年初一：Visiting the Yongwang Mother Sheep Farm

#2012-0123

On the first day of the Chinese lunar year, we took our Little Bee to a nearby farm called "Yongwang Mother Sheep Farm" (湧旺羊媽媽觀光農場). When we arrived there, the "ecology study tour" (生態導覽) led by the owner of the farm, Sheep Papa, had started. We could just join in the final section of it -- seeing the various types of sheep in the pens and hearing interesting stories about them. Little Bee may have ignored Sheep Papa's stories, but he was very curious about the sheep!

Sheep Papa, whose real name is Zhuang Yongyu (莊湧裕), is the only but really excellent ecology guide that I've ever seen at the Farm. I've been there several times [either with my colleagues, friends, or my family and relatives] and I've heard Sheep Papa tell the same (or similar) stories about the sheep and goats, the micro pigs and the wild bores, the monkey and the snakes, etc. Interestingly, I always like his stories so much. He talks about trees, about birds, about wasps (and bees) as well. He is really a good storyteller!

In the meanwhile, I would like to recommend the food service at the Farm. Sheep Mama, the wife of Sheep Papa, is the head of the skillful cooking group herself. For today's lunch we ordered what we liked best, including steamed bread made of flour and sheep milk (羊奶饅頭), which our Little Bee can eat a little bit of. Little Bee is one year and three months and five days old; therefore, he's started to taste something other than milk!