virtualberta

This is rather silly of me, but I must admit that only relatively recently have I learned the differences between various dumplings, and how their English names often come directly from their Chinese ones. For example, there are guotie (literally, "potstickers," pan-fried dumplings), shuijiao (boiled dumplings), zhengjiao (steamed dumplings), and hundun (wontons, smaller dumplings with a thinner wrapper and usually served in a soup with noodles). I'm rather amazed that as a fan of dumplings in all their forms, I took 23 years to figure out their names and differences.

Also, my mother's daily careful reading of my blog has reminded me that I have never specified how I get to Hsinchu. Well, the company usually calls for a car, and usually, that car is a Mercedes-Benz. I always feel like a high-powered businesswoman when we pull up to our headquarters, stepping out of the car. I was mighty appreciative of that air conditioned, leather luxury Tuesday afternoon, let me tell you.

One fairly common sight I am not appreciative of are the dress styles of some middle-aged women in Taipei. Women of a certain age just should not be wearing short, tight skirts and high heels. I find them very confusing, as I can never figure out if they are mature call girls, or members of the ladies who lunch set.

In an unrelated vien of thought, a reminder to all (including myself) to register to vote, especially if you are an American citizen living abroad.