It’s not racism, per se? Next week non-Taiwanese will be the best thing since cabbage dumplings and he will hug you. Monocultural automatons listen to one source for intelligence and social interaction. It’s been a bad news week.
What racist words did he say? Using swear words is legally actionable here, in case you made a recording. Otherwise I would put this down more to xenophobia. Still, not a pleasant experience in any case I’m sure. Like @flatlandr said, it’s been a bad week for foreigners in the news.
I once had some Taiwanese guy shout “fuck you 外國人” from his window a few stories up. I just carried on walking because I presumed he was mentally disabled.
I’ve also had old Taiwanese men shout things at me in Hokkien in parks, but had no idea what they were saying. You can usually tell it isn’t nice from their tone.
People talk about me, presuming I don’t understand in restaurants, on the metro and in malls all the time. Not really racist though because they usually say I’m handsome . This has even happened to me in my household registration office by an officer, and when I looked over to her and smiled, her face went bright red.
Most racism here is subtle. Before I married my wife, lots of people told her to stay away from me because I was probably just tricking her, or only looking for sex.
The average Taiwanese is more racist than the average European, in my opinion. However, Taiwanese are less likely to confront a foreigner and say what they think due to the culture here so racism is way less obvious.
I’ve had an ignorant Cee U Next Tuesday hork up a loogie and spit it at my feet before. I just use these types of displays of douchebaggery as something to laugh about with my students. Just like your story will be something to laugh about next time the subject of racism comes up.
I just had someone randomly yell “fuck you” in English at me once.
I used to live and work in South Korea and there the racism is MUCH worse. No comparison. Some guy threw coins at my (then) girlfriend’s feet and basically said she’s prostituting herself out to white guys. Another little dickhead asked in fluent English why my (again then) girlfriend was polluting her pure Korean blood by being with a sub-standard foreign bastard and then told me I was genetically inferior and should leave the country before I got hurt. Someone else punched my friend at a club and told him “leave Korean girls alone” and then ran away like a coward.
Compared to all that, Taiwan is fine. Then again, I’m not Southeast Asian or Black, so I’m sure for them it’s much worse.
Often the only English these types know, along with "How are you? and “I love you”. I’ve had all three shouted at me a few times, sometimes with waves and grins (usually from some guy passing on the back of a motorcycle).