Stunning Autumn in Japan: And Some Buckwheat Noodles!

 

Sumimasen...I'm new around here...

From the tropical splendor and mystique of Thailand to a very different vibe in Japan--I've begun my six month research sabbatical at the National Museum of Ethnology (study of human cultures). 

My name in lights...well, on an office door!

Neighborhood Temples

Osaka is lovely in November, a little bit like the mountains of Tennessee with fall colors everywhere. Kasuga Shrine, first built in the 9th century and rebuilt several times since, is about 15 minutes walk from my little dorm room. 

It is nestled into the hillside with colorful trees, a swaying bamboo grove, and a little spring seeping down. The silence on a rainy autumn Sunday is beautiful. 

Small mountain shrine at the temple, with crimson Japanese maple leaves.

Gingko leaves glow green and yellow above an old cistern.

A small trough with purplish maple leaves. The maples here are stunning.

Origami cranes, or tsuru (鶴), at the temple. The legend goes, if you fold 1,000 of them and are virtuous, your wish will come true...

Buckwheat - it's not just for pancakes.

On a crisp fall evening, I went to a little place that specializes in soba or buckwheat. This delightful grain is beloved of Japanese and Korean chefs. It is used to make a savory warm tea, cookies, and famous soba noodles. 

 

The soba special--with pickles, bottomless buckwheat tea, and fragrant rice.  

The soup was to die for: a warm, gently spiced broth infused with wild mushrooms and the chewy, nutty soba noodles combined with wild greens, crispy fresh carrots, and scallions. It made the walk home through blowing leaves nice and warm! 

Thai Women of Art and Spiritual Power

Women of Thailand Carry the Light.

From every walk of life, women in Thailand are central to society. They have a woman Prime Minister, and a woman Attorney General. Thailand is number one in the world for women CFOs! 

Thai women own and run businesses, raise the next generation, and as top scholars and scientists they are  pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. 

Young woman carries a symbolic lantern in the Festival of Lights parade, Chiang Mai, 2022. 

Wisdom, Grace, Power

Naturally, have women have always contributed very strongly to the cultural traditions of Thailand. I could see it in every manifestation of the past, such as in the museums.

Prajñāpāramitā Devi, in Buddhist thought, the personification of wisdom also known as the "Great Mother." From the Dvaravati period, about 7th-11th century AD. 

In the National Museum in Bangkok, there were many sculptures of Prajnaparamita. I am not knowledgeable about Buddhism (although my grandmother and auntie were very devout in Taiwan) --  but the fact that perfect wisdom and transcendental knowledge are portrayed as female is way cool. A bit like Sophia in Greek hellenic traditions...

Bronze miniature of a dancing goddess holding a knife. Dvaravati art shows the strong Indian influence in Thailand during this time.

Women are everywhere in Thai temple art, if you look carefully.  

Beautiful gilded wooden figure of a goddess at Wat Loi Kroh, in Chiang Mai. This is from the Lan Na kingdom in the 1360s. 

In Ratchaburi, we visited a wonderful puppet museum that is keeping the art form alive. Thai puppeteers dance, sing, and act while holding their huge puppets.

Lovely Nang Sida from legendary times, in puppet form; traditional Thai leather puppets can be as tall as a person!  

...And Dinner with Friends

After all that art history and culture, it's time to sit down together over a fantastic Thai dinner! Our friend Mod, the Chiang Mai geophysicist, brought us to one of her favorite places overlooking the Ping River.  

Spicy savory yellow curry, with chicken and "pea eggplants." They actually teeny little round eggplants, kind of crunchy and tangy which adds complexity to the warmth of the curry. 

Pineapple fried rice shows a Burma influence. Bits of sweet juicy pineapple are included in the rice, and the dish is served in a scooped out pineapple shell. Oh man. 

If Thailand has a national soup, Tom Kha Kai is it! Yeah, I showed it before. But the smooth rich coconut milk broth, bay leaves, lemon grass, and those red chilis, combine to make a soup you could never get tired of.

Beauty of Thailand: Food and Flowers

 

It's Winter in Thailand...

And places like Wat Loi Kroh, right across the street from our hotel, sparkles like a gem under the clear blue sky...as it has for more than 600 years. It was hot, so I kept to the shade to enjoy this beautiful spiritual place... 

This Wat was established after the reconquest of Chiang Mai from Burma, by the Thai King. The idea was to attract villagers back to the burned, razed city.

Inside, a golden Buddha glows at the end of a gorgeous blue carpet that echoes the purity of the winter sky outside.

Let's Go Up the Mountain.

With our good friend Mod, we drove up the mountainside into cool breezes...to a restaurant at Mae Sa. We told ourselves 'we won't eat a big lunch today...' Yeah, right!!

Clint and Mod went to grad school together at Boise State University. They still like to tease each other!

We started with a mango smoothie and a passion fruit smoothie, and some appetizers. This restaurant proves that Thai cuisine can be startlingly original, even fusion sometimes. 

Thai mushrooms slowly sauteed in butter. Aside from a little salt, no further flavors are needed - these are so savory! The flavor felt kind of French. 

Next, green papaya salad inspired by Viet Nam. Crispy strips of papaya tossed with tangy dressing, and tender plump shrimp with a hint of nutty sweetness. 

A rich red curry with big crayfish from the local stream.  

Clint was craving chicken so he ordered a Chinese inspired cashew chicken dish. I loved the carrot carved into a little 'good fortune' bat!

Thailand Flower Power.

OMG, we cleaned our plates! Then, needing a stroll, we visited a butterfly and orchid farm. These are quite common on this mountainside with its cool, clean air.

The butterflies were too fast for me to take a good picture. So, here are some orchids. Take a deep breath, zoom in, and forget all your worries as you enjoy their luxuriant beauty. 

Enjoy your holiday, my friends!!

Festival of Lights, and Honoring the Water Goddess

 

Glorious Chiang Mai

Clint and I next travelled north to the mountainous area that was once the kingdom of Lan Na. It's a region of Thailand steeped in the ancient past, but colorful and boisterous in the here and now. I was at a conference for much of the week, but once the sun went down something incredible happened.

A Mythical Festival 

We were super lucky to arrive during the Loi Krathong Festival which honors the Goddess of Water. People create little rafts of banana leaves and flowers, place a candle in the middle, and with a prayer place them on the Ping River to float glowing downstream. 

They also light huge lanterns to cast off into the sky, but we missed that event as it was on the edge of town this year. Still, there was a LOT to see!

Gorgeously colored lanterns glowed from every temple. And there are some 300 temples in this town of about 32,000!

We were standing on a bridge here; to the right are hundreds of people placing the little flower rafts (krathong) on the river. 

Everyone loves a parade!

The night after, there was a big parade. We waited with tens of thousands of festival goers along Tha Pae Walking Street, sipping an ice cold mango smoothie. Thai smoothies are super simple and delicious: fresh ripe mango and a shake of ice in a blender. 

Soon the crowd surged forward as the parade arrived: beautiful men and women in traditional dress, like princes and princesses: traditional Thai walking bands; marching bands; and several creative and fun floats from the various consulates. The one from the USA was a Mardi Gras float?! But my faves were the local ones, of course. 

 

The floats were feasts for the eyes. I liked the down home vibe of this one hauled by a pickup truck.

Several universities vied for the best float. This one was for a university that specializes in hydrology. I am pretty sure these are students. Nuff said.

Much of the symbolism of these exquisite floats is embedded in Buddhism, and the older animistic religions of Thailand. Serpentine dragons and elephants are common motifs. 

Curry After Party

Hot, happy, and footsore, we found a nice little restaurant called Lemongrass and shared a big cold bottle of Singha beer and some appetizers. 

Fish cakes: crisp on the outside, piping hot and tender inside, were served with tangy tamarind dipping sauce. 

For the main course, we both ordered big bowls of green curry. This meal, like the lanterns and parade, was a little celebration of northern Thai cultural heritage!  

I wish you could smell the fragrance of lemon grass, basil, chilis, and other more subtle flavors.

One night in Bangkok...well a few nights actually

 Thailand's historic capital

--A riot of sound, color, smells, flavors! Chaos in motion, with tiny pockets of quiet and cultural and natural wonders--that's Bangkok, Thailand. A metropolis of nearly 11 million souls.

A fierce guardian of a large standing Golden Buddha. 

Clint and I stayed at the Rattanakosin District, which means 'Royal'. We were about 1/4 mile from the Grand Palace of Thailand's current reigning king, Maha Vajiralongkorn or Rama X. We toured the grounds of the palace, including the Emerald Buddha temple, earlier this month.

To visit the royal palace, you must wear long pants and a shirt with sleeves out of respect!

We also grabbed a tuk-tuk for a wild ride around the Royal and shopping districts.  Our driver was very cool. 

Tuk-tuks are kind of like motorcycles but with a cart attached to the back. Very fast and maneuverable. Festively decorated and the pride of their drivers.

Beginnings of a Curry Adventure

My colleague Thanik Lertcharnrit is a Thai archaeologist who specializes in the early Bronze age. I am doing a project with him on archaeological heritage tourism in Thailand. While we travelled around, we ate some memorable meals! One of the dishes, which is considered as a national icon, is Mussaman curry...

Curry in Thailand is not usually served with rice. Fragrant roti slices and lightly pickled vegetables are more common.

The curry is astounding--not hot, but richly flavored. From the first aromatic bite, it infuses all your senses in a sequence of flavors (don't gulp it down or you'll miss it). Almost like what the wine makers brag about...only, curry!!!!

The countryside northwest of Bangkok

We visited a beautiful and haunting temple site, Wat Mahathat Worawihan. Thailand has many cultural and political layers over time: during the Dvaravati period (Khmer and Mon influences) this wat was constructed beginning around AD 291). 

These prasat towers remind me of Angkor Wat, in Cambodia.

We also visited a wonderful puppetry museum, and an ancient Bronze Age trading center archaeological site called Prom Thin Thai. After all that rushing around, we enjoyed real Pad Thai in a small village eatery. With coconut ice cream for dessert. 

This super local pad thai includes delicate flavors of shrimp and noodles, nuts, limes, lemon grass, small scallions, and tangy fish sauce. The local military guys love this place!

Bright Lights, Big City Cocktails 

Our final evening in Bangkok Clint and I did what we do best: got lost. We wandered happily along shiny promenades for enormous temples and palaces, tiny lanes and alleys, and a pitch dark abandoned marketplace. 

A 1/4 moon floats above the nighttime glory of Wat Pho.

We happily stumbled across a tiny but fabulous rooftop restaurant and bar called View Arun, right on the mighty Chao Praya river. We enjoyed a cocktail, and the floodlit beauty of Wat Arun across the river. 

After a long hot ramble, what could be better than a tall cool Singapore Sling on the rooftop? Cool fact: this iconic SE Asian beverage was invented by a Hainan Chinese bartender in the Raffles Hotel, Singapore, by the name of Ngiam Tong Boon.

Sweet velvety goodness

One of my favorite ravin' neighborhoods

As soon as the sun goes down, Taipei's Ximending (West Gate Neighborhood) pulsates with light, sound, color, and democracy. The average age at night is probably 30ish, and there are major shopping outlets everywhere you look.

Shop till you drop: A rainy night vignette of Ximen district, Taipei.

Beautiful tiny temples glow warmly between utilitarian structures. 

Pride, Taiwan Style.

Glowing against the grey darkness is the famed Red House Theatre. Built by a Japanese architect in 1908, it has been a marketplace, Beijing Opera theatre, and most recently, the icon of Taiwan's democracy movements since the 1980s. The marriage equality movement was born here in colorful demonstrations of the 2010's. 

 

The Red House, Taiwan's bastion of civil rights, democracy, free speech, and marriage equality.

A wee robot necklace made of computer bits! The ears evoke Taiwan's iconic mountain bear.

This is the thumping heart of Taiwan's LGBTQI scene, and on a Saturday night there are many folks out seeing and being seen, shopping for cool handicrafts, and taking in a variety of raucous drag acts on outdoor platforms. 

Vibin' the Red House!

An outdoor drag performance of Shakira's Hips Don't Lie, in the rain.

Now for the sweet velvety part.

If you need a little pick-me-up after all that partying, Taiwan's dessert soup scene is there for you!

The Xiaonanmen (Little South Gate) Tofu Pudding joint beckons...

It's everything you love about pudding, only chilled and non-dairy. The ultimate comfort food in a tropical climate! I tried many times to make it look yummy, but you'll just have to take my word for it. It is.

Sweet velvety goodness: chilled silken tofu, peanuts, and cassava bubbles in a mildly sweet syrup. 

What a great night! The funky, friendly, open vibe at Ximending is young Taiwan: on the cusp of the world, looking upward and outward with hope and humor. 

This cheerful duck attended the Pride parade with a signature rainbow ribbon. Photo Taiwan News, 10/29/22.