Longshan (dragon mountain) temple

This temple is one of the oldest and most important temples in Taiwan. I was taken there by a Taiwanese professor of education who had studied in the U.S. with Marcy Kysilka (one of O.L.'s first doctoral students). I am very thankful for all of the wonderful connections such as this one!



It was a rainy day, but there were nonetheless numerous worshippers. From this main hall, people were chanting and out in the other areas, worshippers were following along, some holding books and others burning incense sticks:


You can see on the long table many offerings. Most were fruit or packages of crackers (which were sold in the entryway). I asked what happens to the offerings, if the monks were able to eat them later, but my hosts said that people took the offerings back after they were finished praying.



Here's a closer view of the beautiful roof (similar roofs are visible around Taiwan):



After the visit to the temple, we walked around the neighborhood a little. We got snacks, including this:



For the picture, I kept it in the plastic bag it came in because it was a little sticky...but, basically it's sticky rice made into a chewy dough that's wrapped around ground peanuts. My hosts told me that the bright pink color comes from an herb used for coloring. It didn't have too much flavor and was a little sweet, but not too much.

Also, I got my first dragon fruit (appropriate since I had just visited dragon mountain temple), which I cut up the next day at home. It's very messy and slightly staining. The flavor is mild and the little seeds are softer than kiwi seeds. They also have dragon fruit with white flesh, which I tried later and has a similar flavor. The outside looks the same, though.