The only “non-polite” / rude people I’ve really noticed in Taiwan have tended to been from the older generation – cutting in line, taking more than one of something, holding up a line because something rang up 1元 different than what they had calculated, loading up plates of free onions at costco, that kind of thing (though to be fair this is true of most countries).
I still have a pretty vivid memory of being dragged to a travel expo by my wife and standing in front of one of those “giveaways” with a stage. The presenter was handing out prizes to pretty much anyone who would give him the time of day, and had handed out a prize to this old woman. When the presenter started handing a prize to me, the old woman (who had already received hers) reached up and tried to take it. The presenter told her she had already gotten hers and gave it to me, but I still found the complete unambash-idness pretty amusing.
In Kaohsiung and Tainan people are incredibly warm, almost too much so at times. Sometimes I just wanna buy my veggies and get out without practicing my life story (or leave an in-laws gathering without having to haul 20kg’s of fruit back home) but overall I’ve found Taiwanese people to be pretty great
I found this as well middle age (30’s on up) in S’pore, but maybe just way you need be in that society. More mellow Singaporeans move to Perth or like places away. In Taiwan I find Taipei people have quite a bit in common with S’poreans with the common big city life (big difference is basic salaries are much lower in Taipei) and long working hours and climbing the ladder. Here is Kaoshiung things are more relaxed and my salary gets more (same for me if living in Taipei), but maybe too slow for people in Taipei. (My prefered city in Taiwan is really Tainan, nice tech park and more things to do outside the urban area, and younger people than Taipei)
I was on vacation in Korea and ended up in a conversation with an middle aged man and his wife from Singapore. When I asked him how were things like in his country, his main complaint was all the foreigners that they kept letting in taking their jobs. There seemed to be a lot of resentment on his part that the government was giving preferential treatment to invite foreigners in to the detriment of the locals. This being a sample size of one however.
For most polite I’d put Kaohsiung/Tainan/Pingdong in the top 3 for really nice people. A bit rough around the edges but it is the real Taiwan imo. Taipei isn’t that bad considering the size of the city and still a good selection of friendly people there.
The worst city in my opinion is Taichung. No redeeming qualities about it. Poor city design and it feels sterile combined with just really unfriendly people. Everyone seems in their own bubble there. Even Taipei people were way friendlier than Taichung.
To me Taichung feels like its not really a part of Taiwan in terms of its feel.
How would you know? You said you rode the bus in the US…I’m starting to think half the stuff you say about the US is what you imagined because you had a bad time rather than what went on.
I lived in 4 different states. From west coast to east coast and down south. It’s fine. People you rode with are probably really bad drivers if they are getting cussed out on the daily.
Or you just made it up.
My only complaint of US drivers is that some of them really should not be on the road. You pretty much have to drive in most of the US, so they give out licenses to everyone. Too many reckless teenage boys driving and too many low skill low confidence nervous young girls on the road.
I know the story, but it is complete bullshit.
But Singaporeans are expert of the double-think.
They go around and say that foreigners have it easy, because:
A company cannot hire a foreigner directly as it would do with a local, but they have to, first of all, post the job opening on a website ONLY for locals, for at least 14 days.
A company does have to interview a certain number of locals and retain performances to justify to the Ministry of Manpower why they hired a foreigner.
There is a quota for the S-Pass holders, so a company cannot hire a huge number of foreigners even if they wanted.
Foreigners have a minimum salary requirements, which locals do not have.
A company has to create an extensive case and submit it to the MOM before a foreigners is given a visa. It takes several weeks to be approved, and it sometimes does not.
Foreigners DO NOT have a clear path to PR and permanent residency, impossible to buy flats due to extremely high stamp duties.
But yes, due to all of this, we have it easier, clearly.
I usually enjoy reading Taiwan_Luthiers’ opinions, but something bad must have happened to him in the U.S. He never misses a chance to bash the U.S. And describe what an awful, dangerous, scary place it is.
The U.S. has its faults, but most people are really friendly. It’s not even half as bad as he portrays it.
To Mr. Taiwan_Luthiers: I don’t doubt that the U.S. was not to your liking. But you should consider that your bias may not reflect reality.
Oh, there is definite road rage in my neck of the woods. Not often, but it happens. Never hear swearing because I drive with my windows up. And I never listen to what I say.
Then there is mask rage. Try asking someone in a public indoor space to wear their mask properly (so it covers more than the chin) and see what happens.
Getting on to road rage, the UK has be one of the worst? portugal well don’t know how to descibe drivers actions, angry without the rage?
People say oh my god I wouldn’t consider driving on roads in Taiwan, well I find cycling far safer, scooter riding stay alert and cars do give way to each without the “i’m going to fucking kill you c------” outbursts.
Don’t know about US.
I have driven in Taiwan for many years some/many of the drivers are cunts..
Include some bus drivers, truck drivers and a fair amount of two wheelers in that description.
How should I phrase it better ? Suggestions welcome.
The main reason you don’t see bats and chains anymore is because of ubiquitous videos .
Also many people here are afraid of altercations with gangsters for a good reason. So they keep their silent rage and drive like arseholes. Or just pretend they didn’t see it as the latest car edges in after skipping a two km highway exit queue. Or they leave their car sitting on the zebra crossing as they go to buy their biandang. Or blatantly go through the red light. Or ride the scooter at full tilt at you on the sidewalk and surprised when you don’t move and they get hit in the face by your shoulder.
Or how about the capital city bus drivers who jerk their buses around like a universal studios theme park rife for old people’s enjoyment.
Well the fact that road rage incidents end up on the news means it’s shocking and rare. Because you don’t see road rage incidents on the news in the US unless it escalated to actual murder (not just violence). Here, someone cursing or having a fistcuff ends up on the news.
Not saying crazy people don’t exist in Taiwan though, as there’s that nutcase who stabbed a random person just because of a family argument…
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