2016年2月27日 星期六

[US] California,Laguna Beach,The Greeter's Corner



某個週末,和難得來美國出差的台北同事出門走走,來到了有典型南加陽光加白沙的Laguna沙灘,真的很美呀~也很羨慕海景第一排的別墅就是了,呵~
One day, I went to Laguna Beach again with my friend. With the sunshine in south California and the white sands, it's so beautiful.


這天中午,我們隨意在大街上找了間餐廳吃午餐,餐廳名為The Greeter's Corner。
We just found the Greeter's Corner on the street for our lunch.


不確定原因,不過這天中午我很想吃魚,只是這兒的魚類料理不多,直接點了道鮮魚,擺盤不錯,印象中難得在美國看到這樣算是比較講究的擺盤,魚肉也煮得不錯,只是要20美金有點貴,或許也算是觀光景點的物價吧! 
Since we were at the beach, I want to eat some fish. I ordered the fresh fish, USD 19.95. It's beautiful and good.


同事點的Fish & Chips。
My friend have fish & chips for lunch, USD 16.95.

The Greeter's Corner地址:
329 S Coast Hwy,
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

2016年2月21日 星期日

《到此為止吧!風太郎》,萬城目學著

之前看過幾本萬城目學的書,都是帶點幻想,卻又基於現代社會背景的書籍,輕鬆有趣的小品,我是以這樣的認知來閱讀《到此為止吧!風太郎》的。

結果一翻開,這是一部時代劇背景的忍者小說,作者的自序中寫道,他想類比一個沒有目標,混日子畢業的大學生的忍者小說,書中的主角風太郎,就是一位成績普普,在畢業考時搞砸的忍者,因為畢業考搞砸了,接不到工作,整日無所事事,只能隨波逐流的一個忍者,被優秀同學拉著從事危險任務,最後是不是真能找到自己的目標呢?

由作者的自序,讓我想到了自己,在國高中的時候,目標很明確,在第二年或是第三年的時候,立下計劃,把三年的教材重新複習一遍,在聯考的時候把成果展現出來,然後就升級了;一切在到了大學之後變得完全不一樣,大學並不是在大四那一年,把四年所學複習之後就可以升級的,即便想念研究所,也要考慮是要念哪一系所?如果要進社會,要找哪一類的工作,該怎麼準備?當時的我,完全沒有頭緒,不知該怎麼辦?身旁的長輩們,似乎也不知該怎麼幫我?僅有的幫助便是,我似乎某方面的能力不錯,要不要試著去念念那一類的課程?四年下來,就是用這樣相對沒效率的嘗試法(try-and-error)來尋找方向。

或許該說,有點不幸的是,男生比女生多了兩年的兵役,大學時不用直接面對選擇的壓力,就慢慢地嘗試,還沒有結果就畢業了,之後其實也只有一條路,當兵去;偏偏當兵時又是最不要花腦筋的時候,退伍後,糊里糊塗地就進了社會開始工作;十五年後的今天,由於這本書的聯想,才讓自己知道,大學時我需要的,其實不是人家告訴我,嘗嘗這個,試試那個,而是應該要找到一個方法,可以讓自己在兩到三年內找到方向,只要找到方向,自然就能想盡辦法完成,或許,這是目前大學教育的通病,大部分的大學生都只能積極或消極地去嘗試未來的方向,看看自己是不是有足夠的運氣可以在一片迷霧中,不小心撈到一台指南車。

2016年2月20日 星期六

[Taiwan] 台北,忠孝復興站,秋吉串燒

在一個冬天的夜晚,總想吃點熱熱的食物,在忠孝復興附近走了走,選了秋吉串燒,來烤烤火!
In a cold night, I was looking for something hot for my dinner. A izakaya should be a nice choice, so I got into this restaurant, Chochi Izakaya.


運氣不錯,這個夜晚人並不多,哈,其實也是因為不用等待才選了這家店,就坐在吧台邊看師傅烤肉。
When eating in a Japanese restaurant, a good spot is to sit next to the countertop.


一點完菜,侍者就送了一盤生的高麗菜葉,真的覺得超奇怪,有人在生吃整片高麗菜葉嗎?一嚐之下,真的很好吃耶,好甜~
Free fresh cabbage. When the waitress serves it, I was shocked. I don't know if anyone eats it without cooking. After thinking 10 seconds, I tried. It's sweet and fresh, so delicious.

第一個上來的是三串的豬肉串燒。一般而言,一份應該是五串,但因為我只有一個人,我可以點半份,這樣才不會只吃兩三樣就飽了,很不錯的彈性方案。
The pork. Usually, each dish should be five bunches of meat. Because I was here with only one person, me, I can choose should it be three or five bunches for everything I ordered. This is a very good policy. Even with one person, I can still try many different things.


嫰雞串燒,其實就是雞胸肉串燒,在美國待了一年,真的受了影響,吃雞胸肉比較健康,哈~
The left three new bunches are chicken breast. It's good. And since I stayed in US for one year, I prefer chicken breast than legs now.


很不錯的柳葉魚。
The Shishamo, crispy and taste good.

帶皮玉米筍,近一年多來,發覺烤玉米筍超好吃,一進燒烤店,我都會特別注意有沒有提供,可惜店家仍然不多,如果有就會點,大家功力都不錯,都很好吃,很甜。
The baby corn, this is something I found in one or two year. The barbecue baby corn is so sweet and so delicious. Every time I go to a barbecue place, I'll try to find if they provide baby corn. Not so many, but it is so delicious.

干貝,甜又Q,非常好吃。
The scallops, they are so big and sweet and also chewy. Very nice.

主要是怕沒吃飽才點的飯糰,外表很脆,吃起來也很香,好吃。
The onigiri. It smells really good and very crispy. Tastes really good. 


吃燒烤總是要配飲料的,既然只有一個人,就不配酒了,免得像喝悶酒,哈,點了杯可爾必思。
The calpis. When eating barbecue, there should always be something to drink.

最後附上門口的菜單。
The menu.

秋吉串燒忠孝店地址:
106 台北市大安區忠孝東路三段247之1號

2016年2月14日 星期日

[Taiwan] 台北,台北火車站,一風堂

早上搭高鐵回到台北,因為是週一,人潮相對較少,就直接到車站的二樓找吃的,注意到一風堂排隊的人潮不多,決定來嚐嚐。
When back to Taipei Main Station, I went to the 2nd floor to find something for my lunch. Since it's Monday, not so many people here, I tried the ramen, Ippoudo.



免費的麥茶與沙拉。
The barley tea and salad are free.


習慣上都會點個炸雞搭配拉麵,一風堂炸雞的麵衣很特別,不知道加了什麼硬硬的脆片,讓雞塊的口感相對特別,外表超酥硬,雞肉本身還是好吃!
I like to have fried chicken for the side dish while eating ramen. The batter coating is really different compares to others. It adds something hard and crispy to make it unique.




湯頭濃郁,偏鹹的日式口味,麵條很Q,好吃。
The ramen is good. The soup is strong and salty (more Japanese style). The noodles are thin and cooked really springy. I like it.

一風堂地址:
100 台北市中正區北平西路3號2F

2016年2月13日 星期六

[Taiwan] 高雄,DUA Hotel



離開忠烈祠,回到今晚住宿的旅館─DUA Hotel,它的位置相當好,就在高捷的美麗島站五號出口旁。
Leaving the Martyrs' Shrine back to DUA Hotel to take a rest. The DUA Hotel is closed to the Exit 5 of Formosa Boulevard Station which is very convenient to a visitor.

我猜我住的是13坪房。
I think I stayed in a room with 13 pyeong (according to Wiki, this is an areal unit used to measure the size of rooms or buildings in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan).


進門的右手邊是衣櫥與保險箱。
When open the door, the right hand side is the closet and the security box.





左手邊則是衛浴,有個很深的浴缸可以泡澡休息。
The left hand side is the bathroom. It has a deep bathtub to relax.


 



室內空間相當大,氛圍也很好,真的很適合躺在床上看電視,或是上網放鬆一番。
It provides a comfortable atmosphere and space. If you want to watch TV or surf on Internet, it's very nice.




隔天的早餐也很棒,中西式的料理都很不錯,還有現打的百分百果汁,真的很讚!
The buffet for breakfast is really good. I love it. The food is good and the environment is peaceful. It helps to slow down the pace although this is the last day of my vacation.

DUA Hotel地址:
800 高雄市新興區林森一路165號

2016年2月12日 星期五

[Taiwan] 高雄,忠烈祠 (Martyrs' Shrine)

高雄的忠烈祠,據說是賞高雄夜景最棒的地方,可惜的是,沒有公共交通工具可以到達,只好搭計程車來拍夜景。
The Martyrs' Shrine in Kaohsiung is the most famous place to watch the night view. One bad news is that there is no public transportation can reach here. I can only call a taxi to bring me here.


到了才發覺,真的有很多人,為了拍這張沒有人的LOVE,大概等了廿多分鐘吧!
The famous LOVE sign. I wait for maybe 20 minutes to capture this photo. There are so many groups come here for the LOVE or for the night view.



 
在LOVE sign旁,有個觀景台可以更好地觀賞高雄夜景。
There is a lookout pavilion next to the LOVE sign, above photos are taken on it.




離開觀賞台,在忠烈祠內走走,才發覺其實走上忠烈祠的樓梯也是不錯的景點。 
Before leaving the Martyrs' Shrine, I take a walk and take more photos.

忠烈祠地址:
804 高雄市鼓山區忠義路32號

2016年2月11日 星期四

[Taiwan] 高雄,瑞豐夜市 (Ruifeng Night Market)

由於沒有車,決定搭捷運去逛瑞豐夜市,或許因為交通相對方便(對觀光客來說),夜市裡人潮湧動,前半部非常擠,我差點就要返身走人了,幸好後半段人潮沒那麼多。
The Ruifeng Night Market is the only one I know that close to a metro station, the Kaohsiung Arena Station. Maybe this is also why there are so many people. It's really hard to move in the market.



由於沒特別做功課,其實來了,並沒有特別想要吃什麼,或是要去找什麼名店,就現場看看有什麼能特別引起食慾,結果這家大腸包小腸是第一家讓我流口水的店家,或許,味道重的銅板美食就是特別吸引人吧!
The Small Sausage in Large Sausage, or the Taiwanese Sausage with Sticky Rice, is the first thing I had. It's delicious.



印度拉茶是朋友特地提到的,這兒的特色,隨意找了一家,很甜。
The Teh tarik, my friend told me it's a famous drink of the night market in Kaohsiung, so I just tried one. It's very sweet.



逛到最後,看到這家炭烤玉米又引起了我的食慾,等待的過程與商家聊了聊,才知道原來這是整個夜市,唯一一家還在用木炭烤玉米的店家了,其他的都改用瓦斯,沒那麼香了,而且,吃烤玉米時還應該要特地選硬一點的,這樣玉米會更香,而且粒粒都會很有嚼勁,真的沒錯,超~好吃的!
The Barbecue Corn, this is the top one I tried tonight. This is the only one still use charcoal to barbecue the corn which give the corn more flavor. And the master also told me to choose the hard corn kernels. After barbecue, the corn kernels will become more chewy and more taste than the soft one. If your teeth are strong, I strongly recommend you to try the hard corn kernels for the Barbecue Corn. That's wonderful.

瑞豐夜市地址:
813 高雄市鼓山區裕誠路1128號