兔子還敢吃嗎？

這是我以前留下來的和最近種的花：從一年級陪我到現在的和平百合，去年種的非洲菫、red prayer和lipstick plant，今年種的新幾內亞鳳仙、菊花、變葉草、香菜、和泰國辣椒。

 

兔子不吃番茄樹，因為有微毒性。番茄苗本來好好的，最近快死了，不知是生病還是前一陣子天天下雨被淹死了？讓我心疼不已。家附近野兔、松鼠多，不停地破壞我的小花園。先是謀殺了常春藤，今天早上我又氣急敗壞地發現泰國辣椒半顆不見了。難道兔子不覺得辣嗎？和平百合、鳳仙、和其他的植物也不時慘遭毒手，這些鼠輩好像就算不吃，也喜歡把葉子啃幾口，拉扯到地上，或是亂挖盆栽裡的培養土。

我決定把菊花送給Madison Children's Museum，不然那一盆永遠都沒機會長大，一長葉子就被兔子吃掉。我今天去市場抱了一個曼陀羅花(Datura)回來。市場也有賣白花，這一個是淡紫花復辦，還有古怪的香味。跟台灣花是向下垂的品種不一樣，它的花是向上長的。

希望這棵可以長大，開很多花，最好還結一些種子讓我留下來。還敢吃？毒死你，要不然就享受Datura有名的精神錯亂幻覺吧！

Dumpling Making (Chinese New Year)

I posted those photos on Facebook, but they could only be seemed by group members so I'm posting them here so other people can see them. Those are not all the photos, though.

February 16, 2013: Chinese New Year celebration - dumpling making with oSTEM

It took a long time just to cut the pork and the cabbage.

We enjoyed it. One of the girls said, there is not a thing we added in the dumpling that I don't like.

I was so prepared in my Chinese shirt. I was teaching ancient Chinese secret! LOL

I think he really had fun chopping the pork.

Good arm exercise. :D

Why that expression? LOL

My friends were amazing. We made about a hundred dumplings. It was their first time making dumplings, they learned it by just watching me once, and none of the dumplings broke after boiling.

"My mind just had a little imploding (when I saw how a dumpling is folded)," he said.

It was so delicious! I was so happy and proud! :D

I let them try different sauces. I had soy sauce, white vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, and spicy bean sauce. They love it, even the spicy bean sauce. It must be a very different taste to them.

She was vegetarian, so she made a batch of vegetarian dumplings.

I think dumpling making is a great New Year tradition to carry on, isn't it?

Interview at Madison Children's Museum

The manager of the Rooftop of Madison Children's Museum interviewed me. She liked the fact that I love insects and I come from Taiwan. Interested in ethnobotany and indigenous agriculture, she hoped to hear about what vegetables and herbs Taiwanese people grow and eat. She also hoped that I could help take care of their cockroaches and meal-worms, and start a cricket culture; so the animals living on Rooftop will have food source, and children can look at those insects. I think it meant that she gladly accepted me as the summer volunteer, so I'll be going to Children's Museum one morning 9 to 1 o'clock per week to help take care of their garden, animals, and play with children!

Growing Food and Sustainability, after reviewing my application for their summer paid internship, said they were impressed by my application and wanted to interview me soon. I hope the interview will go well. I think one of the greatest things university taught me is bettering my BS ability. I wrote so much for the application but I already forgot what I wrote!

Dysdera crocata

I found a medium-sized spider in my house. At first, I was a bit alarmed because I didn't know if this red- and ivory-colored spider with big fangs was poisonous. I checked online and found it's a Dysdera crocata, commonly known as the woodlouse spider. It feeds exclusively on woodlice and its big fangs are used to grab and pierce through the exoskeleton of woodlice! Luckily this spider doesn't cause problems to humans. When I tried to find it again, it was gone, probably went hiding somewhere in my house. It was a pretty spider!

Pictures of spiders of the same species from the internet:

Wonderful Ending

There was a blizzard on Thursday. The school was closed and all the exams on the day were cancelled. I went out to taste the first big snow of the year and spent half of the evening chatting with Johnny.

Got a hug from my evolutionary biology professor. I finished exams, got straight A for this semester, and rewarded myself with a cup of frozen yogurt. Waiting to go back home. Wonderful ending of my junior fall semester. Can't ask for more!

Au Gratin Buttery Cabbage

After eating bak kut teh soup for a long time, and a week of curry rice, I wanted to try something different.

Au gratin buttery cabbage with sausage is a delightful dish made of cabbage, dried shrimps, sausages, milk, flour, and mozzarella-provolone mix cheese. I ate it as a main dish for dinner.

Now I know what the buttery stuff in those au gratin dishes is made of - flour and milk! I like how the buttery taste of this dish comes mostly from milk instead of cheese or butter. This will work perfectly with pasta too.

1. Add a little oil or butter to stir-fry the sliced sausages, minced garlic, and dried shrimps. Don't add too much, because sausages will release their own oil!
2. Stir-fry cabbage with the sausages.
3. Mix a few cups of milk with some flour, salt, and sugar. Pour it into the wok, add black pepper, and cook until cabbage is soft. Dried cilantro or other spices are optional.
4. Put the cabbage on a baking plate and spread some mozzarella cheese on it.
5. Bake until the cheese is a bit brown.

Great Food from the Farmers' Market

After shopping at the Farmers' Market several times, I gradually know which stands have great food. Here are some bakeries and producers that I'd like to become a regular customer of. Too bad many of them will take a break during the winter.

Sugar River Country Bakery makes firm, sweet cakes like this. The variety includes chocolate zucchini, orange chocolate chip (those two shown in this picture), strawberry, cranberry orange, almond chocolate, blueberry, lemon poppy seeds, lemon, and more. Except the fruit peel in the lemon cake is bitter, other flavors I've had are tasty and filling.

Stella's Bakery has so far the best bread I've had in the US. Their signature is the spicy cheese cake but I didn't have that. Instead, I had some of their huge, firm bread and toast. The Russian black bread has a very distinct flavor, made from caraway seeds, cocoa, and molasses. I was surprised that it tasted great with cheese and ham. The one in the picture is Italian basil bread. I ate it with cheese spread from Fayette Creamery.

The creamery is very popular and their stand is always surrounded by people who are getting a taste of their genuine Wisconsin cheese. I'm not so interested in the cheese that people eat directly as snack or meal, but last week I found those cheese spread that smell so good. There are many flavors. I bought bacon cheddar and Swiss almond. Most food in the US are not fragrant, but those are. When the Italian basil bread and Swiss almond cheese entered my mouth, the aroma of basil, the texture of baked wheat, and the nutty milky flavor made me feel as though I walked into an exquisite Italian restaurant. What a combination!

潮蟲娃娃

今天下午到State Street上去逛了一會兒解悶，看到一個約20公分大的潮蟲娃娃(就是鼠婦，很多隻腳，會蜷起來變成一個球的那種生物)，用柔亮的金屬光澤布料作成，還真的可以捲起來，很可愛，可是要$30，太貴了，而且我早就不玩填充玩具了，算了吧！

我買了一個特價的乳牛花色馬克杯，下面還有四個腳做成乳頭造型，寒假要送給Meika叔叔，還有一張Wisconsin風景的明信片要寄給張媽媽。

希望沒被傳染狂犬病

昨天是我第一次對L比較兇，因為當我熄燈後，她(雖然早就想睡)還是躺在地舖床上，不肯把音樂關掉，好像是在做幼稚地報復；反正我那時也不想睡，就開我的音樂，繼續做我的功課。半小時後我厲聲跟L說：「你知道，我早可以叫警察的。你現在做個決定：把音樂關掉，我就馬上去睡覺，要不然我就整晚醒著跟你耗！」她才把音樂關掉。

既然我們都約好了星期一她會搬家，她至少不會露宿街頭，我也盡量配合她父母的時間，為什麼她就不願意好聚好散？一定要一直濫用我的同情心、試探我的脾氣和耐性，讓她自己的最後兩晚待不下去？

她前幾天寄給我一封電子信，說為她對我亂發脾氣感到抱歉，並說她明白我可以隨時請她離開我家。我知道人要一時改變很難，既然她道歉了，也似乎學了一些東西，我就幾乎原諒她了。但昨晚她所說的顯示她其實根本沒有學到；她說，「你又沒有被踢出你自己的公寓」，好像現在是我把她踢出「她的家」一樣。

我不是一個喜歡計較金錢的人，但L除了給我帶來種種不便跟困擾(要我都配合她的時間和方便，到最後簡直把我當女傭一樣使來喚去，我當然不想理她了)，還有一堆已經算是「間接要錢」的行為。我真的不知道這個人是遲鈍看不出我的付出，還是都當成理所當然？我沒要她房租不算，她也知道我的水電費比上個月多兩倍。她常常用我的食材，最近還每天跟我借手機，只為了跟她媽媽說話；我有告知手機費很貴，請她長話短說，她也看得到每通電話後自動簡訊告訴她通話費。就算我付出的時間和精力她體會不到，她平常對自己花錢斤斤計較，會感受不到這些金錢和物質上的付出嗎？

今天一早我還沒起床，她就起來，弄出一堆聲音後甩門而出，連燈都沒關。三個形容詞：忘恩負義、笨到極點、又超沒教養。在她心中也許我才是殘酷沒教養的那一個，但她把我逼到原諒她很難。反正現在我是屋主，她是不可能把我趕出這棟房子的，我看她今晚還敢不敢回來睡覺，走著瞧！我一直覺得這是她的損失，因為可能沒有另一個朋友會對她這麼好了。雖然我妹妹不喜歡瘋狗這個字眼，但我還真是撿了一隻流浪狗回來，流浪狗本來是值得同情沒錯，但誰知時間越久越瘋、越囂張，希望這段時間內我沒被傳染狂犬病。

我不知道被當成什麼了...

 我想我有點對同學L惱怒了。今天說了一些 ... 算是實話吧。

一早起來她就哭喪著臉說，我好害怕！我說怕什麼？她說：「我會被當掉物理課和化學課，你一定要幫我！」我問：「你有找過校園裡的免費助教嗎？」她說沒有。「我建議你多找幾個不同的資源，因為我只能非常有限地幫你。有時我很忙，而且有機化學很多我也忘了；我絕對不是一切。」說實在，她抱怨教授不好，或是上課她總是無法專心，課本不帶回來，也不做自己的筆記，就腦袋空空地希望我「餵」她，或是用我的筆記，我覺得學習態度不是很好。

幾天以來她不停地問例如，牛奶可以保存多久？吃什麼比較健康？我要怎麼吃Kale？什麼食物鐵質含量比較高？今天我忍不住說：「你可以上網嗎？我又不是百科全書。」她居然答道：「我老是忘記你不是百科全書，因為你什麼都知道。」真令人無言。我也建議她上網找食譜，可是她覺得食譜上的菜都超級麻煩。我只好跟她說，其實食物只要是熟的都可以吃，食譜是要教你怎麼樣比較「好吃」，你不必完全按照做法。一個一點時間跟心都不想花在煮飯上的人，又想學煮飯，還真難教。

雖然我告訴L她可以自己隨時到超級市場買菜，她希望我陪她。在Farmers' Market一路上她還是不斷的抱怨菜價很貴。我說：「你一直說很貴，可是這就是市面上的價錢啊！」離開超級市場前，她問：「你覺得我應該買起士嗎？我需要買牛奶嗎？」我忍不住生氣了，說：「拜託！你一直問我我沒有辦法回答你的問題。我不能決定你要吃什麼。」她居然一臉無辜的說：「可是我需要忠告嘛！」為什麼有人連自己早上要不要喝牛奶都需要別人告訴她？我開始覺得奇怪她過去到底是怎麼過的？

在回家的路上她又一直說，我覺得住在宿舍有好多時間可以念書。住在外面我的時間被採購食物、煮飯(她根本還沒開始煮)、和走回校園(我家離學校才10分鐘步程)占掉好多，還要扛好重的食物回家。因為她每天都在念這件事情，我今天惱怒地說：「我喜歡自己採購和煮飯的生活。有些事是無法改變的。例如很多台灣學生到這裡來，冬天很冷。你可以選擇適應這裡的冷天，並快樂地玩雪，或是每天抱怨、哭、只想回到家鄉的氣候，然後每天慘兮兮。這就是每個人對自己心態的選擇。」說了這麼多，我不知道她了不了解我的意思是什麼。今天問過她打工的意願，她想都不想，因為她不肯讓任何事情占掉她念書的時間，也不肯暫時因為家庭因素而退學一年。

好吧，我也是在抱怨。當初我幫助並收留L只是不想看到一個同學流落街頭，並順便教她一些基本生活技能如炒菜，讓她可以快一點獨立。因為我也曾經到過一個谷底，我知道在谷底時，有人好心，哪怕只是輕輕拉你一把，是很重要的。因為我們其實無親無故，我也不要求回報。我只希望她不要把我當成理所當然，或是全知全能的角色，除了收留她，還要負責她的功課和心理輔導；早點面對現實，並在除了讀書之外用點大腦。

與我共住數日的同學L ... 另一個中式教育的失敗品？

自從上星期意外地「撿到」同學L，她就在我家打地鋪，共同生活了好幾天。這種情況會維持到她找到校外可以住的地方。L和我之前也不算非常要好的朋友，但她平日認真讀書，沒什麼朋友，走投無路下只好找我，我也不忍心讓她到露宿街頭的地步。相處幾天後，我才發現她的生活中似乎缺了好多東西。

照年齡算，L比我大一個月。現在遇到困境，卻像黏著大姊姊般希望我教她功課、教她煮飯、怎麼找房子、生活中的雜事等。雖然在校成績優良，跟我一樣是榮譽學生，但很多生活常識都要重頭學起，例如現在菜市場物價多少到食物是不是要放涼了再放冰箱？可以保存多久？

L不停地表示她覺得別人比較幸運，街上的每一個人都看起來比她快樂。像她看我的話就覺得我的命比較好，父母比較有錢，我的成績好是因為我天生資質就好，簡直是天才，平常運氣也比較好；她也老是覺得別人修的課比較輕鬆、有趣 ... 雖然很多不是真的。我提醒她，人們通常看起來快樂或強是因為他們把自己不快樂或弱的一面藏起來，每個人都有煩惱和不幸的地方；我也不是天才 ... 說著說著我開始覺得，怎麼好像都沒有人跟她說過這些？

我懷疑L的學習不得其法？她平日把大部分的時間花在坐在圖書館裡，從來不運動，常常也不好好吃飯或睡覺，連別人勸她休息一下下、走一走都不肯，這樣真的有效率嗎？她請我教她有機化學的NMR。NMR是一個完全靠經驗和推裡來拼湊出分子結構的方法，但L總是靜不下心，好好地把分子構造一步步地畫出來，總是想一下子畫出整個分子，然後自己在畫什麼都不知道，解不出來就大叫，完了！我考試要怎麼辦？我覺得這就像很多中國學生想在數學解題上找「捷徑」，不是真的想懂，只想在考試上拿分。也許是這樣，當需要理解的東西越來越多時，困難就出現了。

因為L在物理課也遇到困難，想申請進學校的物裡學習中心卻被通知名額已滿，我前天到學習中心去說情，跟助教說我認為她比我更需要幫助，幸好學習中心接受她了。有一天晚上，L絕望地跟我說：「我好想退學回家算了。」
又說：「可是沒有學位我會找不到工作。」
我說：「世界上有很多人沒有學位也工作著、生活著。」
她說：「可是我媽說，你不是要長得漂亮，就要聰明，不然你就沒有未來。怎麼辦？我什麼都沒有，我的未來完蛋啦！」
我答道：「文憑不是你的聰明才智的代表。」
講著講著她好像也不能接受，因為她總覺得我和她是不平等的。前天晚上我為了遺傳學期中考通宵，也拒絕在那時教她化學，她說：「你那麼聰明，樣樣都好，為什麼還要那麼拼命？」

我有時被L弄得又好氣又好笑，有時又很同情她。她的很多表現也不能怪她，畢竟家裡突然出狀況，她發現自己根本沒辦法照顧自己，功課又漸漸跟不上，嚇壞了。我只是在想，她能不能算另一個中式教育的失敗品？她的學習一向都不是為了樂趣，而是父母期望的。多年來被逼著讀書，被期望每個科目都A，結果缺乏生活中的常識，沒有可以讓自己開心的興趣，還換來一個不健康的心理；現在唯一讓她不退學的理由是，我父母會氣死，和我會找不到工作。這樣的教育模式還真可怕。像L到這個年紀，再來想要鼓勵她的學習動機(例如我勸她，可以不喜歡現在修的課，但試著不要討厭它們，和找到自己覺得有趣的部分)，或改變她的人生觀好像有點太晚。我只希望她可以好好的度過今年這一關，也慢慢改變認為「別人都比較幸運」的假象，不然不是要怨天尤人、不快樂一輩子？

Rainbow Meals

It'd be very interesting if I can absorb the pigments and turn rainbow colors.

Spicy Middle Eastern vegetable barbecue
(Sauce made from balsamic vinegar, honey, and basil)

Chicken gizzards and Swiss chard stir-fry

 Rainbow vegetable and chicken salsa stew on rice

(I used salsa instead of soy sauce and sugar in the stew.)

Harvest from the Farmers' Market

I love going to the Farmers' Market. Seeing the harvest and people's happiness when they sell their products or buy the things they need just make my heart warm.

I bought two chili pepper plants from the market and harvested the peppers. The long peppers, which I stir-fried one with vegetable, were not spicy at all, though it added the good peppery smell. The other variety is the small Thai chili. I hope it'd be hotter.

There were some strange things I saw. Emu eggs! I nearly thought they were dyed ostrich eggs but I noticed they were significantly smaller and had a different shape. I've heard they are naturally of this deep blue color, just beautiful! The farmer also sold emu jerky and emu sausage.

Things I bought from the market: bread, brats, Swiss chard, and jam made by Pilgrims.

The Swiss chard is also called rainbow chard.

Currant jam, pickled mushrooms (garlic and dill flavor), strawberry bread, and cherry almond bread.

我在Madison的家

 這就是我在Madison的新家的外觀。

 另一個角度。

 這是前門，不過我家可不是從前門進去！除了我之外這棟房子裡還住了一群男生。

 繞過房子旁邊，可以看到我種的植物。

我家門口。腳踏車是我的，摩托車不是。這棟房子沒有地下室，我想這個空間其實應該是地下室吧！一般美國房子的地下室是擺洗衣機和雜物的地方，來住人好像也不錯，不然洗衣機也占不了那麼多空間，就空著。

 今天落葉多了點。可以看到我的地毯，冬天時可能更有用(把腳上的雪和泥巴抹在上面)。

 請進！

 這就是我的房間。經過一個多禮拜的整理和裝飾，看起來真溫馨。

 我的書桌。我愛死這個書架了，不只課本可以受到合理的待遇，不必被丟在地上，好多雜物都有地方放了。書桌很小，卻是唯一的桌子，用電腦和吃飯都在它上面。

有個月曆在書桌旁邊還是挺管用的，尤其是當事情越來越多時。我希望常春藤越長越長，垂下來。

這床「拼布被」是Macy's買來應急的，因為剛回來美國的前三天東西在儲藏公司那裡，他們周末不送貨。雖然叫拼布被，但其實是貼布加上機縫，挺貴的。Madison的秋夜已經開始變涼了，單一條薄被根本不夠，還是要把棉被搬出來。

那個Beatles的海報是同學送我的20歲生日禮物。我買了兩盆不同品種的小辣椒，打算好好照顧它們，然後自己收成辣椒。如果能煮菜前拔一根新鮮的也很棒。我給它們換了漂亮的盆子，辣椒真是可看又可吃的植物！

 我的魚骨頭掛鉤用無痕掛勾掛起來，替牆壁增色。

 我當初選這個房間有很大一部分是喜歡這個廚房，這個廚房比其他相近價位的套房的廚房都大，又漂亮。因為是老房子，沒有微波爐也沒有洗碗機，但我似乎都不需要。真是典型的美式廚房，櫥櫃一大堆，全部放滿食物的話應該三年餓不死。

 從廚房回頭看一眼。套房是不分客廳和臥房的，所以一般比公寓(客廳和臥房是分開的)便宜。

 廁所，配上Kandinsky的畫。我的房間還有空間貼更多畫嗎？考慮梵谷的。

住進來之後發現沒有浴簾，所以去買了一個布做的。布做的聽說可以用洗衣機洗，塑膠做的就只能用抹布擦。

 洗手台。

再看一眼我的窗台，好像可以擺很多植物。床頭櫃的那個是juvenile hormone III，除了那個藍色的nitrogen應該是一個carbon，因為做模型時carbon不夠。

 African violet, peace lily, and maranta green.

 瓢蟲也是同學送我的禮物，聽說是紐奧良買的。玫瑰花好像快枯死了，不知道為什麼。

窗戶很大，門外還有一個紗門，可以透光透氣。我目前對這個新家很滿意，地下室有點陰冷，當然如果陽光再多一點會更好！