The day started off quite nicely. The restaurant we went to for breakfast had giant bear heads on the signs, and the theme continued inside with all available shelf space and clear cabinets adorned with teddy bear shrines. I like to think that instead of plates and cups, the pantry, and fridge were also creepily stocked with tiny teddy bears. I was eating a "curry chicken hamburger with egg" in a creeptown minagerie. Whenever I had a chicken/egg sandwich; my dad would tell me I was eating the momma and the baby. 
That night we headed out for the Jiang Li night market. It was truly a treat for the senses - bright lights, pungent smells ( some savory and some sickening), exotic tastes, no personal space, wet streets and subtropic smog. I think Jodie and Ernest saved my life a dozen times each from the crowded streets full of crazed moped jockeys.
One of Taiwan's favorite dishes is called beef noodles, which is a huge bowl of soup with one noodle that is a couple yards long, beef and fresh vegetables. YUM! This type of noodle is called "la mien" and there is a unique art to making it. We watched the chef prepare and kneed the dough. Then then he began stretching it like taffy, waving it in the air like a jump rope, a slam against the counter and then spinning it into a braid. I couldn't help asking the chef to teach me, so in front of the crowd I got up there and learned from the master. It was a lot harder than it looks, but finally at my last go-round, I got the hang of it! It was a very fun experience and I made some mighty fine noodles, if I do say so myself! The chef was so sweet and very accommodating; personally bringing out each bowl himself. He really liked my chopstick skills too. I asked our friends about gratuity, but unfortunately, they told me I could not tip him for his service which made me a little sad. Each giant entree cost $1-3.
We went around sampling food from the stands and snapping photos of everything. Yes, I finally knocked stinky tofu off my bucket list. This was a much milder version. It did have a sour smell to it, but I could only smell it when it was in close proximity to my face. The taste and texture were similar to the Korean fried tofu my mom and grandmother make...and then came undeniable taste of curdling funk. I taught our new Taiwanese friends the concept of "aftertaste". All in all, it wasn't too terrible. In my head, vomit had always been a part of the stinky tofu experience, but I was wrong. We walked some more, and then went into an ice shop. Here we had a very delicious treat called fruit ice. It is a large bowl of icey milk, topped with fresh tropical fruit and then some ice cream. Double YUM and very refreshing!!
While at the dessert parlor, an idea popped into my head! When my brothers and I were children, we loved to watch this particular Jiang shi (chiang shih) movie series that my grandmother got from god knows where. The vhs tapes are long gone, but not the memory and desire to see them again. I have scoured the internet to find them, but no luck there. If I am ever going to find our Jiang shi movies, this has got to be the place, right? Jiang shi is a Chinese zombie/ hopping vampire. typical Jiang Shi
These are dead bodies whose souls are trapped, and they wear traditional Chinese burial garb. They have a blueish green pasty skin color, fangs and long black finger nails that shoot lightening. These are not your typical zombie-vampire hybrid though. They are blind and detect living humans by sensing breathing - so to stay alive you had better hold your breath (the chinese way to do this is the hold your breath and stand at attention with your finger horizontally under your nose) Flying? Staggering zombie walk? Nope. With arms protruding straight forward, these monsters freakishly hop because they are in a state of rigor mortis which, of course, does not allow for movement of their limbs. You can stop them with some sort of Chinese black magic by writing a spell on a flag of paper and smacking that sucker to the Jiang Shi forehead. The movie I am searching for is from the 1980's and involves a group of kungfu fighting siblings who just want to learn ancient teachings from their grandfather and end up kicking Jiang Shi ass all over town. Of course, one of the most memorable things about the movie is that there is a baby Jiang Shi who is not evil and actually helps the kids. OMG I MUST FIND THIS MOVIE SERIES.
Anyhow, that was just a little background info. So I shared my quest with the students, and I have recruited Dan, Ernest, and Jodie to help me. We walked through the market and searched 2 dvd stores. We don't exactly know the name of this movie - we had always just called it Jiang Shi as kids. I watched as they described the movie to the shop keepers, and then I watched the shop keepers laugh at them. They didn't have it because its too old, but told us to check a downtown shop. My recruits have been searching chinese movie sites for this movie, and I WILL have it before I leave. Baffled, they asked me "Do you love Jiang shi so much????" and I had to explain that it was sentimental to my childhood and that zombie-vampires are cool.
Finally, I returned back to the dorm after a long, and steamy day. I literally pealed my clothes off to take a shower. I climbed the tower to my coffin in the sky and planked the night away. The end.
