Mochi Donuts

Today we checked out Moge Tee in University District.

This place was pretty magical because it had both bubble tea and mochi donuts.

I have a pretty rad metal Motorola television sign that used to hang in my grandpa's garage. Ernie loves to stare at it all day because of the black and white contrast. He is also a big fan of staring at the blinds for the same reason.

Oh hello

We went over to see Sumit and Shubra's house for the first time. I bought over this weird jar of hawthorn fruits I got at a Mexican grocery store somewhere along the line.

They were weird.

Katy Perry's Number Two Fan

After our hard partying last night waking up in the morning  andworking another day while Lydia gazed at her navel all day was very rewarding and special.

We had tickets to see Katy Perry: PLAY at Resorts World. Resorts World is a very stupid name, but I do like the Asian influence the place has.

We hadn't had a bubble tea in days and we were getting shaky.

The merch was very funky and weird. This was my first introduction to Katy Perry's quirky style.

I mean, what the hell is this?!

I was pretty excited about our seat location. We were right at the front of the balcony, which I contend is a better view than many towards the back of the floor seating.

The show was very fun with a Toy Story type theme to it. For some reason I've not had much respect for Las Vegas residencies. Maybe because it seems to be something that artists do towards the end of their careers, at least in my perception. But I think the fact that everything doesn't have to be packed up and moved around a bunch means the show can be way cooler and tailor made for the particular stage it will always be performed on. The show was very impressive I think as a result.

At one point Katy poured a beer out of her trash bra and drank it with a giant rat. This was when I realized Katy was my dream girl.

After that amazing show we needed some nutritional fortitude in order the regain our composure. We made it happen at Momofuku. I think Hank teased us with going here and then rescinded his offer like a real villain, so this visit also had a revenge element to it.

"Pork belly buns with hoisin, scallion, cucumber."

"Ginger scallion noodle: pickled shiitake, wakame salad, cucumber."

"Hokkaido Pumpkin: chili crunch, coconut yogurt, mint"

and

"Crispy lamb ribs: chili yogurt, tingly salt, cilantro."

I believe we ordered too much food and were unable to eat it all. I have no regrets and I make no apologies.

I wanted to check out the Miracle Mile Shops because I've heard whispers that they are about to be renovated or otherwise destroyed. They were originally known as Desert Passage and were attached to the defunct Aladdin resort. So they have a fun Arabian theme which now has nothing to do with anything. There's even a storm every now and then which is fun.

I was a big winner in Paris. Aren't we all.

The Bellagio had a cool Lunar New Year display up.

All Day Pork Buns and Bubble Teas at a Taipei, Taiwan Night Market

Headed to the airport. Indonesia was so yesterday. Today is more of a... Taiwan day I think.

AirAsia is one of those low cost dirtbag airlines that thinks it's cute to try to rape you with luggage fees. We didn't have enough time on our connecting flight to screw around with baggage claim though. Luckily I had Lydia with me to have a freak out on AirAsia employees until they let us on the plane with our bags.

I was excited that the airport had an ad about the awesome Prambanan Ballet we went to last night.

We switched planes in Singapore. This time we flew on another low cost carrier that I'd never heard of before: Scoot. I think they had one of those things where they have an auction on business class. I think we bid like $50 or whatever the minimum was and got bumped up! Hurray.

On that chocolate bar and beer diet all the Olympic athletes are raving about.

You pay, I pay, we all pay for Taipei. Taiwan has never been on my travel wish list because it isn't a country according to the United Nations. And as you all know, I am on a divine quest to visit every country in the world. This visit was mostly just because we had enough Delta miles to book two business class flights back to the US on Taiwan's flag carrier airline China Airlines. I had a lot of fun in Taiwan though so it all worked out. Taiwan is like a more western version of mainland China, with democracy and a more American style of dress.

I was amused by the Taiwanese anti-smuggling scare tactics at the airport. They handed me this card telling me how they were going to mess my life right up. 

You don't realize how empty your life is until you realize there are people out there drinking booze out of porcelain Asian Cabbage Patch dolls.

I deserved our fancy hotel toilet after the washroom horrors I was exposed to yesterday in Java.

I love a good night market, let me tell you. Raohe St. Night Market was killer because it was packed with food stalls selling things both delicious and weird. Eating weird street food is something that really gets me excited about traveling. There's just no place in the US that does it like this.

I think we averaged about 12 bubble milk teas a day while in Taiwan.

I bought some fried meat lumps on a stick. I don't really know what they were and I don't really want to know.

I read about the coffin sandwich and I just had to have one. They take a thick piece of bread and carve out the inside, fill it will some delicious meats of your choosing, then put the lid back on top. It's like multitasking because you can eat a nice food while also contemplating the fleeting nature of existence.

Lydia seemed to approve.

They had these duck heads for like a dollar each and I had so many “put that on my bill” jokes but no one spoke English. My talents are wasted here.

I never saw a squished penny machine I didn't like.

I think these birds were over here telling people's fortunes. Never trust a bird.

Picked up some baby egg tarts.

The line for a Fuzhou Black Pepper Bun was real long but it moved fast. It gave me plenty of time to salivate.

They were cooking them by slapping them against the side of a brick tandoori oven looking thing.

They were pretty damn good, and quite a departure from the pork buns I'm used to. Usually they are really sweet but these were savory and peppery.

I've been jonesing for a junky fast food pork bun this whole trip so I made Lydia stop at 7-11 with me afterwards.

It was a winner let me tell you. Really hit the spot.

We walked like ten steps into a nearby shopping district before I spotted another bubble milk tea sign. I think I may be developing a habit.

They ladle the tapioca balls out of a friggin vat of what I think might be molasses. Enough to put them on they asses.

Every place we've been to finished the magic by running the cup under a machine that sealed the top of the drink in a layer of plastic that you then had to punch through with a pointy straw. I think this was necessary because you had to shake it up before drinking.