Voracious for Vocab

Words due Mon. 8-16-10

We are voracious for vocab. We crave long, complicated GRE words. They are delicious. They are almost as good as stinky tofu. The smell of the tofu wafts through the night market. It whets my hunger for a good greasy meal.

Have you gained a new zeal for learning vocab yet?

Zealots we are, as we wend our way through the back alleys of the night market seeking the perfect dinner. Our feet grow tired of walking but we never waver in our quest to find the perfect meal. I suppose we could stop at McDonalds for food instead, but I really wanted to try some veritable Taiwanese specialties tonight.

A few nights ago I ate seafood congee at a restaurant near Princeton Review called 1976. Congee is a viscous, porridge-like rice dish. It would be a good dish to eat in the wintertime because it is hot and thick.

Oh, and last week, I ate at a Buddhist Vegetarian Buffet. Some of dishes had an uncanny verisimilitude to actual meat. I love vegetarian food even though I am not a vegetarian. In Philadelphia, I do have a lot of vegetarian friends, but nothing is more of a vexation than when a preachy vegetarian vituperatively states that all meat-eaters are irresponsible and unethical.

I hate that. Have you ever talked to an extreme animal rights activist who vilifies all people who eat meat? They often turn interesting discussions about cultural dietary preferences into volatile debates over moral certainties. The virulence with which they pursue their arguments is so harsh that is often offensive.

Since I have arrived in Taiwan, I have not been as vigilant about getting regular exercise as I had hoped. My first couple days here, I woke up at 5 am to explore and try tai chi in 228 Peace Park, Linsen Park, and Da-an Park. These early morning adventures seemed delightful and whimsical at first, but now the thought of waking up at 5am each morning seems impractical.

The words due for Monday are "zealous - verisimilitude". Feel free to comment and add your own vocab stories!