Neck Braces at the Ready

A R O U N D T O W N 發光的城市 15 TAIPEI TIMES • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2008 An example for Asia RESTAURANTS Indian novelist and essayist Pankaj Neck braces at the ready GinzaCha-Ya (銀座茶屋) Mishra will be in Taipei this weekend Address: B2, 300, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市忠孝 to give a lecture called Poor but omorrow sees melodic death metal 東路三段300號B2樓) Democratic: Democracy in India in group The Haunted from Sweden Telephone: (02) 8772-6150 the Age of Globalization as part of T playing with local act Infernal Open: 11pm to 9:30pm the Taipei Salon (台北沙龍), a series Chaos in a metal extravaganza that should Average meal: NT$200 of talks hosted by the Lung Yingtai leave partygoers with stiff necks and Details: Chinese menu; credit cards accepted Cultural Foundation (龍應台文化基金會). throbbing eardrums. The lecture, as the title suggests, will The music continues with a second Like Korean barbeque address two issues. show, billed as an “afterparty,” that begins and hot-pot restaurants, “The idea that poor countries have at 10:30pm, with industrial music by GinzaCha-Ya (銀座茶屋), to have an authoritarian government Roughhausen, heavy metal/grunge rockers located in the food court is one notion that’s been around for Doublewide, and Into the Void, a Black of Sogo’s Fuxing branch, a while. And India is the one major Sabbath tribute band. gives diners the satisfying exception,” ��Mishra ��said in a phone The Haunted started off in 1996, and the feeling of having a hand in release of the group’s first album in 1998 the creation of their own interview from his hotel in Hong Kong. GinzaCha-Ya’s tea bowl sets offer a savory garnered Terrorizer magazine’s Album of meal. The do-it-yourself His second theme investigates version of the afternoon tea. the process of globalization and its the Year award. Peter Dolving’s lead vocals process at GinzaCha-Ya PHOTO: RON BROWNLOW, TAIPEI TIMES potential to turn back the clock on are scathing, introspective and full of is much more simple, India’s democratization. angst. The song D.O.A. from The Haunted’s however, and does not require grills or open flames — perfect “To diminish centuries-old patterns 2004 album One Kill Wonder was made if you want a fairly quick meal or are dining with a pyromaniac whereby people were born into one available for download in March this year who you do not want to expose to temptation. Most dishes on caste … has been the whole promise for a video game called Rock Band on the menu come in sets called huai shi cha shan (懷石茶膳), a of democracy in India. Globalization, Xbox and PlayStation. poetic phrase that literally translates into “tea-bowl meal.” by privileging certain classes Taipei’s Infernal Chaos was formed by GinzaCha-Ya’s tea-bowl sets are served in pretty Japanese- and certain kinds of people and guitarist Jesse Liu (小黑) of Chthonic (閃 style ceramic dishware neatly laid out on a wooden tray. Each introducing new kinds of inequalities, 靈) and plays a driving, engaging style of bowl is filled with an elegantly presented assortment of rice, has in many ways undermined this thrash metal. meat or fish, veggies and other ingredients, and accompanied particular promise,” he said. The afterparty features Taiwan resident by a teapot filled with a savory broth that has a very delicate tea His lecture seeks to connect these singer, songwriter, producer, keyboardist aroma, a small dish of seasonal pickled fruit or vegetables, and and guitarist Jeff Stoddard’s industrial a slice of silky tofu in a tangy sesame oil and vinegar sauce. two threads, illustrate the growing Industrial hard-core band Roughhausen is one degree of separation away from Skinny Puppy. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROUGHHAUSEN pains India is currently undergoing band Roughhausen. Your server will instruct you to pour as much broth into and examine how it can serve as a Although Roughhausen tours Europe, Puppy’s studio beginning in 1996. the bowl as you like, add slices of scallion and bits of wasabi the US and Southeast Asia regularly, it has paste for seasoning, and then gently mix the contents with a litmus test for other Asian countries “I was 20 years old serving at the table PERFORMANCE NOTES: experiencing the same problems. only recently started doing shows here. of the masters,” he says. small wooden stirring spoon. The result resembles Taiwanese While Stoddard calls Germany “the congee, or zhou (粥), which is thinner than its porridge- This is Mishra’s second visit to The use of samples from cult leaders WHAT AND WHEN: The Haunted Taiwan, and he professes a fascination center of the universe for this kind of such as Charles Manson, David Koresh like Cantonese cousin. The difference between congee and music,” he adds that has been “getting a headlines tomorrow with Infernal Chaos GinzaCha-Ya’s tea bowl sets, however, is the novelty and the with Taiwanese cinema: “[Taiwan] has and Jim Jones in Stoddard’s music reflects from 6:30pm to 10:30pm, followed by a Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), easily one of lot of love and warmth [recently] from the his fascination with “the raw power of quality of the ingredients. local death metal crowd.” second show featuring Roughhausen, My dining companion ordered the chicken and wild greens the world’s great directors, if not the these personalities to convince people of Doublewide and Into the Void “As an artist, I keep the integrity to set (雞野菜茶膳, NT$180), which comes with lightly-seasoned world’s greatest director. To take an things they know logically and rationally WHERE: VU Livehouse, B1, 77, Wuchang myself,” he says. “As a performer I have to white rice, chicken stuffed with imitation crab and carrots, a interest in his films is to also take an to be untrue.” 台北市武昌街二段 keep the audience, so I focus more on the St Sec 2, Taipei City ( slice of soft, sweet fish tempura, a small piece of egg omelet interest in Taiwanese society, to take Doublewide, featuring vocalist 77號B1). Call (02) 2314-1868 for more an interest in Taiwanese history.” industrial hardcore: guitars, verse/chorus Macgregor Wooley, also New Hong Kong and an assortment of green vegetables and mushrooms. After structure. It’s sharp [and] blindly angry but information the broth was poured in, the mixture resembled (as one would Pankaj Mishra’s lecture is Hair City’s saxophone player, ends the ENTRY: Tickets for The Haunted are it’s something familiar.” expect) chicken soup. The flavor was richer and more savory tomorrow from 2pm to 4pm at Yue- night’s proceedings. The group is “a NT$1,300 each and NT$2,500 for two in han Hall (月涵堂), 110 Jinhua St, Taipei Stoddard, who hails from Canada hodgepodge of heavy sounds,” Wooley says. than my selection, the mentaiko set (明太子水茶膳, NT$190) — but hasn’t been back since he left six the VIP area; NT$800 each or NT$1,500 for two seasoned rice balls, slightly browned so that the outsides City (台北市金華街110號). The lecture At the Lost Lagoon party on Oct. 12, two in the Rock Area. Entry to the second is in English. Admission is free, but years ago, grew up in hippie communes Doublewide, with Wooley painted half are crispy; several spoonfuls of coral-colored mentaiko, the in the US and found himself attracted show is NT$250 and includes one drink paste-like marinated roe of pollock fish; vegetables; and pre-registration is required. Call (02) black and half white and making crazy (from 10pm onwards); free for people who 3322-4907, or register online at www. to Vancouver’s industrial scene, where eyes at the crowd, stole the show. seafood-flavored broth. I emptied my entire teapot into the he spent more than two years in Skinny attended The Haunted’s gig bowl and was sorry because the delightfully salty little eggs of civictaipei.org. — NOAH BUCHAN — ALITA RICKARDS the mentaiko were cast adrift in the broth and therefore hard to taste. Aside from that culinary tragedy, I enjoyed the crisped rice, which became satisfyingly firm to the bite when soaked. serving eight famous gin cocktails from admission before midnight. Seafood lovers should also try the grilled salmon set (燒鮭魚肚茶 around some of the most famous cocktail R-Min, Glenn Jr and Stingrays 膳), which at NT$280 is GinzaCha-Ya’s most expensive tea-bowl bars in the world,” Bernard Jutnet, brand are promising “cutting-edge electronic set, but comes with generous helpings of fish and salmon roe. manager for Hendrick’s Gin told the Vinyl dance music” in Kaohsiung at the Dizzy For an extra NT$70, we got a pot of oolong tea and a Word, adding that a new cocktail, the Pub tomorrow and the following two creme brulee-like custard at the end of our meal. The very “Formosa Buck,” will be unveiled. Definitely Saturdays. To check out the flyer and get rich and very creamy custard was delicious, but if you have There are several events of varying shades, a slightly more refined night for those a taste of DJ Glenn’s track selection, visit a less-pronounced sweet tooth, you might find it too heavy a sounds and cityscapes this weekend. Only seeking more upmarket chill than down- www.djglenn.com.tw. finish to the delicate flavors in GinzaCha-Ya’s tea bowls. Meal the broke, battered or “I have a cold” and-dirty ill. House of Gods takes place tonight, portions are relatively light and diners should not expect to brigade have mild excuses for not seeking Around the World in Eight Unusual Nov.

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