When I was a little girl my 爸爸 took my sister and I to Taiwan. It was my first trip to Taiwan as well as Asia. I remember the hot wet air hitting us like a ton of bricks when we descended from the airplane onto the tarmac, the hot sluggish wind. This was a completely different place from where we were growing up, a place full of strange new sights, sounds and smells.
My 爸爸 had lived in Taiwan during his formative teen years and had never been back since. He was emotional, full of half complete stories of his Taiwan years, stories sprinkled with joy, nostalgia and sadness.
One of the side trips we took on this little family adventure was a long and winding bus ride that took us to the lush deep south of Taiwan. It was on this never ending bus ride that I had my first lesson on How to Eat Sugarcane 吃甘蔗. Munching away on a stick was never so sweet!
