French toast

This "morning" (I'll refrain from saying what time it was, specifically...), I decided I wanted French toast. As it is an easy enough craving to accommodate, I set about making some, mixing eggs and milk and vanilla and cinnamon, adding some coconut and walnuts to the batter as an afterthought, and then soaking and frying the bread.

It turned out magnificently, and Analicia and I feasted on my creation.

Partway through the meal, though, our conversation turned towards home, and friends. I brought up the scrumptious hazelnut-encrusted French toast I miss from the Glenwood, where my mom and I go when we want something special for breakfast. We talked about our best friends, and the concept of best friends. I glanced through my Taste of Oregon cookbook, Analicia suggested we cook our way through it, and I had to point out that many if not most of the recipes are un-makeable with our equipment here. I developed an incurable craving for Dutch Babies, and realized that it has been nearly a year since I've tasted my mom's famous rolls.

In all, a nostalgic conversation, hungry for not just food from home, but the people who make it with us.

Tonight, my dear friend Annika posted on my Facebook wall that she thinks I have been off on my adventures long enough, and I should come home now. And, while I'm not quite ready to agree with her--I still love my life here in Taiwan, and I'm certainly not ready to leave--I think that when the time comes for me to go, I will be.

Several people, my mom and my brother Alex included, have asked me recently if I'm still enjoying my time here, or if I'm missing home. My answer, like the answer to the question of Schrodinger's cat (nerdy reference, I know), is "yes." Yes, I am still having the time of my life here, and yes, I do miss home. After all, why should it be an easy dichotomy? When I go home, my answer will be true in reverse: yes, I'll enjoy being home, and yes, I'll be missing Taiwan.

There is no either/or here any more; life is not that simple. Now I miss French toast and rolls; at home, I'll miss Chialing's noodles and milk tea. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy where I am now.