THIS IS HOW YOU PANDEMIC - DAY 07

“O-oooooh! We’re half way there. Wo-OH! Livin’ on a prayer!”

Bon Jovi was a pretty big deal in Taiwan growing up. I’d be lying if I said I don’t secretly enjoy it when Jeff would sometimes, out of nowhere, bust into this song, always with the fist pumping. But please don’t tell him I said that though. Please. For the sake of our union.

Ok. Day 07, y’all. Finally feeling like I’m making some headway. I also think I’m running out of things to blog about. Do y’all have any questions? Things you’d like to know or have answered? Like, is there laundry service (no) and if not, do I just walk around naked the whole time so I don’t have to wash too many clothes? (Maybe) Or what life can be like living in a country where people cared about each other and make concerted efforts to make sure their people don’t die unnecessarily from a global pandemic? (Pretty damn good) Hit me up in comments, or DM me. I need to occupy my time between renders and downloads anyways.

———

I was up at 6am today (HOORAY for sleeping past 5am!) and opened the window for some morning air. GUESS WHO WAS ALREADY UP AND GETTING HIS FRUITS? (Or maybe he hasn’t even gone to bed yet)

That’s right.

Dude either hasn’t gone home yet, or dresses like that everyday. Good for him.

Dude either hasn’t gone home yet, or dresses like that everyday. Good for him.

 

I don’t know if you can see, but he literally just buys like two things of fruit every time. Or maybe, shall we say - two things of “fruit”? *wink wink

———

Breakfast was… um… a WHOLE HOT DOG.

Hot dog and black tea. Breakfast of champions. HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPIONS.

Hot dog and black tea. Breakfast of champions. HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPIONS.

 

It’s like the hotel is afraid you’re not eating enough in the morning to sustain a whole day of SITTING AND LYING DOWN IN THE ROOM. Which brings me to lunch.

When I opened the door to lunch, I was so excited I literally yelped.

八方雲集 is a famous pot sticker chain in Taiwan. They’re SO CHEAP and SO DELICIOUS. It used to be like $5 NTD per pot sticker (that’s like… 20 cents?) and as a poor college student I can go there, order 15 pot stickers and a corn soup for under $4 USD. I was there A LOT. So you can imagine my excitement when a box of 八方雲集 was sitting in front of my doorstep.

Soup and pot sticker combo is a MUST. And their corn soup is *chef’s kiss.

Soup and pot sticker combo is a MUST. And their corn soup is *chef’s kiss.

 

So imagine my face when I giddily opened up my lunch to find THIS.

I swear to god, I think the hotel is trolling me at this point.

I swear to god, I think the hotel is trolling me at this point.

 
Drench it in curry!
 

Ok, bear with me for a hot second while I’m being ungrateful for food delivered to my door.

Now, 八方雲集 also sells dumplings. They didn’t when I was in school; they specialized in pot stickers. But as the company grew, obviously they branched out, and now they have a variety of dumpling flavors, all quite good and quite popular. BUT POT STICKERS ARE THEIR STAPLE! WHY WOULD YOU NOT ORDER POT STICKERS FROM A FAMOUS POT STICKERS PLACE? To put it in Austin terms, it’d be like going to P.Terry’s and ordering the “chicken burger” and not the double with cheese!! And so I begrudgingly scarfed down my absolutely delicious dumplings, cursing with every bite.

———

Right before lunch, I received a message from the hotel.

Someone might have to tell them that if the movie starts at13:25 (1:25pm for all you non-24 hour heathens), then I don’t think it counts as Movie “Night”?

Someone might have to tell them that if the movie starts at13:25 (1:25pm for all you non-24 hour heathens), then I don’t think it counts as Movie “Night”?

 

Apparently, they do this every Saturday. While the hotel trolls people like me with their meal choices, they actually go out of their way to make your quarantine experience as pleasant as possible. They’re really, really thoughtful, y’all. That being said, no-thank-you on GEOSTORM. I grabbed the snacks and made my own “movie night” without the “movie” or the “night”. So… just… “reading while eating fries in daytime.”

I do give the hotel a lot of credit for making the quarantine experience as fun as possible.

I do give the hotel a lot of credit for making the quarantine experience as fun as possible.

I don’t think y’all are going to like dinner. It doesn’t photograph well but it’s really not bad. Also, I don’t really know how to translate this dish to English without sounding like an idiot, so I’m just going to say it’s Mushroom Beef Tenderloin Pasta with Sunny Side Up Egg. (How would you translate 鐵板麵? Anyone?)

 

Ok. So yesterday I left y’all with a “puzzle” at the end of the post. For those of you who still want to figure it out yourself, you’re more than welcome to head back to DAY 06 to check it out.

So here is what’s missing from the emergency exit sign to the rooms -

Some rooms are in the Upside Down.

Some rooms are in the Upside Down.

 

In Mandarin, the number 4 is 四, which sounds like the word for “death” 死; they’re pronounced the same but in different tones. Therefore, in Chinese culture, you’ll find that we skip the number 4 when it comes to a lot of things; there usually isn’t a 4th floor in buildings; you wouldn’t want too many 4’s in your phone number; definitely don’t want to live in apt/house number 4’s; absolutely no rooms with 4’s in hotels; and if you’re born on April 4th, well then you’re just fucked and you should blame your mom for not holding out just a little longer (I’m kidding… or AM I???) As I was reading my emergency exit sign (yes, I was THAT bored) I noticed that the hotel didn’t leave all y’all white people out either— they made sure to leave out the 13’s as well! Isn’t this just the most considerate hotel? Pats on the back for everyone for not having to stay in rooms that insinuates our demise or may lead you to Lucifer’s boudoir!!

And just an extra tidbit, the number 8 is 八, which sounds like the word “發“, which colloquially means “to profit” or “have good fortune.” So make sure to have plenty of 8’s in your life!

THIS IS HOW YOU PANDEMIC - DAY 06

Today was a tough day.

My dad was discharged from the hospital today, and while I’m very happy and thankful the doctors have deemed him well enough to return home after two brain surgeries, it is very heartbreaking to be sitting here in this tiny room, twiddling my thumbs while my dad has to come back to an empty home, knowing both his daughters are present in the same city as he is- something that has not happened in almost a decade. That’s right, my sister and I have not been home at the same time since 2012? 2007? Honestly, since she and I both went to boarding school growing up, all four Huang family members have rarely been in the same cinematic universe since the late 90’s. Every family has their struggles and challenges. While I’m very much looking forward to seeing mine and being there for my pops in his recovery, there are reasons why all four of us are rarely under the same roof…

———

Today’s post is going to be short. We’ll cover the quarantine food, that’s a given. One people-watching anecdote, and then I’m going to leave y’all with a fun “quiz” at the end. So let’s dive into breakfast -

Today’s breakfast is sammies! Now this is a pretty fancy breakfast sandwich, and I think y’all might have caught on that I don’t have a fancy palate; I prefer the cheap, everyday, food-stall versions. The better versions, in my opinion. But hey, there I go again with the first-world problems. Shut up and eat your sandwich, Jo!

What, at first, seemed like just a grilled pork and egg breakfast sandwich, had a surprise inside that I missed.

What, at first, seemed like just a grilled pork and egg breakfast sandwich, had a surprise inside that I missed.

 
It’s kimchi! It’s a friggin kimchi grilled pork breakfast sammie. WHAT?

It’s kimchi! It’s a friggin kimchi grilled pork breakfast sammie. WHAT?

 

There’s a fruit shop right across the street from the hotel that I have a clear view of right outside my window. As I was on my people-watching break today, I was caught off guard by a car speeding from up the street and looked like it was going to crash into the fruit shop kamikaze-style. I thought “Damn, fruit shop must’ve sold some bad dragon fruit to the mob?” Nope. Dude just screeched his Mercedes to a stop, right up to the fruit stand, parked like a dick, and went in to make his purchase. Alas, aggressive driving is quite common here. In his defense though, he actually left some room behind him, enough to still turn into that one-way street if needed. That’s actually very generous. My dude was just really hankering for some oranges maybe.

Dude actually backed out of the sidewalk a little bit, maybe realizing he was perhaps a tad too excited about oranges.

Dude actually backed out of the sidewalk a little bit, maybe realizing he was perhaps a tad too excited about oranges.

 

————

Lunch was just standard chicken-katsu. Nothing to write home about, but I guess enough to blog about?

SO CRISPY.

SO CRISPY.

 
Drench it in curry!

Drench it in curry!

 

Dinner was a “meh” ramen, but the pork slices were pretty dope.

 

And tonight, I leave y’all with this image. I’m not going to give you too much context. Some of you may know exactly what to look for. Some of you may be very confused. Spot what’s missing in this image and why. I’ll let y’all know tomorrow.

When you’re on Day 06 out of 14 of your quarantine, reading the emergency exit map in your room is not unreasonable.

When you’re on Day 06 out of 14 of your quarantine, reading the emergency exit map in your room is not unreasonable.

 

THIS IS HOW YOU PANDEMIC - DAY 05

I think it goes without saying that I’ve never been in a situation like this before - isolated in an approximately 200 sq ft room and not setting foot outside of said room for 14 days. I recognize that in reality, this situation is really not that bad; I have access to communication with “the outside world”, a 24hr concierge service, meals three times a day, extra snacks and goodies delivered, and most importantly, a “date of release” just around the corner. All that being said, being confined in a room that’s not your own and having limited personal items at your disposal still kind of messes with your brain sometimes, especially when the circumstance under which you’re in this isolation is not a particular happy one, filled with uncertainty, tension, and possible grief. I find myself doing mental gymnastics periodically to make sure I’m in a good head space.

Being here in this room, I 100% feel like I’m living in an alternate reality, especially as I doom-scroll through the news from the U.S. where the other half of my life is. Once I finish my time in this room, I get to head out to a place where I feel safe and confident about the health of myself and the people around me, all the while knowing it’s the exact opposite back in my other home.

It’s only Day 05, you’d think I’d ration out the existential crisis musings a little better. What am I going to be depressed about on Day 12? Let’s get back to the important stuff: Today’s meal game.

We started off the morning strong with traditional Taiwanese breakfast (FINALLY!) and I’m glad I was already up to have it while it was hot.

蘿蔔糕 (radish cakes) with green onion egg “omelette” and a side of 油條, which I think just translates to “fried dough”? Because that’s literally what it is. It’s one of the staples of a Chinese breakfast (and I’m using “Chinese” in the broad cultural term, not geo-political term… let’s not go there just yet.) Since it’s just fried dough, it’s very versatile and there’s a millions ways to eat it - between 燒餅 (flat bread), in rice balls, with congee, by itself…etc

蘿蔔糕 Radish cake with green onion omelette and sweet soy sauce. Yummmm.

蘿蔔糕 Radish cake with green onion omelette and sweet soy sauce. Yummmm.

 
Literally just dough that’s fried. Think of it kind of like a long, thin, crispy…doughnut? That might be wrong.

Literally just dough that’s fried. Think of it kind of like a long, thin, crispy…doughnut? That might be wrong.

 

Or, one of my dad’s FAVORITE way- dunk it in hot soy milk. (Remember, this isn’t Silk soy milk…) I’ve NEVER liked eating it this way, and to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever tried it. But in honor of my dad, who has a long recovery road ahead, I decided to dunk my 油條 in my soy milk today, and y’all - I HAVE BEEN MISSING OUT. It is delicious. My dad always knows what he’s talking about when it comes to Chinese food. I don’t know why I doubted him.

I’m ashamed to say it took my 30+ years to finally realize this amazing combo. Sorry, dad!

I’m ashamed to say it took my 30+ years to finally realize this amazing combo. Sorry, dad!

 

Two surprises came before lunch today. The first one was from 姑姑Gugu (“gugu” means “aunt”; specifically how you would refer to your father’s older sister(s) who is one of the kindest, most generous, wisest woman I know; an angel on earth. And I’m not just saying this because she dropped off a whole bag of goodies.

My aunt is the queen of snacks. She has all the inside info on what’s the best and newest snacks out there on the market. I do not know who her dealer is.

My aunt is the queen of snacks. She has all the inside info on what’s the best and newest snacks out there on the market. I do not know who her dealer is.

 
Peanut mochi and a snack I have a hard time naming. It’s soda biscuits with a marshmallow/taffy filling.

Peanut mochi and a snack I have a hard time naming. It’s soda biscuits with a marshmallow/taffy filling.

 

The second surprise was from the hotel. Apparently, Sunday is “night market day,” so they’re asking guests to choose from a selection of popular night market food stalls to order dinner from. I’m really hoping it’s stinky tofu.

My #1 choice will ALWAYS AND FOREVER be stinky tofu.

My #1 choice will ALWAYS AND FOREVER be stinky tofu.

 

Lunch was interesting. You can tell the hotel is trying to provide meals that are “healthy”, which really is too bad because all I want is greasy lunchboxes and fried everything. But I get it and appreciate the collective effort in making sure we don’t all head home 10kg heavier after quarantine.

After “Kicking Off a Healthy Life” with Day03’s lunch, it’s time to “Get Power” for today.

After “Kicking Off a Healthy Life” with Day03’s lunch, it’s time to “Get Power” for today.

Braised beef with all sorts of pretty yummy veggies on top of “black rice.”

Braised beef with all sorts of pretty yummy veggies on top of “black rice.”

 
We actually call it “purple rice” which, after googling, is commonly referred to as “black rice” in English; a more nutritious and high-fiber strain of rice.

We actually call it “purple rice” which, after googling, is commonly referred to as “black rice” in English; a more nutritious and high-fiber strain of rice.

 

I did a really good job today of not drifting off to sleep this afternoon and finished watching “How to with John Wilson” on HBO. 10/10 would recommend! It is sometimes cringey as fuck, but ha-ha cringey, not Four-Seasons-Total-Landscape cringey.

So this

 

Not this

badcringe.gif
 

Dinner was actually pretty good, with healthy black sticky rice, stir fried beef, steamed fish, veggies, and wood ear.

 

As I was getting ready for bed and finishing up today’s post, there came a knock on the door, and y’all know what that means! But at 9pm? As I mentioned before, the weather has been cold and rainy all this week and the hotel sent up some late night soup to “warm us up!”

The hotel mascot “Little Orange” is either going to pee his pants, or just excited about soup. It says “It’s getting cold. A warm soup before bed to give you a good night’s sleep.” Thanks, Little Orange, but it will probably make me have to go to th…

The hotel mascot “Little Orange” is either going to pee his pants, or just excited about soup. It says “It’s getting cold. A warm soup before bed to give you a good night’s sleep.” Thanks, Little Orange, but it will probably make me have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, hence disrupting my sleep. But I appreciate the thought, little fruit!

 

That’s so sweet, but I just got done with my 20min cardio workout, took a shower, and am ready to sleep until morning, so I will not be partaking in the soup tonight. But it’s nice to know that in this crazy dumpster fire of a year, there are still people making sure we feel nice and warm when it gets cold and depressing outside.

THIS IS HOW YOU PANDEMIC - DAY 04

Y’all… IT’S ONLY DAY04. Why do I feel like I’ve been living in this room my whole life?

Honestly, I don’t know why I started this blog. Did I think something new and different was going to happen everyday to warrant documenting? That being said, I appreciate you coming here and reading my ramblings. I guess it does make it less lonely.

Ok. Day 04’s meal game is not great. We started the day with… chicken nugs and a fish sandwich from MOS BURGER. It’s a Japanese burger chain that’s very popular in Taiwan and is actually known for their rice patty burgers

Rice patty burgers from MOS BURGER

Rice patty burgers from MOS BURGER

 
Chicken nuggets and fish sandwich for breakfast?

Chicken nuggets and fish sandwich for breakfast?

 

which I actually wouldn’t mind having for breakfast, but nooooo, the hotel chose the fish fillet sandwich and nugs for breakfast? So I threw in some yogurt and orange slices.

Yogurt from PX Mart purchased through OFY GO BUY.

Yogurt from PX Mart purchased through OFY GO BUY.

 

Ok. I should stop complaining. These are all first world problems coming from someone safely quarantining in a hotel room with meals and anything I wanted delivered to my door. Shame on me.

—————-

I also learned that there’s catch22 in trying to fix my jetlag. I’ve been getting up around 4/5am the past few days and was able to eat breakfast, which is delivered around 6/6:30am, while it’s hot. However, today I woke up around 2am, putzed around a bit, fell back asleep around 5 and woke up at 8am. By that time, the nugs and sandwich were both cold and bleh. So in order to have breakfast while it’s hot, I really should be getting up at 6am. But I’m also trying to stay up as long as I can so that I’m tired enough to sleep through the night. Humans are weird.

Lunch was Hainan chicken rice with papaya salad and chicken soup. Hainan chicken rice is poached chicken with rice that’s cooked IN THE chicken broth. It’s very popular in Singapore, and though it sounds like a pretty simple dish, I’ve yet to make one that’s up to par. The Hainan chicken from lunch today was… 6/10?

Hainan chicken rice with papaya salad and chicken soup.

Hainan chicken rice with papaya salad and chicken soup.

 

Post lunch, I did some people watching from my 8th floor window. The sun peeked out for a brief moment and that was nice. It’s been rainy and chilly this whole time so it was nice to see some sunshine. Three things to share from peering out into the world: 1) Despite having no local transmission of COVID for 200+ days, some people still wear masks, even when outside and not in the designated places where masks are mandatory. And as far as I can see, I don’t think anyone’s freedom is being trampled, nor did it hinder any everyday activities; hailing a cab, buying fruit, running to catch the bus, waiting annoyingly for someone to pick you up. I saw people doing all those things with their masks on. Go figure. It reminds me how much I took for granted the “common sense” that the well-being of everyone as a whole benefits one’s individual self.

People here still wearing masks, even outdoors, despite having one of the lowest # of COVID cases in Asia and 200+ days of non local transmission.

People here still wearing masks, even outdoors, despite having one of the lowest # of COVID cases in Asia and 200+ days of non local transmission.

 

2) The art of scooter parking. This is something I can’t believe I’m going to say that I miss. As you can see, the scooter parking lines are more of an “overall guide.” As long as you can fit your scooter inside of the general box, the po-po’s usually let it slide. So oftentimes, especially downtown where parking spaces are a premium, there’s an art to how to fit your scooter into the designated space. I remember having to move entire rows of scooters down just to gain a few centimeters to barely squeeze my scooter in the box. The trick is not to be the one on the end.

As you can see, there are roughly 438 scooters fitting inside about 15 spaces. STILL, notice how NO ONE is parked in the handicapped spot? Mmm… maybe one is barely in it.

As you can see, there are roughly 438 scooters fitting inside about 15 spaces. STILL, notice how NO ONE is parked in the handicapped spot? Mmm… maybe one is barely in it.

 

3) I realized today the location of my hotel is just a couple blocks down from the movie theater where I used to go every weekend in middle school. I didn’t recognize the area at first because I don’t remember the trees, but then I remembered the park next to the theater was just being built back then and all the trees planted there were just saplings. And now, it’s a fully grown tiny oasis! God, I’m old.

Red arrow is where the theater is . And oh how convenient! There’s also a MOS Burger right across from us that I get to stare at everyday.

Red arrow is where the theater is . And oh how convenient! There’s also a MOS Burger right across from us that I get to stare at everyday.

 

Dinner was 便當 from boss hotel again. Noodles with barbecued duck and pork, yummy veggies with mushrooms, cashew chicken, and some pickled veggies.

 

Post dinner I felt kind of schlubby so I looked up more workouts to do. Finding cardio workout that one can do in this space without banging my legs against something is a challenge. So is stretching on the floor, as there is not much space for the extending of the arms. Any recommendation is welcomed.

These three items are my only hope of walking out of this room after 14 days, as opposed to rolling out of the room.

These three items are my only hope of walking out of this room after 14 days, as opposed to rolling out of the room.

 

Welp, this has been a nostalgic post. Sorry if most of you found it absolutely boring. Maybe you’re just here for the food pics? If so, sorry about that too; it’s nothing fancy, just your everyday-Jo quarantine foods. However, I am strongly thinking about ordering some stinky tofu soon. The craving is too strong. We’ll see how that goes.

THIS IS HOW YOU PANDEMIC - DAY 03

Ok. When do you start to worry perhaps you were overconfident on how well you’d handle being confined in a room for 14 days? Is it when you start staging tomato stems left over from lunch to look like they’re either having a dance party or epic battle ?

This legit kept me occupied for no less than 25 mins.

This legit kept me occupied for no less than 25 mins.

 

Breakfast today was nothing to write home about. It’s what I would probably translate as a “cabbage pocket” (高麗菜盒子）and hot soy milk. Pretty traditional breakfast items aside from the fact that they wrapped the pocket with an egg casing. Here, you can pretty much turn anything into “breakfast” by adding eggs to it. But for reference, here’s what a regular cabbage pocket looks like vs my “breakfast” cabbage pocket-

Imagine like a … pan fried empanada but… better?

Imagine like a … pan fried empanada but… better?

If you wrap anything in egg, it becomes breakfast. Also note that soy milk here is very different from soy milk in the states. It’s better. Ok, everything is better.

If you wrap anything in egg, it becomes breakfast. Also note that soy milk here is very different from soy milk in the states. It’s better. Ok, everything is better.

Day 03 has been pretty uneventful. Now that my work station is set up, the day consists of me going from computer to laptop to bed to the occasional yoga mat, all within 2 meters of each other. (None of that “feets” and “inches” nonsense here, colonizers!)

Lunch was more exciting as it’s one of my favorite things - 油飯 . Not sure what the English word for that is, but it’s pork and mushroom sticky rice. And it came with a hefty fried chicken leg! And no, I did not workout today.

Day03_lunch.png
 

And like previous quarantine days before, it seems like just as I finished lunch, dinner has arrived!

As if the hotel staff heard the sound of my internal weight scale, dinner was this bullshi-, I mean… very wise choice!

“Kick Start Your Healthy life” with some poached cauliflower, okra, sweet potatoes, egg and fatty pork with barley rice.

“Kick Start Your Healthy life” with some poached cauliflower, okra, sweet potatoes, egg and fatty pork with barley rice.

 

For a brief moment, I got really excited for the giant “fish ball” in the lunchbox (indicated below), and those who know me know how I feel about my fish balls. But upon further inspection, that shit was just a baked potato, and I proceeded to cry while I “kick started my healthy life”!

The betrayal of biting into my “fish ball”.

The betrayal of biting into my “fish ball”.

 

Did I mention it’s incredibly hard to get rid of jetlag when you’re stuck in a room just eating and taking pictures of the only interesting thing that happens all day - the food? I had finally stuck it out the entire day without taking ANY NAPS, but by 8:30pm I felt like two sumo wrestlers were trying to hurl my eyelids to the ground. Mind you, I’ve been up since 4am, surely I would be exhausted enough to sleep til the morning?

 

Anyway, that’s why it’s 2am and I’m here writing the entry for Day03. Not to worry, I’m sure breakfast will be here any minute now.

THIS IS HOW YOU PANDEMIC - DAY02

Y’all. I received another quarantine swag bag last night! This time, from the government. Local authorities send care packages to everyone in quarantine, and calls you twice a day to check in on how you’re feeling. Everyone I talked to in these quarantine tracking calls has been INCREDIBLY courteous and kind, making sure I have everything I needed and check to see if I’m exhibiting any symptoms or have any questions. The swag bag included snacks, a box of oat cereal (y’know, to make sure the poops are good!) and about 2-3 dozen masks. They’ve been handing these out since the start of the pandemic.

Remember when the U.S. had a whole mask shortage? Yeah, that never happened here.

If Big Brother tracking me means they know where to send the swag bags, sign me up!

If Big Brother tracking me means they know where to send the swag bags, sign me up!

 

Day02 breakfast was still not the Taiwanese breakfast I craved. I could go off on a whole other tangent on the idea of the “western breakfast” here in Taiwan, but overall the “omelette” over fries with salad was not terrible.

The Taiwanese interpretation of “Western style” breakfast oftentimes involves “salad”, and/or fries. I liken it to the American interpretation of “Chinese food” which often involves "fried rice.”

The Taiwanese interpretation of “Western style” breakfast oftentimes involves “salad”, and/or fries. I liken it to the American interpretation of “Chinese food” which often involves "fried rice.”

 

Among many of Taiwan’s nickname, “The Kingdom of Fruit” is one that I, too often, took for granted. For instance, when I moved to Texas, I thought the Cutie oranges sold at HEB were kind of a joke; they’re annoying and hard to peel, and you have to eat like 7 of them to feel like you ate something. But then I realized it’s because I grew up eating these -

THIS is an orange. SO easy to peel. Practically peeled itself, really.

THIS is an orange. SO easy to peel. Practically peeled itself, really.

Yuuuuuge pieces. This orange alone can be a meal.

Yuuuuuge pieces. This orange alone can be a meal.

I got a little carried away and accidentally ordered what I thought was going to be just a little bit of fruit. Luckily, this all only set me back about $12.

Apples, oranges, cherry tomatoes, and guava. Plus plum powder packets for the guava and tomatoes. You haven’t lived if you haven’t tried plum powder on your fruits.

Apples, oranges, cherry tomatoes, and guava. Plus plum powder packets for the guava and tomatoes. You haven’t lived if you haven’t tried plum powder on your fruits.

 

I had a fairly productive Day02 today. I set up my work station despite having a sliver of table space. Yes, I had to lug my entire computer with me as I still had some projects to edit but my old laptop couldn’t handle all the footage. #WFHButAbroad

I wish I would’ve thought to bring the necessary cables to turn that hotel TV into a second monitor, but alas…

I wish I would’ve thought to bring the necessary cables to turn that hotel TV into a second monitor, but alas…

 

Lunch was pretty standard- Ginger poached chicken with veggies and fried egg. And more fruit!!

Pretty standard 便當

Pretty standard 便當

 

And dinner was a 便當(lunchbox) from the main flagship Howard Hotel (the boss of my current hotel Orange Hotel) - stir fried rice noodles with sweet&sour fish fillet, pork strips and veggies.

Just fattening up the pig for release into the judging arms of my Taiwanese family.

Just fattening up the pig for release into the judging arms of my Taiwanese family.

 

Post dinner, I had the absolute delight to catch up with filmmaker extraordinaire, Angela Chen, who also just landed in town and is quarantining in north Taipei! In the middle of our conversation, we both had to stop and take our temperatures to report back to the officials, and Angela took this very amusing but very pandemic/dystopian snapshot. Who would’ve thought two old friends, finally back in their motherland at the same time, would have to catch up with each other over video chat while monitoring their body temperatures for outbreak control? That being said, we both commented on how lucky and safe we feel to be in Taiwan right now, and lamented on the fact that we can’t have nice things in the U.S. because… *whines Myyyy Freeeeedoms!

Real friends take temperatures together. Screenshot by Angela Chen.

Real friends take temperatures together. Screenshot by Angela Chen.

 

Later in the evening I got a knock on my door, which usually means something has been dropped off, and lo and behold! My bounties from todays “OFY GO BUY” has arrived! (see Day01 post for info on “OFY GO BUY”) My sister, who’s quarantining down the hall from me, had the hotel staff share some of her snacks with me. So I guess I have to go look up more workout videos now.

I threw in a 6-pack of the “Double Fiber Green Tea.” The brand is famous for its claims of metabolizing fibers that help cut down fat and induce metabolism and digestion. You know what? Anything helps.

I threw in a 6-pack of the “Double Fiber Green Tea.” The brand is famous for its claims of metabolizing fibers that help cut down fat and induce metabolism and digestion. You know what? Anything helps.

 

All in all, not a bad Day02. Although it really feels like Day04 or Day05 already. But who’s counting? … (Me… I’M counting…)

THIS IS HOW YOU PANDEMIC - DAY 01

Day 01 started with a… MEH.

Woke up at 3am, 4am, and 5am due to jetlag. Back and neck pain from the 14 hour flight didn’t help. And at 6:30am I woke up to my first quarantine breakfast -

Day01 quarantine breakfast. Sad face.

Day01 quarantine breakfast. Sad face.

 

I was really looking forward to a Taiwanese breakfast- 蛋餅 (egg crepe?)，蘿蔔糕 (radish cake)，or even some ham sandwich TW style (They’re different than American sandwiches), but I guess I’ll just have a SAUSAGE EGG MCMUFFIN (finger-in-mouth emoji). First world problems.

I do have to mention- accompanying the McMuffin is the McDonald corn soup. This is one of those menu items that I believe is only available in Taiwan (or maybe Asia.) Please note it is corn “soup” and not chowder. And despite it looking like a bleh cup of beige liquid, I low-key really love it. The McD corn soup was a childhood comfort food splurge of mine. I used to get it every weekend at the McD’s by the bus stop when I came home from boarding school to treat myself, so having it brought back a lot of memories. It’s also incredibly high in calories, but all things delicious are.

Speaking of which, I worked off some of that Mcmuffin and soup afterwards, and am on my way to winning some bingo prizes.

One of the “prizes” of quarantine bingo is a meal of any choice. But you have to do 8 days of exercise for that. Who’s keeping track, you ask? I AM. I am the tracker and decider.

One of the “prizes” of quarantine bingo is a meal of any choice. But you have to do 8 days of exercise for that. Who’s keeping track, you ask? I AM. I am the tracker and decider.

 

For lunch, it was sweet and sour pork with fruit and yogurt. I’m starting to really feel like a pig being fattened up for slaughter as there’s not really a whole lot to do in between meals. I’m going to have to look up one of those prison workout routines, or else my dad might not recognize me when I get out of here. And no, not eating all the things is not an option. If you know me, you know why. (It’s because I love eating and TW is food heaven)

That sweet and sour rice bowl (the rice is underneath) is almost the size of my face, and I got a pretty big face.

That sweet and sour rice bowl (the rice is underneath) is almost the size of my face, and I got a pretty big face.

 

Staying with the pig theme, I fell asleep not long after lunch and woke up just in time for- that’s right, DINNER. Luckily, dinner was a bit lighter with Chinese chicken soup, veggies and rice.

Chicken soup with herbs, stewed veggies and rice.

Chicken soup with herbs, stewed veggies and rice.

 

Post dinner, I was informed by the hotel that tomorrow will be one of their special shopping deals or “OFY GO BUY.” It’s where the hotel goes to certain shops/supermarket/bakery in the neighborhood and purchase items you’d like without charging a service fee.

I can see this service becoming very dangerous. Someone can easily over-indulge and take full advantage of it.

I can see this service becoming very dangerous. Someone can easily over-indulge and take full advantage of it.

 

Tomorrow’s shop is “PX Mart”, which is kind of like HEB but better, and though I wanted to order ALL OF THE SNACKS, I summoned my self-control and ordered some fruits and teas instead. I don’t know how long that control can last. Maybe I’ll look up a couple more prison workout videos.

A page from PX Mart’s discount catalogue. There are 24 pages of these…

A page from PX Mart’s discount catalogue. There are 24 pages of these…

Did they really think having only five rows for order items would inhibit someone from ordering more? Also, my Chinese handwriting is getting pretty pretty sloppy.

Did they really think having only five rows for order items would inhibit someone from ordering more? Also, my Chinese handwriting is getting pretty pretty sloppy.

 

And we cap off Day01 with a fun, little surprise earthquake. Taiwan is a volcanic island sitting between multiple fault lines so earthquakes are quite common. That doesn’t mean I’m used to them. On the contrary, having been through the great earthquake of September 21 in 1999 (921大地震）I am quite terrified of them. So when the room started to do a little jig, you bet I almost peed my pants. Luckily it was only a magnitude 2/3, which really doesn’t do much harm except making me change my pants.

So that was Day01. Tomorrow Day02 is a Monday so things will start bustling and I guess I should start to get my shit together on how to make the best of the rest of the quarantine. We shall see!!