Miracle in Danshui

Yesterday we took a Sunday trip to the very end of the Taipei red line. Danshui is a little touristy township that's supposed to be a lover's destination thanks to its gorgeous sunsets.

There were lots of people snacking on sausages and grilled squid waiting for the Sun to sink below the horizon. And no the miracle was not the sunset. I didn't even get to see it.



James and I were too excited by the thought of halfway decent Mexican food to wait. We scrapped the sunset and trekked to Eddy's Cantina.

James: "Is that pepper holding a joint?" Me: "No! That's a burrito."

Last week I read about Eddy's on Hungry Girl's Guide to Taipei. Danshui is pretty far out of our way, but once I found Eddy's online, I knew we'd be going over the weekend. Mexican food is rare in Taipei. And, according to Hungry Girl, edible Mexican food is almost non-existent.

It's been three months since my last burrito. Southern California is arguably the best place in America to eat Mexican food, and I ate it at least weekly up until May of this year. Thus finding a Mexican food restaurant in Taiwan was pretty much the most exciting thing that's happened since I left the States (kidding, that award probably goes to finding good pizza in Taiwan).

Cactus-stem glasses! Adorable!

We started with nachos and margaritas. My margarita tasted like it had more alcohol than the entire amount I've imbibed since arriving, but after a few sips I didn't mind so much.

Your eyes do not deceive, that is squeeze cheese on my nachos. Back home I would only accept such a substance at a ski lodge or a sporting event. But beggars can't be choosers. After nachos we split a burrito and an enchiladas plate.

From Danshui

Three plates! I'm proud of us.

Afterward I managed to walk a straight line to the counter where I paid $990NT (about $30 U.S.) for our experience. It was the most expensive meal for two we've eaten here - funny since Mexican is the cheapest cuisine to eat back home in L.A.

Overall, I'd say the fare would rate as passable for a mid-sized American city Mexican joint. But for Taiwan, it was a godsend. I haven't been that full since I left home. Sure, I've been really full on occasion. But Chinese-food full and Mexican-food full are very different. No amount of rice or dumplings lends itself to that entire-body-feels-heavier sensation that accompanies a gut full of cheese and ground beef. Glorious.

Chinese Medicine 2: Revenge of Mystery Pills

Word came in the mail: The good news is the results from James' blood work at airport quarantine show he doesn't have Dengue fever. The better news is he didn't die of an aneurysm yesterday, like I thought he would.

A couple days ago James went to the doctor like the folks at quarantine ordered. The doc' told James not to drink any cold liquids. He prescribed a bag of pills that looked pretty much like the ones the Chinese woman gave him in Cambodia.

James took the first set of antibiotics that night and quickly developed a pinching headache behind his right eye. The next morning he awoke at 10 and took another pack of pills which triggered the same headache behind his eye. So he took an Advil and laid down.

We planned on going to the fun and touristy Danshui for the day. But 45 minutes after he lay down, James didn't feel any better. He just slept. Three hours passed. Then four. Five. Six. All he did was sleep while I worried about the blood vessels no doubt bursting in his cranium.

James was going to die. I knew it. He would leave me all alone in Taiwan - me whose Chinese is only good enough to order steamed pork buns. But then at 5 he miraculously awoke, and just in time for happy hour.

"I'm done taking pills," he told me.

Today, James is alive and mostly well. As for our health care: I learned how to make a tourniquet in a sixth-grade babysitting class. If the ailment doesn't require a defibrillator or a catheter, I think we can take care of it at home. We'll be fine, right?