# Your WTF moment when coming to Taiwan **URL:** \ **Category:** Living in Taiwan\ **Tags:** wack\ **Created:** [February 18, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741 "2020-02-18T13:00:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Aikaili](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/aikaili/32/100376_2.png) [@Aikaili](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Aikaili)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/41 "2020-02-18T15:01:09Z")
There’s a tofu shop on Heping near technology building with tables outside. Herds of roaches are crawling over everything at night in the summer, and in the daytime, people are there buying the tofu. roachu tofu… ---
**Author:** ![tempogain](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/tempogain/32/264650_2.png) [@tempogain](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tempogain)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/42 "2020-02-18T15:01:45Z")
Speaking of, and it happened to be right near there, a large roach that upon closer inspection flew! directly at us ---
**Author:** ![Brianjones](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Brianjones](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Brianjones)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/43 "2020-02-18T15:25:46Z")
My first WTF moment before I even stepped onto the soil. Looking out the window as my plane taxied off the Taoyuan airport runway for the first time. [![](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a0/ec/ef/a0ecef10f4e22563d88c600d74b6ef78.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a0/ec/ef/a0ecef10f4e22563d88c600d74b6ef78.jpg) . …WTAF! Singapore Airlines Flight 006 …RIP. BONUS WTF points. Scary scary stuff. ---
**Author:** ![MalcolmReynolds](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/malcolmreynolds/32/258535_2.png) [@MalcolmReynolds](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/MalcolmReynolds)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/44 "2020-02-18T15:28:29Z")
> [@jimipresley](#): > > Being forced to sit through 2-hour “meetings” when everything being said is in Chinese. An acquaintance of mine had the same WTF as you. He’s one of two foreign PhDs in English Literature teaching at a university here. Whenever the English department has a meeting, he and the other prof are required to attend the meetings, but all meetings are conducted in………CHINESE. Yep…English department…and neither can understand Chinese…WTF!!! ---
**Author:** ![Chris](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@Chris](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Chris)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/45 "2020-02-18T16:55:36Z")
I understand Mandarin to a reasonable extent, but the meetings I was forced to attend at first ended up being in Taiwanese. After that, I refused to attend if it was going to be in Taiwanese. I didn’t have to attend anymore after that; they just wanted to blabber in Taiwanese. ---
**Author:** ![BHL4life](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/bhl4life/32/90885_2.png) [@BHL4life](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/BHL4life)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/46 "2020-02-18T20:31:35Z")
i’m still having wtf moments. this chinese new yrs i went to the bathroom to wash my hands. a family membr walked in beside me and started taking a piss. im not a fan of doors open pissing either. just started driving here recently so noticing some wtf things about that. how on a red light sometimes people will slowly move their scooter forward as if nobody noticed them… then just drive off. optional rules as always. when i first got here the biggest wtf was definitely the stinky tofu. 3rd day i was here i went to shillin and was confused as to why the entire place smelled like shit. little did i know i would come to enjoy it now everytime i catch a whiff of it. ---
**Author:** ![tommy525](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/tommy525/32/272487_2.png) [@tommy525](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tommy525)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/47 "2020-02-18T21:08:00Z")
> [@Andrew0409](#): > > > [@Dr\_Milker](#): > > > > Not flushing used toilet paper…just having it sit there in the bathroom with all the fumes and germs. That _definitely_ took some getting used to. > > This I don’t get as well. I believe it’s done because the they get clogged easily in Taiwan with crappy pipes and water pressure. But Italy has the same problem, with pipe even older and crappier than Taiwan’s. Their solution is toilet paper that breaks up very easily in water. I first noticed this when I used some toilet paper to wipe down some water that came out of the sink, the toilet paper just broke apart once it got wet. and you know what happens when you use that kind of toilet paper that falls apart in your hands when you try to wipe your you know what? ---
**Author:** ![Andrew0409](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/andrew0409/32/69821_2.png) [@Andrew0409](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Andrew0409)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/48 "2020-02-18T21:09:14Z")
> [@Andrew0409](#): > > and you know what happens when you use that kind of toilet paper that falls apart in your hands when you try to wipe your you know what? Only when it’s wet. It’s otherwise just normal but less soft. The toilet paper here is just not very soft, but I’ve never had a toilet clog in Italy. Which is pretty unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![anon38216271](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@anon38216271](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/anon38216271)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/49 "2020-02-18T23:03:46Z")
First city I lived in was Kaoshiung. So, I heard all the urban legends about the blue trucks so I was careful on my scooter but still a little careless. Until one night at an intersection, I thought I might be able to pull out into traffic, beating a blue truck down the road. Before I could even start to accelerate, that thing flew by me like Satan on a mission. Second, at a red light I see a taxi bump two men on a scooter from behind. Both men jump off, one grabs the scooter lock and run to the driver’s side of the taxi, yanks open the door and proceed to beat the daylights of the taxi driver with the lock. The traffic cop watching all this, moseys over as if he’s going to get coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Brianjones](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Brianjones](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Brianjones)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/50 "2020-02-18T23:33:02Z")
> [@anon38216271](#): > > Both men jump off, one grabs the scooter lock and run to the driver’s side of the taxi, yanks open the door and proceed to beat the daylights of the taxi driver with the lock Ahhh, thems were the days… ---
**Author:** ![Brianjones](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Brianjones](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Brianjones)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/51 "2020-02-18T23:44:42Z")
> [@BHL4life](#): > > when i first got here the biggest wtf was definitely the stinky tofu. 3rd day i was here i went to shillin and was confused as to why the entire place smelled like shit. little did i know i would come to enjoy it now everytime i catch a whiff of it Ditto Taoyuan Night market. Man that place ponged. Everywhere ponged ! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Whatevah](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Whatevah](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Whatevah)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 12:24am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/52 "2020-02-19T00:24:28Z")
Not washing hands with soap is the most WTF. I don’t get used it so it’s a WTF moment every time I go to a public restroom. ---
**Author:** ![bdog](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@bdog](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/bdog)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/53 "2020-02-19T00:51:33Z")
> [@Andrew0409](#): > > Their solution is toilet paper that breaks up very easily in water. Same in Taiwan, there is a little icon on the packet indicating if it is flushable. ---
**Author:** ![BiggusDickus](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/biggusdickus/32/90381_2.png) [@BiggusDickus](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/BiggusDickus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/54 "2020-02-19T00:56:41Z")
> [@tempogain](#): > > Speaking of, and it happened to be right near there, a large roach that upon closer inspection flew! directly at us Yes, the “And they can fly!” moment. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/hanna/32/24014_2.png) [@Hanna](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/55 "2020-02-19T01:21:04Z")
> [@BiggusDickus](#): > > the “And they can fly!” moment. This was my dad’s main WTF moment when he came here to have the wedding ceremony. He calls them “Chinese blackbirds.” ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/hanna/32/24014_2.png) [@Hanna](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/56 "2020-02-19T01:25:02Z")
I got used to Taiwan too early to really have any true WTF moments. I do remember being little and feeling disturbed and saddened by the sight of amputees begging in the street, but that’s still true today, and such sights will probably never stop being upsetting. The first time I went to China I remember glancing over at what I can only assume was a doorless public restroom to see a man squatting over the toilet taking a tremendous dump. That was really something. > [@Hanna](#): > > This was my dad’s main WTF moment when he came here to have the wedding ceremony. He calls them “Chinese blackbirds.” I forgot to mention my dad’s second WTF moment — watching my aunt grab a roach with her bare hands and dispose of it accordingly. Absolutely fearless shit. ---
**Author:** ![SuiGeneris](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/suigeneris/32/246773_2.png) [@SuiGeneris](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/SuiGeneris)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:39am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/57 "2020-02-19T01:39:00Z")
Since we’re bringing up bathroom incidents…I’ve two more I remember from when I first arrived. 1. My first time seeing a kid take a dump in the gutter on the side of the road. WTF! (Kaohsiung). The other time seeing an older guy walking down the street, stops on a bridge, unzips and has a piss over the side of the bridge. WTF! 1. The infamous cleaning ladies in the men’s restroom while men are in their taking care of business. It still bugs me. WTF! ---
**Author:** ![anon38216271](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@anon38216271](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/anon38216271)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:43am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/58 "2020-02-19T01:43:45Z")
Third. Seeing people kill mosquitoes by clapping their hands or using battery powered tennis rackets. Fourth. A good WTF. Being able to attend a Presidental election and buying the political trinkets. Still wear one every winter and have this on my wall(a good conversation piece with guests) ![image](https://forumosauploads-12829.kxcdn.com/original/3X/b/5/b563510093340ce60ea4839f6afc2e825c2a08dd.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![BiggusDickus](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/biggusdickus/32/90381_2.png) [@BiggusDickus](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/BiggusDickus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/59 "2020-02-19T01:44:45Z")
> [@SuiGeneris](#): > > 1. The infamous cleaning ladies in the men’s restroom while men are in their taking care of business. It still bugs me. WTF! But, what’s the alternative? They would have to close the men’s restroom during cleaning as they do in the west. I prefer the system they have here when I’m desperate. ---
**Author:** ![SuiGeneris](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/suigeneris/32/246773_2.png) [@SuiGeneris](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/SuiGeneris)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2020, 1:46am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741/60 "2020-02-19T01:46:33Z")
> [@BiggusDickus](#): > > But, what’s the alternative? They would have to close the men’s restroom during cleaning as they do in the west. True. It’s more efficient. Was still a WTF “shocking” moment for me the first time it happened to me. [Previous page](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741.md?page=2) [Next page](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/your-wtf-moment-when-coming-to-taiwan/188741.md?page=4)