Boozing Survival Tip #72

It’s the weekend and you have a cash flow problem. You know the feeling. You’re down to your last coins. You’re thirsty, damn thirsty. You’ve checked all your shirt and trouser pockets just in case, but no luck. No money for booze, and it would also be quite nice to eat something. The agonising thing is that you do have money - a respectable NT$670 in your bank account - but you can’t access it because the ATM only pays out in thousands.
Fear not, Boozing Survival Tip #72 is here to save you. The ATMs in Family Mart convenience stores have hundred-dollar bills!!! A bloody lifesaver is what it is. So, in the case of my… er… our hypothetical NT$670 we would be able to withdraw NT$600.

Hope this helps a few folks out.

[quote=“almas john”]It’s the weekend and you have a cash flow problem. You know the feeling. You’re down to your last coins. You’re thirsty, damn thirsty. You’ve checked all your shirt and trouser pockets just in case, but no luck. No money for booze, and it would also be quite nice to eat something. The agonising thing is that you do have money - a respectable NT$670 in your bank account - but you can’t access it because the ATM only pays out in thousands.
Fear not, Boozing Survival Tip #72 is here to save you. The ATMs in Family Mart convenience stores have hundred-dollar bills!!! A bloody lifesaver is what it is. So, in the case of my… er… our hypothetical NT$670 we would be able to withdraw NT$600.

Hope this helps a few folks out.[/quote]

Ah, yes, the “Oh I GOT booze money!” scenario.
Balancing out the good news with a little bad, those self same Family Mart bastids (and everyone else too, unfortunately) have jumped the price on The Drunkard’s Friend, Vitamin Beam in the Convenient Half Pint Take Out Size.
What has cost, since the Fujineezers chased the wogs up into the hills, a reasonable NT$142, suddenly, in the last 2 weeks, has been hoisted to an nonsensical NT$155.
NT$155?!?!??!?
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot or what???

[quote=“the chief”][quote=“almas john”]It’s the weekend and you have a cash flow problem. You know the feeling. You’re down to your last coins. You’re thirsty, damn thirsty. You’ve checked all your shirt and trouser pockets just in case, but no luck. No money for booze, and it would also be quite nice to eat something. The agonising thing is that you do have money - a respectable NT$670 in your bank account - but you can’t access it because the ATM only pays out in thousands.
Fear not, Boozing Survival Tip #72 is here to save you. The ATMs in Family Mart convenience stores have hundred-dollar bills!!! A bloody lifesaver is what it is. So, in the case of my… er… our hypothetical NT$670 we would be able to withdraw NT$600.

Hope this helps a few folks out.[/quote]

Ah, yes, the “Oh I GOT booze money!” scenario.
Balancing out the good news with a little bad, those self same Family Mart bastids (and everyone else too, unfortunately) have jumped the price on The Drunkard’s Friend, Vitamin Beam in the Convenient Half Pint Take Out Size.
What has cost, since the Fujineezers chased the wogs up into the hills, a reasonable NT$142, suddenly, in the last 2 weeks, has been hoisted to an nonsensical NT$155.
NT$155?!?!??!?
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot or what???[/quote]

Yep, whereas my NT$600 would have bought 4 bottles, now it just gets 3 of the buggers. A price of NT$149 would be acceptable but NT$155 leaves you feeling like you’ve just been molested on your front lawn by one of Tomhill’s specially trained camels.

So we take $600 out. Great. That’s Saturday lunchtime covered. Now what about the rest of the weekend?

Well, that’s Boozing Survival Tip #84. I haven’t written it up yet but the keywords are: temple, rice wine, offerings.

Thanks for the helpful tips. Why don’t you write a Taiwan Boozing Guide? I’d buy it!

Another tip is to bury a bottle of the hard stuff at an inconvenient distance from your home. You’ll never bother to make your way through 5 km of swamp and thornbushes to get a bottle of cheap kaoliang when you have beer money - or temple wine - on hand, so your stash is safe. But when true need is upon you, it suddenly seems like a fun day hike!

Not a tip, per se, but a bit of good news for us blue sky boozers, I’m noticing that more and more 7-11s are starting to have public restroom/toilet facilities, thereby solving one of the 2 biggest impedimenta to public imbibation (as one who’s never been quite Korean enough to be at ease boozily asking the laoban for permission to use the staff facilities, not that they aren’t always generous and accommodating when asked).

(the frequency of covered patio seating at many convenience stores being the solution to the other)

[quote=“the chief”]Not a tip, per se, but a bit of good news for us blue sky boozers, I’m noticing that more and more 7-11s are starting to have public restroom/toilet facilities, thereby solving one of the 2 biggest impedimenta to public imbibation (as one who’s never been quite Korean enough to be at ease boozily asking the laoban for permission to use the staff facilities, not that they aren’t always generous and accommodating when asked).

(the frequency of covered patio seating at many convenience stores being the solution to the other)[/quote]

A style of alcoholism cultivating hematuria solves the public imbibation/restroom dilemma. Simply add to the betel nut juice stains on the pavement, and be quick 'bout it.

:frowning:

Got the shakes meself and its only lunchtime.