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zipper · Joined: 14 Dec 2009 Posts: 237

Here's one. The practice of putting dead cats in bags and hanging them from trees; usually over rivers. There are a few bags of foul smelling maggots hanging from the trees nearby my place. One was hung from a tree too dam close to the road, and I almost hit the dam smelly thing with my head as I drove too close to the side. Shocked

Apparently, Taiwanese place dead cats in bags and hang them up there until they rot away. I don�t know exactly why they do it, though. Confused

Also, they toss dead dogs in rivers.

yamahuh · Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 1033 Location: Karaoke Hell

AND they eat that goddawful stinky tofu.... Rolling Eyes

zipper · Joined: 14 Dec 2009 Posts: 237

There is another unique piece of Taiwanese culture that often appears to an unsuspecting foreigner as a cabaret spectacle at first, but is in fact a funeral. Some Taiwanese families hire wailers and a parade of sexy female dancers for a dead member�s wake and funeral. The wailers mourn loudly some strange Taiwanese recitations. The way they cry sort of makes one depressed and their depressing voices might cause others to cry, too. Following the Professional Mourning spectacle one might see sexy looking girls parading behind a coffin as it is being carted off to the cremators. Without going into my own perspective and experience about Taiwanese funeral rituals, I have instead decided to look it up for myself and share this link with you incase you who might be interested in reading about it.

http://nas.fg.tp.edu.tw/research/%E4%BA%BA%E6%96%87-%E7%AC%AC%E4%BA%8C%E8%BC%AF/%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E7%B5%84/05.pdf

I have attended my wife�s grandmother�s funeral back in 2001, but they didn�t use the �Professional Funeral Mourners.� Nevertheless, they did fellow somewhat a Buddhist traditional funeral. The most depressing aspect of the whole affair was when the family members including myself picked through her grandmother�s ashes for pieces of bones that were to be placed in a urn. My wife�s father had given red envelopes to the professional bone pickers to ensure that most of the bone pieces would be collected. For me, the most depressing aspect occurred when I saw a melted Jade bracelet that the good natured grandma used to sport during her smiling and warm presence. Death here becomes very personal for more than one way�

http://nas.fg.tp.edu.tw/research/%E4%BA%BA%E6%96%87-%E7%AC%AC%E4%BA%8C%E8%BC%AF/%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E7%B5%84/05.pdf

zipper · Joined: 14 Dec 2009 Posts: 237

steve_c · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 1:54 pm Post subject:

yamahuh · Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 1033 Location: Karaoke Hell

You're beyond all hope of salvation and are now dead to me...

Wink

steve_c · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 2:36 pm Post subject:

yamahuh · Joined: 23 Apr 2004 Posts: 1033 Location: Karaoke Hell

I don't like the thought of it but it actually doesn't taste like much of anything.

zipper · Joined: 14 Dec 2009 Posts: 237

Ah yes, Taiwan�s beetlenut girls and its culture. Any comments about that? You know the Taiwanese enjoyable activity of chewing beetlenut and spitting its red globs of debris mixed with saliva onto any surface that is clean. Or the sexy looking little sweethearts that wear skimpy clothes and work in little heated/air-conditioned fish bowls off to the side of roads? Surely, this is a very unique culture worth praising Taiwan for. Good for gross looking mouths and oral cancer.

BigWally · Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 2:42 am Post subject:

A short film I had the opportunity to work on while living in Kaohsiung. Website in English & Chinese (click the Chinese title to translate entire site)

zipper · Joined: 14 Dec 2009 Posts: 237

zipper · Joined: 14 Dec 2009 Posts: 237

Now, I don't know if "picking noses" would qualify for a Taiwanese cultural trait, but a lot of Taiwanese I have personally met have no qualms about picking their noses in public. My wife can do a double barrel job; that is she often uses both fingers. Shocked

It's disgusting and I have complained to her about it recently, and she has been laying off her nose a bit; at least in front of me.

In Korea, Koreans are so anal about not picking their noses in public and blowing noses at the table; but not here in Taiwan. Nope! Taiwanese pick their noses at any place and time when they feel the need; some look as though they are having a picnic. I saw Chinese in China do it in a similar manner, too.

Yesterday, I went to a drink vendor where a young hottie, who wore a pair of tight shiny black nylons plants, decided to perform a nose canal while standing and waiting for her pearl milk tea. Yuck! Shocked

PS: Just to let you all know I am not trying to demean Taiwan's culture and people. I am looking at things from a humorous view. I could find tons of things in my own culture to poke at� Razz

zipper · Joined: 14 Dec 2009 Posts: 237

You really will know that the Lunar New Year is approaching when you see malls, supermarkets and stores jam packed with bodies; when you see quilts, blankets and sheets hanging from balconies; when you see many people performing their bye-byes at the local temples; and when you see a lot of people cleaning the outside and inside of their houses. The first and last couple of days will be a vehicular nightmare and traffic will move at a snail�s pace. No traveling for me. All the small towns will be inundated for a couple of days as the sons and families return to visit their parents for the first night, and then the traffic will shift the next day when all the sons and families leave to visit their in-laws. Most of the stores, restaurants and eateries will be closed for a bit, so it is time to stock up and batten down the hatches. And what else? Laughing