Orientation

In Taiwan, it is generally not easy to get oriented - geographically oriented, I mean. Not only do many towns look like each other, not only do many streets look like a huge number of other streets - no, as if this were not enough already, for Westerners, things are much worse: There are hardly any legible maps to be had. Imagine this situation: You are in a country whose writing system you don't master. "Oh," you think, "no problem, I just buy a "Latin" map - with all the names on it that I can read. Then I know how to get where I would like to". But: There is one tiny problem: There are nearly no such maps to be had. You may get an all-Taiwan map, which helps you to get rom one town to the next, but inside this town, you'll be lost. Forareas as small as a town, there are all-Chinese maps only. "No problem", you think again, "as in towns and cities, all the street names, which are listed in no single map, are dubbed in English, surely, in the countryside, i.e. in between towns and cities, there will be English road signs". However, reality looks like this:

Nicely lost you are now, aren't you? In such a case, should you not by accident know the Chinese names of the tows in question, just hold your finger up in the air. Perhaps the wind will tell you where to go...

Advertising: Orientation towards Western Faces

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As far as advertising is concerned, there is a remarkable orientation towards Western faces in Taiwan:

Western faces indeed stand for progress, general acceptance of the product in question and, last but not least, a desirable world. This is why they are frequently chosen when it is about product marketing.

If only Taiwanese PR agents knew that those are just the criteria which people in the Western world attribute to Asia... . Or is it that the grass is really always greener on the other side of the fence?!

2008 - The Year of The Rat

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As is generally known, the Chinese Zodiac goes by years, not by months as is the case for the Western zodiac. There are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. 2008 was the year of the Rat.

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Rats are said to be smart, charming, sharp, curious, and generous. They seek knowledge and are good friends.

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In Taiwan, every new year is welcomed, with its corresponding animal being present in public life. So should people ever forget which year they are in, they will know as soon as they open their eyes.

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This was the case for the year of the Rat as well. There were rats around again and again - just like on these two photos.

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What can be cuter than to represent the Zodiac animal in the way it is shown here, in a flower park in Changhua county?

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Do these rats, made from flowers, not look smart, charming, curoius and generous? Don't they appear to be knowledge-seekers? It is evident: they do. What a wonderful hommage!

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However, there is one important point - not about these cute rats, of course, but about the Chinese Zodiac, which does not exist for the Western Zodiac, at all: Don't tell anyone what animal you are. Know why? They can guess your age immediately!

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7 Eleven

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7Eleven - das ist der Inbegriff von Service und Kundenfreundlichkeit:

Wenn dieses Franchise-Unternehmen auch in vielen Ländern zu finden ist und bei weitem nicht nur in Taiwan, so stellt man, wenn man seine Vorzüge erfahren hat, doch bedauernd fest, dass es in Deutschland fehlt - und es fehlt sehr! Wenn man was auch immer einem einfällt und zu welcher Tages- und Nachtzeit einem dies auch immer einfällt braucht, dort bekommt man es: von der Nähnadel. die man benötigt, weil einem plötzlich der Knopf vom Hemd abgegangen ist, über die Tütensuppe, weil man auf einmal Hunger bekommt und nichts im Haus hat, bis hin zur neuesten Finanzzeitschrift, die man zu kaufen vergessen hat und ohne die man die nächsten Investitionsentscheidungen nicht treffen kann. Kurzum: 7Eleven hilft in allen Lebenslagen weiter - es ist ein richtiges Überlebenszentrum. Darum gilt: Man braucht nie etwas im Haus zu haben; Vorratshaltung ist vollkommen unnötig. Diese convenience stores - was sie wirklich sind, Geschäfte, die Komfort und Bequemlichkeit fördern - haben nicht nur 24 Stunden am Tag auf, sie sind auch an jeder Ecke zu finden. Besser und kundenfreundlicher geht es nicht, näher an den Bedürfnissen der Menschen kann man nicht sein. Dieser Service ist zwar ein wenig teurer, aber in diesem Falle gilt wirklich: Man gönnt sich ja sonst nichts!

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A European Street

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There is a special street in Taichung - the third biggest city of Taiwan, located in its centre -, which is as European as can be: European architecture, European shops (see the post on German running culture - Deutsche Lauf-Kultur) and European cuisine. When seeing buildings like this one, you may think that you are somewhere in Southern Germany, Austria or Switzerland - but it will never occur to you that you are in Taiwan:

What is that for, then? How come this street can be so European? This may be a tribute to the part of the world which is more or less publicly admired by many Taiwanese people: French lifestyle and cuisine, Swiss exactitude, Italian dolce vita and German punctuality and product quality. So isn't it the most natural thing to give Taiwanese people a place where they can virtually live these feelings linked to Europe. And isn't this the most promising motivation for every one of them to travel to Europe one day so as to see what things really look like there? I think it is, and I am by far not the only one...

Zhen Zhu Nai Cha

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One of the most delicious drinks to be had in Taiwan is Zhen Zhu Nai Cha. This pearl milk tea represents a special event of its own, a culinary highlight not to be missed. Have a look and you know what I mean:

The miraculous thing is that it tastes just as good as it looks: Filled for about one third of the mug with little starch balls which are sweet and chewy and guarantee a long enjoyment. Black tea - or for those who want a healthier variation - green tea refined with milk, or actually coffee white -, and a portion of sugar. These ingredients will provide you with the full flavour.

Should you want to stay slim - if you drink it every day, people will see this soon by your figure - and reduce your bad conscience, created by this calory bomb, to a minimum, you can order it ban tang, ban nai ("half sugar, half milk") and will get half of the negative effects but much more than half the taste.

One warning must, however, be taken very seriously: If you drink it, you will get addicted to this tea very soon. So it may be better not to start, at all. Then, however, you will miss a great joy in life. What a dilemma! Zenme ban? - What can you do? Here comes the solution: Go to a very good tea shop, take green instead of black tea, and drink it once a week only. Above all: Don't tell anyone, do it secretely! But enjoy it to the full, every single mouthful - and you will understand how beautiful life can be. Don't believe it? Have a try - you'll see... .

BMW und Mercedes - treulich vereint

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In manchen ländlichen Gebieten Taiwans - die im Vergleich zu ländlichen Gebieten in Deutschland erstaunlich städtisch wirken - sind die beiden deutschen Edel-Automarken, die gemeinhin in Deutschland, wie auch in taiwanischen Großstädten, strikt voneinander getrennt sind, treulich vereint.

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Was in Deutschland undenkbar wäre, geht hier ohne das geringste Problem. Was in Deutschland von geradezu philosophischem Unterschied - ja Gegensatz - ist, wird hier kaum wahrgenommen. Was einzig und allein zählt, ist die allgemeine Bewunderung für deutsche Autos - die Marke ist zweitrangig.

Dem deutschen Betrachter bleibt bei soviel Eintracht zunächst vor Erstaunen der Mund offen. Auf den zweiten Blick jedoch fragt er sich, ob hier in nicht auch ein Weg liegt - ein geradewegs lebensphilosophischer: Was aus der Nähe nach Konkurrenz - nach Konträrem - aussieht, erscheint aus der Distanz als etwas Gemeinsames, als etwas Harmonisches und in dieser Harmonie Erstrebenswertes. Wäre es nicht von Vorteil, wenn dieses Gemeinsame auch aus der Nähe öfter wahrgenommen würde, wenn sich nicht immer nur auf das Trennende kapriziert würde? Dann wäre vielleicht nicht zuletzt der Kunde der zufriedenere - und langfristig mit Sicherheit auch der treuere.

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