082 All Is Not As It Looks!

[lina]

082 All Is Not As It Looks!    

Sultry days lasted. Sticky and damp winds overwhelmed people. The summer in Taiwan is very hot, so Taiwanese says ‘the sun eats (hurts) eyes (太陽吃眼睛)!” to mean ‘the summer sun’. Taiwan’s winter is short, spring and fall pass in a twinkle, and summer with the average temperature more than 30 degrees stays long tediously. So, most people, of course, wear cool and comfortable clothes in hot and long-spun summer.

My apartment lobby was always crowded with people. It played a role as a place for women to chat with each other in my neighborhood thanks to the wide space and a few comfortable chairs. One day, I saw a woman whose bra strap was left rolled down outside of her sleeveless shirt. I wondered why no one let her know about her strap. I had an itching tongue, but I kept my mouth shut. I ever saw a woman who even wore strapless top revealing her bra straps. An old man in his pajamas was often seen to go out shopping at a convenience store. I even caught a man in a bathrobe striding down the street! He was normal. However, strange, nobody care it. One summer afternoon, I was surprised to see a lady wearing bikini in an urban park. On a closer view, I knew that she was wearing a crop top and hot pants. Anyway, none of them in the park cared her and even turned their eyes on. I couldn’t understand that some Taiwanese’ indifference to their appearance.

One day, I came to know that Taiwanese say food, clothing, and shelter when they count three essential necessities of life. It struck me that two countries have different traditional values. Koreans say in a different order - clothing, food and shelter. Koreans make much of clothes, that is, their faces and manners are more important. Meanwhile, Taiwanese believe reality and contents the best.

  There was an amusing anecdote about their way of thinking. My landlady presented me with a box of mooncakes (月餠). Sorry to say, they didn’t suit our family’s taste. I didn’t want to throw it away, and then, I thought of an old woman who collected wastepaper and empty bottles in the streets in my neighborhood. Waiting for her, I handed it to her. “This is an August Moon Festival (Thanksgiving Day) present for you, mooncakes.” I forced it into her, because she didn’t accept it. Later on, I knew that I had misunderstood her. A neighbor told me that the old woman was rich: she was an owner of the big junk shop next to the kindergarten, and she had a few pieces of housing. The neighbor added, “There are many rich people in old and shabby clothes in Taiwan. However, even if they are poorly dressed, they prefer to eat the best food and drive luxury cars. Don’t be cheated by their appearance!”

I realized only after then that ‘Underwears are also clothes!’ is Taiwanese’ way of thinking. That’s why they don’t care others’ looks and others’ view as well. In a sense, they are right. It is true that we always try to see beyond what is seen, because all is not as it looks!

[lina]

All is not as it looks!
보이는 게 다가 아니다~!
겉과 속이 다~~~ 중요하죠...?! ^^

[manequine]

타고난이야기꾼임을인정합니다.너무재미있고요.

[lina]

헉... 칭찬... 감사합니다~ 꾸벅~ ^^

[스마일]

이야기에 푸욱 빠졌드랬습니다 ^^

[lina]

여름이라 여름스러운 소재를 골라봤어요~
이열치열... 남들도 더운 얘기, 그런데 맘껏 입고 다니는 사람들 얘기... 왠지 통할 듯해서... ㅋㅋ

[버니]

세상에나...같은 동양이라도 많이 다르군요~~~

[lina]

글쎄말이예요~
대만사람들이 합리적이고 실용적인 건 확실하더라구요!
아이들 횡단보도안전보행 도와주는 엄마들도 우리처럼 여경 비슷한 옷으로 다 차려입지 않고
노랑조끼만 입고 해요. 구래서 직장맘들도 봉사하고 조끼는 접어서 가방에 넣고 바로 출근한다는...
때로는 그들의 합리성이 부럽기도... ^^::

[카시아]

또 하나 대만문화 배웠네요. 저 요즘 언니 덕분에 세계화되고 있어요

[pinetree]

언니덕에 많이 배워요~ 제가 캄보디아 갔을때도 그 쪽 사람들도 파자마 위아래 세트로 입는게 유행이라는데
제가 보기엔 이상해보이더라구요~^^