Food Update

We had our opening ceremony today, where all the students and faculty got up and introduced themselves and we were given more details on our schedules. I was very impressed with all the Asian students giving their self-introductions in English. I would be very nervous doing that in Japanese in front of 100 people. Afterwards we went to the cafeteria for a buffet lunch. Unfortunately, we had gone back to the same cafe this morning that we visited yesterday for breakfast, and I was so full, I didn't get to eat much. I was, however, introduced to Winter Melon Tea, a sweet tea made from the, not surprisingly, winter melon fruit. Very, very good.

The afternoon was spent with our project group, learning what we'll be doing. My group is working with Digital Halftone Imaging and Watermarking. I have a lot of catching up to do. Everyone else in the group has a) taken Linear Algebra (on my schedule for next year), b) taken a digital imaging class and c) worked with MatLab. So, yeah, I'm the weak link. I have a busy week of studying ahead.

After lab, our group went out to the Night Market by campus to do some shopping and get some dinner. One of the CYCU students, Frank, stopped at a stall that emanated a smell that I can only describe as dying rat, and promptly ordered a large bowl of something. They called it, appropriately, Stinky Tofu. This was apparently going to be a rite of passage.

I only wish I could convey the smell over the Internet...

They then led us to a small restaurant (Woo's, since 1933) and we ordered some traditional Taiwanese food:

Sausage, Chicken, Tofu, "White Carrot", Egg, Mushroom, Spinach and some other greens over rice. Delicious!

The pork version of the picture above

Deep fried breaded pork that comes with the meal.

Very good food. And I determined that Stinky Tofu is really very good, if you have no sense of smell. The only way I could eat it was to breathe out when I put it in my mouth, then move my head away from the bowl. While I liked the flavor, I don't know that it's worth putting up with the odor...

Afterwards, the other visiting student from Indonesia, Dilla (Ardilla Ayu Dewanti Ridwan, so, yeah, Dilla) went back to the dorm, and I went with the rest of the CYCU students back to the lab to try and learn enough MatLab to not be total deadweight on the group tomorrow. A long day (up at 4:30AM to run, leaving the lab at 9PM). But, this IS 3 credits in 3 weeks. Can't be all field trips and eating...