Grandmas dinning room

I am fed on grandmas food since age zero. When I visit my family in south Taiwan I try to dine with grandma as much as possible. Palate changes over times but often food is just so much more than it's taste. When I travel back and forth between Taiwan and London, it always takes me a month or so to stop missing the food from the other side. Grandmas food tho, what I grow up with, has something more substantial than taste, eating habit, culture and more. 

 

I rearranged the food from the dinner table and stylized them with provided contant. 

This is kinda how I feel what I have changed and became. 

 

People asks me why I don't want to live in Taiwan

I love this place but I did get fired form my bar job for not wearing bras. 

And it was 30'C. 

And I got tipped $3000 in cash that day. 

 

Enough said. 

Graphic in Taiwan

Probably was inspired by the architecture I'd say.

7-11 catalogue

Residential block at Huwei 

Billboard at Linquan MRT station

Guting vintage Wearhouse

Coming back to Taiwan this time, I notice more and more vintage store has opened. I think is wonderful considering the Taiwanese consumers culture. Knocking the old buildings down and building the new, consuming the over production goods rather than looking for what is needed. Vintage shopping started off as a style, buying american vintage for example, and now I see sign of the genuine interests within our own history. Came across a few online shops stock 60s army bag with taiwanese flag, old japanese influenced wooden furniture.  

Drove pass this building with vintage Wearhouse sign a few times, finally got up early enough to pay it a visit. Mega big (600 square meters it says) stock Japanese vintage/antique mainly. 80% house wear 20 % clothing. Opens daily till 9 pm.
Bought myself a long sheer kimono jacket for £30. put another one up on etsy for sale. Check it out here.

Detail:
台北市羅斯福路2段38號 (guting MRT exit 7)
電話: (02)2391-2100

Ginger duck with (whole bottle of) rice wine hot pot

Finally Taiwan is getting chilly ( meaning 17'c) family friend took me to the first winter pep up meal: ginger duck hot pot 薑母鴨鍋.
Soup base is made with a combo of Chinese meds ( contact me if you wanna know exactly what) fried ginger and slow boil for hours and topped with whole bottle of rice wine (can do without but that's just not the real deal)
You can order any parts of the duck to eat with (for example heart, blood jelly and ofcourse testicles) and the must have is the Taiwanese rice noodle (麵線).
I can't really describe the taste partly because my written English is poor but mainly because it is THAT GOOD. As you sip the soup, I promise, even the coldest bitch will be warmed up and ready to have a meaningful relationship (over this winter)

If you can't crack the cold bitch heart I strongly recommend you to take her on a ginger duck rape date. (I was pretty tipsy by the end of the dinner)

The KU gallery Taipei

Next to the wine bar of my friend Sharon's, there's a gallery. A one year old clean looking space. Sharon introduced me to the owner /director Martin, within a minute of chatting, I felt the weight of his dream. This non pretentious humble man infront of us went through 10 years of drama in NYC and beijing as an artist then 10 more years of even more drama in Taiwan as a creative agent, and has now located his dream here in deep east Taipei, the KU gallery.
KU is a non profit making gallery supported by his own creative branding agency. Without the financial concerns,Martin is able to present exactly the arts he is passionate about. As I walked in the space the selections of art works on exhibition tells the taste and the solid direction of the owner on their own.
A particular plan Martin has for the future really interests me; to invite the locals for a mini gallery tour. Like Gilbert and george said: the best way of understanding art is to be with it. I'm a firm believer on contemporary art is for everyone and Martin is realizing it using the most unforcf way.

Stock 20 Art Studios Taichung

So here we are visiting emerging Taiwanese artists's Andy Yen's studio at Stock 20. A government planed artists studio spaces right behind the Taichung railway station.