. This was my third time doing a subculture (the first I've done completely on my own) and I performed it all without notes, solely on the basis of comprehension. As I was finishing up and Zhuo was performing his cultures at a rate that put me to shame, I commented, “一个月以前, 我都不能作, 可是现在我 能作了.” (A month ago I couldn’t do anything, but now I can.)

Then I proceeded to tell him in America that we have this saying, “Third time’s a charm.”

Halfway through my sentence I realized I was an idiot and shouldn’t have brought it up, because now I have to explain with my limited and pathetic vocabulary.

I resorted to saying something along the lines like, ‘You can miss it the first time, miss it the second time, but you should get it the third time.’ But I think I implied a sense of urgency on the third try, and perhaps alarmed him in the process.

所以第一还有第二次可以, 可是第三不行吗?
(So the first and second time is okay, but the third isn’t?)

His expression seemed to beg the question, what happens to the people who don’t make it on the third try? The crestfallen face appeared to imply that all third-try failures were taken to some mythical field of torture and promptly executed.

I attempted to clarify this misperception and I think I did somewhat, although part of me wonders how successful I really was. That will certainly teach me to introduce American slang and proverbs to non-native speakers.

And after that there was a small earthquake, in which no one really seemed to flinch.

Why do all the interesting things happen in bunches?

Following bathing without luminescence, assuring Zhuo America was not filled with impatient executioners waiting to shoot scientific disappointments, and having the fourth floor sway from side to side, I decided I needed a drink. But seeing as I don’t, I decided to do the next best thing: NIGHT MARKET!

As much as I love Shilin, there are so many other night markets I felt I needed to check out. This evening I paid a visit to the ‘Gongguan’ Night Market, adjacent to National Taiwan University, the most well-known university on the island and referred to by the locals as 台大(Tai Da). I've got to say I wasn't that impressed, and after the encounters I had, I really have no desire whatsoever to return.

Afternoon view of the market.

Night-time view of Roosevelt Rd.

As I was coming out of the MRT station, I passed a clothing store with a gorgeous skirt that caught my eye--a diamond in the rough of ticky-tack clothing. I stopped to check it out and saw a shirt I liked a lot, too, and the total came out to $880. The seller came up to me and said 'OK?' and I said, 'Let me think about it for a minute.' (Apparently 'a minute' equates to 2.6 seconds here.) She offered me a discount to $850, and I gave her a look an said 'Bianhua bu hen da' (that's not a very big change). In U.S. currency that was less than a dollar, big whoop. Then she came back with $800. In my view, that still wasn't that great, as it was only about 10% off and the equivalent of a $2.50 US discount. I would have payed $700, so I offered $600, expecting the counteroffer, but it never came.

'六百?!?! 不行!!!' ($600?!? Not okay!) And before you could say 'Ni hao,' the clothes were ripped from my hands and put back on the rack for a future buyer. I don't know if she was expecting me to come back with $700, so I just left. The bummer is I really liked those two pieces and wouldn't have minded paying $800, but I know from talking to friends everything is relatively cheap to make, so I was simply playing the game.

But the night was still young, and shortly thereafter I was able to succesfully add to my freshly-established night market 'Wall of Shame.'

I strolled along looking for gustatory inspiration when I noticed a long line of people in front of a food stand. I figured there must be a line for a reason, and locals certainly know best, so I hopped in. Turns out it was a line for these small desserts, which resembled small pop-overs with a choice of filling: red-bean or custard. I thought they were really interesting and since I hadn't taken many pictures of food stands, got my camera out and shot a photo. As soon as the flash went off, the two cooks jerked their heads up and looked at me as if I were a lost mouse in a field and they were hawks who hadn't eaten in days. After glaring and yelling at me, they pointed to the sign of camera with a red line through it (I hadn't seen it as it was placed rather high and I was around the corner at the time) and then, from what I could tell from their gestures, demanded my picture to be erased. I fumbled around and pretended to erase it, more because I forgot how than because I really wanted the picture, but kept the photo nonetheless. So ha, that will teach them to yell at me!

The secret food which one should apparently protect with his or her life. Very tasty, but if I wanted to steal the elusive recipe, couldn't I have just bought some, taken them home, and analyzed the ingredients?

After that incident, my patience and energy were wearing thin, and all I wanted to do was get some food and go home. The food variety and market atmosphere could not compare to Shilin, so I just looked for something to put in my stomach before leaving. I found a traditional stand with barbeque skewers, and ordered a couple. I asked the owner if I could take a picture, and he laughed like it was a stupid question, and smiled and said, of course. Gah, I don't get these people!

A food stand on the side of the road, merely one of many. Skewers consist of various meat, vegetable, and tofu variations, and they grill them on the spot for you. This guy was very nice, and the product quite yummy.

Some motorcyles getting towed. Won't their owners be in for a surprise!

So now I am back and waiting for tomorrow. After a good night's sleep and some rest, I should hopefully be more productive and in better spirits Saturday. However, who knows what kind of manic locals I'll come across in the next 48 hours.

And I still really, really need that drink.