Pet Peeves in Taiwan

Discussion Open Forum
141

Won’t somebody collect a fund to rid Taiwan of those fugly girders and railings made of spray painted concrete that are shaped to look like bamboo?

Speaking of concrete (my second least favorite matierial on the planet, after plastic), I think a lot of suburban Taiwanese neighborhoods would actually have a good bit of charm if the house exteriors were made of bare brick, instead of covered with a layer of concrete or fake shiny bricks.

But jeez, it’s all relative. Who am I, with my foreign ideas about what’s beautiful, to impose any aesthetics? Maybe in a former life, I also didn’t consider a house beautiful unless it had fake greek columns and statues made of concrete, all with a bit of rebar showing…

142

How come it took until now for “shave and haircut” to make it here, and why does every asshole with a horn think it’s cool and original?

143

That’s one thing most Taiwanese forget when they moan about overpaid foreigners. Our expenses are bigger too.

My pet peeve of the day: Ignorant Taiwanese.

144

Yes, a block of cheddar costs NT$150, while a similar-sized brick of Tofu costs only NT$15. :unamused:

145

People under 30.

146

People over 30

147

ABCs who come to Taiwan to “discover their roots” and who have an ego the size of a house. I am talking about the ones that have as much in common with Asia as I did before I came, meaning nothing. The only thing that’s different is that they have some Chinese bloodlines. Don’t try and pass yourself off as having some special Chinese nature or insight if you have never been outside of the US, don’t speak Mandarin and were raised in a Western-style manner.

Jeff – Is money that important to you? I have worked here making good money and also (as now) worked here hand-to-mouth. Yes, if it is money I wanted I’d be on the next plane out of here. But it isn’t all about money.

148

I just read through all of the pet peeves from the beginning of this post. I’m not sure who said it, but someone said that they haven’t been stared at. And, therefore, they don’t think it is a serious complaint.

Well, let me tell you that, at 6’6" (198cm), with a big build and a beard, I get stared at all the time. Sometimes it is the furtive look. Sometimes it is a good long stare. Sometimes it is accompanied with a smile or, more often a laugh. Sometimes it is accompanied by whispering to a friend, who then turns to look or grabbing their arm to turn them to face my direction. And, sometimes it is accompanied by my favorite, the ever popular “hen gao” like I don’t know what that means. (It was one of the first things I learned in Chinese.)

Somedays, I don’t mind being looked at (and probably don’t notice it). When I see someone staring, I just stare and, if they are cute, smile. Somedays, though, it drives me f**king nuts. I just want to say, “yeah, I’m tall and you are old/short/fat/ugly/goofy-looking/etc… What’s your point?” or “You dress like that/have hair like that/ have a face like that and you are looking at me?” Unfortunately, my Chinese is not that good yet.

Now… to agree with and add to everything everone else has said:

  1. I don’t understand why, when getting on the bus/mrt or going down stairs, through a door, etc… people here have to be pushy, like they are in a hurry and can’t wait for you to go first. Yet, when they are walking down the street they walk slower than a snail on tranquilizers (and weave about).

  2. People who don’t say “excuse me” when they push past you, bump into you, hit you with their bag, etc… or “thank you” when you hold the door open for them, etc…

  3. Vendors and motorscooter/bike drivers who think the sidewalks are their own personal space to either sell their cheap wares or park their bikes, forcing the rest of us to walk on the street or get stuck behind the slow people mentioned above.

  4. People who don’t know how to dress. Especially the women, mostly older, who try to dress hip, young, and/or sexy. And, what is it with all the sparkles on outfits and those long pointed ‘elf’ shoes? Huh?

Overall, though, Taiwan is not such a bad place. It isn’t the US, but it isn’t trying to be. I have to remind myself of that everyday. I also have to remember that the US is full of rude people, too. They just come in different forms and are rude in different ways.

There are many good things… like convenient stores that are really convenient, allowing you to fax things, make copies, pick up packages, pay utility bills, etc… And, I’ve met many great people here.

149

uh… no… but, thanks for the suggestion.

What I love is when my students describe me as “big” and “strong.” But, I know they really mean I’m fat.

Oh, that reminds me of another pet peeve. Normal weight Taiwanese (guys and girls) who say they are fat because they are not bone thin. Sheesh, get something else to worry about.

150

Hi everyone, this has been a very entertaining and informative thread!
I have been here since the start of the year and so far fall under the category of ‘everything is so new and exciting!’

Regardless of this fact, the traffic in Taiwan is easily the most annoying thing about this place, and has even placed my plans to return later in the year in doubt. Already I have been involved in a car accident which I have still not recovered from, and every time i go anywhere its with a great deal of nervousness! Maybe its because I am from Australia and we drive on the other side of the road, and the road rules are (largley) obeyed by most motorists :slight_smile:

Most taiwanese drivers consider road markings as purely decorative. A lot of them drive as if they are playing a video game, and I cant begin to tell you about the near misses that i have witnessed so far since I have been here…I cant ever imagine driving a car here, and the alternative is a tiny little scooter thingy - what th??!

How do you guys cope? Did it take you long to adapt? At the moment its the only negative thing i can think of…

jim

151

People who push past me and stop in front of me. I have now resorted to running into them and apologising. Fun stuff. I’m 250# and 6’ 1". Just like bowling.

152

More pet peeves:
[ol][li]People who always refer to women in Taiwan as “xiaojies” as if they were a species separate from other women.[/li][li]Guys with so-called “yellow fever”. Do they even see past the complexion to the person within? Or are they all just “exotic orientals”? :unamused:[/li][/ol]

153

It’s fairly hard to come up with an original pet peeve after 14 pages of whinging…but I have done it… :laughing:

Wet doorhandles

YUCK

154

Being told that it is manditory that I wear a mask that the two largest and most prestigious health organizations (the WHO and the CDC) say are useless.
Mayor Ma should be removed from office for spreading terror among the population with his scare tactics.

155

Having those little ‘temperature taken’ stickers put on my hand, only to have them fall off after WASHING MY HANDS…grrrrr…

I’m trying my best to be proactive with the reactive…but damn…

156

Masks: :imp:
Hygiene: :stuck_out_tongue:
Spray the road with chemicals: :? -show on TV
-but not the rails etc.: :unamused:
:?: Try to find a washing machine that can clean your clothes in HOT water (30, 45, 60 and 90 Celcius). :?:

:smiling_imp: :?: :unamused: :bulb: :smiling_imp: :shock:

157

i hate 3 in 1 coffee. i just want my normal black strong nasty tasting coffee…

(donno if someone wrote that already… didn’t wanna read 15 pages)

158

My washer was second-hand anyway. I’ve been doing this for a year and I haven’t noticed any deterioration in performance. I can’t think how hot water would damage it apart from maybe melting soft rubber seals, but I haven’t noticed anything like that or any leakage either.

I can understand, though, that if you bought your washer new (and you have the instruction manual!) you’d want to follow the instructions.

159

When an commercial about a program that looks interesting comes on or credits begin to roll and then gets pre-empted by the bloody furniture store, hotel, movie thing (with the fanfare), or now the kung fu class. I have those songs stuck in my head and have made a point to boycott those places just for the fact that they are abrasive, instrusive, and annoying, not to mention illegally showing commercials in air time paid for by someone else. It makes the Discover Channel unpleasant to watch every 15 minutes or so.

I have to admit the being stared at is very annoying. But I find that staring back right into their eyes is a pretty affective way of resolving this. It’s the ones who whisper, point, and laugh that really piss me off. That’s where “accidentally” stepping on shoes comes in handy. This couple was standing in the MRT and ol’ boy whispers to his girl and the both gawk at me and make gestures as I come out of the turnstile. They keep gawking even though I am making eye contact with them. As I got closer, I said, “Ni kan shenme?” and they hurried away to enter the pay area. I think making eye contact works better than when I got defensive because it can be quickly turned into a friendly gesture or a defensive one.

Betelnut and people who pick their noses or go to the bathroom and then don’t adequately wash their hands afterwards. This included women…they can be nasty sometimes. I bet this whole SARS/enterovirus thing can be nipped in the bud if the cleaning women spent less time emptying trash cans of soiled tissues and toilet paper (flush that sh!t already, people) and enforced handwashing protocol. I am just glad I’ve got MRT surfing down pat. Those poles are scary, scary places for your hands to be.

160

I have another peeve:

Yesterday, my car died on me 200 meters from where I live. This is inside an up-scale residential community. I stood by the roadside waiting for someone to come by and help me. No-one stopped (but then I was not very active in flagging them down). In the end, someone finally stopped and asked if I needed help.

That someone happened to be a Canadian - the Taiwanese merely gawked.

That can piss me off, but nowadays I shrug and offer the same kind of “help” to taiwanese in troubles.