I’m finally back home after a long vacation in Taipei and Hong Kong. I’m exhausted and jet-lagged, happy to home but already missing Asia.
Things I miss about Asia:
- everything Muji (無印良品, Mujirushi Ryōhin, Wúyìn Liángpǐn, No Brand Quality Goods) — boots, coats, sweaters, scarves, cosmetics, duvet covers, pouches, bags, luggage, you name it I love it
- Zara and Uniqlo — when will these multi-national companies come to Hawaii?!
- the freshness of all the dumpling wrappers and noodles
Things I miss about Taipei:
- eating Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup (牛肉麵) almost every day
- getting shāobǐng yóutiáo (燒餅油條), dàn bǐng (蛋餅), and ròu bǐng (肉餅) for breakfast for next to nothing
- pearl milk tea (珍珠奶茶, zhēnzhū nǎichá)
- everything at Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐)
- delicious tonkatsu, or Japanese pork cutlet ((豚カツ, とんかつ, or トンカツ)
- how cheap everything is in Taiwan
- spending time with my grandparents
Things I miss about Hong Kong:
- liúshā bāo (流沙包) - think custard buns (奶黃包, nǎi huáng bāo), but with a liquid center and with a bit of salted duck egg (鹹鴨蛋, xián yā dàn)
- turnip pastry (蘿蔔絲酥餅, luóbo sī sū bǐng) — even better than turnip cake (蘿蔔糕, luóbo gāo)
- char siu pastry (叉燒酥, chāshāo sū) — better than baked (焗, jú) or steamed (蒸, zhēng) char siu buns (叉燒包, chāshāo bāo)
- red bean paste pancake (紅豆沙鍋餅, hóngdòu shā guō bing)
- Shanghai style soup dumplings (小籠包, xiǎo lóng bāo)
- salted duck egg everything — fried string beans with salt egg yolk (黃金四李豆, huángjīn sì li dòu), shrimp with salted egg (黄金虾仁, huángjīn xiārén)
- Shanghai Po Po Restaurant (上海婆婆)
Sadly, I never did find a good shēng jiān bāo (生煎包), a pan-fried dumpling that Dew Drop Inn here in Honolulu does pretty well.
That said, I’m craving pizza, sandwiches, sushi, and Mexican food after weeks and weeks of Chinese food. And I’m happy to have some personal space again.
Source: yolandalau
