Floyd and I celebrated Valentine’s Day at a very unusual restaurant here in Taichung, Taiwan.  


It’s called The Modern Toilet, and the decor and some of the food are bathroom-themed.


This is what greeted us when we walked in.  Only in Taiwan!

The container by the front counter where the chopsticks are kept:

The glass tabletops were supported from underneath by these washbasins.

This was the table across from ours.  For some reason, our seats were regular chairs instead of the padded toilet lids that they got.

The booths came with these comfortable seat cushions.

Note the washbasin sticking out from the flower design on the wall.  And do you see the shape of the light fixtures?

Some menu items were relatively “normal”.  Others called attention to themselves by their shape or the dish they were served in.

I ended up ordering the toilet curry chicken mentioned below.  I just couldn’t see myself going to a restaurant like this and not ordering something in a toilet-shaped dish!

Here it is: my dinner!  And yes, it was delicious.
 Who wants dessert?  This is what they serve their ice cream in.
Extra seating near the exit:
What a fun experience!  I’m not sure I’d go back, but it was definitely worth it to go once.  You can’t live in Taiwan and not try things like this!


As we prepare to leave Taiwan for another summer in the States, here are some pictures of our neighborhood here in Taichung.    
 
The Morrison community calls it “the Village” even though it’s part of a rather large city. 
 
Apparently old-timers remember the days when this area really was a village some distance from the rest of Taichung.
  
Interestingly enough, I suppose most of these photos do make it look somewhat rural.
I pass these geese that live in the betel nut grove every week on my way to the Shui Nan Market.

Alas, some of these sights are to be seen no longer.  The construction in our neighborhood is changing things fast!
I’m going to miss the Village this summer!
Even though we live in a busy city, there are plenty of gorgeous flowers to be found in our neighborhood!


Here’s what the flowers above look like close up:



I took most of these pictures a couple years ago, but you can still see flowers in most of the same spots around our neighborhood today.



Many of these just grow wild by the side of the road, though you can probably tell a few of the ones in these pictures have been planted and carefully tended.


I’m not sure why most of these flowers are lavender, but that does seem to be the predominant color!


I don’t know the names of many flowers, but the one below is a water lily.


These are orchids – very common here in Taiwan, especially as decorations in hotel lobbies, classy restaurants, and other fancy places.



I pass these ones (below) on my walk to the Shui Nan Market every week.



Have you ever seen more unusual planters?!

  
Won’t you come with me this Saturday
To the Shui Nan Market down the way?
It’s full of interesting things to see
So grab a bag and follow me.

We‘ll see colorful T-shirts for ladies and gents
With slogans in English that don’t all make sense.
Flat slabs of tofu are spread on a table
Beside packaged snacks with a Chinese label.
 
There are piles of bumpy-skinned chicken parts:
Drumsticks, livers, wings, and hearts!
Or how ’bout a net full of squirming frogs?
You can even find cute little outfits for dogs.

There’s the squeaky honk of the guy on his bike
With the cooler of ice cream – buy some if you like!
Mounds of tomatoes, swirled bright red and green,
More types of mangoes than you’ve ever seen,

Shiny long eggplants like purple snakes,
Stacks of sticky red bean suncakes.
We can munch free samples of salty fried fish,
Or slivers of squid from a shallow dish.

Corn on the cob’s being boiled in vats;
Fresh garlic sits piled in heaps on big mats.
There are earrings in black velvet cases displayed
Beside smooth round bangles of brown and green jade

Cartoon-shaped pancakes are sold on a stick –
Which Spongebob character will you pick?
There are so many choices and so much to see
So when are you coming to Shui Nan with me? 

Happy Easter!
 http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nHMaF1-cCq4/Ta3-pJOv0jI/AAAAAAAADHk/Ydp_NovnIrs/s1600/a-cracked-cadbury-creme-egg.jpg


The day really isn’t celebrated here in Taiwan, so we haven’t seen any chocolate eggs or bunnies or other decorations around – which is actually kind of nice. I think it helps us focus on the real meaning of the day when all the extra stuff isn’t there (much as I’d enjoy a Cadbury creme egg right now – the one in the picture is making my mouth water!). But our church had a special Easter service this morning with several people giving their testimonies, and at least two people committed their lives to the Lord! Now that’s worth celebrating! 

Then this evening Floyd and I splurged and took a taxi out for Easter dinner at our favorite Thai food restaurant downtown. Not that anything they served would have been seen on the table today in the average American household (unless you normally eat deep-fried sea bass or stir-fried morning glory or satay pork in peanut sauce or mystery-fruit ice cream for Easter dinner), but we enjoyed it very much all the same. Of course, it might have been nice to have a table with a view of something other than the backside of the idol outside the window, but I guess you can’t have everything. 

We’re nearing the end of our week-long break from school, and I don’t think any of the teachers really feel ready to go back to work yet. But the fun part is, the new classrooms that have been under construction all year are finally finished. We all got a couple of extra “moving days” before Easter break started, to transfer everything from our old classrooms in the temporary block to the new ones on the other end of campus. I must say, the new buildings look great, both inside and out! The middle school students all spent a morning helping to carry desks and things as a service activity, and there were a number of parent volunteers as well as a professional moving company to handle the really heavy things, so we had lots of help. I love the way my new classroom looks now!  (The picture above shows an area at the side of the room where I have the students’ “cubbies” set up, and the one below is our classroom library.)  So as much as I’m enjoying my time off, I must admit I’m looking forward to finishing the school year in the new room. 

The other best part of our Easter break was our vacation in Kenting, in southern Taiwan.  Click here to read my blog post about that.