Taiwan Part 4 - Fun with Food and Family

From OLC - Taiwan Part 4

So this posting has less of our Little Chef, but it is definitely an homage to the funny foods we saw in Taiwan. It's just a quick snapshot of our day to day. Taiwan has so much good food, as well as weird food. Snacks and fast food definitely have their places in the hearts of the Taiwanese, but there is a traditional side, as well. Enjoy!

Taiwan Part 3 - The Presidential Palace

From OLC - Taiwan Part 3

"The man behind the man in Taiwan."

Earlier this year, NaiNai's little brother (Max calls him Jiu Gong) was elected president of Taiwan. This time while we were there, she arranged for a personal tour of the Presidential Palace. What a treat! One of the most fascinating rooms, believe it or not, was the breastfeeding room. XW, Max, and I broke off mid-tour to feed Max. They had a lady come down to where we were to take us to the breastfeeding room. Two elevators, a couple of floor changes, and a few security card swipes later, we arrived at a room with a big, red, candy-like button that activated a large metal sliding door which was the entrance to the breastfeeding room. Kudos to President Ma Ying-Jeou and his administration for being so family-forward! We were totally impressed by the facilities. The phone inside had the same ring as on the show, '24,' so when they called in to check on us, we felt super official.

We also got to have lunch with President Jiu Gong, and everyone had the requisite pint of milk along with their bento box. Very simple, very straightforward, and quite delicious. Afterwards, we took a tour of the office. Jiu Gong said that this office is actually smaller than his office when he was mayor of Taipei. But it's still plenty of space for one person, he said. Well, after Ian used the bathroom, Lia changed her diaper, and Max was fed, we all went on our merry way back home, while Jiu Gong continued to do what he called his "homework." Jiu Gong is awesome.

Taiwan Part 2 - Max meets Lao Nai Nai (YeYe's mommy)!

We really got to see Jiu Gong a lot this time while in Taiwan. I think we had a record number of meals with him (4) in the three weeks we were there. You can see Mr. President chillaxing in denim in the first few pictures of the slideshow. Ian also got to play Mah-jongg (sort of) with Lao Wai Po! We had such a great lunch with Lao Wai Po and Jiu Gong.

A bit of trivia: Maxwell is the first great grandson with the last name of Feng, and he got to meet the matriarch of the family, Lao Nai Nai, who is currently 98 years old! She was thrilled to see him. YeYe (Alan's dad) gets bragging rights among his 7 siblings because this grandson is the first in our family with the last name "Feng." Technically, Ian Feng Slater is the first grandson with "Feng" in his name, but unfortunately, the Chinese don't count that. Of course, we're not really into the whole Chinese filial piety thing, but hey, if it makes him happy, why not?

We also had a milestone: Max sat in a baby carrier for the first time! We promptly took a walk with GuGu and Lia to the nearest 7-11 to check out the goods and get some "fresh" air, too. YeYe has a wad of 7-11 vouchers (that are pretty much like cash) in the living room drawer, and 7-11's in Taiwan are a whole different beast than what they are in the states. Believe me, it really is heaven at 7-11 in Taiwan.

Taiwan Part 1 - Max meets YeYe!

Mommy and Daddy are finally back in the swing of things, and it's time to blog again. We were in Taiwan for 3 weeks, and Maxwell had a fantastic time. We got to see Lao Wai Po (Alan's maternal grandmother), Lao Nai Nai (Alan's paternal grandmother - see Taiwan Part 2), Jiu Gong (the President of Taiwan!), MeiMeiYi Puo, YeYe, NaiNai, GuGu (Flora), GuDie (Jeff), Ian, Lia, and lots of other family members! But more importantly, we were all there to give YeYe moral support as he was healing from spinal surgery. As you can see, he was quite happy to see his grandchildren! Ian, Lia, and Max were all there to show their moral support. In this picture, YeYe is having a great time with Max and Lia. A superb time was had by all.

From OLC - Taiwan Part 1

Here's the slideshow:

100 Days with Maxwell

Before we shipped off to Taiwan to see Alan's parents, Maxwell celebrated his 100 days birthday on Jan 3, 2009. Because it was right after the holidays, we honestly didn't expect many people to come. In the end, we had plenty of friends show up, and it was such a great day for Max and his parents. We also went to see our new friend, Linnea Sherwood-Salkeld, b. Dec 27, 2008. We forget how much Max has grown, and he looks like a total bruiser next to her! It was fantastic meeting her, and in the same week, we also met Man Yi Puo (Nai Nai's sister) and Yi Gong (her husband) for the first time, at Auntie Gillian and Uncle Wes' house. Maxwell was all too eager to grab the Hong Bao (red envelope) from Man Yi Puo. It was only the beginning, as we later saw in Taiwan that Max has a penchant for grabbing Hong Bao's and holding onto them VERY tightly.