Perhaps they remember when the US military was in Taiwan. My wife’s father served with US soldiers when he was in the army. From the way he talks about them, it seems they were very well respected.
Interesting. So it seems we both get saluted when we dress casual.
Do you ever dress formal? When I have an important meeting and wear my formal work clothes, people tend to treat me like I’ve got corona, and some run in the other direction.
Are you wearing military uniforms or carrying yourself in a way that makes you look military?
This is highly unusual because in Taiwan soldiers are treated like pariahs. Even if my dad wore his military uniform including rank insignias and all the medal he has nobody would ever salute him unless he would get in trouble for not saluting.
The local kungpao cook always gives me a military salute when he sees me. He’s an older dude, a nice guy (and awesome cook), but a bit of a Taiwanese redneck if you get my drift (always chewing beetlenut and drinking beers in the morning/noon).
Word must have gotten around that you’re not just a regular foreigner but rather a buxiban teacher, and therefore deserve the utmost respect. I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often than every month or two.