Okay….so maybe not killer…but it totally made you want to read this blog post, right?
So before I got to Taiwan, Fulbright sent us an email of things to remember while living here. First on the list…be wary of fruit. They peel all of their fruit, no matter how thin the skin, because of the bacteria. It is very harmful and makes you very sick…same reason we cannot drink the water here. So, I have been peeling all of my fruit or at least washing it very well with bottled water. It has been totally fine….until yesterday. I went to a Buddhist restaurant and got dumplings and a fruit juice made from pink passion fruit. It looked delicious! ……..Except I’m 99% sure they did not peel any of the fruit.
So….I go from dinner to Chinese class. I sat for almost two hours feeling great….then with about 10 minutes left, I realize I have a stomach ache but nothing too serious. I leave class to go home with Lakyn. Ahead of us we have a 20 minute walk from the university to the train station, waiting for the train, a ten minute train ride then ten minute bike ride to our apartment. Normally not a big deal. But when deathly fruit kicks in…its a huge deal. After about 5 minutes of walking I realized my stomach really hurt. I sat down six times on our twenty minute walk. Poor Lakyn had no idea what to do but stay with me and watch me curl up on the sidewalk. I finally make it to the train and curl up in my seat. Then, the dreaded bike ride. I made it all the way to my apartment, left my bike sitting outside (thank you Lakyn for putting it away and locking it!!) and ran upstairs as fast as I could.
Lesson learned. NO SMOOTHIES OR FRUIT JUICE. The fruity deliciousness is totally not worth the food poisoning that follows it. I promise. Not worth it. Do not try it. It will end badly.
Anyways, I am doing much better now thank goodness. But steering clear of fruit for a while………