fun run and a twelve-course meal

saturday was spent wandering tainan and nearby anping. we walked the long path along the canal that divides tainan, enjoying a break from the bustling streets. as we neared the harbor, the riverside park got larger, with kites flying high in the strong breeze amid heavy gray clouds. there was an enormous statue of matsu, the goddess of the sea, calmly standing guard at the edge of the park, facing the turbulent water. she was beautiful--one of the few statues of that size that i've seen erected to a female. i'm used to big lincolns and jeffersons, making matsu a welcome change.

as we walked back towards tainan, the city lights came alive before us and soon enough we were hiking amongst the scooters, bright lights, and city noise. the scooters are quite a presence here, waiting in big groups at intersections, appearing to me as some sort of eclectic scooter gang, ready to pounce. there are women in stilletos piloting them, old men, families of four stacked closely with mom at the wheel. last night i saw a little boy asleep across the dash of one scooter as his dad drove and his mom hung on behind. and on every street, scooters are lined up by the score, filling every available space.

we finished the evening with a delicious indian meal, then made the drive back to taipei, arriving at 1AM....

only to wake up at 4:45AM yesterday morning to head out for the "pharmaceutical education 100th anniversary celebration" fun run! i had seen the event listed on the taiwanese road running association website before we left the states, and thought that, at 3.8K (just over 2.3 miles) it would be a great, low-key glimpse into the running scene here, and a great way to see the city. the event proved to be amazing on both accounts!

we arrived to the start area to find an incredibly easy registration process (hand stamp, race bib, no registration form or fee!) and in my case, the new experience of utilizing a taiwanese honey bucket, where in the small space of a porta-potty i had to figure out how to squat over a hole in the floor. i was at least comforted that no matter where in the world you are running a fun run, there will always be pre-race bathroom lines. back at the start, we were regaled with group warm-up exercises led by, to quote andrea, a "taiwanese jane fonda" in spandex, pink nike's, and one of those microphones that mounts on your head. we bopped to the brilliant lyrics of "i'm too sexy" and then we were off and running.

andrea, matt and i joined about 2,000 other runners on the course. these 2000 were a diverse lot--kids were running, really, really old men were running, and everyone in between could be found hoofing it in everything from old mizuno sneakers to crocs, to dress shoes and jeans, backpacks and sweatpants. working at a running shoe store, living in the states, it's easy to get lost in the idea that technical gear and an expensive pair of shoes are absolutely necessary to get out the door and go for a run... and while i definitely think that a new pair of shoes can serve as both an important symbolic commitment and an effective tool to prevent injury and wear-and-tear, as i jogged along with the mass of taiwanese men, women and children yesterday i couldn't help but be reminded that all it really takes is a desire to move, to put one foot in front of the other. my love of running is the only thing, ultimately, that gets me out the door, and to feel that inner instinct revived as we ran past temples and food stands was quite an awesome thing.

our afternoon was spent returning the calories spent, at a factory year-end banquet back near tainan. i've never seen, nor heard, of anything like this: an abundant twelve-course meal organized by the owner of the factory for ALL of his employees, with over 600 people in attendance. a huge stage with entertainment and a bumpin' sound system flanked one end of the banquet hall, with karoake performed by everyone from administrators to factory line-workers. throughout the afternoon prizes were raffled off--flat screen TV, bicycles, rice cookers, scooters--with every single employee eventually receiving a prize. the owner also personally visited and toasted every table.

upon arriving and quickly switching from running gear to banquet-appropriate apparel, andrea and i made the most agonizing walk--all of those 600 heads turned towards us--from the back of the banquet hall to the front where we were seated with the owner's family at the vegetarian table. we soon realize, a couple courses in, that at a banquet like this, where money is spent generously to show gratitude, we vegetarians were going to be treated to expensive fake-meat instead of cheap vegetables. from one dish to another (mostly soups) we sampled fake ham, fake fish, etc. and some of these culinary experimentations were quite odd. and funny tasting. but with twelve courses over four hours, we inevitably got full and satisfied. and we were treated throughout so warmly by our table companions, some of whom slipped us tempura shrimp and other treats from the non-vegetarian table.

last evening, after settling back into the apartment in tainan, andrea and i wandered a little bit in the city, on a mission to pick up cooking oil. we snacked on taiwanese saltines, apple soda and milk tea as we lost ourselves in the weekend nightlife, before returning home for a simple dinner of noodles and veggies (expertly prepared by matt) and an early turning-in.

today, more exploring in tainan.