Miss Gioia

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Tai Feng

The Mandarin phrase for typhoon is Tai Feng, or great wind. Yesterday at around 6:15 the government said - Everyone go home. And so they did. People take typhoons very seriously around here. They don't say, "Well, I think I'll just wait it out in my trailer park on the beach." No.

We hunkered down at home today for the storm. But it was Saturday, and we had come to the end of our weekly food supplies for the adults in the house. Frankie had a large bag of dog food on the porch, and Gioia had a freezer full of baby food. Chris and I, on the other hand, were facing a weekend of Kraft macaroni and cheese.

So today, we watched the storm and tried to gage the best time to venture out for some vittles. The wind kept getting worse and worse, so finally we just ran for it. Luckily the grocery store next door was open (and curiously full of people, perhaps in the same boat as us).

When we got to the dairy section, we found that the container of whole milk that we buy for Gioia was nowhere to be found. What to do? I know that whole milk is labeled in blue, while low fat milk labels are green. So I bought a container similar to the one we usually buy, one with a blue label.

After we trudged home though the rain, we gave the milk to Gioia. She kept making a face while drinking her sippy cup, so we investigated. Ah, not milk. It was a drinkable yogurt-like substance. Probably made with whole milk, but definitely not milk itself. So I trudged back out into the storm to 7-Eleven (which was also open, interestingly) and bought another jug.

For the record, it was an easy mistake to make. Behold the evidence - the container on the left is milk, while the container on the right is the yogurt drink. Most of time, I get by on my little handicaps and tricks, but not this time.


But all is well. The storm has abated. Gioia got her milk. And now we know how to distinguish the jug of drinkable yogurt from the jug of milk.

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2 Comments:

Blogger Johnny said...

Please explain "6:15"?

the government offices open late?

September 14, 2008 3:12 AM  
Blogger Rebecca said...

Hey Johnny,

Official working hours for many companies are 9 to six. People tend to arrive late and work late. It is very common to see people working overtime in Taiwan. The same is true in China and Japan. Maybe elsewhere too, not sure. I try to leave the office by 6:45 or 7 pm so I can put Baby G to bed. If I get out that early, then I am usually one of the first ones to leave.

September 14, 2008 1:06 PM  

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