Plum juice at 公園號 (Park Number)

I'm making this post as I'm bored out of my mind at work... which brings to a completely unrelated point. Most people I know who blog write their posts well in advance, scheduling when they want to release them on a meticulously crafted schedule. I don't know how to do that. For some reason, I can't bring myself to write posts way before posting (there's just something incredibly satisfying about making it appear right away... like magic). If I were to write my posts weeks in advance, I'd probably be tempted to do a mega posting, that is to say, to publish all at once... lol. Anyway, this can't really constitute a review, since I didn't really eat anything, but I felt it deserved it's own mention. Next to 二二八公園 (also known as 和平 or 'Peace Park') sits a small shack. That's all it really is, no bigger than a John Jay double sits a store that has resided in peace for the past 40 or 50 years. Seriously, it has a history that predates my parents. Anyway, they sell one thing... 酸梅湯 (literally translated as plum soup, but it's really juice). That is what they're famous for, and they do it extremely well.


The plum juice, as served in Taiwan, is actually something that came over from China, or more specifically Northern China (Beijing etc.). It's essentially plums that have been left to dry, and if you're Asian, you've probably had 酸梅 (sour plums) by itself, which is then brewed into a thick concentrate. The concentrate has only 2 parts, plums and sugar. The sugar is a necessity given how sour the unflavored juice is (unless you like your face permanently puckered). When served, it's ladled into a bowl or cup and diluted with ice water and ice cubes to a desired consistency. The end result? A remarkably refreshing drink that also causes you to pee like mad later on. All joking aside, it's like lemonade on steroids (in terms of effect), it will quench your thirst after a single cup. The one I got at 'Park Number,' again... a literal translation, is pretty famous in Taipei. For 20 NT (60 cents) if you sit in, or 25 NT (75 cents) for takeout, you get a mildly sweet, and incredibly sour drink that should last you a good 15-20 minutes. Last piece of advice... let the ice melt, it'll mellow out the taste.

No running lately. I've become lazy and have overslept everyday for the past week. I did however play basketball though (if that can be considered cross training). Here's looking forward to riding century rides around Manhattan. I have to find some sort of positive about leaving paradise don't I? Edit: felt a bit lazy and did a sprint run up the mountain path behind my work place... 2.19 miles up, 2.19 miles down. Then I followed up with 3 bowls of shaved ice. Makes my run entirely worthless no?

distance for the day: 4.38 miles
distance biked for the day: 0.00 miles

distance on the year: 453.16 miles
distance biked on the year: 142.68 miles