Ten Foreigners Give Their HONEST Opinion On Life in Taiwan! 🌍❤️🇹🇼！What We Will NEVER Understand!

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the channel. My name is Alan. This is my life in Taiwan. This is Prozi. Hi. We are here with an extra special video today. I am going to be interviewing Prozi all about his life in Taiwan, his opinions on certain things regarding the culture, the foods, the people. But it's not just going to be Prozi in this video answering the questions. Let's go see who's going to be in the video. Hi, I'm Josh. I'm from America. My name is Amadei. I come from Poland. Hi, I'm Eddie. I'm from the UK. Hello, my name is Andy. I'm from London, England. I've been in Taiwan for 22 years. Hi, I'm Tina, also from America. I'm Prozi, I'm from Canada. I've been in Taiwan for five years now. Whoa. Hello, everyone. I'm Pineapple Bro, from Turkey. Hi, I'm Damian. I'm from sunny Blackpool in the UK. And I've also been in Taiwan about 22, 23 years. Hi, I'm Andre. I'm from New Zealand. So, Prozi, what's your reason for coming to Taiwan in the first place? I came to Taiwan because being a YouTuber in China isn't a very good idea. I did an internship here once upon a time and I liked it. So I stayed longer. Travel, see the other side of the world. Yeah, I wanted to get out of the American bubble. I traveled for years before I came to Taiwan. And I wanted somewhere to earn some money to continue my traveling. Well, kind of a long story, actually. How long do you want it to be? About 10 seconds. Well, I studied Taiwanese history at university. I really, really got invested in that. So, you know, why, why, why just read about Taiwanese history when I can just come to Taiwan and live, live the country that I've been studying? I came here for internship first, but I fell in love with the country and I stayed and for 10 years I'm here. Make Taiwan a better place. So there's the reasons that people have chosen to come to Taiwan. But I want to ask them, how do they think most foreigners overseas hear about Taiwan for the first time? Oh, that's a good question. Where I'm from in Auckland, there's a lot of, like, Taiwanese immigrants. So, like, you'd hear about, like, Taiwan. As a teenager, I used to ride mountain bicycles a lot. And also I spent lots of time with computers and other electronic products. What was stunning for me, most of the things were always made in Taiwan. I wanted to do my TOEFL course, actually. Yeah, we had some Taiwanese students, so I heard about it from them. I first heard about Taiwan when my big sister moved to Japan to teach English. And I was learning about countries in the area. And I guess Taiwan popped up. I'm an industrial engineer. People work in industry know Taiwan very well because machinery they buy from Taiwan. The little stamp on the toys and products that Taiwan made in Taiwan. That was the only thing I ever knew about Taiwan. The main thing people talk about Taiwan in the UK is in relation to China. What was your first, earliest memory of Taiwan when you arrived? I remember landing and coming into the airport and getting ready, mentally getting ready for all those people I was so used to in China. These black taxi drivers, they hound you when you come out of the arrivals. And I got off the flight and no one bothered me. It was amazing. I just came to Taiwan for a 15 hour flight, jet lagged, I just wanted to sleep. My manager at my job comes to meet me, she goes to drive. But she also decides to go see her friends on the drive down to Taichung. So we end up having a hot pot. And I'm just like, I don't know who these people are. Walking through the door at the airport, you know, the end of September and it opens up and just that heat and humidity. I was like, oh, yeah. Coming from the airport into Taipei town. And we looked out the window and we saw loads of people drinking this yellow liquid from pint glasses. And we thought, wow, this is like a real beer culture here. And of course it wasn't, it was tea. My earliest memory of Taiwan actually was back in Alaska. Yes. There were so many people from so many different countries, but actually Taiwanese people there acted different than the others. They were calm, nice and friendly. So I just wanted to know more about their country and their culture. And then I got in my taxi and we were driving and I was just looking out the window and I just felt so not free, but just refreshed. Like I just felt safe. While I was at this stall, it was an omelette. Obviously I didn't know any Chinese and I ordered that and it was an oyster omelette. And I'm allergic to oysters. I'm still thinking about something. It's 12 o'clock. I'm trying to remember. We have partnered up with the Taiwan Plus initiative and as well as an app, a website and a YouTube channel. They also have a secondary YouTube channel called Taiwan Plus One. And on that channel, they've got some really funny, interesting YouTube shorts where they discuss some cultural do's and don'ts regarding life in Taiwan. So I'm going to put my guests today to the test and see if they can identify the Taiwanese cultural do's versus the Taiwanese cultural don'ts. Number one, putting your chopsticks vertically into your rice bowl. Do or don't. Don't. Don't do that. Oh, that's a no-no. Oh, no, no, no. Oh, no, no, no, no. Don't. I've made that mistake. Don't do it. You corrected me on that actually. First time. Why not? Because it's a Japanese thing they do at funerals. It's a sign of death. Because it's a flag for ghosts or something. That means death or that starts the fight. So please don't do that. Number two, point at the moon during Geishimachi Kondo. That's also a don't. Don't do it. Oh, I don't know. It's all right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't. Don't do that. Really? Yes. I point at the moon all the time. No, I've never heard of this one. No. OK, why not? Something like someone will bite your ear off or something. Yeah. Pointing at the moon has also a bad meaning. I just know not to do these things because my parents told me not to do these things. Pointing at the moon is like you're offending the moon goddess. The third cultural do or don't. Leave some rice in your bowl at the end of a meal to show your host that you are full. I don't think that's the thing because I always finish my meals and my mother-in-law is so happy with that. Yes. Leave some rice. Yeah, I think you do that. Don't do that. Don't do that. OK, what should you do? Eat it all. Because if you eat all of it, then it shows that you that the person cooking didn't provide enough. Oh, that's a definitely do that. Yeah, that one. Yeah. You have to do that one. Why? Well, because if you if you haven't fed you enough, that's do or don't. I say don't. I said, yeah, leave a bit of rice. Well, according to this time, you should finish it all. Because it shows the person who cooked it that you really like the meal. The host has satisfied you enough that you could actually finish the meal. Yeah, in some cultures, that's right. Not this one. All right. Wrong one. Probably three and a half years. It doesn't even know that. And the final one for this round is giving your boyfriend or girlfriend a new pair of shoes. Don't do don't. Oh, no. It's do or don't. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's that's like that's like go away. Don't do that because it's like telling your significant other you want them to run away. I'd say it's fine. Yeah. If you need some shoes, you need some shoes. Giving your boyfriend or girlfriend a pair of shoes means walking away. She's an annoying ass girl. Give her some shoes. OK, so back to the main questions now. And how about the welcoming feeling in Taiwan? Did you feel welcome when you first arrived? Do you still feel welcome here? I myself visited almost 30 countries. And honestly, I think Taiwanese are friendliest people in the world. Yeah. Taiwanese people are pretty welcoming. Super cool. Super welcoming. Really friendly. When they go to the 7-Eleven or Family Mart, say hwaning hwanling. Welcome to my shop. It's nice. They got their home, small, small town feel. And especially for someone that looks or for people that look like us, heavily tattooed and stuff, a lot more welcoming than I would have imagined for an Asian country. It's a really welcoming country for a foreigner because Taiwanese people want to know more about different countries and different cultures. Very welcome. When I first came here, it was really welcoming. Yeah, the people, people would stop you in the street and try and talk to you. OK, so as I've mentioned several times in this video, we have partnered up with Taiwan Plus. So my next question is, what are Taiwan's biggest plus points? Well, for me, the fact that I met my wife here was a great thing. Like the mountains are beautiful. The food's great. All the temples, they're beautifully built. Well, my wife watches all your shows. So, yeah, exactly the same answer as Damien. I don't want to say convenience because every other person is going to say that. But generally, free style of living. One of the biggest advantages is that despite the island being very small, there are distinct, almost microbiomes of Taiwan. So you've got like tropical beaches in Kending and then you've got international metropolises of Taipei and then you've got like snowy mountains up in Alishan, but everything just works. You want something done. It's done relatively quickly. You need to get a train. Your train will be there on time. I think as an engineer, the most interesting thing about Taiwan is the capacity of making those small semiconductors and chips. OK, so before interviewing everybody for this video, I actually sent a link to Taiwan Plus's YouTube channel and gave them the opportunity to go through some of the videos and find videos that they were interested in. So I'm going to ask them, what is your favourite Taiwan Plus video? I enjoyed the Road to Legacy, which is about Taiwanese bands, about 10 Taiwanese bands, so like commercials on them, like how people play in bands because we play in the band. Yeah. Musicians, they're kind of my people. My favourite Taiwan Plus video is the one where they did the fortune telling in Taipei. I liked it, but the guy presenting it was a little bit arrogant, in my opinion. I had a good time looking at the food ones. I think they're really solid because I love food. Yeah, we know. Yeah. I found Jason's Table, that was pretty good. Yeah, a lot of stuff about food. I like food. Some interesting facts I didn't know. Really interesting, very, very informative. You know, like a lot of great videos on there. I got my boy Prozzie on there. I like the top five breakfast foods. That was a good one because the breakfast foods are really different. Jason's Table videos. I love watching his shows and I hope to be in one of those shows one day. I like the boba tea one, the history of boba tea. That was very interesting. Yeah. For someone who likes history, it was great, good to watch. Solid recommend. There really is something for everyone in the Taiwan Plus channel. So definitely go check it out. OK, so it's time for round number two of Taiwan's do's and don'ts. So number six is going to be choosing with your rice bowl. Don't? This sounds weird. No, don't, don't. I don't know on this one. I've never done that. I guess it's not a thing here. I've never seen it done, so I'm going to say don't. I'm going to say do it. I'm going to say yes. You do not choose your rice bowl. Oh, but who would ever choose a rice bowl anyway? It's full of rice. Apparently, the reason that you shouldn't cheers with a bowl is because beggars use it and they clink against it to attract people to put money in their bowl. Next one. Knocking on a hotel door before going in for the first time. Yeah, do. I think you should knock the door because you don't want to see what you're not supposed to see. I don't know. Someone, someone might not be finishing their business. Because there's ghosts in there for sure. So what are you telling the ghosts? I'm coming in. Do. OK, that's correct. But you know why? To, uh, I'm going to say ghosts again. Don't. It's kind of cringe. You do knock on the hotel room door before you walk in. Why? To tell the ghosts that you're coming in. So they can see you. Giving your friend a clock as a gift. Don't, don't, don't, don't, don't. No, I mean, your time is up. Oh, yeah, it's going to be something like, oh, you're reminding them that they're going to die or you want them to die or something else. Like, don't. It's like you're timing their death or something. It has something to do with death. And the final do or don't for this part of the quiz is cleaning your house before Lunar New Year's Eve. Do. Do. We should do that anyway. Yes, do. Do. Married to Taiwanese women and it's the only time they clean the house. You said that, not me. That's a do because you actually get rid of many things that you don't want. It's actually a nice behavior to do. OK, awesome. OK. I love that game. It really, really was a fun game. OK, so comment down below how many of these cultural do's or don'ts that you knew and if there were any that surprised you, let me know down below. And of course, feel free to share any others that we missed out. But time to get back to the next question. Is there a Taiwanese invention that surprised you or something new to Taiwan that surprised you when you first arrived? People wear baking gloves for scooters. Strawberry flavored potato chips. There are cell phone umbrellas. Hay hats that old people always use. If you have never used that, you would never know how cool it is. And you go to a restaurant, they give you a menu. You fill up yourself. The use of scooters, like in America, nobody drives scooters. Chicken nugget ice cream. That surprises me. It's not really an invention per se, but the semiconductors, TSMC. There are still some things that I just don't quite understand about Taiwan. So how about you? Stinky tofu. I'll never get that. I know a lot of Taiwanese people aren't particularly religious. They don't believe in the gods and things like that. But they still do the traditional Taiwanese thing. It's common for them to pay for their parents' mortgages or give them money and things like that. Yeah. The other day I was riding my u-bike and it was 36 degrees out, I think. And there were people on their scooters, on their bikes with jackets on. Taiwan is an island surrounded from west, east, north and south by the water. Yet most people don't like water and cannot swim. The rainy days are a lot here, but the tiles are so slippery. How so many Taiwanese people don't put themselves first. They put their families first. An amount of Taiwanese people who I meet can say that I really want to go on holiday somewhere and they don't do it because they really think that I have to look after my family. For the final question, I'm going to give people the opportunity to just say whatever they want and give me their favorite thing about Taiwanese culture or lifestyle. Hiking in Taiwanese high mountains, like nature is for free and it's available for everyone. And this is going to sound really strange coming from me. My favorite thing about Taiwan is the police. They are so nice. I feel like they're here to generally help people. Yeah, I'd say that safety is probably one of the best things about Taiwan. Oh, yes, I agree with you there. Probably my job. I like going to work. Red towel restaurants. OK, I really, really, really like that atmosphere of just being able to buy cheap, delicious fried food with cheap ice cold Taiwan beer, 7-Elevens can get a beer 24 hours a day. All right. My favorite part of culture is why he do whole what Taiwanese say. It's like if you are happy, the rest doesn't matter. So there you have it. There's the opinion of some of my foreign friends regarding their life in Taiwan and opinions regarding certain cultures and lifestyle nuances. And, of course, don't forget, you can find much more information about life in Taiwan over on the Taiwan Plus and the Taiwan Plus One channel. So go check it out. Subscribe, share. And, of course, when you watch their videos, comment down below and tell them Inguo Susu sent you. So from me and all my friends, it's time to say bye bye. Bye bye. Thanks for watching. Bye bye. Thanks for watching. Thanks for watching. Goodbye. I'll see you next time in my life in Taiwan. Bye.