The Chinese New Year Celebration in Chinatown Center was fun. My favorite performance was Draiku Aerial. They were mesmerizing. I also took the opportunity to walk around and stop in at two of my favorite places – Pho Saigon for steamed rice with charbroiled sliced pork, and Short and Sweet for Thai iced tea with pearls.
Chicken, Chicken, Goat, Dragon, Rabbit, Horse, Chicken, Snake…
The Snow Monster. You win based upon your name alone. Here is how it works. Approach the counter and check out your options on the menu display. Select your size – I got a small. Choose your flavor for the groovy shaved ice – I got Coffee flavor. Pick some Snow Toppings – I got Oreos. Get a drink – I got a bubble tea. Enjoy! Yes, it is that simple and truly an awesome discovery to begin the summer season in Austin. If only they had a Sno Mo a little further north…
What the heck is Taiyaki, and where has it been hiding all my life? I discovered it today in the Teapioca Avenue kiosk located in the Hana World Market. Taiyaki is a fish-shaped pastry with filling inside.
There is a magical machine that pours some batter and the selected filling into a fish mold, closes the two sides of the mold, shuffles the Taiyaki down the line and around the bend, cooks your pastry to perfection, and delivers it back to the front of the counter for you to consume (two at a time)! What else could this magical machine cook up for me with some sneaky modifications? Oh well, for now I will have to visit the Teapioca Avenue kiosk as much as humanly possible – did I mention that they also sell bubble tea like my Thai Iced Tea with pearls from today? Yay!
