Cultural Experiences: Breakfast & Subway Systems in Taiwan – Winter 2019 Abroad
Being in Taiwan is very culturally immersive and interesting. So far, it has been very encouraging that some of the locals can understand my Chinese after not having taken a formal Chinese class for 2 years! I am excited and hopeful that I will continue to be able to interact with the locals. One of the first cultural differences that I learned on my very first day in Taiwan is the difference of what breakfast means to Taiwanese people versus Americans. Most Americans have a very small, on the go breakfast, if not any breakfast at all (like myself). However, in Taiwan there are a lot of breakfast shops, with almost one on every street. The traditional breakfast food is a danbing or directly translated as an egg cake. Our group so far has been eating breakfast each day at a nearby breakfast shop called Sunmerry, where I usually get the following breakfast food, which is a mix of mushrooms, eggs, and ham.
The next day we adventured to the metro station, where I noticed many differences between the Taiwan metro station, MRT, and the New York subway system. For example, the Taiwanese station is very clean and does not smell at all! The stop that we go to most often is called Dongmen. However, another metro stop that we visited had different statues of frogs and fountains along with play areas with plush pillows for children to jump in. There is typically no decorations or fun things to do in the New York subway aside from some street performers that may play instruments and sing. Below is a picture of me with one of the frog statues.
Another difference between American and Taiwanese subways is the order that they follow. For example, there are actual lines outside the Taiwanese train doors so that people are not allowed to get on the train until others get off. If one does not fit in the line for a certain door, one needs to go to another door. I do not particularly like this feature since certain train cars in New York are close to certain exits and this feature if implemented in Manhattan could become inconvenient. Additionally, from what I have seen in Taiwan, some people leave space between them and others in the line. So while one might be able to fit in the line, one would have to find another line if the lines end even with space. I also have witnessed people still getting on the train while others are getting off so I am not sure how effective this strategy is. However, a feature of the Taiwanese trains that I thought was smart is the glass doors between the platform and the tracks. After hearing so many stories of people being pushed in front of trains or jumping in front of trains to commit suicide in New York, I think this division of glass is helpful; yet it also does limit the space available for people getting on and off the trains. Below is a picture of the glass wall/doors.
One other thing that surprised me about the Taiwanese subways was a sign that I saw inside the train that said if there is danger to try fight it yourself if it is a fire, person, etc. and contact a service person after if you need help. I found this interesting since in New York there are signs everywhere that just say, “If you see something, say something.” People are never really encouraged to intervene themselves but rather told to tell a police officer or employee in the subway. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the Taiwanese sign on the train but really thought this was an interesting difference. While the metro systems may not seem like an interesting topic of cultural differences, I think it is very important aspect for commuters and therefore of everyday life, which is why I was so interested in it.
All in all, I have seen and experienced so much in the short time that we have been here and am eager to blog about what other differences I notice next!
