PDF file - Community Services Center

A publication of the Community Services Center 

Centered 

on TAIPEI 

February 2013, Volume 13, Issue 5 

cover story 

exploriNg lukaNg 

Make a New Year’s Revolution 

Flea Markets iN taipei 

educatioN iN taiwaN 

Make-a-wish FouNdatioN taiwaN 

the tV cheF iNdicator

CoNteNts February 2013 volume 13 issue 5 

5 lEttER FRom thE EditoRs 

6 RichARd REcommEnds 

nAtionAl thEAtER And concERt hAll 

FEBRUARY 2013 

7 cUltURAl coRnER 

NamiNg the BaBy 

coURsEs At thE cEntER 

8 cEntER GAllERY 

thE cEntER’s FAvoRitE Finds 

9 

9 oFF thE BEAtEn tRAck 

aN eNviroNmeNtally FrieNdly visit to PiNgxi 

10 covER stoRY 

lukaNg 

12 commUnitY 

tas 

13 oRphAnAGE clUB 

EvEnts ABoUt town 

14 oUtlook 

make a New year’s revolutioN 

15 tcm coRnER 

raiNy taiwaN 

16 coFFEE coRnER 

toPo CaFé 

17 dininG 

Jodie’s kitCheN 

10 

18 photoGRAphY 

markets 

19 Ask Bin 

Flea markets 

20 EnviRonmEnt 

the other side oF the CoiN 

hEAlth 

womeN aNd CardiovasCular disease 

22 EdUcAtion 

aN overview For exPat Families 

24 EdUcAtion 

loCal sChool studeNt PersPeCtive 

25 chARitY 

make-a-wish FouNdatioN 

26 BUsinEss in tAiwAn 

the tv CheF iNdiCator 

27 EvEnts At thE cEntER 

28 chinEsE kitchEn 

taiwaNese desserts aNd sweets 

29 csc BUsinEss clAssiFiEd 

covER imAGE: 

kAtYA iliEvA-stonE 

19 

25 28 

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

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

Tel: 02-2836-8134, fax: 02-2835-2530, e-mail: coteditor@communitycenter.org.tw 

Correspondence may be sent to the editor at coteditor@communitycenter.org. 

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 2013. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be 

reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner. 

www.communitycenter.org.tw FEBRUARY 2013 

3

4 FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw

LEttER FRom thE EDitoRS 

Publisher: Community Services Center, Taipei 

Editor: Kari Schiro 

Co-editor: Richard Saunders 

Advertising manager: Paula Lee 

tel: 0926-956-844 

Fax: 02-2835-2530 

email: paulalee@communitycenter.org.tw 

Writing and Photography 

Contributors: Leat Ahrony 

Katrina Brown 

Ivy Chen 

Sarah Chen Lin 

Aly Cooper 

Wendy Evans 

Craig Ferguson 

Peter Guérin 

Monica Hess 

Bin Huang 

Brandon Huang 

Serina Huang 

Ting Ting Huang 

Community Services 

Center Editorial Panel: 

Printed by: 

Siew Kang, Fred Voigtmann 

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.communitycenter.org.tw 

Director: Adam McMillan 

office manager: Grace Ting 

Counselors: Suzan Babcock, Maaike Berteele, I-Wen Chan, 

Fawn Chang, Katherine Chang, Jung Chin, Wendy 

Evans, Cerita Hsu, Perry Malcolm, Eva Salazar-Liu, 

Ming-I Sun, Cynthia Teeters 

newcomer orientation Consultant: Amy Liu 

Accountant: Monica Cheng 

Communications: Kari Schiro 

Programs Coordinator: Rosemary Susa 

Events Coordinator: Bianca Russell 

Chinese teacher: Gloria Gwo 

volunteers: 

Premier Sponsors: 

Katya Ilieva-Stone 

Natalie Köhle 

Amy Liu 

John McQuade 

Steven Parker 

Shaun Ramsden 

Michael Russell 

Richard Saunders 

Rosemary Susa 

Karen Wang 

Tina Yuan 

Nancy Achorn, Alison Bai, Wen Finamore, 

Shana Garcia, John McQuade, Bunny Pacheco, 

Gloria Peng, Ruth Reynolds, Amanda Savage, 

Desta Selassie, Emmy Shih, Michelle Smith, 

Anita Town 

3M Taiwan 

Bai Win Antiques 

BP Taiwan Ltd. 

Breitling 

China American Petrochemical 

Concordia Consulting 

Costco Wholesale Taiwan 

Crown Worldwide Movers Ltd. 

Four Star Int’l 

Grand Hyatt Hotel, Taipei 

HSBC 

ICRT 

Metacity Development Corp 

ProQC 

San Fu Gas Co. Ltd. 

Smerwick Ltd 

Songfu Li 

Standard Chartered Bank 

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. 

communitycenter.org.tw and drop by the Center to chat with us about our programs. 

You can also email us at csc@communitycenter.org.tw. 

Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote that "Sorry 

seems to be the hardest word" - respectfully, Mr. 

John and Mr. Taupin, I will have to disagree. 

Goodbye is, at least in my experience, a far harder 

word. Unfortunately, it is a word we're all too 

familiar with when we live in such a transient 

community, and finally it is my turn to be the one saying it. It has 

been a true honor to work at the Center and be responsible for 

this fine magazine for 2012. Although I am loathed to let such an 

amazing job go, I know I am leaving it in excellent hands with 

Kari at the helm and the rest of the team still in place. I hope 

2013 and the Year of the Snake brings you all peace, happiness 

and good health. Until we meet again! 

Kath 

Indulge me for a moment while I talk shoes. 

Big shoes (figuratively speaking). Fabulous shoes. 

Remarkably well-stewarded shoes left neatly at this 

magazine’s helm, waiting to be filled. I won’t say it 

isn’t daunting, but, never one to resist a new pair 

of kicks, I am delighted to have the opportunity 

to try them on for size. Which is all to say, I am so honored to 

follow in Kath’s capable footsteps as Editor of this wonderful 

publication. So with polish at the ready and a hop in my step... 

Onward to the issue at hand! This month Katya Ilieva-Stone 

takes us to Lukang to meet a master lantern artist, while Richard 

Saunders encourages us to consider the environmental impact of 

the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. Center counselor Wendy Evans 

talks about setting achievable New Year’s resolutions, and Dr. 

Peter Guérin stresses the importance of a healthy lifestyle in his 

article about women and cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile 

Katrina Brown lays the groundwork for a new series about 

education in Taiwan, and Leat Ahrony offers her perspective on 

local schooling. In another set of complementary articles, Craig 

Ferguson gives tips for photographing markets, while Bin Huang 

and Natalie Köhle help us navigate through Taipei’s flea markets. 

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Go ahead, flip through the 

pages and see for yourself! 

As always, we welcome your contributions — both written 

and photographic — and feedback. Whether you have an 

article idea, a beautiful photograph to share, or a hankering 

to write but no topic in mind, drop me a line at coteditor@ 

communitycenter.org.tw. I look forward to hearing from you! 

Wishing you all a festive and auspicious Chinese Lunar New 

Year! 

Kari 

Richard Saunders 

Co-editor 

Paula Lee 

Advertising Manager 

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) 


5

RICHARD 

ReCommenDs 

riChard sauNders 

The Lunar New Year holiday knocks a huge chunk out of 

an already short month, so there’s only a limited number 

of offerings at the National CKS Cultural Center in 

February. Apart from the self-recommending Cloud 

Gate performances, the event that most catches the eye is the 

recital given on February 28th of French chamber music, with 

two marvelous works: Poulenc’s vivacious Sextet for piano and 

wind, and Chausson’s glorious Concert for violin, piano and 

string quartet. Filling out the program are a pair of very different 

piano pieces: Faure’s darkly expressive first Nocturne and Cesar 

Franck’s majestic Prelude, Choral and Fugue. 

We have to wait until March 17th for the next in the NSO’s 

series exploring French and Slavic music, which will feature a 

rare chance in Taiwan to hear Prokofiev’s marvelously barbaric 

Scythian Suite (one of my very earliest classical music faves), but 

meanwhile let me fill the rest of my ramblings this month with a 

wish list of several favorite French and Slavic orchestral works, 

with the earnest hope that programmers might one day present 

one or two of them here, in Taiwan. 

Albert Roussel has long been (and to an extent still is) 

among the most underrated French composers of the last 

century, so the recent upsurge in recordings of his music on CD 

is extremely welcome. Unfortunately this glut of great recordings 

has yet to translate into increased performances (in Taiwan at 

least). The second suite from the popular ballet Bacchus and 

Ariadne received a performance last year, but there’s been no 

sign of Roussel’s other ‘popular’ classic, the Third Symphony, 

which has more than once been proclaimed one of the finest 

symphonies from the last century. If that inspired combination 

of exhilarating rhythmic punch and lyrical inspiration is a 

bit too ascetic for audiences, the dainty Festin de l’araignée 

(usually translated – a bit off-puttingly – as “the Spider’s 

Banquet”) would certainly be a hit. Most of Roussel’s piano and 

chamber music is something of an acquired taste, but the perky 

Divertimento for wind quintet and piano is a winner, and his 

suite for chamber ensemble Le Marchand de Sable Qui Passe 

(“The Sandman, He Passes”; Roussel had a thing for slightly 

kooky titles) is the very definition of Gallic charm. 

There are more unjustly neglected composers than you can 

shake a conductor’s baton at, but another who immediately 

springs to mind as utterly undeserving of his continued 

absence in the concert hall is the Russian Alexander Glazunov. 

Thankfully the days when his eight symphonies were considered 

half-baked Tchaikovsky clones are long gone, but performances 

are still basically nonexistent in Taiwan – any of the final five 

could easily take the place of Dvorak’s over-played New World 

or T chaikovsky’s (admittedly heart-breaking) Pathetique; 

one of his two piano concertos (with their meltingly beautiful 

slow movements) could substitute for the Rachmaninov or 

Tchaikovsky war horses on occasion, and the fantastic ballet 

The Seasons should, in a fair world, be played as often as Swan 

Lake or the Nutcracker. 

So CKS, how about making a belated New Year Resolution 

to trim down the repetitions of Rach Three and Dvorak Nine, 

and schedule some of the countless eminently worthy but 

unjustly neglected composers’ works instead. Please 

National theater & Concert hall 

FEBRUARY 2013 

NATIONAL THEATER 

Barak Marshall Dance Theatre: 

Rooster 

American/Israeli choreographer 

Barak Marshall’s second work 

February 15-17 

Songs of the Wanderers 

Cloud Gate Dance Theater’s 

signature piece, performed with live 

music 

February 21-23 

Der Spieler (The Gambler) 

Dostoyevsky’s masterpiece 

(performed mostly in German, with 

Chinese subtitles) 

February 28-march 3 

RR: Richard Recommends 

NATIONAL CONCERT HALL 

Salamandrum and NSO: 

Voyages 

The Israeli percussion duo, 

accompanied by the National 

Symphony Orchestra 

February 23 

Philipe Bernold Flute Recital 

Works by Chopin, Prokofiev, Bizet 

and Enescu 

February 25 

Salon for Virtuosi 

Chamber music by Franck, 

Poulenc, Faure and Chausson 

February 28 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. 

TICKETING OFFICES: • NTCH: (02) 3393 9888 

• ERA: (02) 2709 3788 

6 

FEBRUARY 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw

Amy's 

ulturaal 

Corner 

台 

灣 

Naming the Baby: 

choosing a chinese name is an Art 

How do Taiwanese parents go about giving their baby a 

name 

Influenced by Western practices, over the last fifteen 

years or so many Taiwanese parents have started giving 

their baby an English name in addition to their Chinese 

one. While the English name is often chosen before 

the baby is born, Taiwanese parents spend a long time 

choosing their child’s Chinese name, because it is believed 

that it will determine his or her future and destiny. 

I became an ‘official’ auntie in 2006 and have seen firsthand 

the time and effort that goes into coming up with a 

Chinese name for my little niece, Lisa. 

While a small group of people in Taiwan have just two 

characters in their name, a typical Chinese name consists 

of three, the first character being the family name and 

the next two characters being the given name. In Taiwan, 

one character of the given name can represent the child’s 

generation within the family. For example, my Chinese 

name is Liu, Chien-ju ( 劉情如 ): ‘Liu’ being my family 

name and ‘Chien-ju’ being my given name. My younger 

sister and my female cousins from my father’s side of 

the family all have ‘ju’ ( 如 ) as the third character in their 

names. So if you run into a ‘Liu’ with a given name of ‘ju’ 

as the third character in their name, you could be meeting 

a girl cousin of mine! On the other hand, all the boy 

cousins of mine in the Liu family have the character of ‘si’ 

( 思 ) as the second character in their name. This tradition, 

however, is followed more loosely by the parents of the 

current generation as it is becoming increasingly difficult 

to cross-check with relatives and to agree upon a pleasing 

character that satisfies all parties. 

When naming a child, parents have to take into 

consideration the newborn baby’s Eight Characters ( 八字 , ba 

zi), four pairs of numbers representing the year, month, day, 

and hour of birth, and also the basic Five Principal Elements 

( 五行 , wu xing): metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. 

Another factor to take into account is the total number 

of strokes in a name, because this also has a lot to do with 

the baby’s fate. Finally the characters also have to sound 

good together. 

Traditionally a nickname (now commonly an English 

name) is used until the family comes up with a formal 

Chinese name, which is customarily created by the 

grandfather but now more often is given by the parents, 

sometimes with the guidance of a fortune-teller. As you 

can see, it’s quite a task to come up with two desirable 

characters for a baby’s given name, matching the time the 

baby was born and the Five Principal Elements, generation 

order, and the strokes. And most importantly, it has to 

sound beautiful as well! 

Courses at The Center 

Activity First Meeting Date # of Sessions Instructor Time Meet @ 

Delicious Dumplings Feb 1 1 Ivy Chen 10:00am-12noon The Center 

Celebrating Chinese New Year: Di Hua Street Tour Feb 5 1 Ivy Chen and 9:45am-12noon Shuanglian MRT Sta. Exit 2 

Rosemary Susa 

Longshan Temple, Bopiliao and Wanhua Herb Street Tour Feb 20 1 Jennifer Tong 9:30am-12noon Longshan Temple MRT Sta. Exit 1 

Ecologically Grown: Farm Tour and Vegetarian Lunch Feb 22 1 Ivy Chen 9:00am-3:00pm Corner of Zhongshan N. Rd., 

Sec. 6 and Lane 290 

“The Shi Dong and Local Market Tour” or Feb 26 1 Ivy Chen 9:00am-12noon The Center 

“What Is That Vegetable and How Do I Cook It“ 

Fostering Your Young Child's Future Success Feb 26 1 Ralph Whalen 4:00pm-5:30pm The Center 

Self-Defense for Boys: Boys Empowered Mar 4 6 Antoine Farès 4:00pm-5:00pm The Farès Academy Dojo 

Exploring Scenic Wulai: Hike and Tour Mar 5 1 Richard Saunders 8:30am-3:00pm Corner of Zhongshan N. Rd., 

Sec. 6 and Lane 290 

Decorative Fruit and Vegetable Carving Mar 5 3 Sally Duh Chu 12:15pm-2:15pm The Center 

Taipei Hospital Tour Mar 6 1 Juchi Tang-Liu 9:30am-1:00pm The Center 

Self-Defense for Women and Girls Mar 8 6 Antoine Farès 4:00pm-5:00pm The Farès Academy Dojo 

Taiwanese Please Mar 9 1 Ivy Chen 10:00am-1:00pm The Center 


7

GALLERY 

February 2013 

The Center's 

Favorite Finds 

TEXT: MONICA HESS 

anne wu’s elegant Bag hangers 

Have you experienced the awkward situation of determining 

where to place your handbag when you’re dining at a 

restaurant Did you leave your purse on the ground Hang 

it on the back of your chair Or just put it on your lap Anne 

Wu’s purse hangers will solve your problem. Come to The 

Center and check out these beautiful hangers decorated with 

crystals. They’re fashionable accessories and make great 

gifts for friends. 

From idea to launch in 54 hours! 

If you've ever had an idea for a device (hardware) or an 

app (software) but didn't know where to go for help in 

turning your dream into reality, check out a cool local 

event: "Startup Weekend." A local entrepreneur is using 

his experience and vast business contact network to put 

together an exciting weekend event designed to take 

seed projects through all phases of product creation, 

from design to pitching to a panel of venture capitalists. 

Startup Weekend is a 54-hour startup event that 

provides the networking, resources and incentives 

for individuals and teams to go from idea to launch. 

Get connected with local developers, innovators, and 

entrepreneurs. Build community. Start companies. No 

talk. All action. 

Jewelry by Primrose vilakati 

On the sideboard display in the Gallery this month is a 

collection of jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets and 

earrings made from precious stone beads, pearls and 

silver. The pieces come in multi-cultural styles, with Chinese 

knotting and elegant metal chain, which create both an Asian 

and a Western feel to the jewelry. To ensure satisfaction with 

the jewelry, personalized designs and length alterations can 

be made. 

tian tung gallery 

This month the Gallery features the 

wonderful artwork of Huan Yuan 

Chen and other artists from Tien Tung 

Art Gallery. Priced between NT$700 

and NT$1,800, these beautiful 

scroll paintings make great gifts or 

an excellent addition to your home 

decor. Tien Tung also accepts custom 

orders. 

A percentage of all proceeds of items sold at the Gallery goes 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. 

Recently I attended a startup weekend in Xindian to 

gain insight into the entire process and was amazed 

at how much fun it was. All aspects of the event were 

well-planned, from the Friday night keynote talks to the 

final day of presentations. Here's how it went: anyone 

with an idea could bring it to this event. Each idea was 

presented to the entire group, and we voted on our 

three favorite ideas; the top thirteen ideas were selected 

and we each chose a team to join. Then the work ... er, 

fun began! The design folks on the team solidified their 

design, the writer (me) worked on a presentation, and 

the engineers worked on both the front (user interface) 

and back end (making the product work). Once we 

had a working prototype, we had to do user testing 

and get ready to present our idea to a panel of venture 

capitalists. We worked from early morning until late into 

the evening both Saturday and Sunday. I really enjoyed 

meeting my team and working with them to bring an 

idea to life. We weren't one of the three teams who got 

funded, but we had such a good time working together. 

Other highlights included meeting mentors from various 

industry segments and trying out a 3D printer. I highly 

encourage anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit to 

consider attending a Startup Weekend. 

For more information, visit http://startupweekend.org/. 


OFF THE BEATEN TRACK 

RICHARD SAUNDERS EXPLORES TAIWAN'S LESS-TRODDEN PATHS 

An Environmentally Friendly Visit to Pingxi 

With Lantern Festival approaching once 

again (on February 24th), roads and temple 

courtyards in Taipei will once again be 

magically transformed after dark by masses 

of colorful lights, Yuanshan and Fine Arts Parks (site of 

this year’s Taipei Lantern Festival) will be packed to the 

gills, and the truly brave (or perhaps more foolhardy, 

myself included) will be heading down to Tainan for 

the screamingly intense festivities at Yanshui Beehive 

Fireworks Festival. 

Countless others will be heading an hour east of 

Taipei for Taiwan’s other famous Lantern Festival event, 

the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival. Before joining them 

though, spare a thought for this outstandingly beautiful 

little corner of the island and the enormous ongoing 

environmental damage being visited on it by the immense 

and unfortunate popularity enjoyed by a traditional 

custom-turned-tourist fad. Those meter-round lanterns of 

paper and wire were once let off only during the Lantern 

Festival and on sunny summer weekends but now ascend 

into the skies in large numbers most days of the year. They 

have to land somewhere, with the result that the beautiful 

wooded mountains around the village are liberally 

dotted with the ugly, brightly colored remains of untold 

thousands of abandoned lanterns. Take a walk along any 

trail in the area, and their broken remains, hanging from 

trees, punctuate the walk, while far vaster numbers lie out 

of sight, far from any trail. The paper will probably break 

down in a few decades; the wire frame will take much 

longer; meanwhile they’re an ugly eyesore, a hazard to 

wild animals and birds living in the forest, and every year 

their numbers are increasing exponentially. 

Instead of contributing to the destruction of this 

wonderful area, consider visiting a couple of the many 

other interesting cultural, historic and natural attractions 

nearby. At the edge of the village the unusual Guanyin 

Yan Temple is built into a tunnel bored straight through 

the little ridge. More man-made caves carved into the 

sandstone rock face near the temple were once air-raid 

shelters for residents sheltering from allied air raids during 

WWII. The alarm was raised with a large bell mounted in 

a small tower on the hill above, which can still be seen. 

A kilometer to the east of Pingxi lies the tiny hamlet of 

Lingjiao, whose attractive main drag is a far less touristy 

copy of the narrow streets of Pingxi. Just below the village 

the Keelung River drops over Lingjiao Waterfall, one of 

the widest in Taiwan, which makes an imposing spectacle 

after heavy rain, while in the hills forty minutes’ walk 

away lies another unusual temple, the Guanyin Dripping 

Water Cave, a large overhang featuring a chalky white 

stalagmite that bears a resemblance to the Goddess of 

Mercy. And that’s just for starters! Hikers will find some 

of the most scenic hiking in the entire Taipei area nearby, 

with a selection of wonderful hikes of varying difficulty to 

choose from. 

The Pingxi area has a great deal to offer apart from its 

famed sky lanterns, and by exploring some of these less 

touted attractions (and maybe having lunch or a snack 

in one of the traditional eateries in the village), you’ll be 

supporting the local economy without harming the local 

environment! 

More information on the Pingxi area can be found on 

Richard’s blog, Off the Beaten Track at 

http://taiwandiscovery.wordpress.com/ 

Richard Saunders is a trained classical musician and writer who has lived in Taipei since 

1993. He has written several books (available at The Center and in bookshops around Taipei), 

including Yangmingshan: the Guide (a complete guide to the National Park on Taipei’s doorstep) 

and Taipei Escapes I and 2, which together detail sixty day trips and hikes within easy reach of 

Taipei city. A fourth book, a guide to Taiwan’s offshore islands, is due out in April 2013. 


9

cover story 

Lukang: Temples, Lanterns 

and Master Artists 

TexT & Images: KaTya IlIeva-sTone 

While visiting a street 

fair a few months ago, 

some of the friendliest 

artists were the ones 

from the town of Lukang ( 鹿港 ). 

They spoke warmly of their city, 

told me about their work, and gave 

me a Lukang Folk Art and Craft 

Guide pointing out about eighty 

artisan stores. Since I am very much 

interested in local art, it wasn’t too 

long before I headed to the second 

oldest city in Taiwan, whose name 

dates back to Dutch colonial times 

and means “deer harbor.” 

Located about 40 kilometers 

from Taichung and about a 2.5- 

hour drive from Taipei, Lukang 

can be visited as either a day trip 

or on an overnight visit (in which 

case I would recommend staying in 

Taichung, which has better hotels). 

Another option is to take the train to 

Taichung or Changhua and then hop 

on a bus from there. Pay-by-the-hour 

and free parking areas are available 

but not always easy to find because 

of the confusing signs. We parked 

beside the road and our car was still 

safely there when we returned. 

The brochure I obtained at the fair 

said that six of Taiwan’s thirty-six 

National Heritage Award Winners 

live in Lukang, but it turned out that 

most of these artists are too old to 

continue their work and their shops 

are long closed. But our trip was 

by no means futile because we met 

and talked to the most renowned 

traditional Chinese lantern artist: Wu 

Dun-hou ( 吳敦厚 ). 

Even though he was taking a 

nap when we arrived at his store, 

Master Wu heard us talking to the 

shopkeeper and came out of his 

room, all smiles, and eager to talk 

and have his photo taken with us. 

Since he is too old, he has stopped 

painting, but his son continues the 

10 february 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw

trade. The Lunar New Year is the 

busiest time for the lantern shops, 

and Master Wu’s shop has been 

busy for months fulfilling orders 

from customers, so nothing was 

available for sale. I was not going to 

go back home lantern-less, though 

– another shop a few meters down 

on the opposite side of the street 

had hundreds of colorful lanterns 

to choose from. Meanwhile Master 

Wu’s lanterns can be admired in Xing 

Kong Mitsukoshi – a number of his 

creations are on display on the 1st 

floor in all stores of the chain. 

If meeting Master Wu is not 

enough reason to make you head 

to Lukang, two beautiful temples 

might entice you there – Longshan 

and Matsu (or Tianhou) Temples. 

Longshan is the first Buddhist 

temple in Taiwan, and it impresses 

with its subdued and toned-down 

architecture and truly spectacular 

wood carved ceilings. The courtyard 

is large and quiet, and you can sit 

for hours in one of the comfortable 

chairs, undisturbed by anyone. At the 

opposite end of Zhongshan Road, 

the town’s main street, is the bright, 

colorful Tianhou Temple, dedicated 

to the goddess of the sea, Matsu. 

Every year on the 23rd day of the 

3rd lunar month (usually in April), 

about a million pilgrims come here 

to celebrate Matsu’s birthday. The 

temple was decorated with hundreds 

of red lanterns – a feast for both our 

eyes and cameras. 

Lukang Old Street was also very 

pleasant, but (maybe because it was 

Monday) most of the shops were 

closed. The town also has a Folk 

Arts Museum, and although we did 

not have time to see it, the perfectly 

preserved Japanese colonial era 

building looked rather spectacular in 

the photos we saw. 

Lukang’s old master craftsmen 

may be mostly retired these days, but 

its cultural and historical significance 

is still very much active, and this 

makes it well worth a visit. 

Katya Ilieva-Stone 

has been in Taipei 

since July 2010, 

working for the 

American Institute 

in Taiwan. She is a 

for m e r jour n ali st 

who was born in 

Bulgaria, and has also lived in Nepal, 

the Ukraine and Afghanistan. 


11

coMMUNIty 

second Annual vex 

Championship at taipei 

American school 

TEXT: MICHAEL RuSSELL, COMMuNICATIONS/SPECIAL PROJECTS 

IMAGE: TAS 

On November 9th and 10th, Taipei American 

School again had the honor and pleasure of 

hosting an international robotics competition 

on campus. The second annual Formosa VEX 

Championship showcased student ingenuity, analytical 

thinking, technical abilities, and teamwork. Teams from 

Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines joined ten TAS upper 

school teams and two TAS middle school teams for the 

competition. 

The event was one of more than two hundred global 

qualifying tournaments in the VEX Robotics Competition, 

which culminates in a World Championship event in 

April 2013 in Anaheim, California. Last year, a TAS team 

won the first Formosa VEX Competition held on campus 

and continued on to a strong performance at the World 

Championship. 

This year’s VEX challenge is called Sack Attack and 

requires students to design, construct, program, and operate 

robots for a game in which competing robots collect, move, 

and score colored sacks, both under student control and 

autonomously. 

For two days, the lower gym was transformed into a 

buzzing beehive of robotics activity. Crowds swarmed around 

12 ft. X 12 ft. arenas and climbed bleachers to get the best 

views of up to four robots jousting, scooping, and scoring 

the sacks. Teams and advisors huddled at workstations 

around the gym to make last-minute adjustments to their 

robots. The action was shown on big screens set up in the 

gym, and competitors kept close tabs on their results on 

the scoreboards. TAS faculty referees and student score and 

timekeepers oversaw the action and kept everything moving 

smoothly. 

The winner of this year’s Excellence Award, earning a trip 

to the next round of the global tournament, was the TAS 

H.a.X.X.O.R team. Many robotics, science, and IT teachers 

at TAS provided excellent guidance and organization to 

ensure a fun and stimulating event for competitors and the 

many fans who came to watch. 

12 

novEmBER 2012 www.communitycenter.org.tw

Orphanage Club 

PaCk & mail, raFFle PriZe workdays 

Saturday February 2nd 

Every Chinese New Year, the TAS Orphanage Club prepares 

Chinese New Year food parcels and other necessities such as 

toiletries and school supplies for some of the poorest families in 

Taiwan. Prior to the workday, members will shop at Carrefour 

and Dihua Street for food items such as soy sauce, canned food 

and noodles. During the workday, members will be packaging 

these items into large boxes, which will then be mailed on 

February 4th. In addition, there will be a raffle prize workday in 

which the wonderful raffle prizes are organized and prepared for 

the annual raffle draw. 

ChiNese New year / valeNtiNe’s day sale 

Tuesday February 5th and Wednesday February 6th 

This two-day Hallmark sale will be a wonderful opportunity 

to buy beautiful Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day cards 

and other gift items. As usual, there will also be a sweatshirt sale 

where we will be selling a wide variety of traditional and new 

TAS sweatshirts and T-shirts. The sale will take place in the FDR 

hallway the entire day. All profits will be donated to the Puli 

Christian Hospital to help aboriginal children. 

Book sale doNatioNs 

For our annual Book Sale, which will be held at TAS on 

March 16th, we are looking for members of the community 

who are interested in donating their books for charity. Book 

donations can range from children’s books to fiction novels 

t 

TEXT: TINA YuAN AND BRANDON HuANG 

to nonfiction books to magazines and more. We welcome all 

donations! 

2013 aNNual raFFle draw 

Thursday February 21st 

The Orphanage Club will hold its annual and much-anticipated 

raffle draw, which is the club’s largest fundraising event. For the 

past few months, Orphanage Club members have been selling 

raffle tickets for NT$100 for a book of six tickets or NT$20 

per ticket. The raffle draw will take place in front of the TAS 

lobby where members of the TAS community will randomly 

draw raffle tickets. Winners will be announced on February 25th 

on the Orphanage Club website under “Raffle Prize Winners.” 

All winners will also be posted on bulletin boards in the school 

lobby. There will be hundreds of prizes available, ranging from 

coupons to gift items to hotel stays. Winners are welcome to 

claim their prizes outside the lobby on the day of the draw, the 

following day, or during our Book Sale (March 16th). Good luck! 

Cathwel outiNg 

Saturday February 23rd 

This school year’s fourth Cathwel outing will take place on 

February 23rd, and boys between the ages of six and twenty will 

be paired with an Orphanage Club big brother or big sister for 

the entire day. Activities will involve playing sports and games, 

although exact plans are still being made. As always, we need 

any adult volunteering chaperones! If you are interested, feel free 

to email us at tas.orphanageclub@gmail.com. 

charIty 

Please visit our website at www.orphanageclub.com 

All inquiries can be directed to tas.orphanageclub@gmail.com or to our sponsor Mr. Arnold at arnoldr@tas.edu.tw 

Just a few of the things that are going on around Taipei this month... 

National museum of history 

Until May 12th 

h 

A Special Exhibition – The Divine 

Michelangelo 

One of the three masters of the Italian 

Renaissance 

1F Rooms 101, 102 & 103 

http://www.nmh.gov.tw/en-us 

49 Nanhai Road 

National taiwan museum 

Until April 21st 

Death is Just Another Beginning: Legend 

of the Taiwanese Mummy: Ko Hsiang 

Gallery: G101 

http://formosa.ntm.gov.tw/web/en 

2 Siangyang Road 

National Palace museum 

Until March 25th 

The Art and Aesthetics of Form: 

Selections from the History of Chinese 

Painting 

Gallery: 210 


The Beauty of Palace-Covering Flowers: 

Zhao Chang’s “Picture for the New 

Year” 

Gallery: 208 

http://www.npm.gov.tw 

221 Zhishan Road, Section 2 

the red room 

On the 3rd Saturday of every month 

from 6:30 – 10:30 pm 

http://www.redroom.com.tw/ 

2F, 117 Da-an Road, Section 1 

taipei Fine arts museum 


2012 Taipei Arts Awards 

Gallery: Basement 

http://www.tfam.museum/ 

181 Zhongshan North Road, Section 3 

museum of Contemporary art (moCa) 

Until March 3rd 

Warm Up and Soar Beyond: Solo 

Exhibition by Jenny Zhe Chang 

A Chinese artist living in Australia 

transforming and integrating reality 

www.mocataipei.org.tw 

39 Changan West Road 

National dr. sun yat-sen memorial hall 

Until February 17th 

Beyond Being There: Solo Exhibition 

Su-Hsia Hsu 

Venue: 1F, Yat-sen Art Center 

http://www.yatsen.gov.tw/en/ 

505 Renai Road, Section 4 

taipei story house 

Until April 7th 

The Taiwan Story of Sweets: An 

Exhibition 

http://www.storyhouse.com.tw/main/ 

uploads/storyhouse/html/opening/ 

181-1 Zhongshan North Road, Section 3 

sPot taipei – Film house 

Daily: Noon to Midnight, six showings 

Avant Garde Cross Cutural Films 

In the former residence of the USA 

ambassador 

http://www.spot.org.tw/index_e.htm 

18 Zhongshan North Road, Section 2 


13

oUtlook 

make a new Year’s 

Revolution 

TEXT: WENDY EVANS 

Are you among the millions 

of people who started the 

New Year with a resolution 

to lose weight, eat healthy, 

or start exercising Maybe you’re 

also among the millions w ho, 

after just one month, already feel 

doomed. You may be saying: “What 

happened Why can’t I do this I’m 

such a failure!” 

Instead of bashing yourself, take a 

few minutes to consider two common 

New Year’s resolution mistakes: 

unrealistic goals and an “all or 

nothing” mentality. 

uNrealistiC goals 

W h e n e v e r w e s e t g o a l s, i t’s 

important to make sure that they’re 

realistic and achievable. Too often 

people set goals that are extreme. 

Sometimes this is done to punish 

themselves for perceived failures. 

When setting goals for exercise, 

rather than planning rashly, think 

through the time and place you’ll 

w o r k o u t a n d p u t i t i n t o y o u r 

calendar as an appointment. If it’s 

going to be in the morning, make 

sure you can get to bed early enough 

to help you meet your goal. 

Perhaps you are among those who 

keep resolving to exercise five to 

seven times a week but find yourself 

failing year after year. Rather than 

beating yourself up over this, change 

your goal to exercising two to 

three times a week. Recognize that 

exercising just a couple of times a 

week is a great accomplishment – one 

that most people never achieve. 

all or NothiNg meNtality 

People often set out with the goal 

of “all” but end up with nothing. 

What went wrong As Voltaire 

said, “The best is the enemy of the 

good.” We rarely attain perfection 

i n a n y t h i n g, e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e 

challenging areas of our lives. Yet 

many people settle for nothing less 

than perfection with eating and 

exercise goals. When they miss this 

target, which is almost inevitable, 

they call themselves a failure. This 

kind of message makes it even harder 

for us to form habits of regular 

exercise and healthy eating. 

The dieter may decide that he or 

she is going to totally avoid certain 

favorite foods. Yet, if we completely 

bar ourselves from special treats, 

we begin to feel deprived, thinking 

that we are missing out on what 

we really want. In fact, this total 

deprivation may increase our desire 

all the more. With this approach, 

people may be able to go for a long 

time avoiding what they long for. 

However, there comes a moment 

when they may indulge. At that 

point, they may think, “I’ve failed! 

But it tastes sooo good! Since I’ll 

never let myself be ‘bad’ like this 

again, I may as well indulge now!” 

These messages contribute to the 

infamous “yo-yo” dieting. 

Rather than setting all-or-nothing 

goals with our eating, we can be 

more successful by making a goal to 

limit (rather than avoid) our intake 

of certain foods. Clients sometimes 

tell me they “can’t” have certain 

foods because they “always” over-eat 

them. They truly believe they’re 

not able to eat certain foods in 

moderation. Holding onto beliefs 

that one “can’t” eat certain foods can 

predispose him or her to a vicious 

cycle of deprivation and indulgence. 

This experience often leads to a 

“love-hate relationship” with certain 

foods. They love the food and how 

it tastes when they’re eating it but 

hate their overindulgence and the 

out-of-control feeling. 

Now that we’ve seen two common 

mistakes in setting eating and 

exercise goals, let’s explore ways we 

can support our good intentions: 

1) healthy eating and exercise as 

a means of self-care, 2) creating 

an environment of supportive 

relationships, and 3) counseling. 

selF-Care 

Over the years I’ve worked with 

hundreds of individuals whose 

approach to healthy eating or 

exercise is viewed as punishment. 

However, in reality, given the shortand 

long-term benefits, eating 

healthy foods and getting our bodies 

more physically fit should be viewed 

as reward, not punishment. 

Having a punishment perspective 

about eating healthy and exercising 

i s l i k e l y t h e r e s u l t o f s e t t i n g 

overly harsh goals, which may be 

punishments in themselves. Rather 

than setting goals that eliminate 

foods that you really enjoy, stop 

naming them “bad foods” and call 

them “fun foods” instead. Fun 

foods can be enjoyed as part of 

your regular eating plan. Instead 

of viewing exercise as punishment, 

think of it as an investment in your 

health and longevity. 

suPPortive relatioNshiPs 

We help ourselves achieve our 

goals when we surround ourselves 

with people who encourage and 

support us in our efforts. Changing 

habits takes lots of mental and 

emotional energy, and making these 

changes on our own can be a difficult 

and lonely journey. While one log 

will burn out and die when removed 

from a campfire, many logs will 

keep the fire going. In the same way, 

while trying to change habits, if we 

go it alone we are likely to burn out 

14 


and give up, so enlist some help. For 

example, to help yourself succeed in 

fitness, recruit a friend to exercise 

along with you. Accountability to 

another person can be a powerful 

way to help us reach our goals. The 

enjoyment we get from being with 

a friend can make up for the mixed 

feelings we may have about exercise. 

Support can come from family, 

friends, or an organized group. 

M a n y p e o p l e s t r u g g l i n g w i t h 

overeating have been helped through 

groups like Overeaters Anonymous 

(see below for information on an OA 

support group here in Taipei). 

COUNSELING 

Eating can be a complex event. 

Although it’s a simple act we do 

every day to survive, it’s also an 

involved behavior that gets entwined 

with our habits and emotions. For 

example, many people react to 

emotional pain by overeating, while 

never realizing why they find it 

hard to control themselves. If you 

think this might be true for you, 

please reach out for help by calling 

or emailing The Center to schedule 

an appointment with one of our 

counselors. 

FROM RESOLUTION TO 

REVOLUTION 

In this new year, set attainable 

goals that can be celebrated along 

the way. Recruit someone to take 

the journey with you. Once you’ve 

reached your initial goal, you 

An Overeaters Anonymous (OA) group will be starting in the Tianmu 

area after Chinese New Year on Sunday evenings. For more 

information contact: TaipeiOA@gmail.com 

can always decide to increase the 

challenge if you choose. Instead 

of letting this be another year of 

failed goals, follow what you’ve 

just read and make a New Year’s 

REVOLUTION! 

Wendy Evans 

is a Master’s 

level Certified 

Counselor as well 

as a Registered 

Dietitian with more 

than twenty years 

of experience in 

working with weight management 

and eating disorders. In addition 

to working with these issues, she 

offers help to people struggling 

with various issues including 

relationships, depression, anxiety, 

parenting, substance abuse, and 

cross-cultural adjustment. 

Rainy Taiwan 

TexT: Shaun RamSden 

As I sit at my desk I can't help but notice how the 

paper I'm writing on is so soft it's nearly like a 

serviette. With fourteen days of continuous rain, 

the water content in the air is remarkably high. 

The excessively wet weather combined with the sweettasting 

food of Taiwan brings people into my clinic again 

and again with the same symptoms. 

The body’s balance between moisture and dryness 

is governed by the spleen and lung systems. Taiwan’s 

humidity is unavoidable and it is only through a correct 

diet and lifestyle that one can regulate the spleen and 

lungs to avoid discomfort. 

Wetness generally originates in the spleen due to 

excessive consumption of oily, sweet, rich foods. The 

phlegm it creates is pushed up and stored in the lungs. 

The humid air will make the lungs overly moist and 

it is this moisture that will run down into the spleen. 

Each system affects the other. This wet accumulation 

can spread into different organ systems, giving rise to 

various uncomfortable symptoms. When the spleen 

is wet, then there is commonly a bloated stomach, 

occasionally with pain and/or nausea, after eating. When 

dampness is in the lungs, there is excessive phlegm at the 

back of the throat. When the moisture affects the heart, 

there is chest stuffiness, possibly pain, and dizziness. 

When the wetness goes into the intestines, there is 

diarrhea; when in the kidneys, there is lower back pain 

and rice-coloured urination. 

Treating the dampness depends on which system is 

disturbed: 

Spleen: barley 薏苡仁 

Lungs: ginger 生姜 

Heart: cinnamon twigs 桂枝 Kidneys: poria 茯苓 

Intestines: cardamom 砂仁 

However, no matter what organ is affected, you must not 

eat too much sweet, oily, rich, or strong-tasting food. 

The wetness can become complicated when it is 

combined with wind, cold, or heat. Wet combined with 

heat – as during Taiwan's summer – tends to cause 

different skin problems such as eczema and pimples, but 

a combination of wet and cold – for instance during the 

Taiwanese winter – easily causes arthritis or bone and 

joint pains. The first step to protect yourself from this is 

to keep your feet dry and warm. Always carry spare socks 

and shoes or wear boots. Wetness combined with wind 

can penetrate into your bones. If you are wearing enough 

clothes and your pores are closed, then you are generally 

safe. But exercising in winter and going outside sweating 

with open pores can not only lead to arthritis but can also 

cause many other problems such as numbness, some forms 

of paralysis, and the winter flu. Dealing with rainy Taiwan 

is simple: dress warmly, keep dry, and eat a simple diet. 

Shaun Ramsden is a native Australian. He has a Bachelor 

of Medicine from the Beijing Chinese Medicine University 

and numerous Diplomas in Remedial Massage Therapies. In 

addition to running his own Physical Therapy and Massage 

Clinic he enjoys training in different styles of martial arts. 

classictcm@gmail.com 


15 

TCM Corner

coffee corNer 

Topo Café 

TEXT & IMAGES: ALY COOPER 

OK…so I’m not sure if it’s because 

of the rainy, “cold” weather that has 

settled upon Taiwan, or perhaps it’s 

because I’ve been failing to meet my 

daily caffeine quota. Regardless of 

the reasoning, I will chalk Topo Café 

up as a stellar find. The thing is, I’m 

not alone. I’ve received multiple rave 

reviews and recommendations to try 

this place out. With this being said, 

in my coffee journey this past year 

I’ve found that it is a rarity to come 

across A) a café that consistently 

serves a great latte/coffee and B) a 

café that opens in Tianmu before 

10:30 am (Topo recently changed 

their hours and now opens at 8 am 

– woohoo!!) Check AND Check. 

Honestly, I’m not sure what took me 

so long, but having been to this café 

numerous times, Topo is consistently 

fabulous with the product they 

deliver. 

To date I’ve had: the regular 

latte, raspberry latte, caramel latte, 

and (one day when I was feeling 

especially hardcore) the double 

espresso. While Topo’s regular latte 

is a bit milkier than its counterparts 

that I've written about elsewhere, 

the creaminess of the foam in 

conjunction with the corresponding 

f l a v o r s.... i s… w e l l, i t's j u s t 

satisfying. The raspberry latte 

was a recommendation from my 

waitress and exceeded the built-up 

expectation of my palate. Delicate 

and light in its flavor, it once again 

satisfied without being obnoxious 

and overbearing. Did I mention the 

foam Ahhhhhh. Total perfection. 

Let’s not stop at the raspberry 

latte. Moving right along to the 

caramel latte, I’m pretty sure this 

one stole the show. With foam that 

rivaled that of the raspberry latte, 

the flavor was spot on and it almost 

tasted like toasted marshmallows on 

top. I mean, how do they do that!! 

Don’t even get me started on the 

double espresso! Talk about a drink 

with bite that will kick you in the 

pants and put hair on your chest 

(totally in a good way of course). 

Whoa!! The espresso even received 

an appreciative nod from a visiting 

coffee connoisseur that I brought 

there. So much, in fact, that he 

ordered a second cup. 

I f y o u h a v e n’t d r o p p e d t h i s 

magazine yet to make your way 

over to get your caffeine fix, indulge 

me a moment more while we talk 

about the architectural whimsy that 

Topo Café has to offer. Apart from 

the fish swimming below your feet, 

the outside walkway, or the mural 

of boats and waterside row houses 

that decorates one wall, Topo just 

gives off a cozy vibe with its size, 

color choices, and overall ambiance. 

The architectural details and design 

of this café are unparalleled among 

other cafés I've been to thus far. I 

mean, how many other cafés offer 

soft, warm lighting by way of 

hanging lightbulbs filled with water 

I know. Awesome. 

Price point is comparable to other 

cafés and is mid- to high-range with 

an espresso at NT$80 and lattes 

ranging from NT$130 - 150. Bonus 

Topo uses coffee beans roasted in 

Taiwan. 

topo Café 7 | lane 38, Zhongshan north Road section 7 

open: weekdays 8 am – 6 pm /weekends 9 am – 9 pm (closed on mondays) 

Aly Cooper is an expat wife of two years who enjoys adventures with her five-year-old son, reading, 

eating, blogging, having A LOT of coffee with friends, volunteering and spending free weekends exploring 

what the island has to offer with the family. http://caffeinatedblisstaiwan.blogspot.tw 

Got a suggestion for our resident caffeine addict Send them in via coteditor@communitycenter.org.tw. 

16 


DININg 

Jodie’s Kitchen 

TEXT & IMAGES: SERINA HuANG 

There's soft jazz playing in the 

background. I wander out 

to the bougainvillea-framed 

balcony, gazing out to the 

red-tiled rooftops on the nearby 

hills. Wandering back inside, I pause 

to enjoy the sight of a white Asian 

lily framed next to a peach-rose 

painted wall beside a comfortable 

wicker chair. Before I can sit down 

to enjoy the serenity, my friends 

from Topology Travel arrive and my 

cooking class begins. Welcome to 

Jodie's Kitchen, a secret place hidden 

just ten minutes by taxi from Taipei 

101, yet a world away. 

Our menu is simple yet distinctly 

Taiwanese, encapsulating the fresh 

ingredients and healthy diet we know 

we should eat. And it’s not just the 

fruit and vegetables that are healthy; 

Jodie uses quality ingredients such 

as naturally brewed soy sauce, coldpressed 

black and white sesame oil, 

and Kaoliang vinegar, which she 

passes around so that we can all sniff 

and sample. I immediately resolved 

to live the healthy life. 

Sitting around the kitchen table, 

Jodie demonstrates how to make 

doujiang ( 豆漿 ; soy milk), a breakfast 

staple. I have recently discovered that 

most shop-bought soy milk does not 

froth when stirred or shaken. Not so 

with Jodie’s doujiang, which frothed 

up into a warm and fluffy soy-shake. 

Next we learn how to make a soysesame 

vinaigrette — frequently used 

in Taiwanese-style cucumber salad 

— trying it on other ingredients 

including freshly baked mushrooms 

and tofu. Then comes sesame paste, 

which is an essential ingredient in 

cold noodles, a Sichuan dish that 

is commonly eaten in Taiwan, 

especially in summer. While delicious 

with noodles, Jodie served it to us 

with rosy Japanese Fuji apples so that 

we could enjoy the contrast of the 

crunchy apples and the nutty paste. 

seCret reCiPe 

We relax with some freshly brewed 

Pu-erh tea before contemplating more 

cooking, in the form of Taiwanese 

hot and sour soup ( 酸辣湯 ; suan 

la tang). Here Jodie uses a unique, 

secret recipe for making a vegetarian 

soup base that still delivers the 

full flavor more usually found in a 

chicken-consommé base. I went back 

for seconds and contemplated thirds. 

Finally, we made two hot sauces: 

spicy Sichuan flower pepper oil and 

Gong Bao sweet and sour sauce, 

both common restaurant sauces that 

can be bought in a bottle, but can be 

made quickly, cheaply, and easily at 

home, without unknown additives. 

A recent report by the Bill and 

Melinda Gates Foundation noted 

that Taiwanese women have the fifth 

longest life expectancy in the world. 

Maybe this is because they eat the 

type of food that Jodie teaches people 

to prepare at Jodie’s Kitchen. 

Taiwanxifu (Taiwan 

daughter-in-law) is the 

pen name of Australian 

expatriate food, travel 

and culture writer Serina 

Huang, who blogs at: http:// 

taiwanxifu.com 

Jodie’s kitchen 

29-1 Ziyun 

st, xinyi district . Phone to arrange a class: (02) 2720-0206 

topology 

travel specializes in real taiwan travel experiences, including 

cooking and food tours. 

http://www.topologytravel.com/ 


17

photography 

Photography in 

Markets 

TEXT & IMAGE: CRAIG FERGuSON 

Markets hold a fascination 

for a lot of photographers. 

Particularly for the travel 

photographer, a market can 

afford a look at the everyday activities 

of life in a certain place. A wide variety 

of markets exist, from strictly tourist 

markets to traditional wet markets, 

and craft markets to clothing markets. 

All offer unique challenges and 

opportunities for the photographer. 

You may find yourself in a sprawling 

outdoor market with tents or canopies 

set up for shade, or you may be in a 

crowded, dusty indoor market with 

narrow aisles and dim lighting. 

Yo u d o n ’ t n e e d a n y s p e c i a l 

equipment. In fact, the simpler 

you can make your kit, the better, 

particularly in a busy market. Most of 

the time when shooting in a market I’ll 

just take a 17-40mm or 24-70mm lens 

with me. A good market is a busy one, 

and you don’t want to be encumbered 

with too much gear. 

If you’ve never photographed 

in a market, a tourist market is a 

good place to start. Vendors are 

usually open to and used to hordes 

of camera-wielding tourists. These 

places, unfortunately, can also attract 

pickpockets so a little extra care 

may be needed with regard to your 

personal possessions. When shooting 

in a tourist market, don’t forget to pay 

attention to other tourists. You can 

often get some great shots of travelers 

interacting with locals. 

W h e n y o u f e e l a b i t m o r e 

comfortable, consider heading into 

a local market that doesn’t cater to 

tourists. Pay attention to ensure that 

you don’t get in the way of people 

as they go about their daily business 

and be open about your intentions. 

Don’t try to hide away and take 

furtive photos; instead make your 

intentions known. Carry the camera 

openly. A surprising number of people 

will pay no attention to you at all, 

and of the ones that do, most will 

give you nothing more than a glance. 

Occasionally you will come across a 

vendor who doesn’t want his photo 

taken, so politely nod or smile an 

apology (or say excuse me or sorry 

if you know the language) and move 

away. I’ve generally found, however, 

that it’s rare for someone to wave you 

away – most don’t seem to mind as 

long as you are not acting suspiciously. 

Lighting can often be a challenge in 

markets. It may be very dim, or it may 

come from mixed sources. Trying to 

shoot in conditions where you get a 

mixture of daylight, tungsten light, and 

fluorescent light can play havoc with 

your white balance, but don’t worry 

too much about it. Try to get it as close 

to what you can see as possible, but 

you’ll probably never get perfection in 

these situations. 

In terms of composition, try a range 

of different techniques. If you come 

across a vendor who is not too busy, 

they may agree to pose for a portrait. 

If you buy something from them – say 

a piece of fruit – you’ll have entered 

into a transaction, and it will often be 

easier to get a photo after. Look also 

to environmental portraits to show the 

vendor and the surrounding products, 

as well as close-up detail shots of what 

is being sold and wider, more general 

shots of the location. Treat your trip 

to the market as you would a photo 

essay and follow the usual steps you 

would take if you were creating that 

kind of piece. 

Finally, make sure you go at the 

correct time of day. Traditional wet 

markets that sell vegetables, fruit, 

meat, and fish often start early in the 

morning and close before lunch. It’s 

best to shoot these markets around 

dawn or soon after when there is 

plenty going on. For a night market, 

try to find out what time it’s supposed 

to start, and aim to get there just 

before, as you can often get some good 

photographs of the setup procedures, 

and then capture the mood as trading 

begins and shoppers arrive. 

Craig is a professional photographer and has worked with the likes of Lonely Planet, Monocle, 

Asia Business Traveller, Asian Geographic and many more. In addition, he also teaches regular 

photography workshops and individual classes in and around Taipei. 


Flea 

Markets 

CSC aSk NEWS biN 

TexT: Bin Huang and naTalie KöHle 

images: Bin Huang 

There’s nothing more fun 

than finding something 

you’ve been looking for for 

a long time at an incredible 

price, especially if it’s already out 

of production and you can't find it 

anywhere in the regular shops. That’s 

why I keep going to flea markets in 

my spare time, looking for surprises 

for myself and for my customers. 

Among the countless things you 

can find at Taipei’s flea markets are 

accessories and decorations such as 

old drawings, beautiful old pictures, 

and lamps both old and new (the 

new ones come from warehouses 

that want to clear their stock, but I 

prefer to look for the vintage lamps 

from the 50s and 60s that I can't 

find in the shops anymore). Markets 

are also a good place to find used 

tools for carpenters and electricians, 

most still usable and powerful, and 

Fuhe Bridge market 

Huanhe East Road, Section 3, Zhonghe 

City 

新北市永和區環河東路 3 段 

Open: every day 4:30 am ~12 noon 

Chongxin Bridge market 

Liuhong 16 Road, Sanchung City 

新北市三重區疏洪十六路 

Open: every day from 5 am ~ 12 noon, 

except Monday of the second & fourth 

weeks of the month 

Yongchun weekend market 

2nd Floor, 294 Songshan Road (above 

Yongchun library) 

信義區松山路 294 號二樓 ( 永春圖書館二樓 ) 

Open: every weekend, 10 am ~ 5 pm 

Yonghe park 4 weekend market 

85 Zhongan Street, Zhonghe City 

新北市中和區中安街 85 號 

Open: every weekend, 10 am ~ 6 pm 

Tianmu weekend market 

Tianmu Square, Corner of Zhongshan 

North and Tianmu West Roads 

天母台北市中山北路 7 段 / 天母西路交叉口 

Open: Fridays 4 – 10 pm, Saturdays 9 am – 

3 pm, 4 – 10 pm, Sundays 3 – 9 pm 

sold at 30-50% of the fixed price at 

shops like Homepro. Sometimes you 

can also find other useful items for 

the home, such as brand new light 

bulbs from a factory that went out 

of production, or even good quality 

furniture, at bargain prices. 

The big Two 

Once I was helping a customer find 

dining chairs, and found beautiful, 

good quality chairs at the flea market 

that were reduced to just a sixth of 

their original price of NT$1,800. 

Other times I’ve found vintage 

furniture for customers. Compared 

w i t h E u r o p e a n f l e a m a r k e t s, 

however, you’ll find less vintage 

furniture and fewer ornaments at the 

Taipei flea markets, and a greater 

emphasis on useful contemporary 

items such as tools, electronics and 

cooking ware. 

There are two big flea markets in 

Taipei, both located not too far from 

the Dansui River: one at Chongxin 

Bridge, the other at Fuhe Bridge. 

The Fuhe Bridge Flea Market, 

which boasts almost 250 stalls (not 

including those of the traditional 

vegetable market next to it), is just 

beside the bridge, and normally 

runs every day except for Monday 

from 4:30 am to 12 noon. You can 

get the best bargains right before 

closing time at noon. According to 

my experience, in the early morning 

(when there are no police around) 

there are a lot of illegal booths in the 

area right outside the Fuhe market. 

The prices in this area are a lot 

cheaper than those of the vendors 

inside the market, but be sure to 

bring a good flashlight with you and 

check the things very carefully before 

you buy them. At the Taipei flea 

markets, you can usually return most 

of the products to the vendors if they 

don’t work, but since the outside 

market disperses as soon as the 

police arrive, you might not be able 

to find the person who sold you the 

item again! 

The Chongxin Bridge Flea Market 

is even bigger than the Fuhe market, 

with over five hundred stalls, and 

you can find almost anything there, 

including books, CDs, amplifiers, 

garden decorations, mobile phone 

accessories and repair services. The 

other nice thing about this market is 

that it’s located under a bridge, so 

it won’t pack up if it starts raining. 

Again, my advice is to check the 

items very carefully. Be especially 

on the lookout for copies and fakes, 

and make sure to remember the stall 

number so that you can return to buy 

another item, or (if it doesn’t work) 

return it! 

oTher markeTs 

Other, smaller flea markets in 

Taipei include the Tianmu flea 

market (which also includes a local 

arts and crafts market), an indoor 

flea market at Yongchun near 

Songshan Railway Station, and 

Yonghe Park 4. Tianmu flea market 

is relatively up-market, while the 

Yongchun market is much cheaper 

and much more local in character. 

In fact, many Tianmu sellers can 

be seen rummaging around the 

Yongchun market for the best picks, 

only to resell them for twice the price 

at the Tianmu flea market! Yonghe 

Park 4 is a small weekend market 

that also includes arts and crafts. 

The weather is getting better, 

so now’s the perfect time to start 

exploring Taipei’s flea markets! 

Bin is an interior designer 

with almost thirty years of 

experience in Taiwan. In 

addition to running his own 

interior design studio (www.inkstone. 

ws), he recently started a small home 

maintenance service company (http:// 

housewizard.wordpress.com/), in order 

to share his local knowledge about 

the ins and outs of home decoration 

with the expat community of Taipei. 

Whatever your household question may 

be, he’d love to hear from you. 


19

eNvIroNMeNt 

The other side of the coin 

TEXT & IMAGES: SARAH CHEN LIN 

Last year was one of high 

p e a k s a n d d e e p t r o u g h s 

for Taiwan Youth Climate 

Coalition (TWYCC), the 

first environmental youth nongovernmental 

organization (NGO) 

in Taiwan. Who would have ever 

imagined that a group of less than 

thirty youths would one day be 

featured in local magazines, TEDx 

Taipei and international news, 

invited to radio shows, and even 

appear on television They’ve given 

dozens of talks and led workshops in 

schools of all levels across Taiwan. 

They’ve sent teams to Brazil for the 

Rio+20 International Conference for 

Sustainable Development and Qatar 

for UNFCCC’s COP18, the annual 

International Conference for Climate 

Change. They’ve also collaborated 

with many other well-known NGOs 

such as Greenpeace Taiwan, 350. 

org, and Design for Change, just 

to name a few. TWYCC has, up to 

date, approximately one hundred 

volunteers and almost three thousand 

followers on Facebook. Yet despite all 

their accomplishments, the road was 

never a straight nor an ascending one. 

TWYCC faced resistance since the 

onset of legalizing the organization. 

Their desire for independence 

was often criticized because they 

were seen as just a group of young 

people with limited funding, staff, 

knowledge, experience, and a passion 

that might have been considered 

temporary. TWYCC was instead 

offered positions as the youth branch 

of other NGOs. As an overseasborn 

Taiwanese, one of the most 

noticeable observations I’ve made 

since returning is that the opinions 

of Taiwan’s youth are not valued as 

much as they should be. This was 

one of the reasons TWYCC remained 

independent. Other challenges 

health 

women and 

Cardiovascular disease 

TEXT: DR. PETER GuéRIN 

As we age, thick, sticky stuff 

clings to the walls of our 

arteries; it collects over the 

years and can eventually 

create a "clog;" some of it may break 

off, forming a clot. So what is the 

big deal This clog or blockage will 

stop blood from getting to important 

parts of your body, such as the brain 

or heart, and may lead to the death 

of cells, for instance in the form of a 

stroke or a heart attack. 

We often think of cardiovascular 

disease and heart attacks as a disease 

that affects mainly men but, in 

reality, it is just as much a danger for 

women, and is in fact the number 

two cause of death among women 

between 45 and 65 years of age. 

By the time women reach age 65, it 

is the number one cause of death. 

Unfortunately, it seems that with 

regard to this disease men get all of 

the attention. Most of what we read 

in the media is about men, and most 

of the studies concerning disease 

treatment and prevention are with 

men. However, women need to be 

aware of their risks: 

• Heart disease is the leading cause 

of death for women in the United 

States, killing 292,188 women 

in 2009 — that is 1 in every 4 

female deaths. 

• A l t h o u g h h e a r t d i s e a s e i s 

sometimes thought of as a “man's 

d i s e a s e,” around the same 

number of women and men die 

each year of heart disease in the 

United States. Despite increases 

in awareness over the past decade, 


T W Y C C f a c e d i n c l u d e d s o m e 

partnerships with other NGOs which 

went sour due to misunderstandings 

and different priorities. TWYCC 

representatives have also been subject 

to mild harassment from those in 

higher positions both in private and 

in public. 

T h e b o t t o m l i n e i s t h a t 

environmental activism is very 

hard; the other side of the coin is 

never pretty, especially for a group 

of youths living in a consumerist 

society. Since the founding of 

T W Y C C, t h e y’v e l e a r n e d h o w 

difficult it is to change people’s 

h a b i t s a n d m i n d s e t s, e v e n i n 

the face of scientific evidence. 

They’ve learned that there exists a 

certain degree of hypocrisy among 

environmental organizations, for 

instance handing out imported 

bottled water at public events. 

Through national conferences 

they’ve also discovered that many 

scholars and certain environmental 

authorities are sadly still disputing 

Taiwan’s vulnerability to climate 

change. Not to mention that the 

Taiwanese media rarely report on 

international environmental news. 

The truth is, Taiwan still has a 

lot of room for improvement. The 

environmental authorities must be 

firmer in tackling the vast issues at 

hand and people must be willing to 

change. All environmental activists 

should work together because 

fragmented efforts don’t always 

leave lifelong impacts. TWYCC has 

faced many challenges and has done 

what it can, given the circumstances. 

Though the road travelled has 

been rough and steep and the one 

ahead is long and winding, true 

environmental activists never give up 

or give in. Can’t wait to see what’s 

in store for TWYCC in 2013!! 

Further reading: 

Rio+20 - http://www.uncsd2012.org/ 

UnFccc and cop18 - 

http://unfccc.int/2860.php 

twYcc website (chinese) - 

http://twycc.tw/ 

Born and raised 

in Venezuela by 

Taiwanese parents, 

Sarah has been 

exposed to world 

cultures since she 

was young. She graduated with an 

Environmental Science degree from 

Southampton University in the UK and 

currently works as a research assistant 

for the Civil Engineering Research 

Department at National Taiwan 

University, as a radio host for Radio 

Taiwan International, as TWYCC’s 

media coordinator, as the main point 

of contact in Taiwan for ECYTF (Earth 

Charter Youth Task Force) and as a 

freelance photographer. 

only 54% of women recognize 

that heart disease is their number 

one killer. 

• Almost two-thirds (64%) of 

women who die suddenly of 

coronary heart disease have no 

previous symptoms. Even if you 

have no symptoms, you may still 

be at risk of heart disease. 

risk FaCtors 

High blood pressure, high LDL 

cholesterol, and smoking are key 

risk factors for heart disease. About 

half of Americans (49%) have at 

least one of these three risk factors. 

Several other medical conditions and 

lifestyle choices can also put people 

at a higher risk for heart disease, 

including: 

• Diabetes 

• Being overweight or obese 

• Poor diet 

• Physical inactivity 

• Excessive alcohol use 

PreveNtative measures 

Fortunately, there are many things 

you can do to reduce your chances of 

getting cardiovascular disease. You 

should: 

• Know your blood pressure and 

keep it under control. 

• Maintain a healthy weight. Every 

home should have a weight scale, 

and it is healthy to check your 

weight regularly. 

• Exercise regularly, 3-7 times a 

week for 15 – 30 minutes. 

• Don't smoke. 

• Get tested for diabetes, and if you 

have it keep it under control. 

• Know your cholesterol levels, 

e s p e c i a l l y t h e L D L ( b a d 

cholesterol), and keep them under 

control. 

• Eat fruits, vegetables, and whole 

grains every day. 

Dr. Peter Guérin is a native of New Mexico, where he attended the University of New Mexico for 

undergraduate training and Medical School. He completed his Family Medicine training in Phoenix 

Arizona and is Board Certified in Family Medicine. He was in private practice for seven years in Rio 

Rancho, New Mexico after which he lived in Beijing for four years, working for International SOS as 

well as several other joint venture medical clinics. Dr. Guérin joined the Foreign Service in 2004 and 

he has served in Ankara, Dakar (Senegal), Baghdad, Washington, DC and now Taipei. He is married to 

Kerri Zeelau-Guérin and has three children, Steven, Sophia and Katherine. 


21

eDUcatIoN 

eduCatioN iN taiwaN: 

An overview for 

Expat families 

TEXT & IMAGES: KATRINA BROWN 

As a single expat in Taiwan, 

I used to pay no attention 

to what kinds of schools 

children attend, but now 

with two school-aged children of 

my own, it’s become a topic of daily 

conversation among my friends. 

What options are available to us 

as short-term visitors, long-term 

expats or spouses of Taiwanese 

citizens What should we do about 

our children's Chinese and English 

language education With this 

short series of articles on elementary 

school education in Taiwan, I hope 

to share some of the information my 

friends and I have gleaned over the 

years. To begin, here is a brief look 

at the options available to those with 

expat children, children with ARCs, 

and children holding Taiwanese 

citizenship. 

iNterNatioNal sChools 

When moving school-aged children 

to Taiwan, the first option for most 

families is one of the accredited 

international schools. According 

to the Ministry of Education, there 

are nineteen such schools in Taiwan 

(listed on the Ministry’s website: 

see the address at the bottom of this 

article). Children attending these 

schools will be able to continue 

their US or UK education when 

they return home. Instruction is 

in English, with Chinese taught as 

a foreign language. Facilities are 

generally enviable, but tuition costs 

can prove prohibitive to some, 

and the school location means you 

have to either live in a particular 

area or let your children face a 

daily commute. Your child needs a 

passport from a country other than 

Taiwan to attend. 

loCal sChools 

As families settle in longer and 

as Chinese is valued more as a 

language useful to one's career, local 

schools are becoming an option for 

expat families. Local schools can 

be separated into private and public 

schools. According to the Department 

of Education website, “there are 153 

public and private schools in Taipei; 

two national elementary schools 

(National Chengchi University 

Experimental Elementary School 

& National Taipei University of 

Education Experimental Elementary 

School), 141 public schools and ten 

private schools.” The school year 

starts in September. Children start 

first grade in the September after 

their 6th birthday. Schools can vary 

greatly in their facilities and teaching 

methods, and whether your child 

thrives can also depend a lot on the 

homeroom teacher. 

M o r e a f f o r d a b l e t h a n t h e 

international schools are local, private 

schools. The school days are longer, 

ending at 4 pm or 5 pm every day. 

This makes private school a good 

option for those families who have 

commitments all day during the 

week. Private elementary schools 

generally have a stronger focus 

on academic achievement, in the 

sense that schools are competing 

for students' tuition and so want to 

register high test scores. This can be 


an issue for children learning Chinese 

as a foreign language, as they may feel 

a lot of pressure in this environment. 

There are several private, bilingual 

schools in Taipei City, where half 

a day is taught in Chinese and the 

other half in English. For children 

who find the idea of using Chinese 

all day daunting, or those who 

might be returning to an Englishspeaking 

country or transferring to 

an international high school, bilingual 

schools can be a good option. Be 

aware that it is not always the case 

that your homeroom teacher can 

communicate in English, and some 

schools are not prepared to deal with 

non-Chinese-speaking students. 

Children with an ARC can attend 

public school. Your school zone is 

determined by the address shown 

on your child's ARC. How your 

child fits in will depend on their 

disposition, how the parent handles 

the transition, and how supportive 

the school is. The school day starts 

at around 7:45 am and finishes at 

noon most days for the lower grades. 

Hours are extended to four full days 

per week in the higher grades. The 

curriculum is all taught in Chinese, 

with English taught as a foreign 

language. There is a strong focus 

on learning Chinese characters in 

the lower grades, but many other 

subjects are covered, too. A future 

article will present some expat 

families' experiences with public 

schools. Tuition is basically free for 

elementary-aged children, with a 

book fee and lunch fee payable (less 

than NT$3,000 per semester). You 

can read official descriptions of local 

education on the Taipei Education 

Portal Site (address above). 

useful websites 

taiwan ministry of Education: Education institutions for international Residents: 

http://english.moe.gov.tw/ct.aspxItem=14795&CtNode=11447&mp=1 

taipei Education portal site: http://www.tp.edu.tw/english/edu_elementary.jsp 

to apply to the Education Bureau 

at your registered or household 

address. Taiwan officially recognises 

homeschooling as an education. 

There is a supportive network of 

homeschooling families in Taiwan. 

For English speakers, a great place to 

start is the Learn@Home in Taiwan 

Facebook group. 

Finding the best style of education 

for your child may take time and 

energy, but it’s definitely worth the 

effort. This brief introduction should 

get you started on your Taiwan 

journey of knowledge. 

Next month, I’ll share expat 

parents' experiences with public 

school education. 

leat ahrony shares her experiences as 

an expat studying in a local school on 

page 24 

In Taiwan since 

1995, New Zealander 

Katrina Brown lives 

with her Taiwanese 

husband in the 

mountains of Jilong. 

With two elementaryschool 

aged children, Katrina is 

determined to make Taiwan more 

accessible for all families. Visit 

her blog www.kidzone-tw.com for 

information about family-friendly 

spaces and events. 

homesChooliNg 

Homeschooling is also a viable 

option for families in Taiwan. 

Homeschooling gives you flexibility 

in curriculum, schedules, geographic 

location, and expenses. It takes 

dedication and commitment, but the 

rewards can be great. If your children 

are not Taiwanese citizens, you can 

apply to homeschool through your 

home country or in Taiwan. For 

Taiwanese citizens, there are certain 

procedures you have to follow to 

become a homeschooling family, 

which will be covered in a future 

article. Most importantly, you have 


23

eDUcatIoN 

eduCatioN iN taiwaN: 

Local school student perspective 

TEXT: LEAT AHRONY IMAGE: KATRINA BROWN 

Ding Dong, Ding dong. 

The Yu Sheng Elementary 

School bell rang at 8 am. 

Time for class Not yet. 

It was cleaning duty time. 

Every student was assigned 

a c l e a n i n g c h o r e. I w a s 

in charge of cleaning the 

blackboard. Other tasks 

i n c l u d e d s w e e p i n g a n d 

mopping classroom floors, 

outside hallways and toilets, 

and wiping mini student 

lockers and desk tables. 

Basic house cleaning skills are enforced in Taiwan’s public 

educational system. 

I still remember my first day of elementary school. My 

parents cautioned me that the environment would be 

drastically different. "Now Leat, today is your first day 

in first grade. Don’t be nervous." I was actually really 

excited; so excited, I had a hard time sleeping the night 

before. "You might not understand the teacher at first, 

but you will pick up Mandarin very fast." My mother 

was right. 

For the first week, my ears did not pick up Mandarin 

tones. I played “what did the teacher say” guessing 

games all day. Nevertheless, I ran wild with my classmates 

playing dodgeball at recess. With sufficient time, children 

soak up language like a sponge, and I experienced this. 

In less than two months, I almost spoke fluent 

Mandarin and wrote Chinese characters with accurate 

and delicate strokes. We had mandatory calligraphy 

classes on Friday. I was not an A-grade student, but I did 

find it interesting. Wednesdays were my favorite. 

Half day Wednesdays meant we went home at 12 pm. 

The other four days we finished at 4 in the afternoon. 

In addition to this, we had to attend school every other 

Saturday (until 12 pm). This changed, however, when I 

was in 4th grade; we beamed when there were no more 

Saturday school days. 

Since I lived a five-minute walk from school, my parents 

often brought me home-cooked meals. The elementary 

school hired a catering company to provide lunch, but 

most students brought their own stainless steel lunch 

boxes. Often Chinese cuisine must be eaten warm, and 

every classroom had a large rectangular steamer which 

looked like a metal fridge. Every week, a different student 

was assigned to turn on the steamer an hour before lunch. 

Repeatedly, these students in charge – including me – 

forgot to turn on the steamer. Too often, when various 

food aromas did not fill the 

classroom around lunchtime, 

we knew something was 

wrong. Luckily our stomachs 

were patient enough to eat a 

late lunch. 

I n u n i v e r s i t y, t a k i n g 

a lunch nap sounds like 

heaven, but at age six I 

was not impressed with 

mandatory nap times. Every 

week the teacher would 

assign a class leader, and 

one of the duties included 

patrolling at nap time to make sure each student was 

asleep. It was painful to pretend I was sleeping for 

thirty minutes every day. It was a pleasant break from 

academics though. 

The Taiwanese local public education system puts 

extreme academic pressure on its students. Most 

Taiwanese youngsters can memorize pages of text – wordby-word 

– even without understanding its meaning. In 

grade 4, I was doing homework until 11 pm. When it 

came to test reviews, students memorized chapters of text 

or poetry and replicated it on paper. My memorization 

skills are now rusty, but it’s not useful if you memorize 

and then forget. 

Like any student, we always counted down the days 

until the next break. There were two major vacations: 

winter/Chinese New Year and summer. Unfortunately, 

after a long semester of studying, winter and summer 

homework was still mandatory. The first two weeks of 

vacation were spent doing homework at my desk. I felt 

like I’d grown a permanent academic tail. 

Ding Dong, Ding dong. The school bell rang at 4 

pm. The class collectively rose like an army, bowed, and 

annunciated “Thank you, Teacher.” Respect was greatly 

valued. I could have stayed in the public education system 

until high school graduation, but my parents pulled me 

out at the end of fourth grade. I had secured a solid base 

in Mandarin, and my parents were afraid my English 

would fall behind. The intense homework load and the 

lack of creative course options told them it was time to 

switch into a private American school. 

The easiest and most efficient way for a child to learn 

Mandarin is to immerse them in the real thing. If you 

happen to be living in Taiwan for a few years with young 

children, take advantage of this precious opportunity. 

It is the cheapest and easiest way to learn 

Mandarin! 

Leat Ahrony is a business undergraduate student at the University of Victoria (UVic) in Canada. She began 

her journalism career in high school writing for the Centered on Taipei magazine. She has a weekly online 

column for the UVic newspaper, The Martlet, and regularly writes print news and culture articles. She plans 

to earn her B.A. in Commerce and continue a side career in Journalism. 

24 


charIty 

The Origins of Make-A-Wish Foundation 

Chris Grecius was a boy from Arizona who 

dreamed of becoming a police officer when he 

grew up. On a special day in 1980, shortly before he 

succumbed to his battle with leukemia at the age of seven, 

Chris received a special gift. He was invited to take a tour 

of the city in a police helicopter. He was also presented with 

his own custom-made police uniform and battery-powered 

motorcycle so that he could become the state’s first honorary 

patrolman! His spirits were greatly lifted by the efforts of 

others to help him realize his dream. This event inspired 

the establishment of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an 

international organization dedicated to granting the 

wishes of children with life-threatening medical 

conditions. To date, the foundation has reached 

more than 300,000 children like Chris all 

around the world. 

Foundation Taiwan 

TEXT: KAREN WANG IMAGES: MAKE-A-WISH FOuNDATION 

wishes graNted By make-a-wish 

FouNdatioN 

The wishes granted by Make-A-Wish 

Foundation are grouped into four categories – 

To Be, To Want, To Have, and To Meet. 

To Be – Ah Xun, 13 years old 

Ah Xun’s biggest wish was to be able to 

cook with a chef that he idolized and to share 

his cooking with his family and friends. With 

the help of Make-A-Wish Taiwan, his parents 

planned a special dinner at a restaurant where 

Ah Xun would have the opportunity to cook 

alongside his favorite chef. To make the event 

truly memorable, he was also presented with 

a custom chef’s hat and uniform and his own 

set of pots and pans. 

Share the Power of a Wish 

You can help Make-A- 

Wish Taiwan with their mission 

in many ways. Please visit the 

organization’s website for more 

information on how to make 

donations, or to learn about 

current wishes that need 

sponsorship. 

Make-A-Wish Taiwan 

The Taiwan affiliate of Make- 

A-Wish was started in 1994. With 

the help of generous sponsors and 

donors, the foundation is able to grant 

more than a hundred wishes a year, 

helping children with life-threatening 

medical conditions between the 

ages of 3 and 18. 

make-a-wish taiwan: 

http://www.mawtpe.org.tw 

Karen Wang is the Managing Director of Happy Kids school in 

downtown Taipei. Happy Kids recently worked on a service project 

with Make-A-Wish Foundation. Happy Kids students helped raise 

funds to grant a wish by designing "wish bags" and made "wish 

cards" for the Make-A-Wish children. 

To Go – Ah Shen, 3 years old 

Ever since seeing images of a cruise ship 

on TV, Ah Shen has dreamed of going on a 

cruise. Ah Shen’s wish came true when Make- 

A-Wish Taiwan made it possible for him and 

his family to go on a 3-day cruise leaving 

from Keelung harbor. Ah Shen met the 

captain and got a special tour of the ship. 

To Have – Shiao Lun, 9 years old 

Shortly after Shiao Lun was born, she 

suffered from vision loss due to a medical 

condition. Music became the medium 

through which she was able to experience the 

beauty and joy of life. Blessed with an angelic 

voice, Shiao Lun’s most prized possession was 

her portable tape recorder, and she dreamed 

of one day recording her own album. Make- 

A-Wish Taiwan made Shiao Lun’s dream 

come true by setting up a session for her in a 

professional recording studio. 

To Meet – Shiao Xi, 17 years old 

Like many teenage girls, Shiao Xi idolized 

the female pop trio, S.H.E. When she was 

strong enough, she never missed a concert, 

but even when she was not feeling well and 

undergoing intensive treatment, S.H.E.’s 

music accompanied her and gave her hope. 

When Make-A-Wish Taiwan arranged for 

Shiao Xi to meet the singers, she received a 

lot of encouragement from her idols. 


25

UsINess IN tW 

the tv chef indicator: 

marketing taiwan 

through its cuisine 

TEXT: STEVEN PARKER 

I 

recently became a Taiwanese 

citizen. Well... a permanent 

resident in any case. I genuinely 

love my adopted country: I can’t 

think of anywhere else I would like 

to live more than here. And the 

Taiwanese are truly passionate about 

their country. Everyone I know who 

comes here for a visit loves the place 

as much as I do. But my question is: 

if Taiwan is such a nice place, why is 

it that Taiwan is generally so bad at 

promoting itself There is a theory I 

call the TV Chef Principle… you can 

judge how well a country promotes 

itself by the proliferation and the 

quality of its TV chefs. 

the world’s Best CuisiNe 

In doing research for this article, 

I asked a group of Taiwanese which 

country in the world had the best 

cuisine. As expected they said 

their own, and more specifically 

Taiwanese or Chinese. I then asked 

them what the worst food in the 

world was. To a man, they all said 

English. I am not here to argue 

who has the best food, but this is 

the perception that exists, at least in 

Taiwan. 

Then I asked them to name me 

a famous Taiwanese chef. They 

thought about it. They thought 

about it some more. And then they 

thought about it still more. A group 

of Taiwanese could not name a single 

famous chef from the cuisine that 

they claimed to be the best in the 

world. Then I asked them to name 

any famous chef in the world. There 

were some mumblings and a vague 

statement of “someone French” 

was mooted. I pushed further for a 

specific name until finally someone 

mentioned Jamie Oliver, and they 

agreed that he was the most famous 

chef in the world. I then pointed 

out that he was English. It’s an 

irony that the worst cuisine (in their 

opinion) has produced the world’s 

most famous chef. The question then 

became one of why 

The answer helped me to solve a 

problem that has been bothering me 

for a very long time. Why is it that 

if Chinese food is so delicious, and 

the Chinese spend so long talking 

about food, that Chinese food is so 

low in the world’s culinary pecking 

order For romance we think of 

French, for comfort we think of 

Italian, for delicateness we think of 

Japanese, for hearty fare we might 

think of German or English, but for 

Chinese we generally think quick and 

easy – and this despite the obvious 

intricacies of many of the greatest 

Chinese dishes. 

it’s all aBout the 

PreseNtati oN 

T h e a n s w e r w a s s i m p l e – 

presentation. And this pervades most 

Chinese business dealings as well. In 

Taiwan the restaurant is all about 

making money: the presentation 

is secondary to the output, the 

ambience irrelevant to the taste of the 

food. When you watch Jamie Oliver 

or any number of TV chefs the food 

almost leaps out of the screen at you. 

The colors are vibrant and enticing. 

No expense is spared to make us 

believe that what is being presented 

is amazing in every culinary sense 

we can imagine: sight, smell, taste, 

feel. Anthony Bourdain (another 

TV foodie) describes this as “food 

porn”. We are seduced by every 

aspect of the food: the location, the 

colors, the very words that the TV 

chef uses. In contrast, our Taiwanese 

TV chefs produce food that looks 

unappetizing, as though it had been 

filmed with the cheapest possible 

equipment available. It looks like 

we here in Taiwan don’t care, and 

this is what is wrong with our food 

industry from an international 

perspective. People who grow up 

with local food know the tastes; 

they can remember the flavors of 

their youth. Those who are new to 

it, however, need it to be presented 

first visually. Only then will they 

fall in love with the great flavors. 

The perception of Chinese food will 

always remain cheap, quick, and easy 

until it can elevate itself beyond the 

immediate concerns with turnaround 


and production costs. 

There is a metaphor here for our 

business climate in Taiwan as well. 

Food is important for people wanting 

to travel, live, and work in a country. 

How many times have you heard 

people say they’d love to live in Italy 

or the south of France It’s the food 

and culture that they are seduced 

by, partly because of TV chefs and 

foodies celebrating this culture 

regularly on our TV screens. 

The English, through people like 

Jamie Oliver (and my personal 

favorite, Nigella Lawson) have come 

to understand this, the French have 

always known it, and the Italians 

were born knowing how to present 

food. Japan has an innate sense of 

style and presentation. Korea has 

realized that to sell to the world 

you need to have great marketing, 

and this includes TV chefs and food 

presentation. Korean food, to most 

Taiwanese, is country-style, hearty 

but not sophisticated. And yet now 

we have shows like the Kimchi 

Chronicles (sponsored by Korean 

tourism) that present Korean food 

in vibrant and enticing ways that 

have many people planning trips 

around the food experiences they 

want to have there. Even China has 

discovered this with its beautiful 

program called A Bite of China, 

which celebrates regional cuisines 

and dishes, and is the closest to 

Anthony Bourdain’s definition of 

(Chinese) “food porn” that I have 

seen during my twenty years in Asia. 

short term gaiNs vs. loNg 

term marketiNg 

The Taiwanese are brilliant at 

calculating costs and profits for 

short-term gain, but I am talking 

about long-term marketing to take us 

to a higher level. I love Taiwan, and 

I want everyone else to have a chance 

to love it too. Like a frumpy sister 

with a good heart, we may have to 

push Taiwan to put on a nice outfit 

just to let others get to love its food 

as much as we do. We have a great 

variety of good food here in Taiwan 

– local styles, Chinese regional 

varieties, and international cuisines – 

we just have to learn how to promote 

it. And that means being willing to 

put that little bit of extra effort in 

dressing the food up a bit when we 

film it (and, in some cases, the staff 

in the restaurant too!) 

In the United States, Korean 

restaurants are typically more 

expensive than Chinese restaurants 

even though the food costs are not 

higher and in actual fact are, in some 

cases, significantly lower. They have 

just done a better job of marketing 

this food so they can get a higher 

return. Come on Taiwan, let’s try 

to look at the future return and not 

just at the initial cost and spend some 

money on some great food porn. 

You’re worth it. 

Steven Parker, formerly 

the Director of the 

Community Services 

Center, is an Australian 

of Scottish ancestry 

who has been living and 

working in Taiwan for 

over a decade. 

Events at The Center 

sPeCial toPiC CoFFee morNiNg 

disaster Preparedness: are you Prepared 

Thursday, February 21, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm 

Join us at the Center with this month’s speaker, Dr. Peter 

Guérin (AIT), for an informative presentation about what 

you can do to keep your family safe. 

Book CluBs: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by amy 

Chua 

The morning book club will meet Tuesday, February 

19, 10:30 am onwards. For more information email 

coteditor@communitycenter.org.tw. 

The evening book club will meet on Thursday, February 

21, 7:15 pm onwards. For more information, email 

melanie.k.leonard@gmail.com. 


27

taiWanese desserts 

and sWeets 

text: Ivy Chen 

Images: tIng tIng huang and Ivy Chen 

Last month Chinese Kitchen described 

a selection of sweet soups common 

in Taiwanese cuisine. This month we 

continue to explore the sweet tooth 

of Taiwan by introducing a variety of 

puddings, pastry-like cakes, risen cakes 

and other desserts found in bakeries and 

kitchens across the country. 

豆包 hongdou bao) and steamed custard 

bun ( 奶黃包 naihuang bao). 

Others 

Egg yolk cake ( 蛋黃酥 , danhuang su) is 

ball-shaped; it’s made from flaky pastry 

wrapped around a salty egg yolk and 

sweet red bean paste. 

Glazed and spun sweet potato ( 拔絲地瓜 , 

basi digua) is fried sweet potato coated 

with caramelized sugar. Taro, banana, 

or apple are sometimes used instead of 

sweet potato. 

Puddings 

Mango pudding ( 芒果布丁 , mangguo 

buding) is made from puréed mango and 

whipping cream and is very aromatic and 

creamy. 

Almond jelly ( 杏仁豆腐 , xingren doufu) 

is made from ground Chinese apricot 

kernels and water. It is cooked and 

gelatin or agar-agar is added to set it, 

forming a tofu-like shape. 

Tofu pudding ( 豆花 , douhua, or 豆腐腦 , 

doufu nao) is made from soy bean milk 

with bittern or food gypsum as a setting 

agent. Both tofu pudding and almond 

jelly are often served with beans and 

fruits in a sugar soup. 

Pastry-like cakes 

Pineapple cake ( 鳳梨酥 , fengli su) is 

made from shortcrust pastry with butter 

or lard and filled with pineapple jam. It is 

molded like a little brick and baked. 

Taro cake ( 芋頭酥 , yutou su) is similar 

but with sweet taro purée inside. 

Green bean paste cake ( 綠豆椪 , ludou 

peng) is also made from flaky pastry, has 

sweetened green bean paste inside, and is 

shaped like a wheel. 

risen cakes: 

Mala cake ( 馬拉糕 , mala gao) is made 

from wheat flour, baking powder, egg 

and milk. It’s steamed and can be served 

hot or cold. 

Brown sugar cake ( 黑糖糕 , heitang gao) 

is made from wheat flour, tapioca and 

brown sugar and is topped with sesame 

seeds. It’s also steamed and can be served 

hot or cold. 

Desserts which use yeast as a rising agent 

include steamed red bean paste bun ( 紅 

Golden water chestnut cake ( 馬蹄條 , 

mati tiao) is made from starchy water 

chestnut ( 馬蹄 , mati in Cantonese, 荸薺 , 

biqi in Mandarin), formed into a sticklike 

cake, steamed and fried to give a 

crisp exterior and soft interior. 

Taro cake stuffed with red bean paste ( 豆 

沙芋棗 , dousha yuzao) is made from taro 

purée with a red bean paste filling, shaped 

into cork-sized pieces and deep fried. 

Sesame ball with red bean paste filling 

( 豆沙芝麻球 , dousha zhima qiu) is 

made from glutinous rice filled with red 

bean paste, rolled into balls, coated with 

sesame seeds and deep fried. 

Pumpkin cake ( 南瓜糕 , nangua gao) 

is made from mashed pumpkin and 

28 

february 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw

ean and dried fruits. It’s popular during 

Chinese New Year. 

Snow cake ( 雪花糕 , xuehua gao) is made 

from milk, egg white, agar-agar and 

cornstarch. It’s topped with shredded 

coconut. 

glutinous rice filled with red bean paste. 

The patties are flattened and steamed or 

pan-fried. 

Fluffy rice cake with red bean ( 紅豆鬆 

糕 , hongdou song gao) is a steamed cake 

made with rice flour mixed with red 

Glutinous rice ball ( 麻糬 , mashu, mochi) 

is made from steamed glutinous rice 

pounded until sticky and then shaped 

into balls. They are served either filled 

or coated with peanut powder or black 

sesame powder with sugar. 

Pancake stuffed with red bean paste ( 豆 

沙鍋餅 , dousha guo bing) is pan-fried 

and served hot or warm. 

csc BUsinEss clAssiFiEd 

weB CoNsultaNt 

Beauty 

mover 

hair dresser 

#14 Tienmu E. Road | Telephone 2871-1515 | GP168@hotmail.com.tw 

WorshIp DIrectory aND coMMUNIty groUps 

listings are now available online at http://communitycenter.org.tw/life-in-taiwan/worship-directory and http://communitycenter.org.tw/ 

life-in-taiwan/community-groups. 


29

30 february 2013 www.communitycenter.org.tw

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