by Kate Hsieh
There is something you should know about Sex and the City: it is not what it seems. The title says sex but it’s not just about sex. Indeed, the show includes a lot of unblushing descriptions of nudity, sexual acts, and jaw-dropping conversations. However, Sex and the City is just as much about friendship among the women as it is about dating or sex. The four main characters, Carrie Bradshaw, Miranda Hobbes, Samantha Jones, and Charlotte York have successful careers, fabulous outfits, and nice apartments. They also have more freedom and more choices than any previous generation of women. Like most of their contemporaries, they are trying to figure out how to prioritize these choices. What is more important, sex or love? Career or motherhood? Independence or intimacy? Though the show gives no direct answer, Sex and the City shows us single women who are anything but desperate. Each episode opens with Carrie typing a question concerning the nature of love or life that many in the audience are already asking themselves. Can women have sex like men? Do we need distance to get close? Do women really want marriage and children or are we just programmed? The question is often inspired by a problem Carrie or one of her friends is experiencing, and it frames the episode’s content. The storyline concentrates on these four women. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a famous columnist. She always remains open to the possibility of finding true love. Her best friend, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), is a corporate lawyer who has accustomed herself to listening to her head rather than her heart. Then there is spicy Samantha (Kim Cattrall), a successful PR consult who knows what she wants. She radiates confidence in everything she does and never feels shy about her sexuality. The last would be Charlotte (Kristin Davis), former art dealer and a helpless romantic. Saying that she is an optimist would be an understatement. She sincerely believes that one day she will find her prince charming. The four women represent various personalities, but we can all find ourselves in them and easily feel connected with their lives. Any single career woman no doubt would see Miranda in herself. And who can say that she never secretly dreamed of a knight in shining armor? The first episode begins with Carrie’s words “Welcome to the age of uninnocence!” This “uninnocence” is best represented by the exciting and unapologetic life styles of these women. They’ve tried threesomes, SM, lesbianism, phone sex, and Viagra. They’ve dated modelizers, shoe-fetishists, movie stars, control freaks, alcoholics, exhibitionists, and bisexuals. These women have done everything you can think of. Embracing their sexuality wholeheartedly, they enjoy every minute of their lives. In each episode, they would exchange NC-17-rated conversations about the latest developments of their lives while having brunch or striding down the streets of New York. Despite these appetizing topics, the show reveals to us a detailed depiction of female bonding. The four confidantes stick together and support each other not only through moments of heartbreak, but other economic or physical crises as well. They put one another’s needs before their own and do not hesitate to leave work or men aside. This warm and endearing friendship both comforts and strengthens them. The storyline is, after all, about four girlfriends and their friendship. The sex is just the cherry on top. As Carrie says, “Boyfriends come and go, but girlfriends are forever.” Girlfriends are forever all right, but Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha are saying goodbye. Sex and the City aired its final episode on Feb 23, 2004, signaling the end of an era. For those who have been charmed by this amazing six-year comedy and four lovely New Yorkers, this is quite a disappointment. In the finale, the four characters all find their own vision of true love. The guys they end up with are nothing like they expected, but they are perfect for our heroines. That’s reality, perhaps, that there is more than one way to be happy, and life doesn’t come as a perfect package. So is that it? Do we wave our hands goodbye to our beloved NY gals, and go back to our televisions and start channel-surfing? Well, not so fast. The final episode may not be so final after all. The show’s cast is in discussion with HBO about a movie that would continue the saga of the four girlfriends and the Big Apple. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
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by Ellen Cheng
Whether it’s for business, study, or pleasure, international travel involves risk. You may arrive at your destination only to find that your luggage with all your personal items has disappeared. A personal emergency may necessitate an early return to your home country. A medical emergency may require hospitalization or even evacuation. In most cases, your existing insurance might provide death benefits but not adequate protection for these and other risks. Without appropriate travel insurance, you may be exposed to significant financial liability. Let’s look at the case of Helena Liu in order to understand why appropriate travel insurance is important. Helena Liu was the only survivor among the three news reporters injured in a train accident in England in 2000. Her condition was very critical but her family decided not to euthanize her and requested to have her transferred. But the new hospital requested 100,000 pounds cash as a security deposit prior to admittance. If she were covered by appropriate travel insurance, then no security deposit would be required. Here are some things you should look for when buying insurance: Worldwide Recognized Insurer – From Liu’s case, we can see that it is important that your insurer is recognized worldwide. Hospitals in England didn’t accept Liu’s insurance because they did not recognize her insurer. A worldwide insurer like Lloyd’s of London would be acceptable by medical centers and hospitals everywhere. Medical Benefits – Travel insurance should also cover medical benefits such as charges made by hospitals or physicians. Other charges like medical supplies, examination, treatment, and hospital transfer charges should also be included in the coverage. Emergency Evacuation and Reunion – The 100,000 pounds that Liu’s family had to pay was a huge liability. It is necessary for a travel insurance to cover emergency evacuation for medically necessary treatment in order to safeguard the patient’s life. In the event of a covered emergency evacuation, appropriate travel insurance should also provide the following benefits: the cost of round trip air and/or ground transportation to the area where the patient is hospitalized following emergency evacuation, and reasonable expenses for lodging and meals for the patient’s family for a reasonable period of time. Common Carrier Accident – Travel insurance usually covers accidental death and dismemberment; however, an accident on a commercial common carrier is sometimes excluded or the amount of benefit provided is reduced. Therefore, it is necessary for the travel insurance to cover different kinds of accidents and to provide a reasonable benefit. Worldwide Assistance Service – Most important of all, your travel insurer should provide customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whatever the time or location, the service can respond to your needs immediately. International travel involves all kinds of risk. In order to have an enjoyable and productive trip, choosing appropriate travel insurance is necessary. When buying travel insurance, you should examine the insurance coverage, benefits, and the services provided. If you need more information of what appropriate travel insurance should include, you may visit http://www.smsworldcare.com/ to find out more. And if you are wondering about Liu’s condition, don’t worry, she is recovering well. by I-mei Ling
Ever felt frustrated at your CD player? If it’s a monster that comes with a handle, you puff and pant as you lug it around to dance rehearsals. If it’s a portable one that looks like a big round biscuit, you’ve got to be extra careful because one single jolt could cause the music to stop playing. However, thanks to the rapid development of technology, we have an alternative. MP3 players have arrived, bringing an end to all the inconveniences mentioned above. Although they are still far from common, the market is definitely growing. MP3 players are sleek and solid, small enough to slip into your pocket. Buttons and switches line along the surface, allowing you to play and pause music at your own convenience. They often have tiny screens (technically knows as LCD) which can display the audio track’s title, artist, and even lyrics. They accommodate more songs than your typical CD player—a memory capacity of 128 MB can store up to 4 hours of music, roughly equaling about 40 songs. And most players have lots of other functions—you can record human voices, listen to FM radio, and transfer files from your computer to your player, so it can also serve as a portable hard drive. Sound appealing? Think again. Though prices have dropped in recent year, MP3 players still cost quite a lot more than CD players, ranging from NT $2000-$10000. So in order to get the best for your money, here are several things you might want to consider: ※ Memory: If you’d like to store movies as well as music in your MP3 player, a capacity above 1GB is a must, but of course, more capacity requires more money. If you only want to listen to music, then a typical 128MB or 256 MB player will do. You may also need an editing function on the screen which allows you to create folders (like in Windows), or you’ll have to press the button twenty times to get to the twentieth song. ※ Battery: Most MP3 players use AA or AAA batteries, and can usually allow you to play up to 10 hours of music. Some may have a non-removable battery inside, and you recharge the player by linking it to your computer. It may seem convenient, because you don’t have to buy a load of batteries, but if you’re on a vacation, it may be difficult to find a computer to recharge your player. Also, if anything goes wrong with the non-removable battery, consider your player totally broken. You’ll need to send it back for repair. Also, check if the player has an auto shut down function. Such a player will automatically shut off after a few minutes if it’s not being used, so it will save energy. ※ Software: Some MP3 players need you to install software on your computer, which usually enables you to encode CDs into MP3s and then transfer them to your player. However, nowadays you can get MP3 encoders for free on the internet, so it may be more convenient if your player has a plug-and-play function. That way, you can simply link your player to the computer and transfer files. ※ Serial Number: When buying your MP3 players, check to see if the serial number on the player is the same as the one on the box, because some dishonest shops sell second-hand players or fake ones carrying international names. ※ Appearance: Are you kidding? Isn’t it the inside that counts? But hey, when you’re blowing several thousand NT on a tiny device, you’d better show it off. Besides, MP3 players look much cooler than CD players. You can find players shaped like lipsticks, cigarette lighters, spaceships, etc. There are also players that look exactly like watches and can tell the time as well as play music! However, what I’ve said is only the tip of the iceberg. For more information, log on at: 1. http://140.113.170.113/mp3/ The ultimate site. Tons of information is added daily, and the webmaster is such a MP3 player freak that he wrote 10-page introductions on each popular model. 2. http://forums.dearhoney.idv.tw/index.php This site has discussions on anything related to digital music. The MP3 section has a lot of good information too. 3. http://www.mren.com.tw/ The prices of the MP3 players sold here are considered to be some of the lowest around. However, you’ll have to pay the shipping cost. 4. http://shopping.pchome.com.tw/mp3.php DO NOT come here to buy MP3 players; they cost more than those you find at NOVA or the Guanghua market. It is good only for its easy-to-navigate layout and quick introductions of the latest, hottest models. Having said so much about MP3 players, I’m sure that you have some idea what they’re like. But reading about them isn’t enough. Buy one and see for yourself! by Rachel Liao
Have you ever dreamed of falling off the Taipei 101 building, only to wake up before hitting the ground? Have you ever felt exhausted even after sleeping for ten hours because of some haunting nightmare? I would like to tell you my own experience on Valentine’s Day: I woke up at 8:30 a.m. feeling completely lost. I had dreamt of my own wedding. Everything was going fine till a terrible ugly guy came up to me and told me that he was my groom. His words were so scary that I could only think of one thing: I was sold by my family. Thank God it was just a dream, though a pretty unlucky one for that day! To many people, dreams are one of the most mysterious things in the world, and many cultures have tried to explain them. There is an old Chinese saying, “What you miss in the daytime, you dream at night.” The Japanese also believe that the dream you have on the second day of a new year can determine your luck. For example, if you dream of high mountains, it means you may tie the knot that year. In the West, after Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams, more researchers started to study the relationship between dreams and the unconscious. After 1953, psychologists tried to interpret dreams more scientifically by examining brain waves. With this technique, doctors have made significant discoveries and constructed the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) theory. Basically, our sleep can be divided into several phases, and during REM sleep most people are dreaming. But after we are in a deep sleep, we enter into a non-REM phase, in which we seldom dream at all. Psychologists believe that people dream of something every night, though most of us will forget what we have dreamt right after waking up. Statistically, younger people have more dreams than old people. Before analyzing your dreams, you have to understand that a dream is only meaningful to yourself, and you can certainly be an interpreter. To analyze your dreams, the first step is to remember them, but that is probably the hardest part because after getting up we rarely recall what dreams we had. Therefore, experts suggest us to write down the people, actions, and scenes in our dreams right after opening our eyes. With these materials and records, interpreting dreams will not be difficult any more. People are curious about dreams and want to know their meaning. Generally speaking, dreams are regarded as some prediction or warning, and they may not connect with real life directly. The following are some dreams and their possible interpretations. If you dream of: Numbers: Take note of the numbers for they may help you a lot. Make good use of these signs by buying lottery tickets! Exams: Some people dream about taking exams even after leaving school. If you dream of passing an exam, it means your present efforts won’t have satisfying results. On the other hand, if you fail, it implies your boss might even give you a promotion. Being chased: This type of dream is tiring. People under great pressure often have this dream, which means you want to rely on somebody like your parents. Learn to relax more! Flying: You are full of energy; people trust and like what you do. It’s a positive dream. Death: Don’t worry if you dream of your death, it just means your old friends will visit you some time. But if you dream of a funeral, take care of your money so you don’t lose it. Interpreting dreams is interesting and fun. We can know more about ourselves just by recording dreams and thinking more about them. Give it a try and enjoy what dreams bring to you. Dare to dream! by Cathy
One beautiful afternoon, with the wind caressing my face, my friends and I enjoyed the weather and the scenery from the top floor of the Freshman Building. The palm trees were tall, yet beyond palm trees stood the bell tower of the library. The sky framed the tower as the clouds passed by. The tower is very intriguing and it always draws people’s attention, wherever they are. It’s like a tower from a fairy tale transplanted into the real world. I feel the tower beckoning me; there is much to be explored. And I did. After some investigation into the design of the library, I found out that the tower wasn’t even planned from the beginning. Only after several meetings did they add the tower into the plan. The reason was that the bell tower should enforce the university’s intention for the library to become a landmark on campus. Also, the building was huge and it therefore seemed very heavy to the eye, so adding a bell tower could make the structure seem more friendly and lively. By the way, the new library was designed by Haigo Shen, a famous architect. You can also check out his website, www.hsic.com.tw, if you’re interested. Some might doubt, is it really a bell tower? I’ve never heard a bell! You’re right, because the bell was never bought. It is only produced by a company in Holland, and it costs 30,000,000 NT dollars since it is made completely by hand The purchase of the bell depends on alumni donations. Why does it cost such an arm and a leg? Actually, the bell is more than an ordinary bell; it’s a carillon. It is a musical instrument composed of at least 23 bells, arranged in chromatic sequence, and tuned to produce concordant harmony when many bells are sounded together. And the bell would only be used on special occasions, such as the school’s anniversary. According to the librarian I spoke to, there is also a lighting design for the tower. If they turned on the lights on all five stories at once it would look terrific. Yet since they are concerned about electricity costs the lights have not been in use for a long time. After probing into this story, I know how nice it would be if we had such a unique bell on our campus. It could fill the university with a merry atmosphere. Imagine an afternoon with bells ringing, just as the lights of the tower could create a romantic night view. Let’s hope the bell might be bought as soon as possible! There are amazing facts even behind an everyday thing. Sometimes pursuing a story is even more interesting than the story itself. Why not try to find out the story of things around you, too? by Zhuan Lee
Diaries. Our deepest, darkest secrets that we wouldn’t even trade the world for. Sometimes they even come with a flimsy little lock and key. Wouldn’t you get hysterical if someone tried to peep into your diary? I would. But now, there are now countless bloggers around the world who are publishing their diaries on the internet in the form of a blog, or web log. A blog is THE thing to have now, and blogging is fast becoming a favorite global pastime. What exactly is all the hype about? “Have you seen my blog?” I asked a British friend. He replied cheekily, “What on earth is a blog?” A blog is a web page that serves as a publicly accessible journal for an individual. Typically they are updated daily, and just like personal diaries each blog is unique in its own way, and blogs often reflect the personality of their authors. The term web log was created in December 1997 by an American blogger, and by 1999 only 23 blogs existed. Now, however, the blogging virus has spread around the world. Anyone who has a blog is a blogger, and a virtual community who interact through each other’s blogs is a blogosphere. “Hi, I’m a blogger and I love blogging. Do you blog too? Yes? Great. Do drop by my blog at the XYZ blogosphere when you’re free!” Besides being online diaries, blogs can also be platforms for large-scale or intercontinental forums, and many companies have used blogging to enable communication between all levels of staff. Universities like Harvard have also held academic forums using blogs. Professional uses aside, many aspiring writers and artists also use blogs to showcase their portfolio, in the hope of being spotted, or to interact with fellow artists. There are also many brilliant writers who use blogs for “online journalism”, writing about current affairs, giving commentaries as well as welcoming comments from fellow internet users, just like a public forum. Moreover, because these discussions are held over the internet, where there is total freedom of expression, people are much more vocal and have no qualms about expressing themselves directly. So very often blog discussions are controversial. Being a blogger myself, my blog is basically an online journal which keeps me connected to close friends back home while I’m studying overseas. I also like to put in random thoughts, poetry, and whatever comes to my mind. But didn’t I just say that I would be hysterical if someone peeped into my diary? The trick is to retain a certain degree of privacy by being anonymous in your blog, so that your identity is not revealed to curious busybodies. Obviously, only publish in your blog things that you want to share with those who know your true identity. Though I do let a close few know about my blog, it doesn’t mean you have to do the same. Have some gripes and grumbles that you have nowhere to channel? Write them in your blog. It’s perfectly fine if nobody bothers to read them, but at least you’ve gotten something off your chest. For all you know, someone out there may just share the same sentiments! Got pretty photos to share? Upload them to your blog. Some randomly-scribbled sentences you consider as poetry? Nobody’s going to laugh when you publish them (anonymously, of course!) over the internet. Sweet nothings you wish you could tell a special someone but never had the courage? Write them in your blog, save the embarrassment! Anything and everything can go into blogs, and anyone can become a blogger. No special skills required, just some basic computer and internet knowledge. I still swear by emotion- saturated handwritten letters, but I am also hooked on blogging through the internet. I still write (by hand, mind you) letters very often, but with blogs being so convenient, what more could a busy overseas student like me ask for? Welcome to the blog-age! Take some time to experience the joys of being a blog-head. A gentle reminder though: don’t end up being glued to your computer all day! The joys of blogging may be many, but never forget that the essence of life still eventually lies in the REAL world out there. Starting your own blog. A foolproof guide Go to any free blog-hosting website. E.g. http://www.blogdrive.com/, http://www.blogspot.com/ Register as a member. You will need to submit some basic information & your email address. An email will be sent to you, confirming your registration. Voila, you’re officially a blogger! Log in with your username, follow the instructions to new bloggers. Choose your favorite layout, colours, etc. When the layout’s done, start writing your new blog entry. It’s that simple! P.S. Instructions given by different blog hosts may vary, but they’re generally foolproof. Some interesting blogs http://www.rebeccablood.net/ http://www.bladam.com/ http://boredslacker.blogspot.com/ http://www.shanqing.com/ http://vivrelavie.blogdrive.com/ by Jollene
Among the fascinating boutiques along Zhongshan North Road, there’s a two-story house white and beautiful, with a garden inside and people drinking coffee and having snacks. It’s really impressive for a café ton a noisy street instead of some quiet avenue, and what’s more surprising, besides the café, an Eslite Bookstore and a movie theater are also included in this splendidly decorated house named Spot. Recently I was invited to see a movie that wasn’t a popular Hollywood film. Spot was one of the only places that was showing it. It was my first time to see a movie there and I was exited and curious about the place. In fact the building used to be the residence of the United States Ambassador. It has been listed as a Class III historic site. Spot is now managed by the internationally acclaimed director Hou Hsiao-hsien and his staff. Spot regularly screens local and foreign film classics and exhibits film-related items. The building includes a cinema, an exhibition gallery, a café, a lounge bar on the second floor, and an Eslite bookstore. It is a great place for leisure activities, entertainment, and cultural exchange. The cinema shows films selected by a group of experts from the Taiwan Film & Culture Society. To be seen are the best of films nominated at international and national film festivals, new and old award-winning films, as well as excellent documentaries that will delight the cinematic connoisseur. They sometimes have a small film festival screening a specific theme. The films shown here are aimed at cultural diversity and creative approaches. Famous directors also regularly discuss their ideas, creative principles, and achievements in the lecture hall. The audience is also given a chance to learn from professionals and gain a deeper understanding of their work. Spot thus creates a channel for filmmakers and movie lovers to exchange ideas. This is also a place where film producers, directors, and actors can get together to discuss, chat, and find inspiration. The Eslite Bookstore inside Spot is quite different from its other chain stores. It has two themes: Films and Cities. Readers can search, browse and collect information from these categories. The Café provides outdoor space to face tree-shaded Zhongshan North Road as well as comfortable indoor seats, for afternoon tea as well as Western snacks and desserts. Surrounded by sound, light, film, and fine food you will appreciate the beauty of this historic site and even dwell in memories of a distant past. Upcoming movie: Lost in Translation Director:Sofia Coppola USALanguage:English Runtime:105 mins35mm film Subtitle:Chinese Rating:R2004 Academy Awards Nominations - Best Picture / Best Director / Best Actor / Best Screenplay2004 Golden Globe Awards - Best Picture / Best Actor / Best Screenplay Synopsis:Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) are two Americans in Tokyo. Bob is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial, while Charlotte is a young woman tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi). Unable to sleep, Bob and Charlotte cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar. This chance meeting soon becomes a surprising friendship. Charlotte and Bob venture through Tokyo, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, and ultimately discover a new belief in life’s possibilities. How to get there: Get off the MRT at ZhongShan station. It’s a one-minute walk from there. Add:Address: 18, Sec. 2, Zhongshan North Road Tel:02-2511-7786 Spot CinemaTickets: non-members: NT220; members: NT150 Spot CinemaTickets Website: http://ticket.acer121.com/ Spot Taipei Film House Website: http://www.spot.org.tw/ email: [email protected] by Steffi Liu
Does the name sound gloomy? Are you feeling scared? Well don’t be. No one is practicing spells or eating kids here. It’s a restaurant, but it’s a bit more than your average garden-variety eatery. Here you can also have alcoholic drinks, listen to some groovy music, and even play games. The Witch House is actually a cultural coffee-shop-bar-restaurant kinda thing. When you first step in, you’ll see lots of witch-related decorations, including broomsticks and hats. Beware when sitting down, because you might find yourself blushing up to your ears when you spot colorful women’s underwear hanging on the back of the seats. And take a good look at the wording on the menu before you attempt to order. The staff, with their rather grotesque sense of humor, have substituted words for the names of food that imply things both wicked and funny. You can still tell what the entrees are, though it could take some time to figure them out, and they can be a mouthful to pronounce! The list of main dishes, for example, begins with 酒池肉林 from a Chinese idiom meaning indulgence in pleasure or being voluptuous. They use it here because they are going to serve you really good food and you can just relax and enjoy it. The beer Budweiser is translated into Chinese in a way that the English sound is kept, but the words now refer to a lustful father(爸歪色). One strongly recommended drink, for women only, is the “menstrual ice tea,” which is the combination of fruit tea and lime wine, and is said to help the bloodstream. In addition to the menu, there are also some games—again, for women only. The first one is the push-up challenge: any woman who can do 10 push-ups without dropping right on the floor will get a discount of 20% in honor of her physical ability. Another challenge is arm-wrestling between the customer and any waitress of your choice. If you win, you will get free food, like popcorn, but if you lose you have to pay a penalty of 80 dollars! It seems quite exciting, but be warned that the waitresses there are not a bunch of weak, wimpy girls. The Witch House also has live band performances every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Performers may not be super famous pop-stars but they still have great music that is direct and alternative. And on the third Monday of every month, anyone who has any pretense of musical talent has a chance to go onstage and show the crowd what they’ve got! In addition to music, there is also a Taiwanese puppet show on the second Monday night of every month, guaranteed to be unique and funny. For all the hilarity and insanity, the theme of Witch House is feminism, and it is not named this way just to be cool. Upon hearing the word witch, most people tend to conjure up in their minds images of old, ugly, fat women. Yet it could be an over-distorted myth—a witch can be so much more than that. “Witch” here depicts women who are filled with energy and confidence about their own faith or value, regardless of pressures from mainstream society. They are not necessarily fat or thin, ugly or pretty. “Witch” is here a symbol of being in charge of oneself, and taking a more liberal attitude toward both music and life. When a girl just listens to her heart and wants to be whoever she really is, she too is like a witch in some way. For their performance schedule just email them at: [email protected] by K. Kaphle
Nepal is indeed a mysterious country. Outsiders could only have a glimpse of the country as late as the 1950’s, and its fame was heightened by the quest for adventure and by seekers of a blissful retreat. Here in the lap of the Himalayas they found a unique way of life. One of the major attractions is the delicious foods that are an integral part of Nepalese tradition, and also the idea of service to guests, who are considered messengers of God. Kathmandu has been a destination for lovers of tasty nourishment for a long time. Nepalese cuisine, also known as the cuisine of the Himalayas, is unique in that it merges two great culinary traditions of the region, namely Indian and Tibetan, into a mainstream culinary culture of its own. Nepal, a tiny country by any geographic standard, stretches from the lowlands of the subtropical terai plains in the South to the highlands of the Himalayas, as dominated by majestic Mt. Everest, in the North. Hence, Nepalese culture combines different traditions rooted in all corners of the country. The Nepali staple foods are rice, wheat, corn, and lentils, coupled with fresh vegetables and meat. A typical Nepali meal can be characterized by Dal (lentil soup), Bhat (steamed rice), and Tarkari (vegetable), also known as “The Trinity,” supplemented by meat dishes. Other typical dishes are Bhutuwa (stir-fried meat or vegetables), Sekuwa (grilled meat or vegetables), Chewayala (grilled meat marinated in seasoned mustard oil), roti (breads), Momo (stuffed dumplings), Thukpa and Chow-Chow (Himalayan stewed and stir fried noodles), Sukuti (crispy and spicy meat slices), Quantee (meat or vegetable stews with bean sprouts), Achar (chutney), and Chai (seasoned or unseasoned tea). Many Nepali dishes are derived from a great culinary tradition of the indigenous Newari culture, which is considered native to the Kathmandu Valley. Nepali food is simple and subtle in flavor, and is prepared by using a unique blend of ingredients and spices. Commonly used ingredients are garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, chilies, onions, cilantro, mint, basil, and scallions. Distinct Himalayan flavors are also derived from the use of such unique spices as marauti, timur (a cousin of pepper, commonly used in marinades and achars), and jimbu (a Himalayan herb, used fresh or dry). In addition, most dishes are flavored with mustard oil, clarified butter (ghee), and sometimes yak butter. Because of the harsh conditions prevailing in the highlands of the Himalayas, foods are preserved by dehydrating or fermenting staple ingredients during their growing season. Examples include Sukuti (dehydrated meat), Gundruk (fermented vegetables), and dried vegetables wrapped in bean or soy paste (Mashyura). A typical full-course Nepali meal would include an appetizer, rice and/or roti, vegetable or lentil soup, vegetables, meat, and achar, accompanied with beverages such as a yogurt drink (lassi) and/or home-made beer (Tumba, Jaad), Yak butter laced tea, tea from the organic tea gardens of Ilam and Jhapa, or organic coffee from the Amchour regions of Gulmi or Kavre. Finally let us mention the mouth watering sweets of the Nepalese plains, including rice porridge in milk (kheer), served with dry nuts and fruits. And all of this at a low price that you can barely imagine. Nepal is really a food lovers paradise. |
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The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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