East Compound Chinese Restaurant

A few days ago I posted a link to a blog called Boudicca's Voice.  The author's father was assigned to USTDC and the family lived in the Taipei area up to the time of the US withdrawal.

In one of her emails to me, she mentioned a Chinese restaurant in the east compound.  She thought it was behind the theater and that it was called the China Pavilion.

I don't remember the place at all but I'm wondering if it was the building labeled "Mess Hall" (building 709) in this page from the Taiwan Report:

If anyone else remembers the place, please leave a comment or two about it.  I saw another diagram which labeled that building as the FASD facility.  It seems to me that FASD stood for Foreign Affairs Service Department (or something like that) and I think they operated the hostel where I lived.  Were they a department of the ROC government?  Maybe MND? Did the restaurant accept US dollars, NT dollars or both?  I know that I always had to convert US dollars to NT to pay my monthly rent at the hostel.

Taiwan Report - Chapter 13

I thought I had posted all the chapters of the Taiwan Report over the past several months, but I apparently missed chapter 13, which had to do with stores, restaurants and health precautions. Those pages are shown below. As always, you can click on any of the pages to see a larger version.

Taiwan Report was the publication we mailed out to those being assigned to USTDC and other military units in the Taipei area. The publication date was 1973, and if there were earlier or later editions I'm not aware of them.

Within the next day or two I plan to post an index to all of the chapters in the booklet.

Club 63 --> China Seas Club

I've mentioned a few times around here that the enlisted club, Club 63 (or 63 Club, as many of us referred to it) was renamed the China Seas Club sometime in 1973 or 1974 when the Navy took over its operation from MAAG, the Military Assistance Advisory Group.

Well, I just received these images from Barbara and Walt, who were at USTDC in 1978-1979. They're from the May-June 1978 issue of The China Seas News, the club's magazine. In the second block at the top of the calendar is an announcement about the upcoming fifth anniversary celebration of the China Seas on July 1, 1978. So of course that means the date of the transition was Jul 1, 1973.

And in case you've forgotten all the good food and entertainment at very reasonable prices, just check out the calendar!

Today, the building is occupied by The American Club in China, which was formerly located next to the East Compound on Sung Shan North Road. It's a private club that caters mostly to international business people and their families.

Sea Dragon Club

Larry "Skip" Byler provided these menu pages from the Sea Dragon Club, which I think may have also been known as the Fleet Reserve Club. I don't believe that it was still there when I arrived in 1973, but I can't swear to that. He wrote:

The Sea Dragon Club (Navy Club) was several blocks south of the downtown Lin Kou Club, on the west side. I remember that the Suzi Wong Bar was across the street. A lot of R&R guys went there and they had a live band most nights. I can't remember the band leader's name, but I recall that they were all from the Phillipines.

Cafeteria

These photographs are of the Navy Exchange Cafeteria, which was located in the HSA West Compound. I think someone told me that it moved over to the East Compound after I left in 1974.

To be honest, I don't really remember this facility, which probably means that I didn't spend much time there. Come to think of it, I don't believe I spent much time in the West Compound, except for the usual license and identification requirements. I do remember the bowling alley in that area, but I think I only bowled there a couple of times during my 15 months at TDC.

I recall that there were a few slot machines in a small room next to the cafeteria. The reason that stands out is because the Army and the Air Force had removed slot machines from their enlisted clubs at that time because of some problems they had with misappropriation of profits, mostly at bases in Vietnam. I didn't realize until I arrived in Taipei that the Navy still allowed the machines in their clubs.

When the Navy took over the Club 63 from MAAG during my TDC assignment, they renamed it the China Seas Club and did some remodeling, including the construction of a game room filled with slot machines. I wrote about these "one-armed bandits" back in September.

More Floating Restaurant

A few weeks ago, Sarj Bloom provided photos of the floating restaurant that was once docked close to USTDC. Those photos showed the restaurant floating away with the help of Typhoon Gloria in 1963.

Long-time contributor Les Duffin just sent two photographs of the restaurant as it was before it became a typhoon victim.

There's a Mister Ramen on Line One

I just received this gem from Sarj Bloom, who has been scanning some of his old slides with his new scanner:

So you say you liked the taste of noodles in Taiwan? You've heard of "road kill?" Well, these are "road noodles." These are actual noodles hanging out alongside the road to dry. Ah...ramen and flies and road dust!

I took this shot on the way to Kao Shung on Highway One, which was the main north-south route in 1962-1963, though there wasn't much car and truck traffic on it in those days.

Sarj, I don't think I ever saw noodles drying in the sun during the seventies, but then I didn't get out much either...unless you count the Club 63 stag bar or the bowling alley.

For detailed instructions on how to prepare these delicious noodles -- the primary diet of college students all over the world -- check out this YouTube presentation.

Formosa (Beautiful) 1

Sarj Bloom penned these verses to describe his arrival on Taiwan many years ago:

Formosa (Beautiful) 1

Arriving

Far below everything is green
Yet close like a lush blanket
Mountain and valleys never ending
Green on green a living dream.

Descending the scenery changes
Bomb craters and dirty streets
Simple buildings, strange sounds
Bicycles and pedicabs scurrying around.

Asking around I find where to stay
A long ride up a steep mountain
To an old strange looking building
Chinese men welcome me to Grass Mountain Hostel

The smell is surfer and old wood yet not offensive
It rains very hard that night and the room leaks
Servants change the sheets and clean up
In the morning a fresh, yet strange new start

First Day

The bathroom is communal with many windows
Looking out it seems like clouds or maybe mist
Strange feeling of being alone yet a peaceful newness
Down to breakfast served by Chinese gentlemen.

I feel a beauty about the surrounding quaintness
I'm no longer the same person
I am so far from home, from my culture
How will I change and what will I discover?

Down the mountain into town
We are going to drink and eat American style
Typical American dinner and beer at military club
This doesn’t make me less lonely, just confused

Back up the mountain to my hostel
Amazing how I feel at peace and secure
I’m comfortable with my new surroundings
The kind and gentle ways of the service people

Taipei Restaurant At Night Explained

I received this note from David in response to my previous post:

The picture you posted under "Taipei Restaurant At Night" shows they were serving iced plum juice. I grew up in Taipei and these pictures sure bring back a lot of memories.

I also remember that there seemed to be a small US military base, or maybe just an office, near National Taiwan University (Roosevelt Rd. Sec 4). Does anyone else remember this?

David, you can view a map that Sarj Bloom sent to me a few weeks ago by clicking here. It's from around 1960 and it shows several embassies and US military locations in the city. If you click on the map itself, you can view a larger version. I'm not sure where the university was located, but perhaps you can locate it and then figure out what might have been located close to it. If anyone reading this has an idea, please add a comment here.

Taipei Restaurant At Night

Stev Pitchford sent in this nighttime shot of an area that they used to call "Ptomaine Alley" in Taipei, probably around 1959 or so.

Can anyone tell what was being served here?

Neighborhood Restaurants

Sarj Bloom was reminiscing about the places where we consumed many of our meals in Taipei. He mentioned the Club 63 (more formal) and the Navy Club (more intimate), but the place that he visited most often was the jiaozi stand, just down the alley from where he lived.

He says, "I noticed that someone else mentioned eating 'dumplings' too. You could also get the best beef noodle soup that I've ever had. My roommate Joe Kowalowski and I sometimes went further downtown by the theater to get the best rice soup I have ever tasted. Now, my grandmother made good rice soup and that is probably why it is still my favorite, but the rice soup served on the street corners of downtown Taipei was the best.

I believe that this traveling restaurant was resting and stocking up for the nighttime business."

Floating (Away) Restaurant

Sarj Bloom sent in some pictures of a floating restaurant that was located on the river near USTDC. These shots were taken during Typhoon Gloria in 1963. The restaurant was no longer there when I arrived in 1973.

Here are Sarj's comments:

I'm sorry about the quality of these pictures. They apparently came from 35mm film and I'm not even sure that anyone from our photo lab took them, though the lab was flooded during the typhoon and I may have made these prints in haste.

They show the restaurant floating away with the help of Typhoon Gloria. The sign was at least 15 or 20 feet high. I believe the last photo, showing the gate, was the entrance to TDC.

The restaurant was only there for maybe six to nine months, no longer than that. I left a month after the typhoon but I had a feeling that they would never rebuild.

Chow Chow Club Revisited

Back on May 6, 2008, Sarj Bloom wrote about the Taiwan Chow Chow Club, a group that met once a month at local restaurants to eat lots of food, as sloppily as possible.

In that article, Sarj mentioned a metal medallion that each member wore to these affairs. He just located his, and here it is. I don't know what the Chinese characters mean. Perhaps they're ""Ta Fan Tung," which was printed on a menu in the original post, and which Anonymous translated as "Big Rice Barrel."

As I said earlier, I never heard of this group in the 1970s. How about the rest of you?

Florida Bakery and Back Alley Market

Sarj Bloom mentioned the Florida Bakery and the Back Alley Market in his Trip Down Memory Lane comments.

Today Kent Mathieu sent in some photos of the area that he took in 2006. He also provided a link to the bakery's website. Do you suppose they'd consider a delivery to Illinois?


During my visit to Taipei in 2006, we walked south on ChungShan North Road from the old Navy Exchange area and we stopped at the Florida Bakery for a snack. These photographs were taken inside the bakery shop. You can see the shop and some of the racks of goodies. The folks you see are my family members.

After a short rest, we walked a few doors down ChungShan North Road and discovered the walkway front entrance to the old Back Alley Market.










Careful; if you walk too fast, you will miss the entrance.










The hallway looks much cleaner today than the old area that I remember from the mid-1960s.










As the hallway ends, we step into the Back Alley Market and immediately see a customer ordering up a live chicken, probably destined for tonight's dinner.

These photographs were taken early on a Saturday morning and the stalls were just starting to open.

J-24 Farewell Gathering

Sarj Bloom sent in this photo and narrative:

Here's a picture of the people from our J-24 section at our favorite place, the Mongolian Bar-B-Q down along the river someplace. I believe this is my farewell party.

On the left in front is my buddy "Zip" Zimmerman, now retired PHC and living in England. On the right is the Army major who was also in the change-of-command photo. The AF Lt Colonel (McNulty?) standing was also in the change-of-command photo. Behind him is our PHC Dumas with his girl friend (the same girl that was with him in the earthquake photo).

As for the rest of the folks, I can remember their faces but not their names. There is one guy that I would know even with his back turned toward the camera and that is LI1 Donald Moak, our lithographer. He is in the background on the right talking to people at a table. That is Moak's wife at the far end in the center at the head of the table.

Great memories!

Navy Club (Fleet Reserve Association)

****UPDATE****

Kent Mathieu sent me a link to the history of this club, and what its descendant is doing today. Sounds like a good place for veterans to check out when visiting Taipei.

****************

Sarj Bloom sent in these items from the Navy Club. I'm fairly certain that it was no longer there by the time I arrived at USTDC in 1973. Many of my friends were navy people and I'm sure someone would have mentioned it somewhere along the line. I believe that R&R flights to Taipei had been discontinued by then so maybe it closed at that time. Does anyone know?

Here are Sarj's photo and comments:

I know I said the Club 63 was the best place in town to eat, but I forgot to mention another place just as good and a lot more intimate. The Navy Club (Fleet Reserve Association) just down Shung Shan Rd. from the compounds, maybe a mile, was in the back of a building on the main street. You went down an alley and into the parking lot.

The downstairs had a bar and on the other side of the bar, through a door, were the slot machines. In the slot machine room there was a small office with a window much like a ticket window. Upstairs was the restaurant, bandstand and dance floor. It wasn't a very big room but very comfortable and had great service.

On payday I would go to the Navy Club and buy a "chit" at that little ticket / change window. The chit would be for dinner and drinks for anytime in the future. Then when it got near payday again and I didn't have much money my wife and I would go to the club and have dinner and drinks and then go gamble the last of our cash on the machines. We would go home broke but knew that in the morning I would get another check. The picture of my wife and me at the slots was taken by someone at the club, probably sometime in 1963.

First Impressions of Taiwan

I received a nice note from Stev Pitchford a few days ago. He described his first few days as a young sailor in Taipei. I think that most of us can relate to many of the things he describes here.

Here's Stev's account:

TDC was my first real duty station. Before that, it was boot camp and schools. It was probably late July, 1959, when I finished Photo School in Pensacola. I had one or two weeks leave at home, then went to Treasure Island in San Francisco to wait for a flight from Travis AFB to Taipei. No one I had talked to in Pensacola knew where TDC was, let alone what it was. Before I left, I did learn that Taiwan and Formosa were the same place, so I had a general idea of where I was going.

After a few days at Treasure Island, I took a bus to Travis AFB to start my journey to Taipei. While waiting at Travis for my MATS flight, I was fascinated watching B-52s take off and land. The MATS flight was a Lockheed Super G Constellation and the passenger seats faced to the rear. We had layovers at Hickam Field in HI, Wake Island, and Guam. I remember standing on the beach at Guam looking out at the horizon and the water was just as deep blue at the horizon as it was at my feet.

I think it was sometime the second day after we left Travis AFB that I got off the plane and spent the night in a barracks at Clark AFB in the Philippines. The next day, it was on to another plane for the trip to Taipei. Taiwan has mountains over 13,000 feet high and as we flew up the western coast of the island, you could look out and see some of those peaks almost at eye level. You could also look down and see batteries of Nike missiles pointing up from the hillsides.

Landing in Taipei, I saw both water buffaloes and anti-aircraft guns in the fields by the runway.

From the airport, I went to the photo lab at TDC fully expecting to find a typical military base where all my needs would be taken care of - barracks, mess hall, and so forth. The Chief asked me where I wanted to spend the night. It was then I learned that I was responsible for my own housing and getting myself fed. I was an 18 year old kid halfway around the world from home with $14 in my pocket.

The Chief took me to one of the downtown hostels for the night and said we'd make more permanent arrangements the next day. The next morning, he took me to Hostel #1 on Grass Mountain and got me settled in. Fortunately, the hostel only billed me once a month, so I was able to stay warm and fed till payday.

We were back at the photo lab by noon and the guys decided to welcome me to Taipei by taking me to a Mongolian barbecue. Several of them had motor scooters, so we all hopped on and rode across town to a riverbank shed with a wok. I'm not sure what the cook threw on the wok, but it tasted good and didn't kill any of us.

By the end of the day, I had pretty well adjusted to life in Taiwan and had a great year there.

TDC Memories -- Bill Roadman

Bill Roadman was stationed at TDC from February 1967 to April 1968. He contacted me a few days ago with several of his experiences during his tour:

I worked as a Radioman at the USTDC building that held the radio communications. I was a Radioman with the Navy. I lived in the signal compound barracks and my houseboys’ names were Ting and Jimmy (Hu?). Not sure of the spelling of Jimmy's last name. I remember they were both at least 40 years old. Jimmy was planning to retire and move to Argentina (someday). I used to get my hair cut at the signal compound barbershop -- very pretty barber. They would always massage your shoulders with a small electric massager that felt so good.

I ate almost everyday at the F.A.S.D. restaurant in the Signal compound. I made friends with two Taiwanese students who graduated from Soochow University - Harry and Eugene. Harry eventually graduated and moved to the Boston area in the states. I was able to contact him in the late 70's, but have lost contact with him. He was doing post graduate work at one of the big colleges there. Eugene got a job with China Air Lines and is probably retired now. Also lost contact with him due to neglect. I wish I had kept up with them. I recall how they always insisted on taking me to the noodle stands in Shimending (not sure of the spelling). There were times when my stomach was doing flip-flops, but I did not want to offend them. I got even though; I took them to the F.A.S.D and bought them chili dogs. I thought they would puke.

I had a 1953 Triumph 500cc motorcycle that I bought from Lee Olsen in early 67, as he was getting discharged from the Army. I hung out with mostly Army guys. We used to get off midnight shift and go running all over Taipei just goofin’ off. We would get breakfast then buy lots of fireworks and set them off. We especially liked the ones that cost a nickel each. They were about the size of a stick of dynamite and about as loud when you set them off. You stood them vertically on the ground, lit the fuse and they would rocket about 100 feet in the air before exploding

I believe I worked in building 18. Also note the small L shaped building to the right of 18. I think that is where Comseventhflt Det A had their shore to ship voice communications. I was TDY there for I think 6 weeks or more. There was one sailor on duty in that building for 8 hours each day. I think there were at least 4 of us. Weird things happened in that building. We all thought it was haunted and hated to stand the mid-watch alone. There was nothing to do except monitor communications and log in every 15 minutes or half-hour whatever happened. One night I was sitting there reading something, when a loud band struck the ceiling just over my head. I jumped up shaking. I ran outside to see if something fell on the roof, but nothing. Then I went back inside. In a couple of minutes there was another loud bang. I was getting nervous. We had a military 45 loaded and were ready to defend the building if need be. For the next couple of hours a loud band would strike about every 15 minutes. I figured one of my buddies got into the attic and was trying to scare me. I went back outside and walked around the building. No entrance could be found to get up there. Needless to say I was on pins and needles the rest of the night. I could not wait to get relieved by the following watch. When they came, I didn’t say anything, thinking they would think I was crazy. I went to the barracks and tried to sleep. That night I had to go back for my next watch. When I got there, I asked the guy I was relieving if anything unusual happened. He said, “Sure thing; something was banging on the ceiling.” He was scared and too had tried to find an opening to the attic. These continued for weeks and everyone who worked there heard it and was not amused. One guy got so frustrated he took the 45 out and shot a hole in the concrete barrier fence behind the building. We never told anyone else about the events figuring they would laugh at us.

The barracks I lived in was either 26 and 25 or 25 and 11. For some reason I had to move. We referred to them as the Signal Compound barracks. I think that only the barracks were referred to as the Signal Compound, but may have included the ball field and the MAA’s office, barbershop etc.

Taiwan Chow Chow Club

Now here's one I never heard about when I was at TDC:

In the early sixties, Sarj Bloom was a member of the TCCC -- Taiwan Chow Chow Club -- which was a group of guys who met once a month at different restaurants in Taipei and consumed massive amounts of good food, along with numerous adult beverages. The group was not restricted to just USTDC personnel, nor was there any rank distinction. Both officers and enlisted personnel could be members of the group.

According to Sarj, the title of Pig of the Month was awarded to the guy who ate the most and who was the sloppiest while doing it. Members wore metal medallions on blue ribbons around their necks.

Displayed here is the TCCC logo and a menu for one of their feasts. Note that it was a ten course meal! Also note the phrase Ta Fun Tung; maybe someone here can translate that for us.

There were fines for not eating fast enough, not finishing a dish, etc. The objective was to win an award and a free meal by being a pig.

Sounds like my kind of organization!

Another Grand Hotel Menu

Lloyd Evans heads an organization called 823 Veterans Badge of Honor Association. It's open to anyone who ever spent time in Taiwan and a group of members travels there every couple of years. Dues are just $5.00 per year. Click on the link for more information if you're interested.

Lloyd recently sent me a photo of another Grand Hotel menu from 1959, so I thought I'd include it here as well.