A nonchalant "good enough" attitude towards food, craft, life. 差不多 Rant and WHY?

[djkonstable]

I think over the next 20-30 years Taiwan's immigrant population will help push some of the society out of its chabuduo mindset.

Dream on ...

Taiwan is a 3rd world country with a few high-tech baubles that give it a veneer of modernity. An influx of mail order brides from Vietnam and mainland China is not going to change a single thing.

Or the fact that Asia is the next 100 years of economic boom? Perhaps you can run over to Singapore. Have you been in a 3rd world country? Things look quite different than Taiwan

[headhonchoII]

Uneducated immigrants from Vietnam and China will be assimilated more than anything. I don't think they will change much of anything here. But I sure hope they open more Vietnamese restaurants.

[djkonstable]

I hope so too, but I went to one recently the soup broth almost made me puke. I hope that no one goes there expecting "Vietnamese" food because they will be turned off it forever. It is kind of like getting a bad clam for the first time . shudder.

[*monkey*]

I think over the next 20-30 years Taiwan's immigrant population will help push some of the society out of its chabuduo mindset.

Dream on ...

Taiwan is a 3rd world country with a few high-tech baubles that give it a veneer of modernity. An influx of mail order brides from Vietnam and mainland China is not going to change a single thing.

Or the fact that Asia is the next 100 years of economic boom? Perhaps you can run over to Singapore. Have you been in a 3rd world country? Things look quite different than Taiwan

I think this is the root cause of much unhappiness among Westerners in Taiwan - the refusal to admit that they live in a 3rd world country, have married a 3rd world person, work for a 3rd world boss, etc. Accept it an get over it - life will be better. There is a chengyu that perfectly describes your plan to sell deluxe Italian-style noodles to the locals: 對牛彈琴. Good luck with that.

[djkonstable]

對牛彈琴 True, at this point it is just an idea. I may make the sauces for my wife or teach her the recipes and as long as she can saute she can serve noodles all day long. My main money comes from selling paintings and sometimes lessons for private art students. Worst of the worst is in a few years I just do painting workshops in America or run painting tours here or in China. I am a professional artist and I am a juried member of multiple prestigious art organizations. I export 95% of my paintings, I love Taiwan, I know it is chabudou sometimes I just think the country can be more. It is not third world though. Taipei and Taichung seem to be getting more regulated, kind of sad actually.

[headhonchoII]

Anybody who calls Taiwan third world doesn't have a clue. I just got back from the HSR station in Taichung. It's a great piece of architecture and engineering. A few weeks ago I was on the HSR in China with a manager over from the UK . The guy was blown away by just taking the HSR. If you know China's HSR you know that the stations and service do not even compare with Taiwan's. He would have been amazed at the system here. Just like the last poster said things are quite regulated in some ways here now. Others not so. But no comparison whatsoever to a real third world country like Cambodia.

[djkonstable]

Actually, I'm a pretty good cook. But at the end of the day it's just food, not holy sacrament. Carry on boring your wife with 'education' on the difference between Italian cooking and Italian American cooking and have a happy marriage!

Oh, and you're right, I didn't address your question about the 'good enough' nature of Taiwan because I lost interest in what you were saying. But on the tossing the pasta in the pan versus turning it with tongs, the former is easy if you're a big strong man. Not if you're an Asian-sized woman. If I were to be cooking food as a job I would not be able to stand there tossing a pan all night.

You obviously have many things to learn about cooking. A saute pan which pasta aka noodles are finished in are chosen by the chef/ cook. They are generally not heavy and the good ones have a long handle to facilitate sauteing and tossing. They are specifically made for the purpose of flipping because they have high straight sides. They have an easy handling nature versus a large wok. You can toss these type of pans with a flick of the wrist. So obviously, you know nothing about this. My wife doesn't want to just throw the sauce on top of the noodles. She hates that style so if she wants to saute I will teach her. It really is her business not mine. I just get to be the white guy looking fancy to attract attention and bring more business. Kind of like working in China as a suit boy or showing up when English schools need a poster boy to make them look "good" And why is information or the history of food boring? If you felt bored you could have just moved along to something else. And if you truly where a good cook you would be interested in something different. I have always found the best cooks are always curious and looking for new ways to do things. Based on your comments you don't seem to be this type of individual.

[*monkey*]

Anybody who calls Taiwan third world doesn't have a clue. I just got back from the HSR station in Taichung. It's a great piece of architecture and engineering. A few weeks ago I was on the HSR in China with a manager over from the UK . The guy was blown away by just taking the HSR. If you know China's HSR you know that the stations and service do not even compare with Taiwan's. He would have been amazed at the system here. Just like the last poster said things are quite regulated in some ways here now. Others not so. But no comparison whatsoever to a real third world country like Cambodia.

Taipei 101, the HSR, MRT etc are just high-tech baubles. Lipstick on a pig. Built by foreign contractors while the locals supplied the concrete and biandangs.

[djkonstable]

Don't forget that those locals also provided the money to build them. Not to mention the arduous task of having them approved, regulated, etc... definitely not something a third world country could even dream of.

[*monkey*]

You guys are easily impressed. I admire that, really. The HSR stations look to me like a string of shopping malls connected by a railway track.