Taiwan Trip (12/21 - 1/04)

Apologies for how quiet the blog has been in the past weeks. Once we got back from Taiwan, it's been a scramble to get ready for our pending arrival. Unfortunately, blogging is a luxury I can't afford.

Taiwan was great. We were really worried that Frances couldn't travel with her stomach but everything worked out well. The seats were uncomfortable, but given her small frame, she fit in snugly, big belly and all.

While there, her belly really took a turn for the better. Must have been all the fantastic food we ate. We hit Shilin Night Market and some old favorites from Frances' younger days. I would say she gained a good 6 - 7 pounds out there.

I came back inspired after the trip. Since then, I've really dived back into cooking dinner each night, relishing our trips to Flushing to pick up whatever veggies and meats we need for the week. We haven't had to have take-out during the week this year.

And for the poor Upper Westsiders who think Ollie's is good Chinese food, I'm sorry. It's not good. The name is a dead giveaway. It's bad enough when Americanized Chinese restaurants give themselves authentic sounding names like "Golden Dragon" and then disappoint with their Chef's Specialty of Beef and Broccoli or some other lame dish. But calling your restaurant Ollie's? That's not even trying.

*6/11/2010 Postscript - I was right. Ollie's sucks. They are closing down one by one.