PDF file - Community Services Center

Publication of the Community Services Center 

Centered 

on TAIPEI 

April 2010, Volume 10, Issue 7 

cover story 

The Temple of the Love God 

Foot Massage 

a syMphony oF place @ the red rooM 

not Just living happily ever aFter… 

calcutta indian Food 

as you like it-taipei players 

happy Birthday, earth day! 

Wine Bling on a Budget 

teens unplugged 2 

2010 ecct-icrt int’l charity golF cup

CONTENTs April 10 volume 10 issue 7 

8 

14 

10 

5 LETTEr FrOM THE EDITOr 

6 NATIONAL CONCErT HALL AND THEATEr 

AprIL 2010 

rICHArD rECOMMENDs 

7 CuLTurAL COrNEr 

Foot Massage 

8 ArOuND TAIpEI 

A Symphony of plAce @ The red room 

10 COMMuNITy EvENTs: TAs 

11 COMMuNITy EvENTs: TEs 

12 OuTLOOk 

noT JuST living hAppily ever AfTer… 

14 CAsuAL DININg 

cAlcuTTA indiAn food 

15 CHINEsE kITCHEN 

LIFEsTyLE 

prAcTice 

16 TrADITIONAL ArTs 

The Temple of The love god 

18 ENTErTAINMENT 

AS you like iT-TAipei plAyerS 

20 ENvIrONMENT 

hAppy BirThdAy, eArTh dAy! 

21 rEMINIsCINg 

22 TAIpEI uNCOrkED 

Wine Bling on A BudgeT 

23 gALLEry AprIL 

24 kINDEr 

ping’S AdvenTure in TAiWAn pArT iii 

25 TEENs uNpLuggED 2 

26 gENErATION y 

loSS of creATiviTy 

285 

28 spOrTs 

2010 eccT-icrT inT’l chAriTy golf cup 

29 CHArITy 

orphAnAge cluB 

congo BAll 

30 CENTEr COursEs AprIL 2010 

32 WOrsHIp DIrECTOry 

WOrD FrOM THE DIrECTOr 

16 

33 COMMuNITy grOups 

34 DIrk's TAIWAN 16 

18 

Cover Image: 

SuSIe Brand 

Apr 2010 

3

4 apr 2010

Letter From the eDitor 

publisher: 

managing editor: 

editor: 

Co-editor: 

Graphic Design: 

Writing and photography 

Contributors: 

Advertising manager: Paula Lee 

tel: 0926 956 844 

Fax: 2835 2530 

email: paulalee@community.com.tw 

Community Services 

Center editorial panel: Siew Kang, Fred Voigtmann 

printed by: 

Community Services Center, Taipei 

Steven Parker 

Roma Mehta 

Richard Saunders 

Katia Chen 

Leat Ahrony 

Diane Baker 

Susie Brand 

Nicole Chu 

Dirk Diestel 

Ivy Chen 

E. M. Chien 

H2 Students TES 

Amanda Gregan 

Farn Mei Printing Co., Ltd. 

1F, No. 102, Hou Kang Street, Shilin District, Taipei 

Tel: 02 2882 6748 Fax: 02 2882 6749 

E-mail: farn.mei@msa.hinet.net 

Community ServiCeS Center 

www.community.com.tw 

Director: Steven Parker 

office manager: Grace Ting 

Counselors: 

Suzan Babcock, Kris Carlson, Fawn Chang, Janice 

Englehart, Cerita Hsu, Perry Malcolm, Tina Oelke, Eva 

Salazar-Liu, Ming-I Sun, Cindy Teeters, Jay Wilson 

newcomer orientation program: Amy Liu 

Accountant: Monica Cheng 

taipei Living editor: Kath Liu 

program and events: : Robin Looney, Rosemary Susa 

Chinese teacher: Gloria Gwo 

volunteers: 

premier Sponsors: 

Alex Houghton 

Cerita Hsu 

Joseph King 

Prashantha Lachanna 

Amy Liu 

Kristen Lowman 

Juan Carlos Madrigal 

Perry Malcolm 

Emily McMurrin 

Alison Bai, Jennifer Coye, Neev Exley, Prerna Gurnani, 

Grace Hosken, Kath Liu, Bunny Pacheco, Gloria 

Peng, Jenni Rosen, Desta Selassie, Ana Stranscak, 

Sandy Tsai, Lillian Yiin 

3M Taiwan 

ANZCham 

B & Q International 

Bai Win Antiques 

BP Taiwan 

Breitling 

China American Petrochemical Co. Ltd. 

Concordia Consulting 

Costco 

Crown Worldwide Movers Ltd 

ECCT 

Four Star International Trading 

Grand Hyatt Hotel, Taipei 

HSBC 

ICRT 

Metacity Development Corp. 

Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. Ltd 

Nike Golf 

Nokia 

ProQC Studio International 

Siemens 

Standard Chartered Bank, Taipei 

William Mooney 

Mouse 

Mark L. Peterson 

Mauro Sacchi 


Hanscom Smith 

TAS Orphanage Club 

Keli Yen 

the Community Services Center (CSC) is a non-profit foundation. CSC provides outreach and 

early intervention through counseling, cross-cultural education and life skills programs to meet 

the needs of the international community in taipei. CSC offers the opportunity to learn, volunteer, 

teach and meet others. Check out our website www.community.com.tw and drop by the Center to 

chat with us about our programs. you can also email us at csc@community.com.tw. 

Roma Mehta 

Editor 


Co-editor 

Paula Lee 

Advertising Manager 

Katia Chen 

Designer 

"Keep your faith in all beautiful things; in the sun when it 

is hidden, in the Spring when it is gone." 

— Roy R. Gilson 

Wise words. April is that funny month when weather 

patterns are a perpetual surprise, and not always happy 

ones. In the spirit of Earth Day, we would like to remind 

our viewers to walk gently on this earth we call home. 

April offers a pick of some fabulous events that are going 

to be hard to choose from: 

For sports fans, the 2010 ECCT-ICRT Int’l Charity Golf 

Cup on April 17 is a not-to-be-missed event for family, 

friends and colleagues, so sign up early! Later that day, 

enjoy a wonderful evening of ‘back to the rat pack’, at the 

American Club Taipei. Both events support The Center and 

you are sure to find many familiar faces. 

As part of the global call to raise awareness around 

World Water Day, Aveda Taipei will be organising a ‘Walk 

for Water, Taipei’ on April 17, 2010, (contact mavisy@ 

canmeng.com.tw for more information) and that same 

evening, also sponsored by Aveda, for all lovers of word 

and sound, an evening of Stage Time and Wine VI @ the 

Red Room. 

Teens Unplugged 2 is back by popular demand on April 

18, at the TES campus on Wen Lin Road. An informal 

and informative gathering of graduating seniors and peer 

leaders who are recent alumni from international schools, it 

promises to be a fun day for all. 

If you love comedy theater, don’t miss the Taipei 

Players, Taipei’s only English Theater group. They will be 

performing An Evening of Shorts 3, April 10 and 11. 

The Center offers a great line-up of courses to choose 

from each month. Our Wednesday coffee mornings are 

open for newcomers and old-timers alike. Drop by and 

say hello over a cup of coffee or browse the Gallery. If you 

would like to contribute to the magazine, whether with 

your creative writing or photography, please 

write to me (coteditor@community.com.tw). 

We welcome your news and views. 

Centered on Taipei is a publication of the Community Services Center, 

25, Lane 290, ZhongShan N. Rd., Sec. 6, Tianmu, Taipei, Taiwan 

Tel: 2836 8134, fax: 2835 2530, e-mail: coteditor@community.com.tw 

Correspondence may be sent to the editor at coteditor@community.com.tw. Freelance 

writers, photographers and illustrators are welcome to contact the editor to discuss editorial 

and graphic assignments. Your talent will find a home with us! 

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced 

without the written consent of the copyright owner. 

Centered on Taipei is printed on 50% post consumer waste content stock. We have also 

replaced the glossy laminated cover with a softer aqueous based resin coating which makes 

it easier to recycle. By committing to post consumer paper stock we support the market for 

recycled fibers and reduce environmental impact. 

Recycling paper uses 60% less energy than manufacturing paper from virgin fiber. 

"Every ton of recycled paper saves enough electricity to power a 3 bedroom house for an entire 

year." (http://www.greenseal.org/index.cfm) 

Apr 2010 

5

RICHARD 

xReCommenDs 

RichaRd SaundeRS 

national concert hall & Theater 

aPrIL 2010 

Aside from mega star-power provided by violinist Anne- 

Sofie Mutter and by Yo Yo Ma (continuing his easygoing 

cross-over experiments with the Silk Road Ensemble), 

this month’s offerings at the National Concert Hall are 

dominated by a pair of programs devoted to the lighter and 

(very) dark sides of Soviet Russia’s greatest composer, as several 

of Shostakovich’s greatest works get an uncommon airing in 

Taiwan. April 18th is the day to hear the composer’s stunning 

Tenth Symphony, an hour-long journey into some very dark 

places. This masterpiece kicks off with a heartrending lament 

from dark-toned strings, before gradually transforming into a 

highly-strung, limping waltz, tension slowly mounting into the 

epic tragedy and terror of the first movement’s central section. 

After twenty-five emotionally charged minutes the first movement 

closes with a pair of chilly piccolos wandering, shell-shocked, 

through a sonic wasteland - and then the shattering violence 

of the second movement hits without warning. Sure, the Tenth 

is heavy stuff, but essential listening for any serious classical 

music fan (it’s perhaps the greatest of the composer’s fifteen 

symphonies, and one of the orchestral crown jewels of the last 

century). Even if the enormous catharsis offered by this trip into 

the terrifying reality of life in Soviet Russia under Stalin fails to 

appeal, the thrilling orchestral virtuosity demanded by the score is 

bound to thrill. 

The same concert also includes another (much lighter) 

Twentieth Century classic, Ravel’s exquisite Mother Goose Suite, 

originally written for a friend’s two daughters (aged just 6 and 

7; they must have been very talented young girls!). Ravel later 

orchestrated the five pieces, and then turned the suite into a 

fantastic ballet lasting twice as long as the original suite. Sad 

to say it’s only the orchestral suite that’s being performed in this 

concert, but for all its brevity, it’s a charmer. Rounding out the 

concert is a work by the NSO’s new resident composer, Susan 

Botti. She’s a new name to me, and I’ve never heard any of her 

music, but it sounds well worth getting to know. Says a reviewer 

in the New York Times: “…it is a rare pleasure these days to 

encounter a young composer grappling with real emotional and 

psychological issues in fresh and modern terms...". 

If Shostakovich Ten seems a little too heavy, try another, 

lighter concert of his music airing this month: a program being 

played on April 16th dedicated completely to the music of 

the master. Under the unusually succinct and rather clever 

title ‘Shostakovich’ (the question mark is well chosen), the 

program combines the First Violin Concerto (a deeply serious 

but extraordinarily beautiful masterpiece) with the composer’s 

ebullient Festival Overture (a breathless virtuoso showpiece) and 

the rather bizarre Jazz Suites One and Two. Strangest of all 

though is the infamous Tahiti Trot (better known to listeners of a 

certain age as ‘Tea for Two’). Shostakovich’s orchestration of this 

irritating little ditty (in 1927) owes its existence to a challenge from 

the great Soviet conductor Nikolai Malko, who bet Shostakovich 

a hundred roubles that he couldn’t re-orchestrate the piece 

(which he’d just heard for the first time in a recording) from 

memory in under an hour. Shostakovich of course accepted the 

bet and won – finishing the score in just 45 minutes. 

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL 

The Classical Clown 

Classics for kids 

april 2-3 

Family Concert 

More classics for younger kids, 

featuring choral songs from 

around the world 

april 3 

Anne-Sofie Mutter 

The world-famous German 

violinist performs works by 

Brahms and Dvorak 

april 9, 14 RR 

Shostakovich! 

Works exploring the lighter (and 

more serious) side of the great 

Soviet composer 

april 16 RR 

Pascal Roge Piano Recital 

The great French pianist is back, 

playing Faure, Poulenc and 

Chopin 

april 17 RR 

Symphony of Light 

Works by Ravel, Shostakovich 

and the TSO’s resident composer, 

Susan Botti 

april 18 rr 

Silk Road Ensemble and Yo Yo 

Ma 

april 22 

Sound of Formosa 

World premiers of works by local 

composers 

april 24 

H.C. Wille Piano Recital 

Music by Ravel, Chopin, Scarlatti 

and Beethoven 

april 30 

RICHARd RECOMMENdS: RR 

For full details, please log on to the Culture Express website at 

http://express.culture.gov.tw or take a copy of the monthly program 

from CKS Cultural Center, available from MrT stations, bookshops and 

ticketing offices. 

Publication of the National Theater and Concert Hall schedule in 

Centered on Taipei is sponsored by Cathay Life Insurance. 

TICKETING OFFICES: • NTCH: (02) 2343 1647 

• ERA: (02) 2709 3788 

6 

aPr 2010

Amy's 

ultural 

Corner 

台 

灣 

Foot Massage 

reflexology, relaxation and pampering 

"What are they doing" 

"Interesting! Does it really work" 

"Does it hurt Does it really make you relax And does it also cure ailments” 

It looks painful and indeed many foreigners shared 

that they find their first foot massage experience to 

be very uncomfortable, but that when it's over they 

actually feel great. 

Foot massage can be traced back thousands of years to 

ancient China, when Chinese people used foot massages to 

treat ailments and to stay healthy. Human feet are believed 

to be closely connected to the body's vital organs. Foot 

massage stimulates the acupressure points and reflex areas 

in the foot to increase blood circulation and metabolism and 

boost the immune system. It can also improve health. 

Some thirty years ago, if you mentioned massage, others 

would think you either meant to visit a 'barbershop' 

or wanted to have a treatment given by a visually 

impaired massage therapist. 'Barbershop' massages are 

stereotypically associated with sexual services. These 

shops (not actually barbershops at all, appearing to look 

like a barbershop only from the outside) are recognizable 

by their bright neon lights outside and darkened windows. 

On the other hand, legitimate blind massage services were 

commonly provided in hotel rooms or private homes. Blind 

therapists either work independently on call, or in their own 

shabby, rather dirty-looking premises. I remember seeing 

blind therapists hopping on the back of a motorcycle to visit 

a customer, and seeing them treat my father at home. Blind 

people are known to have a more sensitive sense of touch 

and can detect a client's problem areas more efficiently than 

most sighted people. 

For different reasons the circumstances surrounding both 

types of massage meant most people (particularly women) 

avoided them; hence in the past most massage services were 

used by middle-aged or older men. 

Today massage centers are often designed with a Zen 

interior, wooden furniture, plasma TV, the calming sound 

of flowing water, soothing scents of essential oils, green 

plants and bright natural lighting from big windows. They 

are now certainly attracting new customers, particularly 

the groups of young women who in the past would not 

even imagine passing close to a massage parlor. Massage in 

Taiwan thus has successfully transformed into an industry 

where presently people associate it with therapeutic 

treatment and relaxation. 

In Taiwan foot massage was 'rediscovered' a few decades 

ago by a priest from Switzerland, Father Josef Eugster, 

known in Taiwan as 'Father Wu' ( 吳神父 ). Foot massage 

was simply a self-help therapy some 23 years ago for 

Father Wu. He then began promoting the practice and 

systematically developed the massage method known as foot 

reflexology, which is believed to promote blood flow and 

good health. 

Now countless foot massage parlors bear the name of 

'Father Wu', yet he recently clarified to the public that he 

has never authorized anyone to use his name as a trademark. 

So what does a foot massage session involve Most foot 

massage treatments in Taiwan start with a hot footbath in 

Chinese herbal water (the design of these hot water tubs 

is often unique and interesting). Generally you also get a 

five-minute shoulder and neck rub before beginning the 

foot massage session. Massage therapists use their hands, 

and sometimes a short wooden massage stick and some 

cream to rub, press and push mainly on customers' feet, 

while some may work on the calves and up to the knees. 

While in session, foot therapists often chat and share that 

a healthy person will not feel pain, while a painful spot 

reflects a disorder in the associated organ, and that the sore 

spots disappear when the ailment is healed. I always seem 

to feel that not one organ in my body is healthy at the end 

of the session. Nonetheless I do feel relaxed and energized 

afterwards. The session is completed with a thorough 

cleanse of hot towels to remove traces of cream on the foot 

and legs, leaving your feet very warm and relaxed. 

In Taiwan, foot massage has been well received and is a 

leisure activity appreciated by the locals, while also becoming 

popular among international tourists and expatriates living 

in Taiwan. The largest concentration of foot massage 

businesses can be found by walking along Taipei's Minquan 

East Road or Linsen North Road, around tourist spots such 

as Danshui, or at night-markets. Night-markets offer the 

cheapest rate at about NT$400 for a half-hour massage. 

Currently, the price for a foot massage elsewhere is between 

NT$500 and NT$700 for thirty minutes. However, since 

there is no regulation, the service can vary. 

Most foot massage shops in Taiwan are cozy, clean and 

peaceful. Unbelievably some of them are open 24 hours 

a day and offer various services including (apart from the 

standard foot massage) shoulder, neck, head, or wholebody 

massage. For someone who is new to the experience, 

Taiwanese-style foot massage can be quite forceful and may 

be painful. Don't be shy to ask your masseur to relax and 

massage more gently. I assure you that you will get used to 

this form of relaxing reflexology and want to go back for 

more. It surely is good for your health! 

Apr 10 

7

around taipei 

A Symphony of Plac 

text: diane baker 

images: Joseph king and alex houghton 

The color red can be polarizing. In 

traditional Chinese culture it is the 

color of happiness, of celebration: 

‘lucky’ red envelopes, red wedding 

outfits, the red of firecrackers. It is also 

the color of politics – everything from Mao 

Zedong’s ‘Little Red Book’ and ‘the East is 

Red’ motto to the red-shirt clad protesters 

marching against former president Chen Shuibian 

here in Taipei. 

The Red Room, however, is a space that 

conveys warmth, comfort and excitement; at 

least that’s what Ayesha Mehta hopes. 

Taipei-raised Ayesha is the impetus behind 

Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room, 

a series of informal evenings begun last 

November to allow people to share something 

that inspires them, from words to music to 

elaborate gestures of expressive intent; and 

most importantly, a space in which to practice 

deep listening. In a telephone interview, 

Ayesha explained that she had been looking 

for something to do, someplace 

to go, after moving back to 

Taipei in April 2009 following 

six years in Sydney, Australia. 

Ayesha was inspired by The 

Listening Book: Discovering Your Own Music by W.A. 

Mathieu, a poetry night she had experienced in Australia 

at “Bardflys,” (spoken-word evenings at pubs, organized 

by Tug Dumbly, a performance poet) and the living room 

of 154 Devonshire Street, one of her homes in Sydney. 

Anybody (and nearly everybody did!) found their way to 

154 with open hearts and open minds, listened to each other, 

shared, performed, created, read aloud. 

Finding these kinds of events, these kinds of spaces was a 

struggle in any city in the world, let alone Taipei, she said. 

In keeping with what must be the Mehta family motto – 

“if you can’t find it, create it” – Ayesha decided that if she 

wanted to share aloud in Taipei, she was going to have to 

organize the space for it. Finding the right space for such an 

“We encourage reading poems in 

whatever language you choose.” 

event was crucial, and for six months appeared difficult. 

Then she met Ping Chu, the entrepreneur behind the Aveda 

franchise in Taiwan and Taipei’s Nonzero Restaurant (he was 

profiled in the May 2009 edition of Centered on Taipei), 

when they were both volunteering in Taitung in the wake of 

Typhoon Morokot last August. They became fast friends 

and eventually Ayesha told Ping about her Red Room dream. 

He became an enthusiastic supporter and cheerleader, 

having attended some poetry reading nights years ago in 

Minneapolis, Minnesota and one in Hong Kong. 

In an email interview, Ping Chu described the instant 

connection he felt with Ayesha. 

“I just felt that this special soul is my alter ego. Of course, I 

have always wanted to do a poetry reading party even though I 

am not a poet or good with words,” he wrote. 

As fate would have it, Ping, through his company 

Canmeng Aveda, could offer just the kind of space Ayesha 

was looking for. 

Very quickly, the first Stage Time and Wine @ The Red 

Room was put together. Ayesha pulled together friends as 

volunteers, including help from mother Roma (editor of 

Centered on Taipei and co-owner of Sir Speedy, Tianmu) 

and brother Manav, sent out 

invitations by email and began 

designing the space with help 

from staff at Canmeng Aveda 

and Non-Zero restaurant. 

People who wanted to read or sing were told to bring 

something they had written or something they liked and 

wanted to share. A sign-up sheet and guestbook were set 

out at the door and everyone would have the chance to read 

at least once during the four-hour event. Musicians were 

encouraged to bring their instruments to perform and share 

at any point during the night. 

Ayesha said that Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room 

is open to whatever people want to do, but the key was that 

people have to come willing to listen - really listen. 

“There’s a W. A. Mathieu quote from The Listening 

Book – my Bible of the moment – in which he explains this 

concept of deep listening as a key to engaging in creation, 

acknowledging hearing beyond the surface level,” she said. 

8 

apr 2010

e @ The Red Room 

Stage Time & Wine @ The red room 

takes place on the 3rd Saturday of each month. 

For more information on Stage Time and Wine @ The red room 

events, contact red.room.taipei@gmail.com 

Asked where the Red Room name came from, Mehta 

laughed and said it was a long story. 

"It's just a name for the space," she said, giving Manav credit 

for coming up with “Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room.” 

November’s Stage Time and Wine @ The Red Room, which 

drew about seventy people, was indeed a launch for the event, 

Ayesha said, mostly because no one really knew what to expect. 

But the succeeding evenings have had that living room 

ambience, of friends sitting together and sharing openly, 

without fear of judgement or imposed expectations of 

performance. New friendships are being formed and 

people are connecting through a space that affords them an 

opportunity to push themselves beyond 

their comfort zones. 

“ We ’ r e n o t p u t t i n g a c a p o r 

expectation on the evening... just aiming for listening, sharing 

and trying to keep the space open,” she said, adding that they 

were trying to avoid a specific ‘vibe.’ 

Both Ayesha and Ping say they want the evenings to be 

accessible to everyone, whatever language[s] they speak. 

“We encourage reading poems in whatever language you 

choose. After all, it is for lovers of word and sound, not 

limited to nationality. It is a multi-language event. We had 

English, Chinese, Taiwanese, French, Italian poems read so 

far,” Ping wrote. 

He also wants to get more young Taiwanese to attend, 

both to expose them to other cultures and to inspire them to 

improve their English. 

“My goal is to have at least thirty-percent of people 

attending this event to be locals. I started to invite my young 

friends to the event now. It’s a window for local youth to 

peek into a multinational community,” Ping wrote. 

The idea was to keep the evenings low-budget – at NT$200, 

admission is less than one might spend for a couple of hours at 

a coffee shop or a drink or two at a bar. Asking participants 

to contribute a bottle of wine or other beverages to the open 

bar (and bring their own cup or glass) as well as a vegetable 

or something for the communal stewpot, ensures the limited 

budget would stretch no matter how many people show up. 

As an entrepreneur, Ping feels that it is crucial for The Red 

Room be self-sustaining. 

“You create the night...” 

“I am a businessmaker first. This is why I insist on a door 

fee for The Red Room. Sustainability requires an ecosystem. 

We are all in this ecosystem. I think The Red Room will 

evolve on her own term[s] over time. At this moment, it is 

a private underground party to celebrate intimacy and deep 

listening. I would like it to become a Mecca for all creative 

people to mingle and network. It is one of the reasons 

to create The Red Room. We can become each other’s 

Daymaker and Ripplemaker,” he wrote. 

Ayesha and Ping say they look forward to seeing The Red 

Room evolve organically. 

“Ayesha, Roma and Manav all agree that we should 

continue it as a grass[roots] movement 

that promotes intimacy and sharing. 

This is why we set up a committee for 

this event … It is our party, not Ayesha’s or mine. It is created 

by all lovers of sound and word. We are just a medium or a 

vehicle to serve,” Ping wrote, listing about a dozen volunteers 

whose help has been crucial in getting events going. 

Ping said he felt blessed to have been involved with The 

Red Room, because it reflects both his personal and Canmeg 

Aveda’s corporate belief that people need to get involved in 

their societies to make the world a better place. 

“I want to thank Ayesha to allow me to join her to 

co-found this dream,” he wrote. “I am honored to launch 

this movement that celebrates amateurism. To me, the future 

belongs to amateurism. All significant inventions are from 

the peripheral. The modern and active amateurs are the new 

phenomena in the 21st century. I think The Red Room is on 

the right track.” 

“You create the night ... what you need and what you 

want,” Ayesha said, adding, “Everyone who joins the night 

puts in, whether it be simply listening or watching others or 

sharing, exactly what they wish the night to be, filling an 

individual and communal purpose. 

We are all joining to write our own Symphony of Place, 

a piece of our own, a quiet observance of sounds, intention 

and existence together.” 

Diane Baker is a journalist and a long-time resident of 

Taipei. 

Apr 2010 

9

Community 

TAS Annual Flea Market 

text: Kristen Lowman 

images: taipei american schooL 

On Friday, February 5th, 

Taipei American School 

grade 4 held its annual 

F l e a M a r k e t . F o r 2 1 

years, the TAS fourth grade has raised 

money for less fortunate children 

and adults through their community 

service project. This year, the grade 

four students raised the most money 

in the history of the Flea Market: 

NT$110,000. Donations are crucial 

to the success of this project every 

year; TAS community members gave 

toys, games, puzzles, books, and 

household items to the students to sell. 

A lot of work goes into preparing for 

the event. TAS teacher Suzanne Fox 

commented, “The fourth grade students 

made and hung promotional signs, 

organized donations as they came into 

the classroom, sorted and priced goods 

to sell, helped the younger students 

shop, and worked as 

salespeople on the big 

day.” 

This year the grade 

4 classes gave all of the 

money raised to St. Anne’s Home, 

which cares for mentally handicapped 

children and adults. This organization 

will use the money to supply resources 

and services to the residents. In 

addition, everyone will receive a red 

envelope of pocket money at Chinese 

New Year. After visiting St. Anne’s 

Home to make their donation and meet 

the children there, the TAS 4th graders 

left with an understanding of why it is 

so important to donate money to those 

who need extra support. Reflecting 

on the students’ generosity, TAS Lower 

School Principal Dr Catriona Moran 

said, “When our students work to help 

others, they understand what it really 

m e a n s t o s h o w 

respect and kindness. The children 

in our school are very fortunate and 

we want to help them develop a strong 

sense of caring and service towards 

others.” 

Kristen Lowman works at 

Taipei American School as the 

Communications/Marketing Officer. 

She attended international schools as 

a child before graduating from Duke 

University and moving abroad again. 

She recently moved to Taipei from 

Shanghai with her husband, Andrew, 

and two children, Chloe and Kingston. 

10 

apr 2010

Compassion for People Living with HIV and AIDS 

Taipei European School Service Project 2010 

TexT: H2 STudenTS From TeS ImageS: TaIPeI euroPean SCHooL 

All students at Taipei European School have to 

make a contribution to a project which serves the 

community in some way, and this year 16-year-old 

students helped Harmony Home, an organization 

striving to support people with HIV/AIDS and also those 

who are affected by it. The idea of Harmony Home was 

first developed 23 years ago when Nicole Yang, its founder, 

began taking care of a good friend infected with HIV. After 

witnessing her friend being rejected by other friends and 

even his own family, she decided to open up her home to 

People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA for short) and 

provide them with a secure shelter. Nicole established 

Harmony Home with compassion as its main foundation, 

but she encouraged PLHA to assist, support and respect one 

another with the hope of reintegration into society. 

WArm ATmoSphere 

We were first introduced to the Harmony Home service 

project when Hana, a few other nannies and some of the 

children came to our school and gave a presentation about 

their organization, and that very week we began working 

on the project. Our aims were to help Harmony Home by 

raising money through several events, to raise awareness 

about this pressing issue and hopefully to change any 

lingering perceptions on HIV/AIDS in our community. All 

the students were assigned to one of five committees – 

media, action, fundraising, awareness and treasury. Being 

in the media committee, my group was the first to go 

down to Harmony Home and play with the children and 

nannies. The faces of the children lit up as we entered their 

playroom and we felt the warmth in the atmosphere. Many 

of the students felt this way after their visit. Before going 

to Harmony Home, the idea of HIV/AIDS only evoked 

sympathy, but after this first-hand experience I was able to 

understand their situation through empathy. 

mufTi dAy 

Apart from visiting Harmony Home, each committee 

continued work on their assigned tasks throughout the 

two months of the project. The fundraising and action 

committees kicked off this project by organizing a ‘Mufti 

Day’ in which younger students from Key Stage 3 didn’t 

have to wear school uniform. The members of these 

committees worked together to design an envelope, which 

not only displayed special moments in the children’s lives at 

Harmony Home, but was also utilized to collect donations 

from students. We wanted these envelopes to be like red 

envelopes for Harmony Home as Chinese New Year was 

near. Pasting each printed design onto these envelopes 

was not an easy task; seven to eight pairs of hands worked 

continuously through lunch times and after school, but it 

all paid off. After the envelopes were collected, the treasury 

committee sat down and counted the money. When they 

were done, bright smiles replaced concentrated and serious 

expressions. We had raised over NT$85,000. This was the 

first event held in the duration of our project and it gave us 

the encouragement to try even harder later on. 

feeling of AchievemenT 

Alongside the donations from Mufti Day, we also 

raised money by selling clothes (donated by students and 

parents) at Tianmu Square. At three o’clock on the 23rd of 

February, large crowds of people flooded into the market 

and within a few minutes people were digging through the 

piles of clothes. As the money increased and the height of 

the piles lessened, the feeling of achievement occupied our 

minds. Though the price of the second-hand clothing was 

not high, by eight o’clock the biscuit jar which held the 

money was filled. To get the best results, we even walked 

around the flea market with a decorated donation box, 

informing each person about our project and asking for a 

donation. Although most people only dropped in a few 

coins, by the end of the day it added up to quite a lot. 

The ShoeBox AppeAl 

The purpose of our project was not only to raise money, 

but to get items Harmony Home needed, such as warm 

clothing, milk formula and diapers. To achieve this, our 

year group came up with the Shoebox Appeal. For this 

event, we asked students to fill an empty shoebox with items 

on the Harmony Home wish list or with other things for the 

children, for example toys and stickers. Those boxes filled 

with toys would be given to the children and they got to 

keep the items inside. These small gifts may not be worth 

much to us, but to these children the toys were a sign of care 

and would be something they could keep for themselves, 

unlike everything else, which they have to share with dozens 

of others. 

I’m sure each person in our year group has a different 

memory from this project and learned a lot about tolerance, 

acceptance and of course, HIV/AIDS and its effects. Because 

we are the fortunate ones in our society, this project 

provided an opportunity for us to walk in another person’s 

shoes and experience a tougher life than the ones we have 

now. Our link with Harmony Home will not be broken 

after the project; we are going to continue supporting them 

by sending students to visit Harmony Home shelters, raising 

money and raising awareness in the community. Ultimately, 

we wish to make a difference to the lives of people around 

us and help those who, because of the circumstances in 

which they find themselves, are unable to help themselves 

without help from others. 

Apr 2010 

11

outlook 

Not just living 

happily ever after… 

TexT: CerITa HSu 

Many couples enter marriage with the fairytale 

dream of living ‘happily ever after.’ However, 

it does not take long for the newlyweds 

to realize that marriage is not as simple as 

reciting heartfelt vows. This all too common occurrence 

begs the question: What happened Isn’t love enough to 

sustain a happy marriage As these couples quickly learn, 

the existence of love does not preclude the existence of 

negative emotions in a relationship. While most couples 

shy away from admitting the occasional disagreeable 

feeling, experiencing a wide range of emotions is 

normal in human beings. Denying or repressing 

negative emotions can actually be more detrimental to 

relationships. For example, studies show that people 

who do not recognize and learn how to express anger in 

socially acceptable ways usually destroy themselves and 

others, whether physically or psychologically. Anger, 

resentment, and even hatred, are normal feelings in 

human relations. Sooner or later there will be times that 

the couple will feel these negative emotions toward each 

other. In order to have a successful relationship, both 

parties have to learn to recognize and deal with these 

feelings in a constructive manner. 

One of the more common negative emotions in any 

relationship is anger. In a healthy relationship where 

there is mutual love and understanding, anger is entitled 

to some expression along with love. After anger has been 

given verbal expression, the couple can sit down together 

and try to figure out a way of solving the problems that 

precipitated these feelings. Throughout this process, 

the partners must remember that they have the right to 

disagree with each other. 

Since fighting in any relationship is inevitable, it is 

important to know how to have a ‘good fight’ and how 

to turn conflict into productive communication. Here are 

some helpful tips: 

SofTen your STArTup 

To some degree, this comes down to having good 

manners. It means treating your partner with the same 

respect you give to others. A harsh startup usually 

makes people feel defensive immediately, as if they need 

to pick up their swords and armor to fight; this can lead 

to constant bickering and conflict. Sometimes people 

may have the opposite reaction — withdrawal and 

stonewalling. When one partner chooses to disengage 

all of the time to avoid fighting, this will gradually 

increase emotional distance and loneliness, which lets the 

relationship wither. 

A soft startup is complaint without blame. It is 

possible to express your anger or disagreement without 

attacking or criticizing your partner. Try expressing your 

feelings instead of accusing or blaming your partner. For 

example, instead of “You always waste money,” say, “I 

want us to be more careful with money.” Instead of “You 

just don’t care about me,” say, “I feel neglected.” 

Describe what is happening, do not judge. Instead 

of “You never help out around the house,” say, “I seem 

to be the only one doing the chores today.” This will 

prevent your partner from feeling he or she is being 

accused. Be clear about your complaint. Do not expect 

your partner to be a mind reader. “I would appreciate 

if you could help me cleaning up the table” works better 

than “You left the dining room a total mess!” 

keeping cAlm 

If your heart rate exceeds 100 beats per minute, you 

will not be able to hear what your partner is trying to tell 

you no matter how hard both of you try. It is virtually 

impossible to have any productive communication when 

you are at an emotional peak. The only reasonable 

strategy is to let your partner know that you need to 

take a break. Make an agreement that both of you 

will step back for a moment when the conversation 

starts to get heated. Calm down for at least twenty 

minutes. It is crucial that during this time you avoid 

thoughts of righteous indignation (“I don’t have to take 

this anymore”) and innocent victimhood ( “Why is she 

always picking on me”) Instead, spend your time doing 

something soothing and distracting such as listening to 

music or exercising. This technique may be difficult at 

the beginning, but after both of you calm down, you will 

notice a difference in the way you approach the issue, and 

the communication is more likely to be productive. 

r here 

The CenTer's 

Counselors are 

for you 

Do you have issues with relationships, communication, living in Taiwan, 

alcohol or drugs, depression, problems with children, or cultural clashes... 

our professional counselors are ready to help with any issues that you may have while living in Taipei. For 

more information regarding our counseling services, call The Center at (02) 2836-8134 or 

(02) 2838-4947. or email: csc@community.com.tw 

12 Apr 2010

Compromise 

Whether you like it or not, the only solution to 

marital arguments is to find a compromise. In a 

relationship, it just does not work for you to have 

everything your way, even if you are convinced that you 

are right. For a compromise to work, you must keep an 

open mind with regard to your partner’s opinions and 

desires. You do not have to agree with everything your 

partner says or believes, but you have to be willing to 

listen to his or her position. Remember to search for 

the part of your partner’s perspective that, by objective 

standards, is reasonable. 

Be tolerant of eaCh other’s faults 

Too often, a marriage gets bogged down in ‘if onlies.’ 

If only your partner were taller, richer, smarter, neater, 

or sexier, all of your problems would vanish. As long 

as this attitude prevails, conflicts will be very difficult 

to resolve. Until you accept your partner’s flaws, you 

will not be able to compromise successfully. Conflict 

resolution is not about one person changing; it is about 

negotiating and finding common ground and ways that 

you can accommodate each other. 

Last but not least, it is important to understand 

one truth — some marital arguments just cannot be 

resolved. Couples spend year after year trying to 

change each other’s mind, but it cannot be done. This 

is because most of their disagreements are rooted in 

fundamental differences of lifestyle, personality, or 

values. This does not mean that there is nothing you 

can do about it. It means that you need to understand 

the root cause of the conflict between you, and to 

learn how to live with it by honoring and respecting 

each other. Only then will you be able to build shared 

meaning and a sense of purpose into your relationship. 

Hyman Spotnitz (1977) used the analogy of dancers 

to describe a marriage. “Producing a happy marriage is 

like shaping up a good dance team. Even the very best 

solo dancer has to learn to coordinate his movements 

with his partner, to keep in step, and to master all 

the other complexities of dancing in unison. This 

requires long and regular practice, and dancers who 

do not enjoy working with a partner are unwilling to 

subject themselves to the grueling preparation that is 

entailed. But there is no other way to develop a good 

dance team, and there is no other way to integrate two 

separate identities — two different bodies and psyches 

— in a marital relationship.” 

Further Reading 

Gottman, J., M. (1999). The Seven Principles 

for Making Marriage Work. Three Rivers Press. 

Spotnitz, H. (1977). Problems of the Marriage 

Partnership, Modern Psychoanalysis, 2, 4-14. 

Cerita Hsu is a Taiwan Licensed Counseling 

Psychologist. She received two master’s degrees in 

Psychology and was trained in Marriage and Family 

Therapy. She mainly works with adults, couples, and 

families at The Center. 

apr 2010 

13

Casual dining 

Calcutta 

Indian Food 

By Hanscom Smith 

ImageS: emILY mCmurrIn 

CALCUTTA INDIAN FOOD 126 Kunming Street, Ximending. ( 西門町昆明街 126 號 ) Tel: 2389-3878. 

Ximen’s weather-beaten warren of bars, 

shops, and cinemas doesn’t usually figure 

on lists of top Taipei dining destinations. 

The city’s faded former downtown does, 

however, harbor its share of worthwhile restaurants. 

Among the most unexpected is Calcutta Indian 

Food, one of Taipei’s relatively few outposts of subcontinental 

cuisine. 

Opened three years ago by ethnic Chinese 

from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), the restaurant 

specializes in northern Indian food. As a result, the 

menu includes northern staples such as samosas 

(in vegetarian and lamb varieties), as well as palak 

paneer, a hearty puree of spinach with cottage 

cheese. Decadent onion bhaji, or fried onion rings, 

and a lentil-based daal soup are among the other 

small dishes on offer. Many foreigners don’t always 

associate Indian cuisine with salads, but the soothing 

yogurt-based raita salad and the tomato-and- onion 

laccha, a piquant Delhi specialty, are both worthwhile. 

Calcutta offers a cornucopia of well-prepared 

curries and sauces, including a creamy murgi malai, 

lively garlic and onion masala, and the Portugueseinfluenced 

Goan specialty of vindaloo, which melds 

wine, garlic, and herbs. The succulent charcoalgrilled 

tandoori chicken is a standout on the menu, 

along with the delicately-spiced beef korma and the 

flavorful chicken bharta, whose sauce combines 

roasted eggplant, onion, and tomato. Lamb dishes 

include pasanda, a Moghul recipe that combines 

yogurt, chili, and herbs, and rogan josh, a curry of 

garlic, ginger, coriander, tomato and onion. Seafood 

makes an appearance in the form of fish masala and 

a curry that combines shrimp, fish, calamari, and 

crab. Since Calcutta emphasizes northern Indian 

cuisine, sampling the coconut-infused Madras as and 

other southern curries shouldn’t be a priority here. 

Although I was disappointed not to find cheese 

naan among the bread offerings, creditable versions 

of the tandoori, garlic, butter, and plain varieties 

are all on offer, in addition to chapatti and paratha 

breads. Since eastern India is well-known for its 

sweets, it’s a bit surprising not to find any desserts 

at a restaurant named after the East’s biggest city. 

Delicious mango, strawberry, and rose lassis are 

available, however, to help sate the sweet tooth. 

In addition to consistently appealing cuisine, 

Calcutta Indian Food can also boast remarkable rkable 

value for money. Almost everything on the menu 

is under NT $300, and set menus with soup, bread, 

and drinks are also available. A small group can 

dine very well indeed for around NT$ 5-600 a head. 

Calcutta has only a handful of tables in its cozy little 

dining room, which is accented by deep-red walls 

and enlivened by a TV screening the latest Bollywood 

blockbusters. Service is professional, efficient and 

very friendly. The restaurant is open daily for 

lunch and dinner, and is closed between 2 and 5 

in the afternoon. Reservations are recommended, 

especially for groups. The menu is available in 

Chinese and English. Credit cards are not accepted. 

Hanscom Smith has lived in Taipei since 2006. In 

addition to his native United States, he has lived (and 

eaten) in France, the United Kingdom, Cameroon, 

Denmark, Cambodia, Thailand, and Afghanistan. 

14 Apr 2010

Practice 

TexT & Image: mauro SaCCHI 

lifestyle 

TexT & ImageS: IvY CHen 

DRIED SHRIMP 

蝦米 [xiami] 

D r i e d s h r i m p 

(shelled and sund 

r i e d) i s o n e o f 

the key flavoring 

i n g r e d i e n t s i n 

Chinese Cooking. 

Choose dried shrimp which have a natural-looking 

orange color and are completely dry. Don’t buy any 

that are dull in color, or are slimy to the touch. Dried 

shrimp should be stored in the refrigerator after buying, 

and is cooked with various vegetables, stir-fried with 

rice noodles, and used in the famous XO sauce. There 

are three types of dried shrimp found in the market. 

Shelled orange shrimp is the regular type, used for all 

kinds of cooking. Small pink shrimp ( 蝦皮 xiapi, still 

in the shell) is a special type from Penghu ( 澎湖 ), and 

is often used in ‘chive box’ ( 韭菜盒子 jiucai hezi) and 

Penghu-style cooking. Another red orange kind, with 

a slightly larger shell, called sergestid shrimp ( 櫻花蝦 

yinghua xia) comes from Donggang ( 東港 , south of 

Kaohsiung). This is a precious and protected shrimp, 

which may be caught only between November and May. 

DRIED SMALL 

FISH 小魚乾 

[xiao yugan] 

Dried small fish 

is a group of smallsized 

fish and baby 

fish, such as anchovy 

or sardine. They 

are very nutritious 

and rich in calcium. Choose hard and very dry fish 

rather than soft (moist) ones. The fish heads should be 

attached to the bodies rather than falling apart. Dried 

small fish should be stored in the refrigerator after 

purchasing. Chinese use dried small fish to make fish 

stock or cook them as a starter or tapas. 

FRIED PEANUTS 

WITH DRIED 

SMALL FISH 

花生小魚乾 

Ingredients: 150g 

dried small fish, 

1C fried or toasted 

peanuts, and one 

each of sliced green 

and red chili 

Seasoning: 1T soy sauce, 1T sugar, 1t rice wine 

Directions: 

1. Heat 3C oil, fry dried small fish for 1 minute or until 

they turn golden; drain well. 

2. Heat 1T oil, stir-fry chili until fragrance is released. Add 

fried fish and seasoning; toss with fried peanuts. 

I 

fell in love with Taipei five years ago, when I spent time in residency 

at the Taipei Artist Village, and decided to move here to see if I 

could connect my art and my heart into a cohesive whole. Looking 

for challenges, I found plenty - sometimes too many. I’ve lived 

many lives here: currently, I’m a theater/dance practitioner, a fulltime 

graduate student at the Taipei National University of the Arts, a 

copywriter, a teacher of physical theater and contact improvisation. 

I love Taiwan with a passion, but it can get messy: Taipei has its way 

of feeling at once small-townish and huge, friendly and overwhelming, 

comfortable and insanely intense. It has everything - an affordable mix of 

East and West that is both haphazard and fascinating - so how to choose 

How do you make a life as an expat here, while doing something 

meaningful for yourself and others How do you keep a balance, albeit 

a constantly shifting, surprising one How do you overcome your 

struggles, and truly learn 

Which community do you tap into for support 

Aside from the big funky family of Taipei artists, I’ve been blessed 

to find correspondence and helpful practices within a supportive 

community of people who, like me, are interested in meditation, 

Qigong, Taoism, Buddhism, Taichi, and delicious tea. We’ve made a 

‘home’ for ourselves here in Asia at the Tsalpa Kagyu Center, located 

near DaAn MRT station, under the guidance of the Venerable Kenchen 

Rinpoche, who is versed in Tibetan and Zen Buddhism, Taoism, 

internal and external martial arts and, well, the art of life. It is a 

comfortable, welcoming, powerful place: a place to focus and breathe, 

to study and share, to unwind from our daily chores and discover the 

space within and without. 

We come from all walks of life (and all continents, except Antarctica!); 

we meet to learn about our mind and about compassion, to understand, 

in practice, that meditation is not just sitting with your legs crossed and 

your eyes closed: it is in every moment of every day, anywhere, and it 

begins and ends with a calm awareness of one’s mind and thoughts. 

As it happens, ‘practice’ is not just for athletes, or musicians, or artists. 

It is for one’s life: for a better, happier, truly more artful life. 

Despite the hectic pace of my life as a non-famous artist, I’ve been able 

to incorporate bodily and mental practices I’ve learned at the Center into 

my daily routine: more and more every day, I experience how these very 

practices are what help me stay grounded, more healthy, more in touch 

with myself, more open to others. Try this, now: sit where you are, relax 

your neck and shoulders, smile, and breathe deeply, softly and consciously 

into your belly a few times. Then do the same every morning upon 

waking, with awareness. You’ll soon notice the subtle difference it makes. 

And if you feel like practicing and experiencing more, if you’d like 

to come visit, and become part of our community, get in touch with us: 

there’s surely something interesting for you to learn here at the Tsalpa 

Kagyu Center. 

You can find us online at http://tsalpakagyucenter.blogspot.com, or 

email us at tsalpakagyucenter@gmail.com. 

The Tsalpa Kagyu Center will be organizing weekend-long 

meditation retreats in the greater Taipei area in the next months. 

Contact us directly for more information. 

Mauro studies dance and theater, writes, performs and teaches 

workshops in movement, physical theater and contact improvisation. 

Mauro loves beets, bumblebees, cooking, rhythm and laughter. 

He is very thankful to his many teachers. You can reach him at 

maurocsacchi@gmail.com. 

Apr 2010 

15

traditional arts 

The Temple of the 

Love God 

TexT: WILLIam mooneY ImageS: SuSIe Brand 

Saturday night on Dihua 

Street - not a place you’d 

figure on finding Taipei’s 

youth. But the savvy ones 

flock here in search of their favorite 

deity, but not to help them pass a test 

or even make them wealthy. Instead 

they come in search of answers for 

their hopeful hearts. They come to 

see the Matchmaker. 

“Yue Lao” (the old man in the 

moonlight of Chinese mythology) 

the ‘Matchmaker’ deity, is the big 

draw at the Xiahai City God Temple, 

nestled at the south end of one of 

Taipei’s most historic streets, in 

the block between Minsheng and 

Nanjing West Roads. 

Tracy Chen, the round-faced, 

robust temple ‘doorkeeper’ (manager), 

whose family’s connection with the 

temple dates back six generations, 

explains the temple this way: “Pray to 

the City God if you want money very 

soon. Pray to the Matchmaker if you 

want [to meet your perfect match] 

very soon.” No one personifies the 

temple’s energy more than Chen, 

who punctuates her points with 

spontaneous bursts of laughter, 

surprising even herself with her ability 

to use just enough English to explain 

key temple rituals and history. 

A cruciAl role 

Relatively small, the temple 

nevertheless plays a crucial role in 

the surrounding Dadaocheng district, 

Taipei city’s oldest area. When a new 

police chief is appointed, he comes 

to the City God Temple to pray 

for protection. Local politicians, 

likewise, are frequent visitors. When 

current president Ma Ying-jeou was 

mayor of Taipei his wife visited the 

temple every winter on her husband’s 

behalf. The temple enjoys a close 

relationship with Taipei City Hall 

and is a major sponsor of community 

events, movies, traditional operas, 

and the popular Dihua Street Chinese 

New Year Shopping Carnival. 

S e e a y o u n g p e r s o n a t t h e 

temple though, and he or she is 

likely there for the Matchmaker. 

Single and hopeful, they come in 

droves. Dr. Robin Ruizendaal, 

co-founder and creative director of 

the nearby TTT Puppet Centre, says 

he visits the temple occasionally 

just to revel in the atmosphere. 

Among his observations is that 

more females than males come to 

see the Matchmaker. “Women 

[after all] always work harder in 

relationships,” he says. 

16 

Apr 2010

geTTing There: 

xiahai city god Temple 61, Dihua street, section 1 

Take the MrT red line to shuanglian station and leave by exit 1. Turn left, and after a 

20-minute walk along Minsheng West road, turn left again into Dihua street. you’ll soon 

see the temple on your left. 

Like any landmark worth its 

salt, the City God Temple boasts 

a colorful and sometimes violent 

history. In 1821 early Fujian settlers 

established the original Xiahai City 

God Temple in what is now Taipei’s 

Wanhua district. Clashes among 

the Han Chinese soon followed and 

in 1853 fleeing settlers moved the 

temple north to Dadaocheng, where 

construction was completed at its 

current site in 1859. Thirty-eight 

volunteers lost their lives during the 

transport and the temple still honors 

their memory today with offerings. 

hope And humor 

Nowadays, a sense of hope prevails 

at the temple. Humor, too. Besides 

offering thanks to the Matchmaker, 

worried wives can venture inside the 

temple to safeguard their marriage 

by obtaining ‘Fortune Shoes’ that, 

purportedly, ‘tame’ a wayward 

husband’s wanton inclinations. 

F o r e i g n v i s i t o r s, e v e n t h o s e 

already blissfully attached, can still 

come to the temple and appreciate 

the pageantry. Since the City 

God Temple is a featured stop on 

city tours, English explanations 

accompany most displays. For 

those thirsting for an authentic local 

experience, the Matchmaker deity 

apparently also understands foreignlanguage 

requests. Some familiarity 

with the procedures helps, though. 

Before asking the Matchmaker to 

act on your behalf, obtain from the 

temple some candy, ‘spirit money’ 

and red thread as offerings. In 

Chinese mythology, the red thread 

symbolizes an ‘invisible thread,’ one 

end of which each of us has on our 

wrist. The trick in finding the perfect 

match is to discover who has the 

other end. No easy task, but that’s 

where the Matchmaker comes in. 

Temple eTiqueTTe 

Not surprisingly, the Matchmaker, 

according to Tracy Chen, is “very 

busy.” So busy, in fact, that he’s 

too popular to keep inside the 

temple. Those with requests must 

seek his blessing outside, at the 

temple’s lone incense burner. The 

ebullient Chen, who conveys the 

energy of a sizzling firecracker fuse 

with her enthusiasm for the temple, 

emphasizes the importance of some 

other procedures. “Make sure to 

let your [three] incense sticks burn 

completely [before placing them 

in the burner].” The burning of 

the incense, she says, serves as a 

“telephone line” or “connection” to 

the God and to extinguish the incense 

too early would be comparable 

to having your call disconnected. 

The other procedure involves body 

language. “You must bow three 

times. [Doing so] empowers your 

body. This gesture is very important 

to this temple,” she stresses. She 

also encourages visitors to drink 

the temple’s famous “blessed red 

date tea.” Besides being part of 

the worship ritual itself, the tea has 

salubrious effects, especially for 

females. “The sweet taste,” she says, 

“is a reminder that it’s good for a 

female’s health.” 

F i n a l l y, i f y o u’r e a m o n g t h e 

fortunate many (in one year alone, 

claims a temple publication, over 

6,000 couples married thanks to 

the Matchmaker’s intervention) 

remember to return to the temple 

to offer thanks. This gesture of 

gratitude typically involves flowers 

and, and if your dream really comes 

true, engagement cookies. 

S o m e w h e r e o n t h e e a s t s i d e 

of town, probably at a trendy, 

overpriced lounge bar, some poor 

lonely heart saunters up to the bar to 

ask a pretty girl if he can buy her a 

drink. She might look up from her 

cell phone long enough to shrug in 

indifferent acceptance, maybe not. 

Regardless, any relationship that 

ensues will likely last no longer than 

the latest Mando pop star’s career. 

But those who yearn to meet their 

true match “very soon” know where 

to look – at the little temple on old 

Dihua Street, in decidedly untrendy 

West Taipei. Follow the scent of 

burning incense and sweet red date 

tea to the Matchmaker and perhaps 

discover who is on the other end of 

your invisible thread. 

William Mooney is an American. He 

first came to Taiwan in 1990, and 

has taught English at the Chinese 

Culture University since 2004. 

Apr 2010 

17

entertainment 

As you like it – 

Taipei Players brings the Best of 

Comedy Theater to Taipei 

TexT: PraSHanTHa LaCHanna 

ImageS: mouSe 

building, contemplating whether he should jump or 

not. A woman and man meet, fall in love, get married 

and live happily ever after…or do they An Arctic 

adventurer on the grueling Nordic Track rows up the 

Charles River on his stationary bike in hot pursuit of 

the woman of his dreams. Will he be successful 

The man stands on the ledge of an apartment 

Herein, dear audience lies the born actress and singer, completed 

general timbre of hilarity her degree in Drama at Queen’s 

and the necessary element University in Canada. While touring 

of the absurd in the next the globe, she has been involved in 

installation of short play shows, An numerous productions on stage in 

Evening of Shorts 3, performed by the Canada, Australia, South Korea, and 

Taipei Players, Taipei’s only English most recently in Taiwan. The two 

theater group, formed about a year paired up and intuited a working 

ago under the direction of Sarah relationship together, in which 

Zittrer and Mandy Roveda. 

they would bring English theater 

Enter stage left, Sarah Zittrer, tall to Taipei. At the beginning it was 

and willowy, with eyes that carelessly challenging as there were no other 

resemble precious stones and a smile English Theater groups to collaborate 

that makes angels quiver. Zittrer with, nor was there any financial 

has the skill to convey the most support available with which to start 

heart-wrenching of drama alongside their own company. 

side-splitting comedy at the tick 

of a second, with precision. Enter A STerling record 

stage right, Mandy Roveda, with a P e r s o n a l l y f i n a n c i n g t h e i r 

presence that is sensual yet daring. productions, Zittrer and Roveda 

Roveda’s portrayals of archetypal gathered a whooping crowd of eager 

characters are seamless, bold and wry. expats and English-speaking locals, 

Both Roveda and Zittrer have wellforged 

careers in the world of theater, without, all thirsting to be involved 

both with acting experience and 

film and TV. Roveda, a trained actress in English theater productions. 

and musician, completed her degree Working on fractured schedules, 

at York University in Canada, 

borrowed time and anorexic 

specializing in Acting. 

finances, the Taipei Players 

S h e h a s 

have a sterling record of 

performed on 

packed houses and sold-out 

stages around 

s h o w s o n a l l t h r e e o f 

the globe before 

their previous offerings. 

settling in Taipei 

Apparently, these feather 

a year ago, where 

boa-ed drama queens 

s h e m e t f e l l o w 

k n o w w h a t t h e y’r e 

thespian, Zittrer. 

doing. The plays they 

Zittrer, a Toronto- 

select are based on an 

18 Apr 2010 

innate understanding of what appeals 

to mass audiences. Their audiences 

are spectral in their make up. There 

are sensibilities and sensitivities of 

the American, British, South African, 

Ecuadorian, French, Italian, Russian, 

Indian, Mexican, Taiwanese, and 

then some, to contend with. How 

is it that every smile in the room 

is matched and every expulsion of 

laughter just as vivaciously resonant 

What makes it work 

“Comedy!” giggle Zittrer and 

Roveda, gleefully. 

ABSurd reAliTy 

In his 1942 essay, The Myth of 

Sisyphus, French philosopher, Albert 

Camus defines the human condition 

as meaningless. Camus contended 

that a reasonable explanation of 

the universe was beyond the reach 

of humanity’s grasp, and so the 

world must ultimately be absurd. 

Considering the reality of what we 

live with, this must be true. Yet, it 

is also true that within the deep well 

of the absurd, sprouts the weapon 

of comedy, that great healer, that 

wondrous fool, that benevolent 

maid, comedy. 

It is with this innate knowledge 

that Zittrer and Roveda select the 

plays they perform. Their selection 

is not based on the best-loved of 

comedy playwrights, but on how 

each play personally speaks to

the pair. Prerequisites are for the 

plays to be provocative, salty and 

of course, effervescent in their 

humor. If the play speaks, Zittrer 

and Roveda look into the logistics 

of putting it together, finding the 

right actors to play the parts and 

making sure it coalesces with the 

other selected plays for the night. 

The fact that they are short plays 

means that lots more actors can be 

involved in the show and that gives 

the actors, directors and audience an 

opportunity to engage with different 

tempos of comedy whilst the rapidity 

a succession of short plays affords, 

allows our flea-bitten attention spans 

instant satisfaction. It’s all a bit of a 

balancing act. 

Tons of supporT 

In spite of a severe lack of funding, 

the Taipei Players’ shows have 

drawn tons of support. Shows have 

taken place in packed bars, airless 

clubs and cramped sound studios, 

but always with a heaving audience 

in attendance. Audience support 

has been phenomenal. The Players 

hope for a proper venue which will 

allow for larger audience capacity 

and (of course) funding which will 

allow them to invest in said venue, 

a proper rehearsal space and maybe 

allow them to buy props. With 

good humor and a nostalgic chuckle, 

Roveda recalls having to borrow 

stools from a local temple. The 

audience was a little nervous about 

sitting on them as they had melted 

due to a gregarious bursting of 

temple fireworks near their vicinity. 

Bottoms were spared and in proof 

of their loyalty, ticket sales for their 

very next show, An Evening of Shorts 

3, are already on the rise. The show 

is happening on the 10th and 11th 

of April at 2:30 and 7:30 pm at the 

Guling Street Theater. The highlyacclaimed 

director, Brook Hall, 

who brought Taipei the incredibly 

successful Broadway 

m u s i c a l S m o k e y 

Joe’s Café, will be 

directing some of 

the plays in The 

P l a y e r s ’ l a t e s t 

offering. Another 

exciting addition 

is that up-andcoming 

sound 

artist Leo37 will 

be providing hip-grinding 

sounds between plays. 

Prashantha Lachanna has been living 

and working in Taiwan for five years 

and is currently running her own 

events company. 

An Evening of shorts 3 Guling street Theater 2, Lane 5, Guling St., Zhongzheng District 

Tickets can be bought at Toasteria, 2, Lane 248, Zhongxiao East road, Section 4, or at Toasteria in Shida, address: 1, Lane 72, Yunhe 

Street for NT$300 or at the door for NT$400. For more information email taipeiplayers@gmail.com or call Sarah Zittrer on 0938 437 161. 

apr 2010 

19

environment 

Happy Birthday, 

Earth Day! 

The Planet’s Largest Environmental Organization is Forty-Years-Old this Month 

tExt: RiCHaRD SaunDERS 

As with so many great ideas, it started as a 

relatively small initiative, when in early fall of 

1969 senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin 

announced the idea of a nationwide teach-in day 

on the environment during a speech to a conservation 

group in Seattle. As fall turned to winter, the event, 

originally answering to the rather cumbersome title 

‘Nationwide Environment Teach-in,’ became known 

by the far catchier moniker by which it’s called today, 

and on 22nd April 1970 (when the first Earth Day was 

marked by about twenty million Americans), the modern 

environmental movement was born. 

That first Earth Day was a great success, although 

not everyone was impressed. The day (apparently 

accidentally) coincided with the one-hundredth 

anniversary of Lenin’s birth, which led certain quarters 

to proclaim the event as being organized by Communist 

sympathizers – it’s even alleged that the FBI turned up to 

make sure there were no subversive political undertones! 

The idea of an annual Earth Day caught on, and the 

event has been held on April 22nd every year since, 

growing in size and influence until becoming, according 

to the Earth Day Network, “the largest secular holiday in 

the world, celebrated by more than a half billion people 

every year.” 

The Earth Day Network (EDN), established in 1970 

by the organizers of the first Earth Day to promote yearround 

environmental awareness both in the States and 

internationally, has had similarly spectacular success, and 

now incorporates a staggering 19,000-plus organizations 

in 192 countries. 

For the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day in 2010, 

the EDN have created a number of global initiatives, 

including a ‘Global Day of Conversation’ with city 

mayors worldwide, focusing on bringing green 

investment and building a green economy, and the ‘a 

Billion Acts of Green Campaign’ which asks individuals 

and groups from around the world to make a resolution 

to ‘act green,’ and log their commitment on the official 

Website (http://billionactsofgreen.net/). As of March 

20th, over five million people have committed on-line to 

Acts of Green ranging from avoiding bottled water and 

requesting paper bags to “walking to work every day, 

even when it rains”! 

“Hope in a 

Changing Climate” 

tExt: juan CaRloS maDRigal 

Wh a t w o u l d y o u d o i f 

you discovered a way to 

combat climate change, 

e l i m i n a t e p o v e r t y a n d r e s t o r e 

damaged ecosystems in regions 

the size of European countries 

When John D. Liu was faced with 

t h i s q u e s t i o n, h e f o u n d e d t h e 

Environmental Education Media 

Project (EEMP) a not-for-profit 

organization dedicated to placing 

ecosystem restoration at the center of 

global discussions on climate change, 

poverty, and sustainable agriculture. 

‘Hope in a Changing Climate’ 

is the latest effort by EEMP to 

educate businesses, governments and 

individuals about the role large-scale 

ecosystem rehabilitation plays in 

issues as varied as food security, fresh 

water source protection, poverty 

alleviation and climate change. The 

film was aired globally by the BBC 

World Service and screened for world 

leaders attending the COP 15 climate 

change summit last November in 

Copenhagen. 

’Hope in a Changing Climate’ 

demonstrates that it is possible to 

rehabilitate large-scale damaged 

ecosystems, to restore ecosystem 

functions in areas where they 

have been lost, to fundamentally 

improve the lives of people who 

have been trapped in poverty for 

generations, and to sequester carbon 

naturally. This approach has been 

dramatically proven on the Loess 

Plateau in China; the birthplace of 

the Han Chinese, headwaters of 

The Yellow River and home to a 

new environmental and economic 

From arid wasteland to lush farmland 

paradigm. What was once an arid 

wasteland the size of Belgium now 

teems with life and supports the 

sustainable economic, social, and 

agricultural activities of its people. 

T h e f i l m f e a t u r e s a d i v e r s e 

collection of interviews, from world 

leaders such as the president of 

Rwanda, to local farmers telling their 

own stories. The film is presented 

by John Liu and directed by Jeremy 

Bristow, producer of award-winning 

BBC documentaries featuring Sir 

David Attenborough. 

To watch the film, learn more 

about ecosystem rehabilitation and 

learn how to support this critically 

important initiative, visit http:// 

www.eempc.org 

20 apr 2010

Taiwan's ‘First Green 

Conference,’ April 30 th 

to May 2 nd 2010 

TExT: kEli yEn 

Reminiscing 

By E.M. ChiEn 

This is a place my day unwinds and 

stretches out ‘cross little lines. 

I loved. 

I laughed. 

I sang. 

I danced. 

A star that flickered in the night, hoped 

someone else could use its light. 

For in the dark when no one shines, hatred 

lurks and fear is rife. 

So, I shined. 

E.M. Chien believes life is a conundrum and 

words are empowered with the vitality we 

need to not only define our lives but delineate 

the changes we plan to affect. 

From 30th April to 2nd May 2010, join a gathering 

of internationally renowned environmental activists, 

delegates from Green Parties and NGOs spanning 

over twenty countries. The aim is to not only share 

knowledge of, and responsibility for, environmental and 

social issues in the Asia Pacific region, but to aim to 

establish coordinated strategy and networks to advance 

focused environmental protection actions across the region. 

With the idea of ‘Fair Share’ for a theme, the program 

opens a highly participatory space for discussion on 

climate change, governance & accountability, justice, 

community empowerment, energy, food & water, natural 

disasters, business, peace, nuclear, and any topic that you 

may wish to raise from the floor. 

Keynote Speakers include Dr Vandana Shiva, Right 

Livelihood Award winner, eco-feminist and author, and 

Senator Bob Brown, Leader of the Australian Greens 

(Australia's third largest political party) and a determined 

and energetic activist. 

Taiwan’s first ‘green conference’ will convene on April 

30th. The organizers are The Green Party Taiwan and 

the Taiwan Friends of the Global Greens, groups striving 

to forge a common consensus among Asia Pacific Greens 

culminating in a formal declaration, resolutions, elections, 

and a five-year action plan for the APGN. 

An Asia Pacific Young Greens pre-congress event will 

be held on 29 April, one day before the formal APGN 

Congress. To register & learn about the core Green 

Values of ecological wisdom, social justice, participatory 

democracy, nonviolence, sustainability and respect 

for diversity, visit the APGN 2010 website at http:// 

apgn2010.org/ 

The conference will be held at Tianmu Convention 

Center, 113 Zhongshan North Road Section 7. Email: 

apgn2010@gmail.com 

Join APGN online Social networks 

http://twitter.com/apgn2010 

http://www.plurk.com/apgn2010 

http://vimeo.com/user2470532 

http://www.youtube.com/user/ 

GreenPartyTaiwan#p/u 

Apr 2010 

21

Taipei Uncorked 

WINE BLING on a 

BUDGET 

“Drink moderately, for drunkenness neither keeps a secret 

nor observes a promise.” 

Mark L. peTerson 

The fashion and design worlds have a concept style 

mavens call ‘high/low.’ It’s the savvy shopper’s secret, 

a way to achieve a posh look on a student’s part-time 

salary. You carefully shop the bargain bins for items 

that either eerily mimic the latest overpriced designer wear 

or that match well with the latter in a yin-yang sort of way. 

Say, a NT $250 Jockey T-shirt from Costco worn with a NT 

$21,000 pair of Christian Louboutin heels from Sogo. 

You can do the same with wine. Many premium styles 

have what I would describe as more affordable analogues 

that don’t carry the usurious built-in brand premiums. As 

with style and design, finding a good knockoff takes a 

modicum of knowledge as well as healthy confidence and 

creative imagination. I’ve become aware that people are 

somewhat dubious concerning taking risks with wine. I’ve 

heard it first-hand from friends and clients who’ve voiced their 

disappointment at having to negotiate the minefield of buying 

wine at the big box stores and supermarkets here in Taipei. 

Says Stéphane Castera, director of food and beverage for Four 

Seasons Hotel Vancouver: “You can’t always buy Prada, but 

you can buy something which looks really good, which is well 

made, and which can satisfy your needs.” 

A perfect example, when talking wine, is California red 

zinfandel (‘high’) compared with Italian Primitivo (‘low’). 

Decent versions of California’s signature grape start at about 

NT$1,500, while top-quality zinfandels sell for upward of 

NT$3,000. Fullbodied and jammy, red zinfandel is often 

recommended in cookbooks as the ideal pairing for sweet-spicy 

barbecued meats as well as pizza, burgers and game-day snacks 

such as chicken wings and chili. Yet many zin fans don’t know 

that primitivo, made mostly on the south-Italian peninsula of 

Puglia and usually costing NT$300 to 900, is made from the 

same grape and shares the basic flavor profile of its Californian 

cousin. The structure of the wine is going to be the same. 

Now, is the wine going to have the richness of a Ridge or a 

Seghesio (two top California zinfandel producers) No. But 

it’s a good wine at a good price. It’s not mass produced and 

it’s not a boxed wine. 

Allow me to offer a few other stylistic high/low counterparts. 

Red BoRdeaux vs. Chilean-aRgentinan 

CaBeRnet sauvignon 

Chile and Argentina’s main wine-growing regions are sunny, 

yielding riper, more opulent fruit flavors than generally is the 

case in Bordeaux. But if you want good cabernet sauvignon or 

merlot and can’t afford the NT$2,000-plus of a classified red 

Bordeaux (I can’t), I’d recommend going with a NT$450 to 

1,000 Chilean or Argentinian. It will likely beat the pants off 

(Cervantes, Don Quixote) 

any other sub-NT$1,000 cabernet, including those inexpensive 

big brands from Bordeaux itself. I love the Los Vascos Grand 

Reserve for NT$900, part of the Lafite Rosthchild family of 

wines. Among Spanish reds from the Ribera del Duero region 

(often a blend of tempranillo with cabernet or merlot) try 

the Fontana-Fontal Temperanillo Mesta at NT$475, also the 

Penedes region wines are generally good bets for satisfaction. 

Red BuRgundy vs. CRu Beaujolais 

Great red Burgundy, perhaps the most recherché wine 

category of all, is made from pinot noir. Good ones tend to 

be made in small quantities by tiny producers with spotty 

distribution and run about NT$3,000 or more. In recent 

years, Burgundy addicts have increasingly experimented with 

alternative sources of pinot noir from such copycat regions as 

Oregon, Carneros and Russian River in California and, most 

recently, New Zealand. As a money-saving strategy, though, it 

has become all but fruitless. Those ‘alternative’ regions often 

now charge just as much or more for decent pinot. The key 

here is to think laterally. 

Stylistically, the best alternative to good red Burgundy, for 

my money, is quality Beaujolais. It’s made from gamay instead 

of pinot noir, but when it’s good, it’s way more satisfying 

than bargain pinot noir. I speak here of quality Beaujolais 

specifically from the ten best hillside towns of the Beaujolais 

region. These so-called cru Beaujolais (which carry such place 

names as Chénas, Brouilly, Juliénas and Morgon rather than 

Beaujolais) can pass for good pinot noir in professional blind 

tastings. I’ve seen it happen. I’d do a Chénas (as a substitute 

for red Burgundy). The crus are up the hill. They’re not on the 

lower section of Beaujolais. They don’t have the juicy fruitiness. 

They have a bit more body and structure. Part of the reason 

is that the vines tend to be older and yield less but more 

concentrated fruit. At about NT$500 to 1,500 per bottle, Cru 

Beaujolais is the savvy buyers poor man's red Burgundy 

My two cents worth, Valdivieso Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 

(from - you guessed it - Chile), robust, sweet fruit, med-full 

body at NT$550 and the Trapiche Old Oak Pinot Noir 2006 

(Argentina) nicely weighted, spiked with ripe red fruit, elegant 

and well balanced at $599 are two great bets for Pinot lovers. 

Chianti vs. MontepulCiano d’aBRuzzo 

I am, again, thinking laterally here. Chianti is a mediumbodied 

red made from the sangiovese grape in a central Tuscan 

district. Good examples now almost all cost more than 

NT$1,000, unfortunately. Bright red cherry, firm acidity and 

an undercurrent of earthiness hinting at mushroom and tobacco 

are all classic elements of the flavor. You can often find similar 

Mark loves to hear from you with all your questions concerning the world of wine and spirits. Feel free to email him at: mark.vinvinowine@ 

gmail.com or visit his informative site at www.vinvinowine.asia. 

22 apr 2010

nuances and structure in a grape called montepulciano (not to 

be confused with the Tuscan town of Montepulciano, where 

they make something called Vino Nobile based on sangiovese). 

Montepulciano – the grape – is widely grown in the lowercost 

region of central Italy called Abruzzo. Drinkable 

examples are as low as NT$350, and very good ones can be 

had for NT$400 to 700. Another option is the sangiovesebased 

reds from Tuscany’s neighboring (and generally less 

expensive) region of Umbria. A good choice is the Aldiano 

Montepulcino D’Abruzzo DOC 2007 at NT$750, it’s quite 

suave, but not Soave. 

BArolo vS. gATTinArA 

The so-called king of Italian reds, Barolo, now costs a king’s 

ransom: roughly NT$2,500 and up a bottle. It’s made in the 

Piedmont region from the highly tannic, acidic nebbiolo grape. 

And, quite frankly, it tastes like no wine produced in any 

other region in the world. Which is why the best substitute 

may be Gattinara, a red based mainly or entirely on nebbiolo 

in a town not far from Barolo in Piedmont. Prices for 

Gattinara, which tends to have less endurance in the cellar, 

are about half those of Barolo. I think you can find some 

great wines in Gattinara, although not often found here in 

Taiwan. I can't really find a drinking substitute for Borolo 

other than Borolo here in Taipei, so I am drinking the Zonin 

Valpolicella Ripasso 2007 (NT 800) made from the Corvina 

and Rondinella grapes, although bolder, spicier and juicier 

than Borolo's Nebiolo grape, this satisfies my Italian craving 

just fine. A big unctuous mouthful of yummy, let it breathe. 

I can't really find a drinking substitute for Borolo other 

than Borolo here in Taipei, so I am drinking the Zonin 

Valpolicella Ripasso 2007 (NT 800) made from the Corvina 

and Rondinella grapes, although bolder, spicier and juicier 

than Borolo's Nebiolo grape, this satisfies my Italian craving 

just fine. A big unctuous mouthful of yummy, let it breathe. 

SAncerre vS. TourAine 

A crisp, grassy, iconic white, Sancerre is made from 

sauvignon blanc in the Sancerre district of France’s Loire 

Valley, where the grape achieves a sublime balance of citruslike 

fruitiness, herbal-grassy notes and a sort of stone-like 

mineral quality. It’s the perfect spring tonic, a fine match for 

lightly dressed salads and vegetable dishes as well as a variety 

of cheeses (especially goat). Sancerres usually cost between 

NT$800 and 1,400 a bottle though, which is serious coin 

for most people. At about half the price you could uncork 

a lesser-known Touraine. Made from the same white grape 

not far from Sancerre, Touraine wines usually are priced from 

NT$NT350 to 600 and do an impressive Sancerre imitation. 

My favorites because of their availability here in Taipei are the 

many fine Sauvignon Blancs, especially the Reserve designations 

coming out of the Chilean Valleys. NT$350 - 700 buys good 

value with a lot of diversity in their flavor profiles. Valdivieso’s 

2007 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc at NT$550 is awesome, and its 

sibling 2007 Sauvignon Blanc is a best buy at NT$350. 

chArdonnAy vS. chArdonnAy 

Here it’s Old World white Burgundy and expensive 

California and New Zealand ‘Brands’ versus New World 

affordability. There is no comparison between the two, but 

there is satisfaction to be had. South Africa, Australia, Chile 

and Argentina are abundant and affordable here in Taiwan. 

Argentine’s Dona Paula 2007 Estate Chardonnay at NT$550 

is sophisticated, while Valdivieso’s 2006 Reserve Chardonnay 

has bottle age and is drinking beautifully at NT$550. For 

ultra value try Valdivieso’s 2008 Chardonnay for NT$350; 

your money goes a long way here. 

chAmpAgne vS. cAvA 

My preference is for the dry sparkling wines of northeast 

Spain as a dirt cheap substitute for NT$2,000 and up 

Champagne. Made using the traditional, labor-intensive 

process perfected in the Champagne region of France (in 

which the bubbles form naturally inside the bottle with the 

addition of yeast and sugar), Cavas generally cost between 

NT$600 and 900. Cavas are my preference compared with 

today’s trendier choice, Prosecco. Good Prosecco from Italy 

is a riskier navigation, but if you stick with the Gancia label 

(Italy’s oldest producer) you will be delighted. Gancia’s Pinot 

di Pinot “Rose” for NT$540 is dry enough and satisfies while 

Jane Ventura Cava at NT$599 is delightfully elegant. 

Well that’s it for this month’s quaff. See you out and about 

town my friends. 

Bon Boire. 

april 2010 gAllery 

oil paintings by Ah-ping Wu 

a dancing Soul From the Beginning 

Ping is a local artist from Beitou who has 

dedicated herself to children’s art education 

for over three decades. as an artist her 

skill is mature, yet her paintings glow with 

a child’s heart, sentiment, thoughtfulness, 

and innocence. In her exhibition at 

The Center, Ping explores in a way that 

approximates a kind of Zen, the essence of 

life through painting freely and joyfully. 

great pottery items 

elizabeth S T Lim brings you beautiful 

mugs, aromatherapy oil bottle necklaces 

and other great pottery items for yourself 

and your loved ones. all items are made 

in Yingge, Taiwan's home of pottery. 

handmade cotton bags from "gide" 

meili Kou offers a selection of handmade 

cotton bags from her company, gide. 

Select from small bags for jewelry to 

shopping bags to backpacks. many 

are decorated with cats and traditional 

Chinese gold nuggets. You will find many 

uses for these versatile bags. 

A percentage of all proceeds of items sold at the Gallery go to The Center, so please remember that by displaying and 

shopping here you are helping us to provide much needed services to the international community. 

Apr 2010 

23

kinder 

‘ping's Adventure in Taiwan’ has been written and illustrated by Amanda gregan. 

look for a continuation of ping's adventures in following issues of Centered on taipei. 

24 

Apr 2010

Teens Unplugged 

Teens Unplugged 2 

We survived our first year after High School! You can too! 

Last year, local parents and the Community Services 

Center developed and put on a targeted workshop 

for graduating seniors in the international 

community who were, for the first time, going 

to live away from home (perhaps abroad) or go into the 

world of work. This workshop was conceived to address 

the fact that many teens who attend college overseas or 

work, even if it is in their country of origin, while prepared 

academically, may be unprepared in terms of many aspects 

of living independently for the first time. 

This year, we are pleased to announce that this free, 

half-day workshop will be held at Taipei European School’s 

Primary Campus on Wen Lin Road in Shilin on Sunday 

April 18th, from 1-5 pm. Refreshments will be offered 

along with door prizes. 

The format, which was favorably received by the teen 

participants last year, is a series of informal topic group 

discussions. Returning are several of last year’s dynamic 

‘peer’ group leaders who are recent alumni from TAS, TES 

and other international schools. These leaders are close 

to the graduates in age and background and can provide 

healthy encouragement in terms of having successfully 

‘survived’ the first year after high school. 

Topics will include the more practical aspects of living 

independently in a college atmosphere or work field, such as: 

Living without Parents (which covers independent living 

skills such as laundry, cooking and managing finances.) 

Fitting In (Social connection, adjustment, college social 

clubs, finding one’s niche) 

Avoiding the Traps (Sex, drugs and rock n roll; negative 

relationships; isolation, etc.) 

Sign-up sheets will be available at each of the 

international schools and, for the first time, through a 

Facebook page that will be made available to teens through 

their school’s PTA and website. 

The intention is not only to make this retreat fun and 

useful for graduating seniors, but also to provide some key 

missing elements that will allow them to bloom where they 

are planted! 

Finally, The Center is looking for a parent-volunteer for 

next year to act as a community liaison to help continue 

this project into the future. For info, please contact Roma 

Mehta at coteditor@community.com.tw. 

teens unplugged 

Apr 2010 

25

generation y 

o 

L ss 

of 

Creativity 

Expository writing: LEat ahrony 

Growing up in an Asian society, while receiving 

a Western education, I can’t help but ask 

myself year after year when will this erosion 

of creativity stop My heart aches when I 

witness the worn-out bodies of local students, dragging 

their aching backs in the pure darkness at nine o’clock. 

There is no question that doing well in academics has its 

benefits; however, the way I was taught, was that health 

and happiness came first. Every parent wishes to see their 

children grow up to be successful individuals, and to be 

able to make influences, but there comes a time when too 

much is really too much! 

Is it true that Asians are known for their high test 

scores Yes. Is it true that Asians are known for their 

fast thinking skills Yes. Is it true that Asians are known 

for their creativity and independence Hmm…. I always 

hesitate on this one. I find myself leaning toward the no 

end of the line more than the yes. I have observed the way 

children are taught in Taiwan, and I’ve even experienced it 

myself. I only attended local school till the 4th grade, but 

I remember my parents telling me that I was only there for 

one purpose: to learn Chinese. They did not force a million 

tutors into my schedule, and all they expected from me was 

that I would try my best, and always speak out. 

On my first day of school, my father looked me in the 

eye and said: “Always ask if you don’t understand, and 

keep asking until you do understand; don’t be ashamed 

because there is nothing to be ashamed of.” Till today, 

these priceless words of my parents follow me everywhere 

I go. I realized that many local students are afraid to speak 

out, simply because they have this idea of appearing stupid 

if they don’t understand something and also because 

they were never encouraged to ask questions. In local 

schools, very few hands go up in the air during class; it 

is considered to be rude to ‘interrupt’ the teacher. Rude, 

Shmood; if I did not understand something, my hands flew 

26 apr 2010

up like a darting bullet. As my father had mentioned, 

“if you don’t ask, you will never know.” I don’t blame 

the helpless students walking under street lights in the 

darkness of the late night, for this ’loss of creativity’ was 

never their fault in the first place. 

A Russian friend previously worked in an English 

bushiban in Jubei. While opening the class book titled 

‘Creative Writing,’ She turned to page three, and read the 

directions: “please write about a special moment that you 

remember best. Write about the events that happened, and 

why you liked it so much.” Below the instructions was an 

example paragraph. 

“Two out of my fourteen students picked up their 

pencils and started writing immediately. The rest just 

stared blankly at my face,” she recalled. As she was 

marking the notebooks, she realized that all those blank 

faces had simply copied the example paragraph directly 

from the workbook, with a couple of changed names here 

and there. Her mind was filled with questions she could 

not answer, but she did her job as a teacher, and gave each 

of them a grade. She gave the two truly creative students 

an ‘excellent’,’ and the rest received a ‘good’ or ‘not bad’ 

on their papers.” 

Unfortunately, this was not the end of it. In this 

particular bushiban, there was a supervisor for every 

class, making sure that each teacher was following the 

guidebook precisely. After my friend had graded the 

works of the children, it was time for the supervisor to do 

the second round of grading. 

Holding the notebooks in her hands, the supervisor 

stampeded towards my friend and directly asked her 

“what is this Why did you give an “excellent” to these 

two students Their work is rubbish!” The supervisor 

instead proclaimed that the rest of the students deserved a 

perfect score. 

“But they just copied the book word by word,” our 

friend protested. 

“That is what they are supposed to do!” the supervisor 

retorted. 

“But where is the creativity It is “creative” writing 

after all, isn’t it” 

“No. They are not supposed to be creative. They are 

supposed to be perfect, and copying from the book means 

that their writing will be perfect; when their parents see 

their perfect English writings, they will be pleased.” 

Two months later, our friend could not take it anymore, 

and resigned. She mentioned that she could not stand to 

be the evil villain, erasing the creativity of these young 

children. 

I wonder at times whether my poor memorization skills 

for history maps and dates are due to the lack of training 

during my childhood years, or is it because of my lack of 

interest in the subject. I wonder if taking an SAT prep 

course would really boost my SAT scores significantly. I 

wonder if coming 1st or 2nd is really the crux of life No 

matter which education system we side with, I believe 

that every child is unique in his or her own way, and that 

sometimes it is not the books or scores that make them 

stand out in a crowd, but instead it is their creativity, 

their unique minds, personalities, and talents that leaves 

their faces imprinted in our minds. I hope that someday 

the brighter Asian minds of the 21st century will come to 

realize the significance of creativity, and how it should be 

valued instead of being shunned. 

285 

Expository writing: nicolE chu 

Knowledge is weighing me down - 

textbooks, notebooks, MacBook. 

Hunkered under a metal map 

I wait 

In the windiest of windy days 

On the rainiest of rainy days 

When the sun‘s rays are fire ants 

And the cold is an icy spear in the rib 

I stand. Alone. With a friend. With my books. 

With a sandwich. With a stranger. 

I patiently wait for my prince 

For his mighty steed to take me away. 

Something comes. 

The faux-leather seat squeals against my thighs. 

Without a wince or a second thought, 

I rub the raw skin 

A tattered Kipling bag drags across my lap 

A shuddering glass window 

A rumbling engine in my skull. 

Unit Circle, in class essay, Shakespeare, coversheets 

Vacant pupils on white road lines. 

Better than sheep. 

One. Two. Three, Four, Five - 

One continuous ribbon racing along 

Dreams slide their way into my consciousness, or 

consciousness eases itself into a dream. 

Infinitesimal flickering - on, off, on, off 

THWAK. 

All I can see are pink sparks, but I look at my watch 

anyway, desperately hoping I have not missed my stop. 

I punch the STOP button and teeter to the front of the bus. 

The bus stops abruptly, but I don’t. A pole catches my left 

shoulder – as if my day could get any better. 

The night air gently blows the hair off my face and I can 

catch my breath for the first time today. 

Some people go to Bali to slip away from their troubles. 

I get to spend an hour of guiltless nonexistence on the 

bus ride home. 

Apr 2010 

27

sports 

2010 ECCT-ICRT Int’l Charity Golf Cup 

Saturday, 17 April 2010 

Royal Kuan Hsi Golf & Country Club, Hsinchu 

( 新竹老爺關西球場 ) 

Tee-off: 07:00 AM 

What better way to warm up for your spring holidays than a relaxing game of golf on a superb course and a fun-filled 

party And all for an excellent cause! 

The European Chamber of Commerce Taipei (ECCT) and International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT) have for the 

seventh consecutive year again teamed up to organize the 2010 International Charity Golf Cup. This year we will be 

returning to Royal Kuan Hsi golf course, home to the first and several subsequent Charity Cups. In response to popular 

demand, we have moved this event back to the weekend so that more players can participate in the fun tournament. 

Participants will be competing in teams of four, with each team representing a company, an organization, or a country. 

There will be some fantastic prizes for best team score, closest to the pin and longest drive as well as a Smart car for a 

hole in one. As a maximum of 25 teams will be admitted to the tournament, members are invited to book places for 

their teams as soon as possible. 

Thanks to this year’s Gold Sponsors, Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) and Standard Chartered Bank; Silver Sponsors, 

Capital Motors Inc. and HSBC, proceeds of the tournament will be going to the Community Services Center (CSC), the 

non-profit foundation that offers counseling, information and support services to the entire international community in 

Taiwan. ICRT, a fixture of Taiwan’s international community, will be running a series of promotions in the lead-up to - 

and on the day of - the event including live reports from the course. This year, immediately following the tournament, 

an award ceremony luncheon will be held at the Royal Kuan Hsi Golf & Country Club, including drinks, a late lunch 

and lots of prizes. This year for the first time we will be using a handicapping system so no matter what your level 

of skill, your team will have a chance to win the team prize. Sign up your family, friends and colleagues for this great 

weekend event. 

Cost per team: NT$24,000 (includes green fees, caddie fees and awards luncheon) 

SPONSORSHIP 

Gold sponsorship (NT$200,000) 

Silver sponsorship (NT$90,000) 

Hole sponsorship (NT$25,000 per hole) 

ECCT General Sponsor (NT$20,000) 

For further information regarding sponsorship opportunities or event inquiries, please contact Ms. Ada Wang 

at 2740-0236 ext. 14 / ada.wang@ecct.com.tw / Fax: 2772-0530 

Main sponsors 

28 Apr 2010

Orphanage Club 

The Orphanage Club thanks all those who supported the club by purchasing raffle 

tickets. Thanks to your support, we can continue to host our outings and other events. 

Charity 

tHunger Week 

March 29th to April 2nd 

Fast and donate on April 2nd ! You can also submit an 

artwork of any medium to the art department expressing 

your opinion on hunger. Go to www.thehungersite.com or 

www.freerice.com to donate daily at the click of a mouse. 

Rummage Workday 

April 3rd 9 am - 5 pm 

Drop by any time at the TAS basement! We are continuously 

collecting any books, new (or washed and ironed) clothes, and 

household items for our rummage/flea market sales. They can 

be left in the brown box in the courtyard, at the right side just 

outside the back door of the lobby. 

If you would like to have a booth for the Flea Market 

Sale at TAS on May 15th, it’s time to register for your table! 

Registration will take place in TAS lobby on the right-hand 

side of the lobby entrance. Registration begins on April 27th, 

every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm, until 

all tables are sold out. One table in the cafeteria — NT$1,200 

One table in the hallway — NT$1,500 Mandatory 

refundable cleaning fee deposit — NT$300 

Chung- Yi Outing 

April 11th 7:45 am - 5 pm 

It's a wonderful experience as members play with the kids 

and have a delicious lunch. Members of the TAS community 

are welcome to join us. 

Cathwel Outing 

April 17th 7:45 am - 5 pm 

Any questions Visit www.orphanageclub.com. 

Alternatively, e-mail or call Mr Arnold [arnoldr@tas.edu. 

tw, Tel: 2873-9900 ext. 239], or Mrs Koh [weehueykoh@ 

yahoo.com] 

Kao Iwashita& Charlene Liao, co-secretaries of OC 

(seniors). 

Apr 2010 

29

Center Courses 

Apr 2010 

To sign up, please call The Center 

at 2836-8134 or 2838-4947. 

culTure & TourS in TAiWAn 

>> 

sANxIA OLD sTrEET 

& TEMpLE TOur 

Tuesday april 13th 

9 am – 2 pm 

nT$1000 

meet @ The Center 

Jennifer Tong 

FOLK ArTs MusEuM 

Tour & Lunch 

Thursday april 22nd 

10 am – 1:30 pm 

nT$1400 


Michelle Chiu 

NOrTHEAsT COAsT 

Scenic Tour & Walk 

Thursday april 29th 

9 am – 2 pm 

nT$1000 


CHINEsE FOr COOKINg & 

sHOppINg, pLus MArKET TOur 

Friday april 30th 

9 am – 12 noon 

nT$600 


Ivy Chen 

JuMINg MusEuM 

Thursday may 6th 

9 am – 2 pm 

nT$1400 


Michele Chiu 

LAO MEI WATErFALL HIKE & 

TOur 

Thursday may 13th 

9 am – 2 pm 

nT$1000 



fAmily & heAlTh >> 

COpINg WITH sTrEss 

Thursdays 

Begins april 15th 

9 am – 10:30 am 

nT$1800 

5 sessions @ The Center 

Warren Carey 

WATCH yOur BACK! 

Thursday april 15th 

12 noon – 1:30 pm 

nT$500 

1 session @ The Center 

Dr. Mark Griffin DC 

BEgINNINg gOLF 

Fridays 


12 noon – 2 pm 

nT$4800 (Cost of practice balls @ 

nT$70 

per bucket, not included) 

6 sessions @ miramar driving 

range 

Benjamin Lu 

CHINEsE FOOD THErApy 

monday may 3rd 

12 noon – 1:30 pm 

nT$500 


Dr. Dustin Wu 

hoBBieS & SkillS >> 

CHAIN MAILLE 

Wednesdays 

april 14th and 21st 


nT$1800 


Jennifer Chau 

CHINEsE CALLIgrApHy 

Tuesdays 



nT$2500 


Jennifer Tong 

WhAT’S cooking >> 

CHINEsE BuNs AND 

pANCAKEs 

Friday april 16th 

10 am – 12 noon 

nT$1000 


Ivy Chen 

MALAysIAN CuIsINE 

Friday may 7th 

10 am – 12 noon 

nT$1000 


Ivy Chen 

DINNErs IN A MINuTE 

Friday may 14th 

10 am – 12 noon 

nT$1000 


Robin Looney 

APRIL 2010 EVENTS 

April 10, 11 - An Evening of shorts 3 -Taipei players – 

p18 

April 17 - stage Time & Wine @ The red room – p8 

April 17 - 2010 ECCT-ICrT Int’L Charity golf Cup – p28 

April 17 - Back to the rat pack – p30 

April 18 - Teens unplugged 2 – p25 

April 22 - Happy Birthday, Earth Day! – p20 

Back to The rat pack... 

Don't Miss 

Contact: 

Jenny Wang 

Robert Liu 

Danny Shih 

Tel: 02-2836-1000 

Fax: 02-2831-9942 

E-mail: info@alliedpickfords.com.tw 

A DIVISION OF 

INTERNATIONAL 

30 Apr 2010

CSC buSineSS ClASSified 

antiQues 

beautY 

web consultant 

hair dresser 


education 

Whole Child Education 

Developing Active & Happy Children 

preschool for kids from 2-6 years old 

Da Zhi Branch No.18, Ln. 606, Mingshui Rd., Taipei TEL:85021798 

Tian Mu Branch No.17, Ln. 81, Dexing E. Rd., Taipei TEL:28368002 


Apr 2010 

31

Worship Directory 

(For full details of services please refer to Taipei Living or contact the church organization directly) 

Agape 

3F, 21 ChangChun Road, Taipei, Taiwan 

Tel: 2598-1009 (office) 

csc@agapeicataipei.org 

www.agapeicataipei.org 

Anglican Episcopal Church 

Church of the Good Shepherd 

509 ZhongCheng Rd., Shilin 

Tel: 2873-8104, 2882-2462 

www.goodshepherd.com.tw/english/ 

Calvary International Baptist Church 

21, YangDe Blvd., Sec. 2, Yangmingshan 

Tel: 2831-3458 Fax: 2838-5792 

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

5, Lane 183, JinHua Street 

Tel: 2321-9195, 0939-687-178 

City Revival Church 

B1, 210, ZhongXiao E. Rd., Sec. 4 

Tel: 8921-8250 Fax: 8921-8272 

doris.henry@msa.hinet.net 

Friendship Presbyterian Church 

5, Lane 269, Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 3 

Tel: 2362-1395 

Grace Baptist Church 

90 XinSheng S. Rd., Sec. 3 

Tel: 2362-5321 ext. 135 

Jewish Community 

For information call Ahrony Yoram on 0939- 

763-135 

Living Word Church 

B1, 304, ShiDong Road, Shilin 

Tel: 2834-6549 

Mother of God Catholic Church 

171 ZhongShan N. Rd., Sec. 7, Tianmu 

Tel: 2871-5168 Fax: 2871-7972 

www.geocities.com/mother_of_god_church 

vanaert@iplus.net.tw 

New Apostolic Church 

2F, No. 5, Lane 39, Keelung Rd, sec. 2, Taipei 

www.nac-taiwan.org, info@nac-taiwan.org 

New Life International Seventh-day 

Adventist Church 

4th Fl. Health Center- Taipei Adventist Hospital 

424 Ba De Rd. Sec. 2, Taipei 105 

Pr. Robbie Berghan 0958-732-704 

www.nlisda.org 

email: rberghan@twcadventist.org.tw 

Oasis Bread of Life Christian Church 

10F, #55, ZhongCheng Rd, Sec. 2 

(DaYeh Takashimaya, Tian Mu) 

Tel: 28310299 Fax: 28317214 

http://www.oasis.org.tw email: oasis@oasiscf.org.tw 

Suang-Lien Presbyterian Church, English 

Ministry 

Zhongshan N. Road, Section 2, Taipei 

www.slpcenglish.org 

Taipei Holiness Church 

(Charismatic International Service) 

Every Sunday morning at 10.45am with Pastor 

Sandra Ee 

5F, #107 Nanking East Road Section 4, Taipei 

Te: 27123242 

Taipei International Church 

Meets at the Taipei American School 

800 ZhongShan N. Rd., Sec. 6, Tianmu 

Tel: 2833-7444 Fax: 2835-2778 

www.taipeichurch.org/ gateway.htm 

Transforming Faith Church 

(f.k.a. Bread of Life Christian Church) 

5F, 295 ZhongXiao E. Rd., Sec. 4 

Tel: 8772-2207 Fax: 8772-2210 

fellowship@transformingfaith.org.tw 

Word from the director 

Hi Everyone 

It seems that this month every conversation I have had has inevitably at some point swung round to a discussion of the 

Academy Awards. My conversations have revolved around movies and what “makes the difference” in a good movie or a 

good performance. I can’t speak for everyone but the memorable parts of actors’ performances for me are the little things; 

the things that they do that are special to each individual role, performance, and character. To give you an idea, some of the 

‘little things’ that stand out for me among the movies I have seen over the years are: 

• The way Jack Nicholson curls his foot outside the covers at the last moment every time he goes to bed in Something’s 

Got to Give, giving his character a personality beyond what the script might bring. 

• The aggressive way Robert de Niro chomps down on a sandwich mid-film as Jake La Motta in Raging Bull tells us more 

about the character’s anger at that moment than any amount of dialogue could. 

• The way Andrew Lincoln taps his finger twice along a cold metal railing in London in Love Actually after having his love 

for Keira Knightley outed is a defining moment of decision for the character that would be lost with out this simple act. 

• Any number of mannerisms that Meryl Streep adopted for Julia Childs in Julie and Julia; these take the actor out of the 

film and leave us only with Julia Childs herself. 

The small details obviously improve the performance but it is in the willingness of these actors to go to these extra lengths, 

to ‘make a difference,’ that inspires me I think. It is already virtuous to do what is expected, what is promised. But when 

we can make the effort and take the time to do that little bit extra that surprises, then we elevate Work to the level of Art, we 

raise people’s Hopes to the level of Possibility. 

I know it is a stretch to draw comparison between the Academy Awards and the work we do at The Center but the 

counselors, staff, teachers and volunteers that I work with really do surprise me daily with the extra they give and their 

ability to ‘make a difference’ in people’s lives. It would be corny to say that I think they should all get Oscars for the work 

they do so I won't say it. But you know I am thinking it…. 

So let’s hear it for the wonderful staff at The Center. To the people we have helped and saved, to the newcomers we have 

assisted, to the people we have taught, and to the joy that we have brought. The Center really does make a difference. 

See you soon. 

Steve 

Director 

32 APR 2010

COMMUNITY GROUPS 

OrgAnizATiOn TeLepHOne WebSiTe/emAiL AddreSS 

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 2836-6994 caliq17@yahoo.com 

http://www.aataiwan.atfreeweb.com/english.htm 

Al-anon (English speaking) 

alanonfamilygroup@hotmail.com 

Alliance Française de Taiwan 2364-8833/ 2364-1919 info@alliancefrancaise.org.tw www.alliancefrancaise.org.tw 

American Chamber of Commerce 2718-8226 amcham@amcham.com.tw 

American Club in China 2885-8260 www.americanclub.org.tw 

American Institute in Taiwan 2162-2000 www.ait.org.tw 

Amnesty International 2709-4162 amnesty.taiwan@gmail.com, www.aitaiwan.org.tw 

Australia & New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (ANZCham) 7701 0818/ 0922 109 089 secretary@anzcham.org.tw www.anzcham.org.tw 

British Chamber of Commerce 2547-1199 www.bcctaipei.com 

Canadian Society 2757-6977 www.canadiansociety.org 

Christian Salvation Service 2729-0265 www.csstpe.org.tw 

Community Services Center 2836-8134 www.community.com.tw 

Democrats Abroad (Tammy Turner) 

democratsabroadtaiwan@gmail.com 

Dutch Speaking Association (VNT) 

www.vntonline.org 

European Chamber of Commerce 2740-0236 www.ecct.com.tw 

Gateway 2833-7444 gateway@taipeichurch.org 

German Institute 2501-6188 www.taipei.diplo.de 

German Trade Office 2506-9028 www.dwb-taipei.org.tw 

Goethe-Institut Taipei 2506-9028 www.goethe.de/taipei 

Indians' Association of Taipei 2542-8091 lalduru@seed.net.tw 

International Community Choir 2533-4272 internationalchoir@gmail.com 

La Leche League (Breastfeeding Support) 

www.lalecheleague.org 

lé the francophone 

thefrancopnone@hotmail.fr , http://thefrancophone.unblog.fr/ 

Lions Downtown Club Taipei, English speaking (Peter Wu) 2701-1811 www.tapeidowntowntw.lionwap.org 

Oasis Youth Group 2831-0299 

Overseas Trailing Talent in Taiwan 

TaipeiTalent@yahoo.com 

Paradyme Youth Group 2833-7444 www.paradymeyouth.org 

POW Camps Memorial Society (Michael Hurst) 8660-8438 www.powtaiwan.org 

Republicans Abroad Taiwan 2592 2840 einhorn@ttn.net 

Shilin District Office 2882-6200 www.sld.gov.tw 

Tagalog Hotline 2834-4127 paultic@ispeed.com 

Taipei International Women’s Club 2331-9403 www.tiwc.org 

TYPA (Taipei Youth Program Association) 2873-1815 www.typa.org.tw 

SCHOOLS 

Dominican International School 2533-8451 www.dishs.tp.edu.tw 

Grace Christian Academy 2785-7233 www.gca.tp.edu.tw 

Morrison Academy 2365-9691 www.mca.org.tw 

Taipei Adventist American School 2861-6400 www.taas-taiwan.com 

Taipei American School 2873-9900 www.tas.edu.tw 

Taipei European School 8145-9007 www.taipeieuropeanschool.com 

Taipei Japanese School 2872-3833 www.taipeijf.org 

SpOrTS 

Biking Site in Taiwan 

http://www.cycletaiwan.com/ 

Hash House Harriers 0952-025-116 www.chinahash.com 

International Golf Society of Taipei 

www.taiwan-golf.com 

Scottish Country Dancing (May Chen) 2706 3179 maychen321@pchome.com.tw 

Taipei Women’s International Golf Group (TWIGG) 2691 5912 twiggtaipei@hotmail.com 

Tai Tai’s Women’s Touch Rugby 0981-180-020 blandm@tas.edu.tw 

Taipei Baboons Rugby Club - Taiwan 0952 67 1995 bernierua@gmail.com 

Taipei Shebabs Women’s Touch Rugby 0913-602-071 johnnayoder@yahoo.com 

COUnTrY repreSenTATiVeS in TAiWAn 

COUnTrY TeLepHOne COUnTrY TeLepHOne COUnTrY TeLepHOne 

Argentina 2757-6556 

Australia 8725-4100 

Austria 2712-8597 

Belgium 2715-1215 

Belize 2876-0894 

Bolivia 2723-8721 

Brazil 2835-7388 

Britain 8758-2088 

Brunei 2506-3767 

Burkina Faso 2873-3096 

Canada 2544-3000 

Chad 2874-2943 

Chile 2723-0329 

Costa Rica 2875-2964 

Czech Republic 2738-9768 

Denmark 2718-2101 

Dominican Republic 2875-1357 

El Salvador 2876-3509 

Fiji 2757-9596 

Finland 2722-0764 

France 3518-5151 

Gambia 2875-3911 

German Institute 2501-6188 

Guatemala 2875-6952 

Haiti 2876-6718 

Honduras 2875-5512 

Hungary 8501-1200 

India 2757-6112 

Indonesia 8752-6179 

Ireland 2725-1691 

Israel 2757-9692 

Italy 2725-1542 

Japan 2713-8000 

Jordan 2871-7712 

Korea 2725-2324 

Malaysia 2713-2626 

Mexico 2757-6566 

Netherlands 2713-5760 

New Zealand 2757-6725 

Nicaragua 2874-9034 

Nigeria 2757-6987 

Norway 2543-5484 

Oman 2722-0684 

Panama 2509-9189 

Paraguay 2873-6310 

Peru 2757-7017 

Philippines 2723-2527 

Poland 2757-6140 

Russia 8780-3011 

Saudi Arabia 2876-1444 

Senegal 2876-6519 

Singapore 2772-1940 

Slovak Republic 8780-3231 

South Africa 2715-3251 

Spain 2518-4901 

Swaziland 2872-5934 

Sweden 2757-6573 

Switzerland 2720-1001 

Thailand 2723-1800 

Turkey 2757-7318 

United States 2162-2000 

Vietnam 2516-6626 

Apr 2010 

33

dirk's taiwan 

dirk 

DIEsTEL 

took this photo 2-3 years ago in Taipei downtown near main 

I station. But I could have taken it anywhere in the city. In Taiwan, 

it is an age-old tradition for every neighbourhood to have its own 

unofficial recycling officers. They are mostly elderly people who use 

a transport-bicycle or even an old discarded baby stroller. This is a 

wonderful system by the society; not only for the people who have a 

chance to make a little money, but also for our environment. In many 

cities in Europe or elsewhere, you see lots of trash like empty bottles 

on the roads. But Taipei is clean. Thanks to our trash collectors. 

Dirk's website: www.taiwan-foto.de 

34 Apr 2010

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