A Japanese Breakfast in Taiwan

 

I may as well come right out and say it.  With the huge changes in my life the past couple months, the Apricosa I have been creating is also going to be feeling some change.  I've been a little shy to embrace this change, mostly because I don't want to disturb the clean, unhurried format of focusing on one homemade dish in each post.  Yet living overseas and out of a suitcase makes this kind of blogging impossible.  My reluctance also stems from the fact that I had to leave my nice new camera behind at home for safe-keeping, and thus most photos I end up snapping fall short of the standards I want to uphold for Apricosa.

Every now and then, though, I find a moment with beautiful light that my point-and-shoot simply cannot mess up.  Serene moments...so precious.  These are moments I think I can share.

When I get back to a rhythm of normalcy, there will be time and space for lots of fun food styling and the peaceful approach that I've treasured here.  For now, though, I'll have to shed the Apricosa style a bit and be real with what I have through the lens of my point-and-shoot.

. . . . .

Travels have been broadening.  I had a week in Taipei, then a week in Seoul, and now the past couple weeks in Busan.  Work has kept me terrifically busy...I feel like I've been on "The Unofficial Tour to East Asia's Best Hospitals," and it's been exciting getting to meet and work with doctors and scientists who are passionate about revolutionizing cancer treatment.

When I'm not working, I'm generally thinking about where to find my next meal.  Restaurant dining has its ups and downs--I get to try tons of great food that I'd never find in the States, but I am missing the creative outlet of making something with my own hands.  There have been ups and downs in my life beyond just the food too--fascinating sights and experiences, but also overt and hidden stressors that come with the territory of life and work abroad.  Here, on Apricosa, I'm just going to focus on the highlights!

One of the highlights for me truly was my first stop of the journey, in Taiwan.  What a lovely, restful hotel I was privileged to call home for a few days.  Quiet, unobtrusive service, comfortable rooms with fantastic amenities, and a view of Taipei 101 from my room.  One day, with a big day of hospital visits ahead of me, I scheduled an early breakfast from room service (instead of venturing out for breakfast as I shared in an earlier post) and selected the Japanese breakfast.

What arrived was a feast enough for two, with a beautiful array of colors and shapes, flavors and textures.  Dipping my spoon into the miso seaweed soup, I discovered gorgeous, hearty chunks of salmon.  And arranged about in individual dishes were prawns on a bed of cabbage salad, cool soft tofu topped with dried bonito threads, luscious egg and nori roll, broiled salmon, chicken teriyaki, and the list goes on.  I certainly don't eat this way every morning, but my, what a treat!  So much fun to eat, and so pretty to look at in the morning light.  And so much fun to take pictures of.  It was an Apricosa morning, that's for sure!