A Colorful Dragon Above Civic Boulevard

At the Zhonglun Fucheng Temple (中崙福成宮) in Taipei

Shengming Temple in Taiwan

I had something else planned for here today. Planned. But instead of that, here are two photos of Shengming Temple (聖眀宫) in Jiufen, a historic town on the oceanside mountains of eastern New Taipei City:

An Ephemeral Creation Floating in Taipei

A New Year Holiday in Taipei

Although I am belated in posting for the first time since 2018 began, I wasn't belated in celebrating it. Thanks to some matters not deserving much mention here I spent the holiday in Taipei for the first time. Thanks to good friends who have access to the top of a well-located building, I had a splendid view when midnight arrived.

I was familiar with Taipei 101's fireworks displays, but seeing it in person is something else. My friends felt otherwise. Apparently after watching fireworks shoot out of a skyscraper more than a few times the experience can become mundane for some people. Anyway, I had a grand time. Later, one of the friends shared a photo taken by Kent Chuang from a location very close to where we watched but at ground level:

I don't have a long story to share about the night like I did for my very different New Year's experience last year in Xiapu, a county with numerous fishing villages in Fujian province. The most remarkable thing this year other than the fireworks was later stumbling upon a large gathering of young people from a variety of places in Latin America who were celebrating in Da'an Forest Park.

So . . . ¡Feliz año nuevo!

One More Photo for 2017

Posing in front of The Three Graces by Tien-Sheng Pu (1912-1996) at Huashan Park in Taipei

A Recommendation in Taipei

I didn't try their chicken, partly because I had already eaten river eel with onions, ginseng chicken soup, and a gua bao at other vendors around the Huaxi Street Night Market in Taipei. But if I order it someday, I plan to heed their strong recommendation.

Phones, Noodles, and Massages: A Taipei Trifecta

One of those places perfectly suited for buying a phone, eating Tokyo-style noodles, and getting a massage:

Alongside Linsen North Road in Taipei

Admittedly, the building's design, which significantly differs from the other buildings around it, is what catches my eye when I have walked by in the past. Also admittedly, I have not taken advantage of any of the offerings now there.

Public Post-it Wishes in Taipei

At Maji Square, which offers a number of options for shopping and eating, in Taipei there currently is a display featuring Post-it notes.

Instructions recommend: "Write down your xmas wishes and share your ideal life with us!"

And the board was full of neatly placed Post-its.

In most cases the wishers didn't identify themselves, though they apparently had no problem that their various wishes weren't very top secret.

Minimally Mentioned Matters and a Mailbox

I have been lately occupied with matters that I wish had not mattered. They aren't matters which are the type of thing I would typically blog about, and I will probably keep things that way. But at least mentioning the matters that I won't mention later serves as a segue for sharing this recent photo of a mailbox in Taipei:

I wouldn't classify my previously mentioned matters as very top secret. To help reduce any curiosity I may have piqued, I will add that I wouldn't expect them to be especially interesting to most readers.

And I do like the mailbox. Perhaps so will some readers. I don't know if there's anything interesting inside though.

A Hearty Perfume in Taipei

Over six years ago I wrote about some similarities in Taiwanese and Italian food culture. Today in Taipei I saw a promotion reminding me of that post.

More soon. I'm definitely eating well, though I don't now have anything special to report about perfumes.

What's the Sichuan Pepper Frequency, Kenneth?

Spicy bullfrog with numbing Sichuan peppers at a restaurant in Chongqing

Like many others who enjoy Sichuan cuisine, I am a big fan of Sichuan pepper, which has a hard-to-miss numbing effect. So I am happy to (belatedly) link to a fascinating and informative piece by Taylor Holiday about why Sichuan pepper is difficult to find in the U.S. But there is one small part with which I disagree:

Even more than other spices, endowed by evolution with defensive odors and tastes, Sichuan pepper seems designed not to be eaten. Once you get past the thorns, the taste of a fresh or freshly dried berry leaves your mouth, tongue, and lips buzzing and numb for several minutes. It is literally electric: The active ingredient, sanshool, causes a vibration on the lips measured at 50 hertz, the same frequency as the power grid in most parts of the world, according to a 2013 study at University College London.

Sichuan pepper's vibrating effect is rather notable. But that the vibration has been measured at a frequency similar to the frequency of many electrical grids doesn't make it "literally electric". It doesn't even make it figuratively electric in any particularly meaningful way. (Just to be clear, the referenced 2013 study doesn't mention this similarity.)

Basically, this is because hertz is simply a measure of the number of cycles per second and there's nothing special about the measurement of 50 hertz on its own. For example, on a standardly tuned piano tuned there is a key for the musical note G (Contra octave) which will produce a sound at 48.9994 hertz. In this case, the hertz measurement reflects the fundamental frequency of that note. If you wanted, you could retune the piano so that the key produced a sound at 50 hertz. In either case the note isn't any more electric or Sichuan peppery than the other notes on the piano, even if it's an electric piano. Similarly, 50 hertz electrical grids aren't literally the musical note G.

For another example, a strobe light could be set to flicker at 50 hertz. Again, this wouldn't be any more electric than if it flickered slower or faster.

And countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Guatemala have electrical grids with a frequency of 60 hertz. Is Sichuan pepper less electric there?

So enjoy some Sichuan peppers. But unless you're also sticking your finger in an electric outlet while grounded (note: do not do this) or something similar, the experience won't be literally electric because of the exact frequency of the vibrations. The buzz is grand nonetheless.



Additional note: For those who don't understand the reference to Kenneth, see here.

Elevated Arches in Wuhan

I'm hoping to soon return to posts with a bit more text in them. For now, here is another scene from the capital of Hubei:

Zhongbei Road near Han Street