Thanks for stopping by. There are times when I’m guilty of not thinking of how things are back home and this is one of them. Of course. You’re right. It’s been so long since I’ve been in a Blockbuster back in Canada that I had forgotten the service there isn’t impeccable! Thanks for reminding me.

Yes. Most days people are extremely friendly and accommodating. I should take the time to include stories that display the other side of living in Taiwan.

For example, the other day I stopped in a local clothing store for a quick browse around. The owner is always happy to see me and loves to chat. When she heard I was sick, she pulled out a bag of oranges and insisted I eat them. I was more than overwhelmed by her kindness.

There are always two sides to the coin.

there is a reason for it. believe me or not, they try to be polite to you by talking in your mother tongue (which they assume), so that you won’t have to waste your time trying to understand a foreign language (again, they assume). the misunderstanding between you and them have not been resolved in a timely manner, one after another, which lead to you being annoyed/angry, which in turn makes them think you are just another aggorant foreigner.

next time, tell them upfront, and clearly: please speak in … with me. the customer service might not be as good as you might have expected elsewhere, but at least by doing that, it would eliminate unnecessary frustration.

You have video-store morons everywhere, including and especially back home (don’t you just love “Clerks”?). I would not say this is a general culture thing here. Having rented in other SE-Asia nations, I would have to say that the Taiwanese are exceptionally welcoming and friendly towards me. If I go to the local stores, they sometimes give me discounts or try to make friendly chit-chat (I know – some foreigners would be annoyed with that special treatment as well).

I remember that a long while ago Toshuo was making “Speak to me in Mandarin” T-shirts. That might be a good idea . I believe you’re also capable of a more direct straight-out “Please say that in Chinese, I want to practice” or something, right?.
Although my Chinese sucks, I sometimes explain to the Taiwanese that English isn’t my native language and I would rather use Chinese. That usually works (from that point on).

Anyways, good story

Happy Holidays! I know you’ve been busy because you haven’t posted much in the last little while. I’ve missed your comments. Your insight is always greatly appreciated!

Thanks for the link but I’m going to keep it under wraps. John already watches an unbelievable amount of television. He can do his own dirty work!

This happened in Shu-lin City at the Zhongshan Road branch.

But the problem with the Blockbusters is not something exclusively to do with Blockbusters, per se, nor is is to do exclusively to do with Taiwan, either.

We have to remember these are really, really young people, usually, working at minimum wage. And unlike some Blockbusters in the larger cities in Canada and the United States, most of the workers in Blockbusters are not cinephiles. Even if you say the name of a well known film, they will not grasp what you mean until long after.

I had the same experience a few times in Blockbuster. Ironically, it was at the Blockbuster in Fengyuan that I had the most trouble. That city (if the same size) is much more urban than Miaoli City, where I had lived before, (and you would think), presumably more sophisticated. In fact, it isn’t.

In some ways, I found Miaoli more sophisticated. I found that, if I tried to speak English, or Mandarin to shopowners or shopworks, I had an easier time communicating in Miaoli than in Fengyuan. Almost nobody speaks good English in Miaoli. It is almost the same in Fengyuan. Still, there are more fluent speakers in the latter city. However, there is a fluidity and openness in people’s attitudes in Miaoli. Don’t catch yourself calling Miaoli residents provincial! Some of their old people (like a wizened bicycle repairman who fixed my bicycle seat, etc.) may have photos of Chiang Kai Shek on their walls, but they are much more gregarious than people in Fengyuan, or even Taichung. I might even extend this to Taipei, where, as a cosmopolitan city which supposedly is more open to the world, to outside ideas, etc., is ironically more closed off in many ways. But maybe people in bigger and more cosmopolitan cities have more of a sense of pride. People who are so proud will not be willing to communicate in their own language, but will think that their English is sufficient, even if it isn’t.

I go to one on Jinshan South Road (newly opened). Haven’t had any real problems, but I haven’t been all that impressed, either.

Funny you should mention it. We were thrilled to see good old fashioned Blockbusters here after leaving China. I stopped watching TV when I moved to China. One of my favorite past-times was hunting through the DVD shops for TV series and the latest flicks. Every time we go to China, we stock up. And yeah, you’re right. The DVD vendors always know exactly what you’re looking for. The only problem we ever had was getting a crap copy, but no one ever minded if we asked to check the quality of the film first on the TV in the shop.

It was a little weird getting used to television again. I still don’t watch that much, but John is a TV aficionado. He has a huge flat-screen TV with surround sound. I don’t mess with it. It’s his turf.