As I write this post, I have this song in my head: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2cMG33mWVY
So I have noticed several cultural and social differences. Some of them are understandable and cool, like eating with chopsticks. Other traditions and habits are just absolutely bizarre. I will periodically update this post to reflect all of the crazy things I see.
1) Scooter Madness
Not only do these bad boys load every street, the scotter itself is a family affair. This should not be legal.
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| Small dog, 2 passengers + TP |
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| No helmets for youngins |
2) Toilets
As an American woman, I lack aiming skills. These toilets have been a funny and interesting challenge. Also, you should always bring your own TP as many bathrooms do not supply it. Lesson learned the hard way!
3) Sanitation Workers
This uniform is just insane.
4) Umbrellas
Taiwanese ignore the options of a pair of sunglasses or a big hat. Their first preferred method to protect themselves from the sun is a good old reliable umbrella.
5) Obsession with Tea
What better way to cool off after a long hike on a very hot and humid day? Well with a cup of tea of course! Oh, and it must be fancy oolong tea with a fancy wooden mat and fancy cups and fancy crackers.
6) Summer Apparel
It's hot. It's humid. I think I'll wear long sleeves, pants, and some gloves.
7) Healing Powers
Feeling sick? Get a scraping or a cupping - a.k.a. let's pay someone to beat us up!
Breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. Any meal is a great occasion to load up on beans. Sweet beans with ice cream? Bring it on!
9) Hot Water
It's hot and humid and you're thirsty. A kind host notices and rushes to get you a glass of water. You quickly gulp it down only to be greatly dissapointed: the water is 80+ degrees. I guess disinfected water is better than no water at all.
10) Construction Zones
Because bright orange cones aren't enough, Taiwanese require dummies with flailing arms.
11) Garbage Trucks
I was in my room yesterday and I heard playful music coming from a truck. It kept driving up and down the street. My thoughts: ice cream truck! WRONG! It was the garbage truck. (filmed this one for You Tube!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dWY8_Zmd9g&feature=youtu.be
More to come...........
Do any scooters have baskets or "saddle bags" to carry things home from the store? I'd not dare not ride on one with armloads of parcels. On the other hand, if the scooter crashes or falls, not even a two-hand grip will keep one from careening badly. Helmets don't prevent broken necks either. Do the riders at least proceed slowly? In the US, a surprising share of people I see on motorcycles appear to be older people. Perhaps they are out of fashion. But the high cost of gasoline and car ownership may mean that scooters will remain a key mode of transportation in many places around the world.
ReplyDeleteIn some countries, toilet paper is used only to dry, if at all. The rear gets cleaned with water, which can work better than paper. Did the water jet in the public facility squirt into the bowl? Clothes might get all wet, unless one disrobed below the waist.
Maybe the sanitation workers' uniforms are bright to protect them from reckless scooter riders! The ones in Lima wear heavy overclothes of bright orange, and face masks, even in summer. Do most neighborhoods have more or less the same cleanup service? Or are some better than others?
Umbrellas also shield against rain, which comes intermittently with sun, in certain seasons. Umbrellas can also be shared. If you have a large hat, I hope you wear it. If not, get a nice umbrella or parasol.
Preference for tea or hot water may owe to the fact that boiled water is certain to be free of typhoid, amoebic dysentery, or parasitic worms. Beware of cool or cold water, unless it is from a sanitary bottle. Hot drinks can also prompt perspiration, which can make one feel cooler. A cold drink might be enjoyable, but refrigeration is still novel or scarce, and people still might worry whether the liquid was properly sanitized.
People in hot Middle East countries dress even more heavily in burnooses or burkas. Protection from the sun, or modestly, appear to be the reasons. Those accustomed to heat all their lives may not feel hot, or a little heat may worry them less than age spots, wrinkles, and carcinomas. After age 50, the skin withers most wherever one has the most sun exposure. Are face masks used in Taiwan? Or are they a custom only in northern Asia in winter?
Beans are an inexpensive source of complex carbohydrates and protein. Some Latin Americans consume them with rice or corn tortillas two or three times daily. Other cultures pound them into humus or falafel. Strangely, one does not see beans service on rice in Chinese restaurants in the US, but only as a sweatened ingredient in desserts. Might Taiwanese have a special preference for legumes? Do they use the aspergillus niger fungus or any other additive to reduce the digestive side effects?
Wow, Daddy. That was intense!
Delete-Plenty of face masks but they're not everywhere.
-Don't know about bean additives.
-Taiwan is very clean.