上班族必備軟實力

[Richard tries not to be too obnoxious.]

There are many manners and customs to be aware of when you are a guest in a Taiwan home.

• Take your shoes off before you go inside.
• Don’t make hyena noises.
• Hold the rice bowl in your hand when you eat. That makes you look like you are really enjoying the meal.
• Don’t stick the chopsticks upright in the rice. This will remind people of incense and funerals.
• It is not polite to say that you don’t want to eat any more food, say that you are full, that you could not possibly eat another bite of the delicious food. This way you won’t insult your host.

In Taiwan, it is easy enough to buy a drink, but if you are with a group, you cannot just drink. You must offer your glass in a toast to someone, “Cheers”, “Here’s to your health”, or something like that. If you want a sip, the fastest way is to offer a toast to one of your drinking partners. But after you have toasted everyone in your party several times, they may start to get tired of you.

At the Club: Have a Drink Already

In the land of Taiwan, they don’t follow Western proscriptions. It is okay for them to open an umbrella in the house. They don’t know what sort of unbelievable disaster they are inviting. They think nothing of throwing their hats onto a bed or walking under a ladder.

If you see anything that you don’t understand, superstition takes a hand. Thank you for reading.