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This is a collection of odds and ends - things which don't warrant their own section on the website but are worth mentioning (or not) in passing.

Hairy Moles featuring Mole Man!

Snoopy and Friends

Rubbish collection or "Anyone fancy an ice cream?"

Hairy moles

No I don't mean the furry, myopic garden variety, I mean the type that can be seen growing on human skin.

A proportion of any population of people have moles on their faces, and some of these moles have hairs growing out of them.

In the UK the normal thing to do is to cut or shave the hairs so one is left with only the mole showing. In Taiwan the custom (as far as I can see from my non-scientific survey) is not to cut the hairs at all but to let them grow instead. Young and old, men and women, business people and manual workers - all can be seen proudly sporting moles sprouting a sprig of lovingly cared-for bristles, the longer - the better!

Cultural differences like this take me by surprise more often than variations in, for example, language. Maybe it's because it's so totally unexpected.

Every time I see one of these hairy moles it reminds me of the Mike Myers' film "Austin Powers in Goldmember". In this movie one of the funnier scenes is when Austin Powers (secret agent and highly shagadelic love god) is introduced to an undercover agent working as a mole in the hidden headquarters of Dr Evil's highly evil organisation. All Austin can think about is the mole on the mole's face, and proceeds to make things worse by accidentally mentioning it every time he speaks!

Thanks to The Skin of Austin Powers website for the pictures!

Meet Mole Man Feb 05

The display below can be found on a wall in Taipei Metro Mall. I have christened it Mole Man for obvious reasons. If you have a mole on your face, you can look in the mirror and compare your moles with the ones on the board picture. Each different position has a different meaning...

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Snoopy and friends

Taiwan seems to be crazy about Snoopy, the lovable beagle from Charles Schultz's Peanuts cartoon strip. Why? I don't know. You can see Snoopy images almost anywhere, from t-shirts and bags, to umbrellas and scooter helmets.

Special edition Snoopy soft drinks on show in the 7 Eleven.

As you make your way around Taipei it's also possible to see the full range of Disney characters, particularly Mickey Mouse. And although she's not a Disney character Betty Boop is very popular too.

In fact, there are even Betty Boop shops selling Betty Boop clothes and other merchandise.

"Boop boop be doop, Charlie Brown!"

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Rubbish collection (or "Anyone fancy an ice cream?")

This is an ice cream van - a common site on the residential streets of the UK, and, in the brief British summertime, at various visitor attractions across the country. They're normally painted in bright colours, with names such as Mr Whippy and Mr Softee. They sell whipped ice cream cones (or cornets, if yer posh), drinks, lolly ices, crisps, chocolates and sweets (candy, if yer American).

But how do the little boys and girls know there's an ice cream van in the road? Simple! The van plays a plinky-plonky tune at a rather disturbing volume. The ice cream van which visited my street as I was growing up in Liverpool played 'Greensleeves'...

So where's all this leading, I hear you ask. And what's it all got to do with rubbish collections? Well, when I first came to Taiwan and was walking through the streets of Taipei I heard an ice cream van. It was very definitely an ice cream van. I mean, why else could I hear a plinky-plonky version of Beethoven's Für Elise? It was only when I suggested to Richard that we buy a cornet (I would have loved a 99 - you know, one of those with the chocolate flake in...) that he told me it wasn't an ice cream van but the bin men. It turns out that the bin lorries in Taipei all play tunes so that the residents know when the refuse collectors/rubbish removal men/waste disposal operatives are approaching.

Here's the first tune:- Ludwig Van Beethoven's Für Elise

This is the second of the two tunes used. I'm assured it's famous but I can't for the life of me work out what the melody is supposed to be. If you recognise it, please let me know and put me out of my misery!

Back in Liverpool the rubbish is collected once a week, and we put out our large, purple wheelie bins in eager anticipation of returning home from work to find it emptied.

Liverpool's purple wheelie bins... emptied once a week by 'the bin men'.

Here in Taipei the rubbish is collected every evening, and some mornings too. I suppose it's because there's so much food stuffs and organic waste products being thrown out that needs collecting, given the sub-tropical climate. Also, another difference from the Liverpool method is that people have to take their own trash out to the trash van. If you don't take it out, it won't get collected, and if you just leave it outside you can be fined.

This is great to see too! It's all the recycleables being collected by a separate van. Residents are required to remove glass, paper, plastic and metal from their rubbish - all of which is recycled.

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Page created 27 Aug 04 - updated 5 Sept 05
Copyright Graham Holland © 2004-5

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