Living in Taiwan > Most Offensive or Amusing Store name in Taiwan IF YOU’RE one of those people who thinks “fuck” is a word for mentally impoverished heathens, trailer trash, or that creepy Taiwanese guy with the red teeth who hangs out in front of your apartment block, then you better stop reading right now. [...]

How to fight the Vise-Grip of depression between the two new year’s holidays Wolf to barmaid: What does Christmas celebrate? Barmaid: (Strikes a thoughtful pose) It celebrates Christmas Day. Wolf: It’s Jesus’ birthday. Barmaid: Wow! Really? Well, the annual shopping holiday, otherwise known as Christmas, is finally over. Hopefully everyone enjoyed their Christmas Mos Burger [...]

The president expected too much, while much of the electorate may in fact be brain-dead TAIWAN’S LEGISLATIVE elections are over and the diagnosis has been confirmed – Taiwan is mentally ill, schizophrenic, to be exact. Half of the electorate is democratically oriented, want to see necessary reforms implemented and understand that “a house divided against [...]

The ins and outs of cross-cultural pollination FORUMOSA’S NEWEST forum is called Dating & Relationships and is about fly-fishing in Montana. Well, OK…the fishing part maybe. My first reaction at having this kind of topic was that it would devolve, at least around the edges, into discussions on prostitution and comparisons of the size of [...]

Foreigners and the “civilizing” of Taiwan YOU’RE ON the street, minding your own business and a mother and her six-year-old daughter pass you, but not before the kid pokes out a finger and says, “Waiguoren! Waiguoren!” What is your reaction? Do you even care? Is the mother at fault for not educating her kid about [...]

As Aesop once wrote: “While I see many hoof marks going in, I see none coming out. It is easier to get into the enemy’s toils than out again.” SO IT’S all over, including the shouting. Bush supporters are cheering, “We told you so!” while the Kerry camp, including most of the expats posting on [...]

History & Culture > Falun Gong (parts 1-3) I ALWAYS had the impression that Falun Gong was slightly kooky Chinese aerobics with some nickel-a-pop Indian mysticism thrown in. There’s a big sign for them on the side of a building on a corner in Shihlin just before you go through the tunnel to Neihu. I [...]

Father abandons dog in mountains while owner is away > Open Forum SO YOU take care of a dog that has been abandoned by its owner after it was hit by a car. You nurse it back to health and it lives in the family house for the next six years. You are then posted [...]