Mountain Temples

Japan has many temples usually facing the mountain or located up in the mountains.  Both the Shinto and Buddhist religions have a similar style of temple, each using torii gates running from north to south, a series of corridors running east to west, gardens, spaces for prayer, gardens, etc. (I like gardens).  The construction of all Japanese temples are the same; consisting of wood posts and beams, tatami straw mat floors and bark roofs (usually made from cypress).  Recent roof replacements use other materials other than bark.

The temples are not only a place of worship, but also a place of safekeeping of sacred objects and a specialization in certain rites.   We visited many temples while in Japan, and one specific temple, Shinto shrine Fushimi Inari Taisha, is the protectorate of rice and rice wine.  Rice is the most important food of Asia, especially Japan.  I have an appreciation for the protection of all wines, including sake.  So this temple was a must see. 

The fox is considered a messenger of the gods to the Japanese and Fushimi Inari Taisha is protected by foxes.  The fox is prevalent throughout the temple grounds, including the picture below where the fox is holding rice in its mouth.  Quail eat rice, therefore killing and eating this bird helps preserve the sacred rice crop.  The small town below the mountain where the temple is located has many street vendors serving quail.  Since I find quail delicious and I want to help protect the rice wine, I am very much in favor of eating quail.

A trail of more than 10,000 torii gates leads up the mountain passing various mini-shrines along the way.  People donate money for the construction of a torii gate to bring good luck.  You can stop and pray for the things you need in life.  People will often write their wishes on a piece of paper and attach it to a tree branch near one of the shrines.  Praying for prosperity and good health is common, but also finding a suitable person to marry is an important reason to take the trip up the mountain.  

Asians are very superstitious.  The temple lists the age of people that need special protection (see list of unlucky ages below).  If your age is listed, then buying special protection is a good hedge against bad luck, which I recommend.  On one street in the town below the mountain, falling down the stairs of this street is considered very bad luck and you will certainly die within 3 years.  However, if you fall on this street, you can buy special protection to prevent your premature death.  I recommend this hedge as well.  The Mafia sells special protection to protect against physical harm.  If Italians were more superstitious, they would have an easier time selling protection and nobody would need their arm broken.

We enjoyed visiting all of the temples and learning what each meant to the people. 

Kyoto

We are currently in Kyoto Japan.  Kyoto was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years before moving to Tokyo.  The shogun period of Japan largely took place in Kyoto.  The city has numerous temples, shrines and gardens.  The homes and stores of the ancient city are very well maintained and look much like they probably did hundreds of years ago.  While the buses and subway system is very good and efficient, Kyoto is also a wonderful walking city.  We walked a scenic trail called the Philosophers’ Path, which begins in the mountains with a temple and ends near the city center at a temple.  The path followed a mountain stream and was very scenic.

The temples typically have traditional Japanese gardens.  The gardens often have a sand and stone feature, as well as the water, rock and bridges we typically associate with Japanese gardens.  The city has numerous mountain springs that are available for drinking water.

We ate at an old style traditional sushi restaurant.  The master sushi chef wears the traditional high heeled wooden sandals and produces sushi and places it on the red bar.  A water stream runs between the sushi serving bar and the bar where we eat. We had the sushi chef captive to us and the meal feature about 15 courses.

The old Kyoto district features theaters, ancient arts and the Geisha are still an important part of the old city.  The Geisha emerge in the early evening for their appointments.

We are enjoying Japan very much and I will post some additional pictures this weekend.

Workbench

My Grandfather was a carpenter (actually both of my Grandfathers were carpenters).   More than 70 years ago my Father’s Father built a workbench for his two boys.  He believed that the men in our family should be able to use their hands and work with tools.  The workbench was sized for children and had a nice working vise.

My Grandfather made sure the bench was handed down to his grandsons and I used this bench along with my four brothers.  I built pinewood derby cars for scouts, used the vise to hold axes while sharpening them, built electronics and practiced taxidermy using this bench.

My brothers and I were tough on the bench.  It was originally delivered by my Grandfather freshly painted and the vise in good working condition.  My Father brought the bench to my house after I became a father, and it displayed the marks of my previous use and the vise hardware was missing.  I did not do a good job promoting the use of this bench with my Son, but it was important to me that I encouraged my Son and Grandson to use it.

I refurbished the bench by installing vise hardware, nailing the legs and backstop to make it sturdy, and then sanded and painting it in the original colors-brown and silver.  To obtain the vise hardware, I had to cut a vise apart through the cast iron to remove the screw.  I installed a threaded insert into the receiving end of the screw on the bench.   I retained all the saw and hammer marks made by me and my brothers.

I gave my Grandson the bench and a copy of the story about the workbench.  It is my hope that my Grandson will appreciate what his Great-Great-Grandfather start many years ago and prove that he was right in his belief that the men in our family should be able to work with their hands and tools.

Asian Airlines

I have been a long time frequent flyer with American Airlines.  I learned years ago that it was better to consolidate my travel through one airline alliance to achieve elite status and build up a bank of miles.  American Airlines has served me reasonably well within the U.S. and I prefer them over the other domestic choices.  From O’Hare I can easily get to most any place I want, with numerous departure and arrival times, and competitive prices.  I have earned Platinum status allowing me easier upgrades, early boarding, access to airline lounges when traveling internationally, elite status security screening and other perks that I have become accustomed.

Over the past few years, I have also discovered that the Asian airlines were far superior to the North American and European airlines.   I have flown Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, EVA Air, China Airlines, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Dragonair and probably others I can’t think of.  The Asian airlines have a significant advantage based on personalized service and often newer aircraft.

For trips between the U.S. and Asia I prefer Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines.  They fly 777-300ER aircraft or equivalents.  These aircraft have coach seats that lower and recline under the seat ahead rather than allowing the person in front of you to recline into your face.  All of the aircraft have personal entertainment centers which the U.S. airlines have too.  The differentiators are the flight attendants, and the food and beverage service.

On the U.S. airlines, a glass of wine comes from a small airline bottle that you must pay for and is pretty bad wine.  On the Asian airlines, they serve reasonably good wine from a 750 ml bottle, and give you all you care for at no cost.  The U.S. airlines have trimmed back the flight service over the years while the Asian airlines have twice the crew size.  The Asian flight attendants are young and eager to make sure your trip is enjoyable.  There have been trips I have taken on U.S. based airlines that seemed the rough flight attendants thought I worked for them.  I’m not sure how to say it without coming across totally sexist, however I prefer to be taken care of by a crew of young, attractive, smiling Asian flight attendants rather than Americans.

The meals are good on these airlines.  The food is typically Asian fare, which I enjoy, and it seems fresh, tasty and served with better utensils than other airlines.  Even short haul domestic routes serve meals, which the U.S. airlines abandoned many years ago.  The free meal on Asian short hauls are far better than the snacks and sandwiches available for a fee on U.S. carriers.  On long haul flights, you can get a cup of noodles or other Asian snacks in between meals and it is served with a smile.  Imagine asking a U.S. flight attendant for an unscheduled snack?

Years ago when I traveled to Germany frequently, I would sit in the lobby of the Frankfurt Airport Sheraton and watch the flight crews from Singapore Airlines walk over the connecting bridge.  Everyone was beautiful and seemed happy.  I told myself that someday I would travel on Singapore Air.  To date I have not, however I think the Asian airlines that I do travel with, probably come close to what I had envisioned long ago.  I enjoy Asia for many reasons and certainly the air travel is one of them.

Christmas

It has been a very dramatic year for my wife and me.  I will be celebrating Christmas with my family at our U.S. home on Sunday.  Unfortunately, my new family (wife and daughters) could not make the trip with me and remain in Taiwan.  We will Skype with my wife on Christmas night to wish her our best.  I hope in the future, we can all be together for the holidays. 

For a number of years, it has been tradition to get together at our house.  I prepare a traditional dinner of standing beef rib roast, potatoes, soup, vegetables and much more.  Last year I cooked lamb instead of beef, and I could tell it was not as popular as the beef roast.  I love all foods, so it is often difficult to think in terms of favorite dishes.  This year I will make and bake dinner rolls from scratch.  We bought a bread machine for our home in Taiwan, and I have discovered how easy it is to make fresh bread.  I will roast more than 20 pounds (9 kg) of beef and will host 18 family members.

The Christmas tree is topped with a very special angel.  Before my Mother passed away more than 16 years ago, she asked my sister-in-law to do something with her wedding dress.  Since my Mother had five sons and no daughters, there was nobody to pass the dress to.  My sister-in-law is talented and turned the dress into the angel tree toppers for my brothers and me.  She even found doll heads with red hair to match my Mother’s.  It was a fantastic use of the dress and I am always reminded of my Mother at this time of year.

I was surprised to see how much the Taiwanese have embraced Christmas.  The stores sell trees and ornaments. Office buildings are decorated with colored lights.  People exchange gifts.  My wife will be attending a neighborhood party Christmas Eve.  Our neighbor married an American man; I don’t know if she is hosting the party for him or whether she celebrated before meeting him.  I used to think of Christmas as a Christian holiday.  While it clearly is, it is interesting to see people of other faiths, or limited faith, embrace the wholesomeness and warmth of this holiday.   Next month I will celebrate the Chinese New Year with my new family and friends.  Both the Chinese New Year and Christmas cause families to reunite for at least one time per year.  In both cultures, people put their work aside and travel great distances, to enjoy their family and friends.

I wish all of my family and friends the happiest of holidays.

The Kingdom of Fruits

Taiwan is known as the Kingdom of Fruits. More fruit is eaten per capita than most any other country, and it is readily available, inexpensive and diverse in selection.  Taiwan has long been situated on important sea trade routes, allowing the trade of fruit and the introduction of new fruit to flourish.  In addition, Taiwan is located in a subtropical zone, with high mountains running through the center of the island, providing a climate for both cool weather and tropical fruits.  Cooler climate fruit such as persimmons, wax apples, Asian pears, strawberries, melons and nectarines coexist with such tropical fruits as bananas, lychees, mangoes, papaya, guava and pineapples.

I grew up in the U.S. eating the traditional fruits typically found in the grocery stores; bananas, apples, pears, strawberries and blueberries.  While the fruit was better when in season, it was typically sold out of season after enduring weeks of transportation or months of cold storage.  I had been accustomed to bland fruit with limited selection.

All of this has changed with my new life in Taiwan.  I enjoy fruit shopping, which we do several times per week.  Fruit smoothies never tasted so good.  Many of the fruits are unrecognizable in their English translation.  Fruit is often wrapped and presented individually as if it were ready for gift giving.  Taiwanese take their fruit seriously.

My favorite new fruit is Buddha’s head.  When this fruit was first cracked opened, I commented that it looked like Buddha’s brain.  I apologize to my Taiwanese friends about the sacrilegious comment about the prophet.  The fruit is incredibly sweet and the white, soft inside eaten with a spoon.  The last two pictures are Buddha’s head.

Life should be lived expecting the unexpected and with enjoyment of new experiences.  I never expected to enjoy fruit as much as I now do.

Night Markets

The night markets of Taiwan are famous for their street food.  The Chinese have night markets, similar to Persian bazaars and Singapore’s Hawker markets.  The night markets sell various goods such as clothing, purses, and counterfeit goods.  However the most attractive aspect of the night markets to the Chinese are the food stands.  I believe no culture is more food centric than the Chinese and this is not meant to disrespect the Italians and French, and their cuisines.  It seems that everything important to the Chinese somehow involves sharing food.  The Chinese night markets exist in Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China, but the best markets exist in Taiwan.

Every major urban area of Taiwan has at least one night market.  Taipei has over 20 separate and distinct markets.  The night market is an organized series of stands that are permanently set-up on the sidewalks and streets of a neighborhood.  The food stands typically specialize in only one or several food items.  The food items are referred to as xiaochi, which is a small serving size snack, similar to tapas or small plate items served elsewhere in the world.  A xiaochi serving will usually cost about $1 USD, or slightly more.  The Chinese move from stand to stand eating as many small servings as they can and rarely spend more than $10 USD for the equivalent of an 8-10 course meal.  Stinky tofu is probably the most famous item and the benchmark food for a night market.  Yes, stinky tofu is very smelly.

The Taiwanese take visitors to their favorite night market; this is an important part of their urban life and something they are proud to share.   I’m surprised Anthony Bourdain has not filmed an episode for one of his shows in Taiwan.  The followers of Tony know that he has a love of street food.  The definition of street food should be Taiwan night market xiaochi.  My blog has a number of followers.  I don’t know who the individual followers are, but the blog statistics include readers, in the U.S., Taiwan, Canada, Germany, China, Latvia, Russia, the Czech Republic, etc.  Tony Bourdain has a blog that I read, but I am guessing he isn’t following mine.  So, I have sent an invitation to Tony via the Travel Channel website, encouraging him to visit Taipei.

Attached are some food market pictures.  The food items often served include congealed blood pudding on a stick, small sausage wrapped in a big sausage and further wrapped in garlic and basil, soup with cuttlefish covered in a fish paste, oyster vermicelli, eel noodles and much more.  I love Taiwan food and my Taiwanese friends have declared that I am officially Taiwanese, after watching me eat.