Monday, April 22, 2002. 9:32PM. Taipei, Taiwan.
“Hey Brian, how old are you?”
I look over at Bird, who is sitting to the right of my comfy chair. “Thirty”.
Bird points to the masseuse sitting at the end of my chair. “Guy says your body acts like it’s twenty eight.”
“That’s good to know.” I sit back as the Chinese man continues to massage my feet. After dinner and some light shopping in Taipei’s “Snake Market”, Bird is treating me to a reflexology foot massage. The Chinese believe that certain points of the foot are related to specific parts of the body, and that health can be maintained by applying pressure to these areas. It’s a theory I’m familiar with, being in line with a lot of chiropractic medicine.
Bird Lin works for my company’s office in Taipei. He used to be a program manager, but has recently moved into sales. Out of everybody in the Taiwan office, Bird is the one I know best. It’s my second time in Taipei, and Bird is my self-appointed tour guide. Aside from providing transportation via his aging Ford, he helps bargain with the street vendors. His efforts have netted me four teapots and two hand painted banners (2300 NT dollars total, about ). I purchased the banners from the same shop where I bought a large gold fan last year.
Bird and I have talked about many things since I arrived. We talk about business, politics, home life, and the odd balance between Chinese ans American culture. Bird often helps me understand how to handle business with the Taiwanese, both old and new. Bird is “new Taiwanese”, almost more American than Chinese. He is more expressive, more likely to tell me his true feelings on a topic than to politely nod and agree.
During dinner we talked about the economy. Taiwan has been hit pretty hard by the downturn in the computer industry. A lot of factories are cutting back or sending work to China. Petty crime and prostitution are up, and there are some extreme politicians moving up in the system. Bird tells me a lot of younger people in the office are backing radical candidates. There is a backlash against the Chinese in some areas, and movements based on one’s “purity” and heritage. I make the obvious comparisons to Germany prior to World War II.
It’s not a severe problem yet, but it sounds uncomfortably familiar. The Tokyo police are currently being accused of racial profiling against Chinese immigrants. One immigrant is currently in the hospital after being shot by a policeman … he was shot in the back four times after being accused of swiping a handbag. There are certain attitudes I wish did not travel across cultures.
At the moment, we’re examining the reflexology chart to see what the minor pains in our feet say about our health. Each spot that hurts has a corresponding organ or muscle group. Sharper pains tend to indicate more severe health issues. One of my small pains relates to my adrenal glands (something my chiropractor already pointed out to me). Bird is looking up his latest pain on the chart. He locates the spot, then points to the english translation of the body part.
“This says I have problem with ‘Uterus or Prostate’”, he says.
“Well Bird,” I say, “It can be one or the other. It can’t be both.”
Bird laughs and translates my response to the Chinese masseuse. He laughs and continues his work. No matter the culture, It’s nice to know some humor is universal.
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