Wednesday we all went to the city of TsingHua, south of TaiChung, where I gave a talk. During my talk, Mary Jo sat in an office and read Middlemarch on the iPad. Then, after lunch, to Lukang which is an old port city. There we walked through some old streets, similar to the old Hutong area in central Beijing, and visited the Lukang folk museum. This museum is housed in a 19th century mansion, or more accurately, complex of buildings, owned by a wealthy family. Lots of this and that in the museum. The mansion was quite interesting.

Jerry is impressed and amused at Mary Jo's knowledge of Taiwanese food. Jerry talked about a certain breakfast dish, and Mary Jo remembered it and said she liked it very much. So, Wednesday morning we went to a "hole in the wall" eating place carved into the corner of a building. Open on the street side with heavy plastic sides, full of people, a lively scene. We had bowls of hot soy milk into which we dipped sticks of fried dough. The fried dough was lighter than that found at Ocean City or Myrtle Beach, and the combination was amazingly good. 

On Monday, Mary Jo mentioned a certain food that she remembered from her time in Taipei many years ago. The local grocery store did not have it. So, when we were at the university in TsingHua, someone gave Mary Jo a package of this item that had been purchased for us. We had it for dinner after our return from TsingHua and Lukang. It turned out to be some large rice balls with meat in the center and a gravy to be poured over the top. These are comfort foods that are a good contrast to the rather elaborate meals that we have been eating.

Thursday morning Mary Jo and i took a cab to the big Sogo department store, bought Jerry a small gift (place mats), and walked back to the apartment. At first view the urban scene is chaotic, a sensory overload. After a while the sights sort themselves out and our walk back helped us do this. The picture shows some ducks, getting ready for a Peking duck dinner.