fruits!

May 26, 2007 - Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Mango shaved ice is pretty much the same all over the island, but with local variations. Local variations aside, it's always good. A block away from my uncle's building are 3 famous shaved ice shops, all belonging to the same family, and all in competition with each other. That is to say, relations between the family members has not always been very good. The in-fighting has taken on proportions that make the local news.


Durian is more prevalent in the south of Taiwan. I've kind of gotten used to the smell, which is to say I don't have a physical reaction to it any more, usually darting away and banging my head against the nearest wall to get the smell out of my nose, but I still won't eat it. But the durian imported to Taiwan doesn't smell as strong as the durian I remember from Thailand, which was not allowed on most public buses because of the smell.

It never ceases to make me wonder who was the first person to come across durian to think, "Oh my God, this stuff smells awful! Let's see what it tastes like . . . mm, good!"

iTunes soundtrack:
1. Firth of Fifth (Genesis)
2. I've Been Mistreated (The Aislers Set)
3. A Soapbox Opera (Supertramp)
4. Drain You (Nirvana)
5. Tremelo (live) (Mission of Burma)
6. Evening of the Day (Supergrass)
7. Do Ya (Electric Light Orchestra)
8. Pug (Smashing Pumpkins)
9. X-Ray Man (Liz Phair)
10. Amurita (Chitose Hajime)