Taiwanese Hospitality

My first impression of Taiwanese people is that they are really nice and friendly. The average person seems to be very accommodating to my foreign face. When I enter a restaurant they are all smiles and make sure I am comfortable and treat me with the finest upright standards of respect. A group of friends and I went to a restaurant the other night where they cook the food up right in front of you. The owner was a spunky little lady with a huge generous smile. We were seated as soon as we got it. She didn’t think that the table was good enough, as it was far away from the food action. So she shooed off some customers to different seats to make room for us. She made sure we were comfortable by bringing us a steady flow of heaps of rice, cups of honey tea, and steaming bowls of soup broth to accompany our delicious meal.

I met one of my religions professors and he too seemed like one of the happiest, most generous people I have ever met. I don’t think I have ever met a person with such a bright sparkle in his eyes before. He was extremely excited to have the “honor” of teaching us. He also alerted us to many safety issues and told us where the best cheap restaurants are located. “Look five times when you cross the street here. It is very dangerous. Once I only looked twice before I crossed the street and I almost got killed,” he said.

I think I will like Taiwanese people. They know how to be good hosts. They are proud of their country and want to share it with foreigners. This is an honor to them. I think many people all over the world could learn from this kind of generosity and hospitality.