Another "food first" for me

This past Sunday I went to the Jhongli night market with a couple of friends, where I tried a new dish.

Click on photos to enlarge

The night market crowd	Here's what I ate...	...snake soup (蛇肉湯 shé ròu tāng)

Honestly, the soup was quite tasty--nothing "weird" about the flavor at all. There really wasn't very much meat, and I had to take care when eating because of the many thin, fish-like bones. The flavor of the snake meat was pleasant and reminded me of chicken or shark.

A simple yet delicious broth	Snake is said to be good for certain skin conditions	Lots of little bones make it challenging to eat

Also available are various snake wines, including bladder, penis, and venom wines	My friends who introduced me to reptile cuisine	Even the pooch likes it

Of course, this being a night market and all, we couldn't leave without trying some other dishes...

Fish skin (I think?)	Here I am buying some Yilan style green onion pancakes (蔥油餅 cōng yóu bǐng)	85°F, 75% humidity: Time for some refreshing shaved ice (剉冰 cuà bīng)

Photos from Chinese Pod meet-up

On May 3rd I went to Taipei to meet a couple of Chinese Pod members face-to-face. Here are some photos from that trip.

Click on the photos to enlarge

Brent, on the left, is one of the Chinese Pod members. We met Carrie and Pavinee, on the right, outside of Taipei 101 while waiting for Alice, the other Chinese Pod member.	All of us	Brent, Alice, and me, from Chinese Pod

Student denied diploma for blowing a kiss

Diploma Denied to Student Who Blew Kiss to Family, Pointed at Friends

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Fox News

A Maine high school senior was denied his diploma at graduation after he took a bow when his name was called, pointed to friends and blew a kiss to his family.

Justin Denney was graduating from Bonny Eagle High School June 12 and had gotten up on stage to receive his diploma when he gestured to his friends and relatives.

School Superintendent Suzanne Lukas abruptly told Denney to return to his seat, according to WMTW TV in Maine. He didn't get his diploma.

His mother, Mary Denney, is livid. Her son told her that the superintendent warned, "There's no fooling around up here."

"He just kind of looked at her because he wasn't fooling around. He didn't consider that fooling around or misbehaving in any sense of the word," Mary Denney told WMTW.

Lukas reportedly asked the soon-to-be graduate why he thought he deserved a diploma.

"He goes, 'Because I worked hard and I earned it,' and she goes, 'No, go take your seat,'" his mother told the station.

Other students also walked away empty-handed because of various disruptions during the ceremony. Some started playing with beach balls and others were separated from their friends, according to WMTW.

Mary Denney doesn't believe her son violated any code of conduct.

"There was no misbehavior. Showboating is not misbehavior," she told the station. "A bow, a kiss to your mom is not misbehavior."

The angry mother said she wants Lukas to apologize to her son and present him with his diploma while he is in his cap and gown.

The actual video of Justin's "misbehavior" can be seen here:
http://www.wmtw.com/video/19771332/

Coming soon...