Insights Into Cultural Understanding

I had a great late lunch yesterday at a restaurant called Shaba Shaba. Imagine being able to select the ingredients for your own soup and cooking them in a pot at your table. The pot is a part of the table. You determine the temperature of your soup (a water base with a little oil), its ingredients (selections include sea urchins, thinly sliced lamb and beef, tofu squares, fresh vegetables like squash, cabbage, and corn, rice, dumplings, and noodles). This would make my daughter happy because she’d select the veggies and tofu and be quite full because you can eat whatever and however much you want. You would also make your own dipping sauce of ingredients like chili, ground garlic, soy sauce, and basil. For a beverage you could choose from a cola or cold sweetened tea. And to top of this feast, have a soft ice cream in a cone.

I have dined on Japanese food, salmon topped with a white sauce and cheese, and yes savored my Starbucks decaf. Though I haven’t eaten there there’s restaurant that serves burgers.

I walk from the training center to the hotel and feel safe. The vibe I get here in Taipei is a lot like New York City’s Manhattan. There is activity late into the night on the street where I am staying. The el passes by my window as do clean current models of the best cars and the ever present scooters. There’s an Intel building across the street. I have a very pleasant wake up call in English in the morning and if I choose, scrambled eggs and a croissant or a Chinese breakfast of dumplings and vegetables.

I highly recommend that you visit Taipei when you have a chance. And if you are wise, you will not refer to it as China to Taiwanese who would be offended even though their Taiwan is now a province of the Republic of China (ROC).

I look forward to learning about the Taiwan that is home to the people that live here.

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I was asked this question by one of my colleaguess, “I am particularly interested in knowing how you are received - as an American, an African American and as a woman.” I am received with politeness and a few longer glances. I don ‘t know what the thoughts are and have been treated with respect. Thus far I have not seen any other Black person.  The people that I’ve seen have here in Taipei have facial characteristics of many nations though none African.

Many women here, I’ve been told, are business oriented and deal   in very straight forward and strong manners. In fact, in preparing for my trip I read in a National Geographic travel edition on China that the “Chinese men can often be soft (wenrou) and the women strong-willed (jianqiang).” A role reversal from the dominant steoreotypes of the U.S. though this is changing.

The people I’ve met are family oriented, hungry to learn and to be successful, treat me like a professional with skills that they want, and know that I am an American speaking through an interpreter. Given their priorities for learning, my gender, nationality, and race really don’t matter. What does matter is my ability to deliver as promised. I feel very welcomed.

Thank you for asking! Let me know any other questions you have.

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I was invited to join in the blessing of the office today and I accepted. There was incense, shooting off of fire-crackers to welcome in the New Year, and a toast of Pepsi Cola. “Why Pepsi Cola?” I asked. I was told “Bcause the can says everything is happiness. Cola means keilei in Mandarin– for goodness, Coca Cola also.”

In a red envelope we each received a crisp gift of money for good fortune and offered candy from a large bowl. The hard candy I selected was sweet on the outside and slightly salty in the inside. Afterwards, we had a feast at a beautiful restaurant including lotus root with sticky rice inside, chicken, fish, soups…. I was honored to be a member of this company family dinner of the employees. And I was delighted to be referred to as Aunt Joel to the little one who was with us. Wear red today. Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future.

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I entered Taipei at 6AM of the Chinese New Year Holiday after a wonderful 13-hour flight. The airport was quiet, and passing through customs was an uncomplicated walk. Free luggage trolleys made it that much easier. Mike Birtwistle met me at the gate. Mike is a big hearted guy and savvy international corporate trainer who has worked with many Fortune 500 firms. He is the director of trainings and has, along with the principals of InVision (my client), a passion for bringing the best of the best in education in training to Taiwan and China.

Among the many questions that I asked about business, the culture, and the assignment I had was, “What is the favorite sport here?” Martin household TV fare is determined by one sport or another so I was surprised to learn that the favorite “sport” is art and culture. There are 6 museums here. 

The day was overcast and the landscape (Taiwan is an island) dominated by lush green trees. We passed an old Buddhist temple with neon lights, the Chiang Kei-shek hotel, industrial buildings that reminded me of Russia, through clean city neighborhoods, by familiar sites like Starbucks and 7-11s, by office buildings to my hotel. Sit in the lobby and you will be asked if you’d like complimentary water, tea, or coffee.

During the day, the city was quiet with the exception of the tallest building in the world – Taipei 101 – which was filled with shoppers. Taipei, a city of 23,000,000, from what I can see so far is a very modern sophisticated city.

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I am getting ready to go to Taipei, Taiwan China for my first trip. I will be sending posts back to this blog with pictures. What an opportunity to make a difference delivering a program about tapping into ones personal power, creating ones vision, experiencing a connection with others, and accomplishing breakthrough results in business and elsewhere in ones life. I know that this is a transformational journey for me as well and look forward to learning from this “ancient civilized country with a history of over 5,000 years.” The Chinese culture is broad and profound and it is shaping our world.

Yesterday I purchased a Mandarin Chinese CD to learn phrases and to become familiar the language. I will be working with an interpreter but want to be able to speak some Chinese while there. Many will be able to speak English but it matters to me that I be able to communicate in some way to them in their language.

Communications is a two-way street.

If you have questions, comments, requests, etc. enter them in the comment section on the Insights Into Cultural Understanding blog.

The Tsou, one of Taiwan’s 11 major indigenous groups, perform a traditional dance symbolizing unity amongst their people and the passing of their culture to future generations. (Courtesy of Song Sheng-zao)

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