I messed up today.
And, I think I already kind of knew this – but, not really. Don’t stand your chopsticks upright in your meal. It’s not so polite. Like, really not polite.
Even if you are eating some take-away noodles in a plastic dish in a conference room.
Still not polite.
It represents the way incense is placed in sacrificial and funeral offerings. I promise I wasn’t trying to invite images of death to the meeting. Really.
Luckily, my co-worker let me know the error of my ways. Whew! Won’t be doing that during an important business dinner someday.
Apparently, I’m still an Asia newb.
Lunch Faux Pas
Not much to report today. Except for this awesome sign my friend Elvin noticed in the washroom at a local diner.
Everything clear? Follow the instructions, please.
I dare you to try breaking the rules!
Every night just before 9:30pm I hear Beethoven playing outside my window. And, it’s really loud. Almost noise pollution loud.
When I first heard it, I expected to see a monster ice cream truck serving kids running from every direction.
Quite the opposite.
I found adults arriving from every direction. With bags of garbage.
That’s right. No dumpsters needed in Taipei. Just hear Für Elise, wait for the truck, throw the trash in.
Garbage workers have it easy here!
The fast food counter at my local 7-Eleven in Taipei is different. Not different by Taiwan standards – there seems to be a 7-Eleven on nearly every block. But, different by US standards.
They sell tea eggs and sweet potatoes.
Yes, tea eggs.
They fill the entire store with an aroma of black tea leaves, spices, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, fennel and a variety of other spices. There may be some soy sauce. Inconsistent reports on that.
Have not tried yet. Too chicken.
7-Eleven, Taipei Style
An “ugly commute” conveys my daily experience in an optimistic tone. Those 32 kilometres (20 miles) between Xindian and Taoyuan always represent a constant hour+ fight against, what appears to be, a non-ending string of red tail lights ahead.
Not good for someone who hates commuting and views it as a complete waste of two plus hours each day.
But, luckily, my company runs a hourly coach shuttle bus that I’ve been regularly taking. A quick nap sure beats avoiding waves of scooters while driving yourself.
Plus, I’ve almost overcome my issue of getting car sick while reading in a moving vehicle. I wrote this entire post on my smartphone without throwing-up on the guy next to me, so that’s progress!
Riding the "school bus" to work...
