THIS IS HOW YOU PANDEMIC - DAY 10

I really appreciate some of yall humoring me and asking questions. All five of you reading this blog really keeps me going. Haha.

What book was I reading (on Day 07) and what else do I do to keep myself busy throughout the day?

I definitely miscalculated and only brought with me two books and a magazine-

I never noticed the cracked egg shell on the Mcmuffin wrapper. Not sure how I feel about it.
 

I had really enjoyed Rutger Bregman’s last book: Utopia for Realists. So when I learned he had a new book out that makes an argument for the inherent “good” in human nature, I figured I needed to hear what he has to say. Jury is still out on that, but I am thoroughly enjoying the book.

I just finished Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and a friend recommended So You Want to Talk About Race as a follow up. Just so happens, yes, I really do want to talk about race, and so I can’t wait to pore over this book!

Recently, I find myself enjoying the reporting and writings of The Atlantic so much more than other similar publications. So I was really glad my December issue came in the mail the day before my flight back to Taiwan!

I have been trying really hard not to blow through these too fast, as I tend to do when I’m really enjoying a book, so I try to fill my day with other activities. My mornings I spend writing this blog and downloading content for work. Afternoons and evenings I try to get as much work done as possible, and I’m usually in bed by 830/9p, courtesy of my jetlag. I haven’t really pushed hard to correct my sleep schedule as I figured it’ll actually work well when I need to be up early to help take care of my dad. Meanwhile in quarantine, I fill the rest of the day with people-watching, exercise, and some Netflix binge-watching. You’d be surprised how fast the day goes by.

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Breakfast today WAS AMAZING. It’s one of my favorite breakfast foods! (I know, I have so many favorites.)

Sticky rice ball with hot soy milk.

Sticky rice ball with hot soy milk.

The savory filling is a combo of dried pork mince, pickled veggies, and fried dough sticks for crunch!

The savory filling is a combo of dried pork mince, pickled veggies, and fried dough sticks for crunch!

飯糰 Rice balls are AMAZING. They usually come in either two fillings: sweet or savory. My grandmother loved the sweet ones and that’s what I grew up eating; warm sticky rice wrapped around a blend of sugar, ground peanuts, and fried dough sticks. You can actually get a “sweet & savory mix” that’s not entirely too weird. But these rice balls are so satisfying and quite filling. They usually sell for $1-2 if you’re buying the plain, street vendor ones, and $2-3 if you want fancy ones. Really cheap and fulfilling breakfast either way.

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Lunch was equally satisfying. Meal game for Day 10 is definitely pretty strong!

Today’s lunch is, again, one of those things I’m not sure how to translate- 魷魚焿 “squid thick soup”?? Except mine today was actually shrimp and not squid.

Shrimp thick soup with a side of blanched veggies drenched in park sauce.

Shrimp thick soup with a side of blanched veggies drenched in park sauce.

 

The shrimp is actually shrimp balls, and the thick soup came with glass noodles (or mung bean noodles), which is my absolute favorite! Basically ”焿“ is just soup that’s been thickened by cornstarch (or most likely tapioca starch.) It’s usually pork bone based broth with bamboo shoots and other goodies in it, and you can choose between a few different kinds: squid, shrimp, pork…etc. This hot soupy goodness is best during winter time when you’re slurping this up on the side of the street.

Absolutely gorgeous shrimp ball with glass noodles steeped in the yummy broth!

Absolutely gorgeous shrimp ball with glass noodles steeped in the yummy broth!

 

My afternoon people watching was somewhat uneventful, but I did want to point out this badass dude to yall-

I didn’t even have time to focus because I was already panicking from the height and of us hanging out the window about to die for internet points.
 

Dude here loaded almost a dozen massage tables onto a truck by himself WEARING FLIP FLOPS. This is actually pretty common here in Asia, but I just wanted to give a shout out to this badass mofo doing his thing. I would’ve tripped and ate shit so many times…

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Dinner was pretty delicious, with grilled chicken, braised pork belly and an assortment of veggies over black rice.

Pot stickers, fried calamari, meatball soup, and “tanbula” - it’s hard to explain what tanbula is, so you’re just going to have to trust me that it’s GOOOOOD.
 

We’re in the double digits now. The outside world is calling. I can hear it…