they're also slightly different weights 😬

I asked my mom. she said "oh that's 猴頭菇" which translates to monkey head mushroom.

I asked how she prepares it and she said "those are kind of a pain in the ass"

here's her recommendation...

shred them by hand only. do not cut with knife.

use it to make a light brothy soup. can have it by itself or use it in other dishes.

After shredding, can be stir fried like any shredded chicken dish.

I can feel the burning on my thighs just looking at this pic 😂

is it that time of year already?

I miss it 😭

The first two are about fiber arts. I adore them both so so much because that's my life's work.

The third is a fantasy book that a friend recommended that I really enjoyed. A very different feeling kind of fantasy, almost fairytale like in writing.

The Short History Of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard

The Root of Wild Madder by Brian Murphy

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (fantasy fiction)

Mother's Day? heck yeah, fire up the grill 😁

When my mom visits us in the States, she craves El Pollo Loco so we tried our best to replicate on our balcony in the middle of super urban Taipei.

Chickens came from the local market. My mom has been buying from the same chicken butcher for decades.

We marinaded the chicken last night overnight. Acids were lime juice, rice vinegar and pineapple juice. The pineapples are in season right now so we juiced one up. Fresh Taiwanese pineapple is the best. Seasonings were salt, black pepper, cumin, garlic and ancho chiles in adobo that we brought over from the States.

The other must have component was pico de gallo. Super easy. Diced up tomatoes, onions and cilantro seasoned with salt, cumin and lime. All super fresh veggies from the local market where mom has been buying from this seller for decades. Pro tip: Soak the diced onions in water to mellow out the sharpness and bring out the sweetness.

Mom's verdict? "Yes, this reminds me of El Pollo Loco"

Success! 🥳

#grownostr #foodstr #taiwan

thanks for the shout-out 🥰

I love how the food we eat around the world is pretty much the same. it's like we're all the same species or something 🤣

how did your feet feel after? softer?

it took a little getting used to but after a bit it felt really relaxing.

this is a really popular thing to do in Jiaoxi. There are ponds throughout the region filled with little fish that clean the dead skin off your feet.

My feet were not as tasty than my husband's. They were having a feast over there!

#grownostr #taiwan

goddamn autocarrot ruining my vibes 😑

so the official diagnosis is to get to duckin'?

Opium Rice Rowl in Yilan county. With a side of Empty Heart Greens and Blood Cake. I love these names. One of these dishes is not a play on words!

鴨片飯 means both opium and slices of duck. So it's a duck rice bowl. The rice is covered in duck fat. I could see this being addicting though 🤤

Empty heart is 空心菜 It's basically a type of local spinach that had a very wide and hollow stem which adds amazing crunch. Here it is sauteed in oil and garlic. I suspect there's a secret ingredient in here but I couldn't tell that it was.

And last but not least, blood cake 米血糕. This one is not a play on words. There is blood in this dish! It's made by coagulating blood in a mixture of rice and then steamed. It is very lightly seasoned and doesn't taste like iron as you'd expect from a blood dish. Most of the flavor comes with it's dipping sauce (not pictured) I opted for a soy sauce paste with garlic.

#foodstr #grownostr #taiwan

lol yeah, what happened to the wrist on the back hand in #2?

oh AI... not quite there yet.

Turtle Mountain Island in the distance as we ride along the coast on the train.

No, there isn't a big turtle habitat there. It's named because it looks like a turtle! Previously inhabited but it is now a tourist spot but you must have a permit to visit to preserve the local ecology. I'd love to go someday.

#grownostr #taiwan #photography

that's a lot of zapping!

kinda cool that you'll have a much clearer picture of what content you're giving money to on nostr instead of the blackhole that is twitter.

Satoshi set fire to the money so we can see how easily paper burns.

nostr:nevent1qqs2tkyd8t2jh4f90ym0cw49kqq62l9edlzgr8sqvalkqexr7nu74kqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfdupzpg6p730ljav02u9zrvqqc975u5ar5jtuswtlymqwd4s7tt8lc75cqvzqqqqqqycuq4k5

I really love the idea behind this hashtag #proofofwalk

we all need physical activity to be healthy and walking is one of the easiest to do. 10k steps has been recommended but in my experience, the daily requirement varies from person to person depending on their body.

My goal is 7k but I havent tracked in a while cuz I haven't been wearing my watch, but this motivates me to pick it up again.

let's go!!!

#grownostr

nostr:nevent1qqsvcguzh3tcvddxjulsn0gfjlfek5033nkq9clx3knpkryxkcu6cdcpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejsyg9v67qcuvj3tyvf0jcjzugng37rqvmrr3psfraxk828l5gxgtdwucpsgqqqqqqsjvlj44