Taiwan – an island located south of Japan and a part of the Republic of China. It is a rather interesting country, filled with culture and character. It has also been heavily influenced by Japan, with many Japanese tourists visiting each year.
Yet, I felt a deep cultural shock during my time in Taiwan. The sudden realization that I could not communicate with anyone hit me like a brick wall. I resorted to pointing and clumsy charade-like gestures in order to purchase things. The expressions of the sellers appeared frustrated or tiresome. It was like they were questioning why I was even there in Taiwan. I felt very sheepish. I should have learnt some Taiwanese phrases before coming…
Nevertheless, I had quite an enjoyable little holiday, which consisted of tasting a variety of strange foods (I have undoubtedly earned a debt with my treadmill). We were fortunate to have some local guides to help us with food choices. They even managed to reserve a table at the famous 'Din Tai Fung' restaurant (which often requires a one hour plus waiting time). The dumplings here are phenomenal, melt-in-your-mouth delicacies. It leaves you almost begging for more!
Our wonderful guides also gave us a tour through the Shilin night markets. As we explored the many crowded stalls, we would often come across a very pungent smell. The smell is so strong it can often leave you gagging or holding your nose until it passes. This of course is the special smell of Stinky Tofu.
Stinky Tofu was by far the most challenging dish I’ve tried yet – and yes, this surpassed the time I tried natto, in which I find rather delicious. The dish includes fermented tofu (sometimes deep fried if you’re lucky) served with pickled cabbage and a salsa-like chilly sauce. As I looked at the plate in front of us, the smell filled my nostrils causing me to screw-up my face. Were we really going to eat this foul smelling food?
But we did, and somehow it wasn’t as bad as it smelt! While it still is not my favourite dish from Taiwan, nor will I ever go out of my way to buy and eat it again, the Stinky Tofu challenge was a success.
While 70 percent of our trip we were eating (maybe an exaggeration), the remainder of our time was spent exploring the city. On two occasions I received a Taiwanese foot and leg massage. For 40 minutes I sat in a chair resisting the urge to squirm and scream as a masseuse embedded his knuckles and fingers into my feet. It was as if they could secretly gauge the location of past injuries and they honed into those areas with extreme force. Parts of my feet still feel bruised today!!
Near to our hostel was Longshan Temple. The temple is highly decorative, with lanterns lining the outside and minute details in all the art of the exterior walls and roofs. The Taiwanese people appear to be very religious, with this temple being quite a hot spot for prayers and offerings. Although they might follow the same religion as seen in Japan, the temples and prayers are done very differently. There is no bell to ring, or offering plate to throw coins. Instead, it seems offerings of food are made and delivered to the god(s). The types of food are unclear to me, as the collection I saw was often random with no particular pattern. A common repetition I observed was how many people would draw-in the smoke emitted from the burning incense, almost in a cleansing-like way, before praying. The prayer styles, however, were quite different. While some simply prayed with both hands pressed together and still, some were much more elaborate and active. Maybe the difference lies between old traditions and new.
Our other days were filled with a visit to the National Palace Museum and the Taipei Zoo. The calligraphy works from centuries ago were almost surreal. The preciseness presented in each Chinese character gave it a print-like appearance. It was difficult to believe that all these works were handwritten. As I observed these pieces, I noticed far more similarities between the Chinese and Japanese characters. While it is a known fact that Japanese kanji characters originated from the Chinese language, I soon came to discover just how similar the pronunciation and meanings were too. The pronunciation aspect however, would definitely need practice by me! The fact that a slight inflection in my pronunciation can change the entire meaning of the word (or make it completely unrecognizable) reminds me of my students’ struggle in learning English.
Sadly, the pandas were sleeping and inactive during our zoo visit, which resulted in very little photo opportunities. However, we were fortunate enough to see the elephants eat and a rather playful young giraffe.
Although sad to see the end of my mini-holiday, a part of my felt relieved to be back in Japan. I could finally communicate with people using more than bad-charades! The culture and language was familiar once again and it has finally struck me – I think I can now see Japan as my ‘second’ home, a ‘home-away-from-home’ in a way. So, as I unlocked the door to my apartment and flopped onto my sorely missed bed, a sense of complete relief flowed through me – I was home… well, sort of.
