這一個多月的見習單位是亞洲協會德州中心，坐落於美國休士頓的博物館區（Houston Museum District）。休士頓博物館區是世界上文化產業最密集的區域，小小四平方英哩內的區域匯聚了21個文化相關機構，像是休士頓非裔美國人文化博物館（Houston Museum of African American Culture）、休士頓猶太人大屠殺博物館（Holocaust Museum Houston）、休士頓捷克中心博物館（Czech Center Museum Houston）、休士頓兒童博物館（Children’s Museum Houston）等，亞洲協會德州中心（Asia Society Texas Center）亦為其中之一。由於隔天就要上工，今天我們先從Airbnb住宿點試走一趟到AST，預估看看大概需要花多少時間。
實際在這邊走路才發覺，美國真的適合以「開車」的方式代步，因為兩點之間的距離實在太遠。加上德州的天氣晴朗，堪比台灣的夏天，所以今天走著走著就全身濕透、汗流浹背。在確認抵達AST後，我們便躲到一個街區外的餐廳吹冷氣、享用餐點。
今天吃什麼？
老實說我一開始是受Mo’ Brunch + Brews的Google評論吸引，結果愛上整間店的氛圍。這一路上經過的店家都沒什麼人，看起來不是很妙的感覺，但這間餐廳生意活絡，很多當地人登門造訪，從顧客與店員的對談可以知道他們都是熟客了。
拿到菜單後，看著琳琅滿目的餐點一時之間不曉得要選什麼，只好點了標示為店家推薦的Chik’n Fried Shrooms & Grits。嚐起來甜甜的葛子（grits）鋪滿炸秀珍菇（fried oyster mushrooms），淋上cajun remoulade醬，食材簡單，卻依舊做出一道好吃的招牌料理。葛子帶有像地瓜般的味道，但更有顆粒感。別看他就一碗的大小，光吃完這碗就可以讓我從午餐撐到晚餐，美國餐點的份量不可小覷。除了主食，我另外點了一杯Dr Pepper，和台灣常見的可口可樂（Coca Cola）或百事可樂（Pepsi）都不太一樣，它有很明顯的香草味，一開始喝會滿不習慣的。
這家餐廳供應美食，也供應桌遊。我和同行的夥伴在那邊坐了兩、三個小時，玩Uno、雙六骨牌、西洋棋，期間店員還會持續詢問餐點滿意度、幫我們加水，服務非常周到。我們桌遊玩到一半時，外面下起了大雨，雨勢甚至堪比颱風天。好險暴雨來得快去得也快，當我們下午兩點多離開時，天空又恢復晴朗了。
之後準備吃什麼？
吃完悠閒的午餐後，我們便踏上準備下一餐的旅程。有鑑於美國的外食費用相對高昂，我們在享受當地佳饌之餘，也打算自己簡單烹飪解決幾餐。隨手查了Airbnb附近的大型超市，只有30分鐘腳程的H-E-B。H-E-B是德州當地重要的大型超市，任何想像得到的常見食材基本上都可以在這裡買到，生鮮蔬果、蛋豆魚肉、麵包、冰淇淋、冷凍食品、零食應有盡有，也有提供少量的盥洗和美妝用品。
抵達這家H-E-B後，讓我想起高中地理課老師說大型量販店常常設置在地價便宜的郊區、高速公路交流道附近，並且提供大量停車位，適合消費者一次性大量採買。看見一個個家庭推著一大輛推車的食物，結帳後堆放至轎車後車廂，就只有顯然不是當地人的我們兩手提著幾大袋食材，徒步走在大馬路旁的人行道上。這時候必須稱讚一下美國，儘管由於各商家的地點相距甚遠，所有人都自行駕車、我們幾乎遇不到任何迎面而來的行人，每條路的人行道卻都還是設計很完整，行人完全不會和車輛搶道。過馬路時只需要按按鈕等待專門號誌，駕駛也都會禮讓行人，算是滿友善的行人環境。
Day 2 6/10 Getting to Know the Houston Museum District
This month’s internship was with the Asia Society Texas Center, located in the Houston Museum District in the States. The Houston Museum District is one of the most vibrant areas in the world for cultural industries, with 21 culturally relevant organizations located in a small four-square-mile area. This includes Houston Museum of African American Culture, Holocaust Museum Houston, Czech Center Museum Houston, Children’s Museum Houston）, etc. Asia Society Texas Center is also one of them. Since we have to go to work the next day, we will first try to walk from our Airbnb accommodation to AST to see how long it will take.
We realized that the US is really a good place to “drive” because the distance between the two points is too far. The weather in Texas is sunny, comparable to the summer in Taiwan, so I was drenched in sweat as I walked around today. After confirming our arrival at AST, we ducked into an off-street restaurant for some air-conditioning and food.
What I Ate for Today
To be honest, I was initially attracted by the Google review of Mo’ Brunch + Brews, and ended up falling in love with the atmosphere of the whole place. It didn’t seem like a good idea to try any of the stores on the way where few customers visited, but Mo’ Brunch + Brews was busy with locals visiting, and you could tell by the conversations between the customers and the staff that they were all familiar with the place.
When I got the menu, I didn’t know what to choose, so I ordered Chik’n Fried Shrooms & Grits, which was labeled as the restaurant’s recommended dish. The sweet tasting grits were covered with fried oyster mushrooms and topped with cajun-remoulade sauce. The ingredients are simple, but the dish is still a delicious signature one. The katsudon has a groundnut-like flavor, but with a more granular texture. It’s a bowl size, but I could have gone from lunch to dinner just eating this bowl, so never underestimate the size of an American meal. In addition to my main dish, I ordered a Dr Pepper, which is different from the usual Coca Cola or Pepsi in Taiwan, as it has a distinct vanilla flavor, which can be quite off-putting at first.
The restaurant serves good food and also board games. My companion and I sat there for two to three hours, playing Uno, Double Six Dominoes, and chess, as the staff would continue to inquire about our satisfaction with the food and refill our water, which was a very courteous service. Halfway through our table game, it started to rain heavily outside, and the rain was even comparable to a typhoon. Luckily, the rainstorm came and went quickly, and by the time we left at 2pm, the sky was clear again.
What I Will Be Eating in the Future
After a leisurely lunch, we set out to prepare our next meal. Given the relatively high cost of eating out in the States, we planned to cook a few meals on our own while enjoying the local delicacies. We checked our Airbnb for a nearby hypermarket, and found H-E-B, a major local supermarket in Texas that carries every imaginable ingredient, including fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, beans, fish, meat, bread, ice cream, frozen foods, snacks, and a small selection of toiletries and beauty products.
Upon arriving at the H-E-B, it reminded me of my high school geography teacher’s comment that large-scale mass merchandisers are often located in inexpensive suburban areas, near freeway interchanges, and offer plenty of parking spaces, making them suitable for consumers to buy large quantities at one time. After seeing families pushing carts of food into the back of their sedans after checking out, we were the only non-locals walking on the sidewalk along the main road with a couple of big bags of food in our hands. I have to give credit to the States, even though the businesses were far apart, everyone drove their own cars, and still we hardly saw any oncoming pedestrians, the sidewalks on each road were well designed and pedestrians didn’t have to jostle with the cars at all. When crossing the street, all you have to do is press the button and wait for the special sign, and drivers will give way to pedestrians, so it’s actually a very pedestrian-friendly environment.
