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| Glossary of Taiwanese Terms |
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| Sacred Tree: Any tree old enough to have survived the Japanese occupation is held sacred by the locals. (Japan liked to chop down all the trees and send them back to Tokyo to make chopsticks, tatami mats, and the like) Note: There are no sacred trees in Korea, as the Japanese pretty much chopped down everything in sight there. |
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| Scooter: Preferred mode of transportation among the locals. Comfortably seats up to six passengers, or can double as a small cargo van. Also, riding the scooter exempts you from any and all traffic regulations. The only minor drawback is the greatly reduced life expectancy that comes with usage of this mode of transportation.. |
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| Betel Nut Girls: Young, long legged girls that sit in small glass booths along the highways and sell betel nuts (a local amphetamine) to truck drivers. Truly one of the drivers of the Taiwanese economy. The more betel nuts a truck driver sucks down, the faster he delivers his load. Also, the more scooters, cars, and pedestrians get crushed in his wake. (Thus helping to stoke demand in the auto body shop and health care industries) |
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| Red Bombs: A gift given by a person when they announce their intention to get married. This gift obligates you to reciprocate with a cash gift at the wedding party. Dubbed a "Red Bomb" since the gift is invariably wrapped in red, and the consequence of opening the package is not favorable. These are to be avoided at all costs.... |
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| Ghost Money: A local variant on Monopoly money, which is burned on certain auspicious dates as an offering to whatever spirits may be lurking around. |
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| Gaoliang: The favorite type of local fire water, which is around 130 proof. It is usually drinken straight up during Ganbei parties. As an added bonues, Gaoliang could easily be used as a suitable alternative for aircraft jet fuel if the need ever arises... (its on the PW approved substitute list...) |
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| Fengshui: This literally means the wind and the water, although a more accurate definition would be to be in harmony with your surroundings. If something bad happens to you, not to worry, for it is not your fault. It is just that you fengshui needs adjustment. (Moving the furniture around may even remedy the problem...) Before any new building is occupied, Taiwanese people will call in Fengshuit experts to makesure nothing is amiss. Also, I have literally had guests in my house re-arrange the furniture in their bedroooms because they were not comfortable with the feng-shui of the room.... |
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