It was a good run...

They say that all good things must come to an end, and so it was with my morning class of more than three years. One of my employers decided that it was no longer affordable to keep the morning classes going, and so this past Wednesday was the last lesson. I won't dwell on the lack of communication (I was never officially told of the decision, and only learned about it from a Chinese-language announcement placed in the class attendance record one morning), and instead thank those students who attended regularly. Today some of them treated Amber and I to lunch at a local hot pot 火鍋 restaurant. Hopefully, I'll get to see some of them again in my remaining evening and Saturday classes. As for me, I'll be going full-time at a kindergarten/cram school from Monday, so I won't be losing any income. Still...

 

Blink and you will miss it

11 seconds of a Taiwan High Speed Rail 台灣高鐵 train whizzing by in Shengang 神岡:

What's in a Name?

Call it what you want, but one of the hottest issues of recent weeks in Taiwan has been the CECA/ECPA. In an article carried by the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ ("Clinching a free trade accord with Beijing"), Frank Ching sets the scene:

"Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently offered to hold political and military talks with Taiwan in order to end the state of hostility between the two sides, which has existed for 60 years. Taiwan immediately rejected the offer, with President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 saying through a spokesman, 'At this stage, we will only talk about economic and trade issues.' That is certainly the right attitude to adopt. Relations with China have improved dramatically since Ma became Taiwan's leader last year, with four agreements — none of which were overtly political — signed in 2008. But he must move cautiously if only because there is a great deal of suspicion within Taiwan of Beijing's intentions. So sensitive is the situation that the president has had to change the name of the trade agreement that he wants to negotiate with Beijing, previously called a cross-strait Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). Political opponents felt that sounded too much like CEPA, the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement that Hong Kong and Macau have signed with the mainland, and feared that such an accord would signify that Taiwan, like Hong Kong and Macau, came under Chinese sovereignty. Partly for that reason, Ma decided to change the name. Now, it is called ECFA for Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement. Taiwan also feels that a framework agreement will be easier to negotiate than a comprehensive one."

Ching has never been a supporter of an independent Taiwan, so his enthusiasm for the CEPA/ECFA comes as no surprise:

"To Taiwan, a trade agreement with Beijing is crucial not only because the mainland is now the island's most important trading partner but also because it hopes that such an accord will pave the way to agreements with the countries of Southeast Asia and end Taiwan's marginalization in the Asia-Pacific region. Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have reached an agreement under which most tariffs will be eliminated by next year between China and the six original ASEAN members. The remaining four members will be included in the FTA by 2015. This will create a free trade zone with a population larger than either NAFTA or the European Union. Moreover, Japan, South Korea and India also have FTA deals with ASEAN. And last month Australia and New Zealand signed FTA accords with ASEAN. Thus Taiwan's major trading partners are weaving an FTA network among themselves that excludes Taiwan. Unless this changes, Taiwan will find it more difficult to trade since it will have to pay export duties that other countries do not. Studies show that if China, Japan and South Korea join ASEAN in an FTA, Taiwan's GDP will shrink by more than one percentage point. The more countries involved, the greater the impact on Taiwan. That's why Taiwan is feeling increasingly desperate. It wants to reach a trade agreement with China after which, it hopes, other trading partners will be willing to sign similar accords. There is a danger that if Taiwan does not achieve a breakthrough, it will find itself in nearly the same boat as North Korea — an outcast within the international community."

Strong words. But how much more integration with the Chinese economy does Taiwan really need? Since restrictions were lifted in the early 1990's, billions of dollars have flowed from Taiwan into China, along with hundreds of thousands of businesspeople, and most worrisome of all, a lot of manufacturing jobs. In return for this growing dependence on the Chinese, what has Taiwan received in return? The Anti-Secession Law and a growing number of missiles pointed at it, are two things that come to mind, as well as the ongoing efforts to block or limit Taiwan's participation in international organizations. Even Ching admits that signing an accord on closer economic integration may not help Taiwan in the international arena:

"It is Ma's hope that once Beijing has reached a trade agreement with Taiwan, it will not object to similar agreements between Taiwan and its other trading partners. This will not necessarily be the case. Beijing may still object to other countries reaching trade agreements with Taiwan."

Of course, if the ultimate goal is political integration with China, then Taiwan, to paraphrase Ching's conclusion:

"...has everything to gain and little to lose."

Ahoy There!

My wife read online last night that there was going to be an open house at Taichung Harbor today and tomorrow involving three vessels from the ROC Navy, so this afternoon we drove down to take a look at the ships. The weather was warmer than expected, the crowds were not overwhelming and everyone was in a good mood, with the exception of our three year-old, who got a little cranky at times. But even Amber said later that she liked the ships. For once, there wasn't a food vendor in sight, which was unfortunate, because we didn't eat lunch before arriving at the waterside. Just like the police - when you really need one, they're nowhere to be found.

上: "Cute" military characters were available for photo ops, but Amber found them to be a little creepy, and refused to be photographed with them. Her father didn't blame her.

下: There were three ships at the harbor, all of which could be boarded by the public. We ended up visiting two of them. I'm not a military geek, so I couldn't tell you what kind of ships they were, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say they were destroyers.

上: The view from the bridge of one of the ships.
下: Amber tries out the captain's chair.

On the way home (after finally finding something to eat), we stopped off at the rest area near Qingshui 清水, located on the No. 3 Freeway 福爾摩沙高速公路. This place is always packed, on weekends anyway, and especially around sunset. It's hard to find what all the excitement is about - young couples watching the sun set through the haze, over a parking lot filled with cars, and with a landscape of factories and apartment buildings stretching down to the barely visible sea. On the other hand, the facilities at the rest area are some of the best in Taiwan. There are plenty of shops and places to eat, and even a large fish tank that never fails to enthrall the kids.

頂きます！

From today's Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売 comes an article on the spread of Japanese restaurants across Asia:

"Japanese restaurant chains are advancing into the rest of Asia--including China, Thailand and Taiwan--where the popularity of Japanese cuisine is soaring as the standard of living improves. Shrinking Japanese domestic markets, mainly due to a declining birthrate and a drop in consumer spending, lie behind the trend of Japanese restaurant companies seeking to expand into new markets."

The story mainly focuses on outlets being opened in Shanghai, but Taiwan is briefly mentioned in one paragraph:

"Some firms that have already opened restaurants outside of Japan are making steady profits. Ootoya Co. 大戸屋 based in Tōkyō 東京, which sells low-cost meals at its restaurant chain, opened its first overseas restaurant in Thailand in January 2005. The firm now has 31 overseas outlets in Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong--out of a total 242 at home and abroad--that earn about 10 percent of its consolidated sales."

Japanese food is very popular in Taiwan, and rave reviews of mainly Taipei 台北-based 日本料理 eateries can be found throughout the blogosphere here. However, I found myself continually disappointed by the quality of Japanese food served in restaurants in Taiwan. For example, noodle dishes such as ramen ラーメン are marked by their underwhelming flavors. Taiwanese chefs appear to labor under the notion that Japanese cuisine is meant to bland, and in fact I've been told by several students who have traveled to Japan that the food there was too "salty"! After living for nearly 18 months in Yokkaichi 四日市, Mie Prefecture 三重県, my Taiwanese wife complained that the Japanese food on offer in Taiwan was tasteless! Unfortunately, she seems to be in the minority.

I also have problems when it comes to my favorite Japanese dish, tonkatsu 豚カツ. In Japan, it is almost universally tasty. In Taiwan, the pork often has too much fat, the batter is too thick (a problem that also plagues tempura 天ぷら dishes in Taiwan), and worst of all, instead of Worcestershire sauce and mustard, ketchup is often presented as a condiment to go with the meat!

And then there is sushi 寿司 and sashimi 刺身. Is it only my imagination (or bias), or is the quality better at the cheapest conveyor belt joints 回転寿司 in Japan than the more expensive Japanese restaurants here in Taiwan? Wasabi ワサビ is often provided (and used) in such great amounts that is absorbs almost all the soy sauce. So much for subtlety. And perhaps I'm just unlucky, but it seems every time I have sashimi, the fish is served half-frozen.

As a lover of Japanese cuisine, therefore, I'm happy to read that more Japanese restaurants will apparently be opening up in Taiwan. I shouldn't get my hopes up too high, however. Take the above-mentioned Ootoya, for example. A Google search revealed there are 9 outlets on this island - five in Taipei, two in Kaohsiung 高雄, and one each in Hsinchu 新竹 and Tainan 台南. The staff at Compass Magazine may delude themselves into believing that Taichung 台中 is the "culture city", but it takes a long time for things from the outside world to make their way into the central part of Taiwan. And as for good ol' Fengyuan 豐原, well, there is a MOS Burger モスバーガー...

In the interests of fairness, the state of Chinese food in Japan is just as bad. There was a "Taiwanese" restaurant in downtown Yokkaichi that served Japanized versions of Taiwanese noodle, rice and tofu dishes. And who in their right mind would list "Japanese food/restaurants" as one of their reasons for visiting Taiwan? It's just that as a long-term resident in a small city who needs a break from the stir-fries and chopped-up pieces of bone, it would be nice if the most popular international alternative could taste a little more like it does in its place or origin, and a little less like the native dishes.

Them WBC Blues

It has been a long fall for Taiwan in baseball, from dominating the Little League World Series back in the Seventies, to this:

China ousts Taiwan in Classic

"Ray Chang homered and drove in two runs as China beat Taiwan 4-1 on Saturday for its first win in the World Baseball Classic."

China eliminates Taiwan

"Baseball in China took a huge step toward credibility, as the team managed by former Orix Buffaloes オリックス・バファローズ skipper Terry Collins shocked Taiwan 4-1 in a WBC elimination game on Saturday at Tōkyō Dome 東京ドーム. U.S.-born Ray Chang went 3-for-3 with a double, a homer and two RBIs, and starter Lu Jiangang 吕建刚, the winning pitcher against Taiwan at the Beijing Olympics, set the tone by allowing just one run over 5-1/3 innings to lead the way. China has now beaten the Taiwanese back-to-back in international play. It won 8-7 in 12 innings at the Beijing Games last summer. The loss also made Taiwan, which fell to South Korea 9-0 on Friday night, the first team to be bounced from the WBC, taking it out of Group A play with two defeats in less than 24 hours."

Talk about a loss of face...

As easy as WBC

Taiwan's team came into the World Baseball Classic's Asia Round at Tōkyō Dome 東京ドーム with lowered expectations in the aftermath of its poor performance at last year's Beijing Olympics, and in the first game at least, it lived up (or should that be down?) to them. From the Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売:

As expected / South Korea whips Taiwan to set up showdown with Japan

"South Korea made the Taiwan players and coaches hide their eyes in the first inning on Friday with a grand slam from Lee Jin Young in a six-run rally that the reigning Olympic champion rode to a 9-0 victory in front of 12,704 at Tōkyō Dome. Korea took advantage of some first-inning wildness by Taiwan starter Lee Chen-chang, who handed out three free passes, a hit batter and a single before Lee Jin Young's slam to deep right capped the rally in the second game of the Tōkyō Round"

And the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ:

Lee, South Korea trounce Taiwan

"South Korea didn't have to work too hard to notch its first win of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Taiwan's starting pitcher took care of a lot of the heavy lifting himself. South Korea had twice as many runs as hits in the first, including Lee Jin Young's towering grand slam, as they cruised in to 9-0 rout of Taiwan on Friday night in front 18,704 fans Tōkyō Dome. 'The reason for the victory is the Taiwan pitchers gave us a lot of opportunities and our hitters turned those into runs,' South Korea manager Kim In Sik said. The Koreans also turned a WBC-record five double plays in the victory."

The MLB.com website has a preview of Taiwan's do-or-die game against China:

China to take on Chinese Taipei. Loser will be eliminated; winner will play Japan or Korea

"China will meet Chinese Taipei 中華台北 in Game 3 of the 2009 World Baseball Classic Pool A, Asia Round, in a day game at Tōkyō Dome on Saturday. Both clubs lost their opening games in the tournament, and the loser of this game will be eliminated. The winner will stay alive and play again on Sunday against the loser of Saturday night's Game 4 between Japan and Korea. China is hoping for a repeat of its 8-7 victory over Chinese Taipei in the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, while Chinese Taipei will be trying to duplicate the results of the 2006 World Baseball Classic, when it defeated China 12-2."

If Taiwan loses this one, it might be time to throw its hands up in the air in surrender, become a Special Administrative Region a la Hong Kong or Macau and give up any dreams of being a sovereign state.

Oh, wait, that's already happening, isn't it?