Sushi Breakfast with Idan and Bob
After those misadventures I had at the previous night, my let-lag and some lack of sleep I was awaken at 11:30. Me and Idan met Bob and we went to a Japanese restaurant to eat some brunch. The place was inside a big department store called Sogo. There were some dishes that were new to me. Then we hanged around in the toy section of the store Idan bought some toys for the folks back home. I saw a purple mace-windu light saber which wasn’t cheap. Toy prices in Taiwan aren’t really cheap ever since toys are now being manufactured in China and Taiwan went into the Hi-Tech. I hear computer eq is cheaper then Israel. But I think, not by much.
A night with Idan, Nelson, Sterling and Mark.
We went to one of the old night markets. A night market is something which I’m not sure if it’s unique to Taiwan. It’s a market, and only works starting from the afternoon, and is open most of the night. Taiwanese have very rich night life here, a lot of stuff are open late at night, if not 24hours. These night market are a fine example. I couldn’t tell the time, it was about 01:00 am it felt like it wasn’t any later then 21:00. The jet-lag didn’t help that feeling. We went through the old night market which is one of the things listed as an official Taipei tourist attraction. There were a lot of live see food like crabs and shrimps swimming in their tanks waiting for someone to buy, or eat them. I don’t really like seafood anyhow, and seeing those poor things only made it worse. They are also selling snakes there. And shark fins. Look at one of the pictures in my album that. The one with a sign saying “no picture taking”. Some animal right movements, as I was told, usually make a lot of fuss about this, and that’s why they don’t allow pictures taken. There were trinkets all around like small dragons, and all sort of Chinese stuffs. Idan bought his brother a knife.
We sat down and ate something Sterling and nelson called “beef everything”. They explained that it’s probably because it’s all beef, and they put every part of the beef in it. I wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Idan however found it too spicy and we ordered another one without the spicy pepper in it.
I also tried an oyster omlet. It’s a traditional dish, which is very popular in Taiwan, basically a fried egg with oysters and some sweet red sauce. I tried it but I don’t think I’d like to try it again. It was odd.
After the night market they took us for some more shopping, I bought some tea for Lee, and some Wassabi Peanuts to send home with Idan for Lee. I already written a later post telling about these Wassabi peanuts. They are very wonderfull.
After finishing shopping the guys asked as if we’d like to go to something they called a gentlemen’s club. Both me and Idan didn’t know what we were getting into, but we suspected what it might be by it’s name. We also knew that Ido and Eyal got the same offer and refused. Wussies. Me and Idan are adventurers. Explorers of distant worlds. Seeker of new life and new civilization. To boldly go where no one has gone before !
It wasn’t a topless strip bar like I suspected.
I was even more odd. And even more embarrassing.
You are shown into a small room. Table in the middle, couches, and a TV. Two girls enter the room, and they sign karaoke along with you, mostly in Chinese. Idan sang one song in Chinese. He sang in Hebrew though. Something like “I have no idea what I’m singing, but I know this guys don’t understand a word of what I’m singing” (I join in with idan) “except for you (me)”.
Some more girls came in, and I had a drinking contest with one of them, you play Dice against each other and the loser in each turn gets to drink. After loosing two drinks I replaced the beer I didn’t like with plain tomato juice. That girl, who’s name sounded like “potato” in Chinese, and thus we called her “potato” through the entire evening did however drink real beer. She lost, and obviously was very drunk.
Idan said that it’s something like every nerds dream. You get a first date with someone without trying, and without the embarrassment involved..
We did however though that it was very embarrassing. I kept thinking about Lee and what she might think. I love her so very much. Even after I told her everything about that place she was very understanding. I still kept feeling guilty even if I didn’t do anything. The worst thing I think is that the drunk girl, potato, wanted me to dance with her on the table, (after Idan danced with a girl that was attached to him). She took off some of my clothes. It very somewhat embarrassing in front of every one, but it’s ok. You usually get to see more of me in pool parties anyway…
Then I started falling asleep there, they were constantly singing karaoke all the time, each time a different drunken girl, and they started singing more slow and relaxing song.
Then all the girls left at once.
I understood that it’s very customary for business man to go to these places and I was told that actually a lot of business is done in these places. I can understand why. You get drunk and there are these girls putting you in a bit embarrassing situation, and you get to open up to your business partners.
It’s a bit demeaning for the girls. But I think strip clubs are more demeaning. And in this club every stayed fully dressed.
Besides me.
Hmm. Coming to think of it, it was a topless strip club. Only it was me who was topless.
P.S. I’m thinking my parents, or actually my mom, isn’t really going to like this club story. So don’t tell them. If you happen to be one of them, I can assure you, you can stop being a polish mom and stop worrying. I wore my “sveder” and my coat, and I didn’t get any SARS.
We went back, I stayed up a while talking with Idan about our weird experience, we talked about life, Majorem, the game, his flight back, and other stuff
We had a door effect. A door effect is that thing you get when you’re about to leave and you get stuck near the door and keep on talking for a few hours after you were suppose to go, and now you’re late already somewhere. Me and Idan have a long history of door effects. I think the largest one we had was when I first met Lee and couldn’t stop thinking about her, and I drove all the way to Idan, and back to my house along with him and we sat in the parking lot until 6am just talking about that before going to my house. I drove him back. I don’t think we even bothered going to my house. We just stayed at the car talking…
Idan was very proud he had a 3 hour door effect with Nelson.
I obviously called Lee before I went to sleep to explain all that. As I said she was more then just very understanding. I love her so very much.
