Xiao long-bao!

Din Tai-Feng, literally 3 minutes away from my office and the absolute "bane of my culinary existence" in that I frequent the place WAY TOO MUCH!

Seriously though, it has become something of an institution in Taipei for Taiwanese, as well as a popular tourist destination for foreigners. It is most known for, among other local delicacies, the best Xiao long-bao on the island! Xiao long-bao-(small handmade wonton size dumplings filled with various mixtures of spices, meats,vegetables and/or seafood etc). Originally Xiao long-bao were specialty foods brought to Taiwan by immigrating Guomindang (Nationalist Party) soldiers coming here from the mid-to late 1940's on, to re-group and fortify materiel and personnel in the hopes of re-staging an offensive (obviously this didn't pan out) against the communists on the mainland.

In fact, the immediate area around my office offers an abundant variety of 'fusion foods'-tasty new creations created from the traditional chinese dishes immigrants brought with them, local original native recipes, and traditional dishes from Holland and the Netherlands to name a few. A very eclectic food culture to say the least.

Shi-Fan Waterfalls.

'FLORA'! and fauna that is.

Great area with an abundance of hot spring's as well.

Continuous waterfall discoveries...

Nei-Dong Waterfalls, so much beautiful scenery, flaura and fauna along Taiwans un-touched east coast.

After all this time, another "late night/early morning-I can't get to sleep express myself entry"...

Well, here's to the official second entry of my blog from here in Nankan County, Taoyuan Province R.O.C. started way back when-and it does seem so long ago-in April of this year.
I am in another one of my "Tea in the Sahara...with you..." lucidly lyrical, melancholy nostalgic Sting'ish moods again in this early hour of the morning. Indeed it is sometimes in these early hours, whether in a dream-state or awake, that wild somewhat intrusive scary feelings seem to stealthily rise to the surface... Yes, I just can't get to sleep. This is also surely in part because of my long day of searching, analyzing and just sifting through endless amounts of reading material consisting of extremely amorphous language pertaining to laws and matching patterns of reasoning that they "justify"... Although I know my level of mental endurance continues to improve, it is still VERY dry stuff and I feel safe in assuming that after 6 hours of immersion, anyone would be more than ready to pack it in... well, maybe not a former teacher of mine Jeff Chivers, who is now in Harvard Law School as we speak!
I have found of course that writing does in fact offer a soothing kind of meditative relaxation, that allows me more easily to transcend the mental rigors of the day, and fall into that at times ellusive lucidity of mind that is present just before falling asleep.
I'll thus leave it at that with the hopes of engaging in some much needed un-interupted slumber.
Good night to all, until next time.