The NSX/Taiwan Connection

[Ben]

As an US citizen, I wish US will butt off Taiwan's interior politics.

If people from Taiwan want to have a vote to decide if they want to use "Taiwan" to join UN, is none of US' business to disagree. Whether UN is a valid organization is another subject.

People voting on matters is what democracy is all about. US is trying to suppress this? kiss up to China? Come on...give me a break.

And also US is selling old and almost useless military equipment to Taiwan at a premium. You call that protecting Taiwan? What a joke. Sadly Taiwan is stupid enough to want to/have to buy them.

Unfortunately, what it all boils down to is money and economics. If being friendly and giving concessions to China serves U.S. economic interests, that is what the U.S. will do. Currently, the economic opportunity in China is vast and largely untapped. The U.S. wants a piece of that.

 

[Go Bears!]

I was born in Taiwan and finished the 6th grade before coming to the US. On the language issue, I think people should learn both. I still remember those days when we were forbidden to speak Taiwanese. I was too little to understand the political implications of it but these days, I feel that sense of warmth (like other posters have said) when speaking in Taiwanese with people. It's part of my identity.

On current Taiwan politics, it's sure ugly. However, under the current administration, Taiwan is a true democracy. Yes, you can sit in front of the presidential palace and demand the president to step down. In the old days under KMT rule, you'd disappear and never to return home. I only hope that the future of Taiwan be decided by the people, and not by the politicians.

 

[awsomr1]

On current Taiwan politics, it's sure ugly. However, under the current administration, Taiwan is a true democracy. Yes, you can sit in front of the presidential palace and demand the president to step down. In the old days under KMT rule, you'd disappear and never to return home. I only hope that the future of Taiwan be decided by the people, and not by the politicians.

True democracy??? I hope you are kidding. Althought I do not think KMT is the way to go since they did rule Taiwan like under Marshall Law, but they did put Taiwan on the map of the world, industrial and economic wise. Next to Japan, Taiwan was the next logical choice when it comes to consumer electronics technology. At the very least, they put Taiwan on the world's economic and industrial market and brought wealth and job oppertunities into Taiwan. Remember what MIT means besides the university. Every thing was "Made in Taiwan", from electronics to clothing. I respect them for that.

Look at us now, Korea, China and even India (nothing personal) is making Taiwan look bad. What had the current presidency done for Taiwan, all that corruptions surrounding the first family, it is a joke that even after the millions of people protest (I have friends flew back to Taiwan just to join this event), Chan (current president) still refuse to acknowledge the people's choice and step down.

Trying to change history by placing blaims on previouse leaders (since they are not "Taiwanese"), re-name Airports, memorials, roads to make it more "Taiwanese". Come on, give me a break. Taking other's achivements and making them yours? That I have no respect for.

 

[Go Bears!]

True democracy??? I hope you are kidding. Althought I do not think KMT is the way to go since they did rule Taiwan like under Marshall Law, but they did put Taiwan on the map of the world, industrial and economic wise. Next to Japan, Taiwan was the next logical choice when it comes to consumer electronics technology. At the very least, they put Taiwan on the world's economic and industrial market and brought wealth and job oppertunities into Taiwan. Remember what MIT means besides the university. Every thing was "Made in Taiwan", from electronics to clothing. I respect them for that.

Look at us now, Korea, China and even India (nothing personal) is making Taiwan look bad. What had the current presidency done for Taiwan, all that corruptions surrounding the first family, it is a joke that even after the millions of people protest (I have friends flew back to Taiwan just to join this event), Chan (current president) still refuse to acknowledge the people's choice and step down.

Trying to change history by placing blaims on previouse leaders (since they are not "Taiwanese"), re-name Airports, memorials, roads to make it more "Taiwanese". Come on, give me a break. Taking other's achivements and making them yours? That I have no respect for.

I respect your opinion and I hope you respect mine. My feeling is that the blues and the greens would never reconcile since there are still fresh memories of bloodshed such as 227. One of my best friend's grandfather was taken away by the KMT and never came home. I don't think anything can convince him to vote blue.

You're right in that Taiwan was put on the map of the world under KMT rule. At the same time though, it was under a lot of help by the US at that time since Taiwan was considered a strong ally to the US against the commies back in the 60s. The KMT made a lot of bad moves with the most important of them being the recognition of Taiwan in the UN. Chiang had the opportunity to take the "dual recognition" but his ego was too big and the deal was taken away. This has got to be the worst decision ever by a "leader". Today, the KMT talks about being "practical" when dealing with China. Where was that rhetoric then?

Renaming airports, memorials, etc. may not seem like much but it's another step towards establishing a Taiwanese identity. Though not as harsh, I compare it to that image of the Saddam statue being torn down by the US soldiers. The majority of people in Taiwan say they are "Taiwanese" and not "Chinese". The current administration is just respecting the wishes of the people.

As for the "depose A-bian" movement, c'mon, you've got to be kidding me. In a true democracy, the president is elected for a certain amount of time and regardless of what you think about his work, you don't just "demand" him to step down whenever you want. I mean, some KMT guys actually tried to lead the mob and ram the presidential palace. Talk about barbaric!

I don't think the greens are perfect and if there's a KMT candidate that really put the interest of the people and the dignity of Taiwan ahead of their own interests, I'd gladly vote for them. So far, I've seen nothing but selfish acts such as blocking the arms budget and pointing fingers. The KMT think that the arms package is too expensive? Maybe if they give some of that money they stole from the people, we could actually afford to buy more weapons. I went to grade school with the son of one very high KMT official and he could probably buy an NSX for every day of the week and not think about it.

Again, I do hope that the future of Taiwan be determined by its people. Not China, not the US, but the Taiwanese. Peace.

 

[Ben]

True democracy??? I hope you are kidding.

It is a true democracy in that you can do all of the following without any fear for your personal safety or freedom:

- Free, unrigged elections are held on a regular basis on the national, county, and city levels
- You can be critical of the president
- You can call for the president to resign
- You can hold protests against the government
- You can form political opposition parties
- You can publish material critical of the government

In the KMT martial law era, and for a few years after martial law ended, if you went against the government in any way and the authorities caught wind and didn't quite like what you were doing, you (and sometimes members of your family) would disappear in the night, never to be heard from again.

they did put Taiwan on the map of the world, industrial and economic wise.

That is debatable. It can be argued that the KMT just happened to be there when the economic boom happened, and now they are taking credit for it. It's like how Clinton tried to take credit for the boom of the late '90s in the US. These events were brought about by the people, and not the government. They would have happened no matter which political party was in charge. To the KMT's credit though, they took a very hands off policy to people wanting to make money. You could do whatever you want, start whatever business, do whatever venture you wanted, as long as you didn't go against the government. The problem today with the current DPP/Chen administration (and it is their doing) is that they are unwilling to make concessions with China on seemingly semantics issues. Their idealism has limited many potential economic opportunities and benefits for many people and businesses (large and small) in Taiwan.

Trying to change history by placing blaims on previouse leaders (since they are not "Taiwanese"), re-name Airports, memorials, roads to make it more "Taiwanese".

It should be noted that even the blues now are distancing themselves from the past, because for many voters they are trying to reach out to, the KMT's past still brings up bad memories and images of times they lived through.

 

[nsxsupra]

As an US citizen, I wish US will butt off Taiwan's interior politics.

If people from Taiwan want to have a vote to decide if they want to use "Taiwan" to join UN, is none of US' business to disagree. Whether UN is a valid organization is another subject.

People voting on matters is what democracy is all about. US is trying to suppress this? kiss up to China? Come on...give me a break.

And also US is selling old and almost useless military equipment to Taiwan at a premium. You call that protecting Taiwan? What a joke. Sadly Taiwan is stupid enough to want to/have to buy them.

This I fully agree. Unfortunately US is doing so for their best interest and incentive.

I think I may have gave a wrong impression on my post#32 about the conflict I had with some individual. I absolutely have no problem with any personal opinions or discriminate against anyone from mainland. They will have their point of view and different perspective.

The conflict really had nothing to do with Mainland vs Taiwan. It is difficult to explain conflict in text. Really just a jerk from Southeast Asia that is not Chinese nor Taiwanese trying to preach someone about their own country, and joke around with terrible jokes. I have no problem if he was at very least from Taiwan or Mainland, even that, it wasn't nice, you just don't joke about someone's country. Taiwan is a country not property of China.

For 1 he lost potential customer for life, someone who could bring him many potential customers. Let me give an example of something he said. "no Taiwanese is Taiwanese, only native/山地人 is Taiwanese". Of course I return his argument with "American native Indian to America", America is originally made up with immigrants from all over the world as an example. Hard to explain, but the conversion doesn't end even though I had no interest of continue on since it was suppose to be a very special day for someone. I didn't want situation to turn bad. They guy didn't know how to stop. His facial impression at the time very much said it all, it is not too hard too tell if someone is just being an ass or actually trying to carry out a conversation. Arguably the worst conversion I ever had, definitely worst joke ever.

 

[Taiwanese]

If people of Taiwan blame President Chen for the economy then we should blame Bush for dot com going to hell? (not that I like Bush that much).

Why is KMT not giving back all the money and property unlawfully taken from people of Taiwan?

"Red shirt army" claimed to be against corruption, then why aren't they at Taipei City Hall when Ma got into trouble? Double standards?

How did ex-KMT chairman Lian accumulate so much money in short 50-60 years? Don't tell me they made good investment.

I travel to Taiwan at least twice a year. I see more than just reading newspaper or watching TV (media are mostly favor towards KMT). Next time when you go to Taipei, check out "yun-huan" (Circle, many little food stands in a circular intersection). After Ma spending over NT$100m updating, it's now closed. NT$100m for that building? Don't tell me everyone is clean. But is this reported in the news? Just go and see for yourself.

Why is Ma's bank balance higher during being mayor of Taipei? He put in more than the total of his and his wife's salary. They don't need to pay any household expense and they can save more than total salary? wow, teach me.......I love to learn this from Ma.

Why does his daughter's overseas school related bills paid by the people of Taipei? This is simple math. We all know how IRS does audits. IRS looks at how you spend and what you make. If it does not make sense then something is fishy.

In old days, this money from special account is like a bonus/salary to that person. The law does not say that but it is always used that way. So if you say Ma has no wrong then so does Chen, if Chen is wrong then Ma is also wrong. Law should be changed or made clear to prevent future misuse.

How come KMT can not clean up Kaoshiang's Love River? Hsieh did it. Love River is clean and beautiful. Make sure you stop by next time to enjoy the senery and coffee.

How come KMT did not do any public improvement during the last 40 years. KMT only did limited improving to Taipei. Even the sewer system of Taipei was done by the Japanese.

I could go on and on but it does not give Green the right to be corrupt. I used to support DPP but I am neutral now. This is the only way to go. I support good politician, I do not support any political party.

The fundamental thing is people are not united as a country. You got some want to be independent and some want to get close to China. So any effort has only half of the result. Official goes overseas to promote Taiwan then you have your own people protesting them. Any disagreement should be handled in Taiwan not abroad. Other country will look down on Taiwan when they see this. Koreans do very scary protests in Korean but they stay as one when fighting with others.

Sorry I type this in a rush so there are a lot of grammar errors.

 

[blackna1]

The fundamental thing is people are not united as a country.

At least recently people in Taiwan got more into baseball than they ever did because of Wang. A good thing considering they would stop talking about politics at least for the duration of the game and so will the media. :biggrin: cheers.

 

[awsomr1]

I do agree that KMT is not true democracy, I stated that on my original post, but neither is Chan's party. Anyways, the Blue and Green arguement can go on and on, with no end in sight. Let's get back on topic here.

NSX/Taiwan Connection not which is better for Taiwan discussion.

 

[Zanardi 50]

...on a more cheerful note.....

At least recently people in Taiwan got more into baseball than they ever did because of Wang. A good thing considering they would stop talking about politics at least for the duration of the game and so will the media. :biggrin: cheers.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Kuo's arm, and bat, help Dodgers win
The pitcher, Betemit and Kemp hit successive home runs.
By AL BALDERAS
The Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES - Hong-Chih Kuo is continuing to get better as a pitcher — and a hitter.

Kuo, Wilson Betemit and Matt Kemp hit second-inning home runs off New York Mets pitcher John Maine, leading the Dodgers to a 4-1 victory Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

The victory allowed the Dodgers to creep back to percentage points behind first-place San Diego Padres. The Padres lost their fourth consecutive game and have a .571 winning percentage (36-27). The Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks are in a virtual tie with the Padres but have a winning percentage of .569.

Kuo pitched seven strong innings, scattering five hits. But the talk in the clubhouse centered more on Kuo's home run.

"I played with him in Triple-A, and I've seen him take batting practice," Kemp said of Kuo. "Even in a game he went straight-center so it didn't really surprise me too much."

James Loney was aware of Kuo's power as well, saying Tuesday's home run reminded him of a grand slam that Kuo hit in the minors last season. Loney gave Kuo one of his bats, and Kuo used it during batting practice but not in the game.

"It's a little too heavy for me," Kuo said.

The Dodgers were trailing, 1-0, when Betemit hit an 0-1 pitch from Maine into the bleachers in left-center field. Kemp hit Maine's next pitch around the left-field foul pole and into the loge-level seats. Kuo finished it off with a first-pitch, 412-foot drive that landed in the right-field pavilion. He also scored some style points in the way he flipped the bat away after making contact.

"We know how good of a team they are, and we know how good of a pitcher Maine is," said Kemp, whose home run was measured at 447 feet. "He gave us some good pitches to hit, and we took advantage of it."

The three home runs were the most the Dodgers have hit consecutively since they hit four in a row last Sept. 18 against the Padres. The last time the Dodgers hit consecutive home runs in a game this season was on April 29 when Jeff Kent and Luis Gonzalez went back-to-back in San Diego.

Kuo became the first Taiwanese player in major-league history to hit a home run. He and New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang are the first Taiwanese pitchers to earn victories on the same day. Wang was the winning pitcher against the Diamondbacks.

Kuo's first victory as a starter came last season against the Mets. His winning formula in Tuesday's victory came from pitching out of the stretch throughout the game and following the signs put down by catcher Russell Martin.

The Mets failed to get a runner past second base after scoring in the second inning.

"Me and (pitching coach Rick) Honeycutt talked it over and he said to do what I am more comfortable with," Kuo said of pitching from the stretch. "I pitched a little better (Tuesday) because Russell called the pitches. I tried to follow him."

Martin was quick to shovel some of the credit back to Kuo.

"He took advantage of the inside part of the plate and that allowed him to get some swings and misses on his offspeed pitches," Martin said. "He kind of has like a sneaky fastball. He hides the ball really well. When he has that plus-velocity going, hitters have a hard time laying off that heater that's a little bit off the belt."

 

[Zanardi 50]

The NSX/Taiwan Connection REVISITED

....Let's get back on topic here....

James, you got my vote (tong-in-cheek)!


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7236411360962884034

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82856&highlight=taiwan

 

[Go Bears!]

I like Kuo too, especially since he wears a Dodger uniform. Unfortunately, after his brilliant start (+ homer), he got shelled in his next outing in Toronto. He's got good stuff, but I hope he gets into a groove soon.

 

[nsxsupra]

Din Tai Fung/鼎泰豐

Din Tai Fung/ディンタイフォン was once ranked as one of the Top 10 restaurants in the world by the New York Times. Probably one of the most well known Chinese restaurant in the world, shops in Taipei, Tokyo, Singapore, Jakarta, and Shanghai. It is widely covered by Japanese media and magazines as well. Almost any travel magazines about Taiwan in Japan have content about Din Tai Fung.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Din_Tai_Fung
http://www.dintaifungusa.com/

The Xio Long Bao is quite amazing, light, melt in your mouth, very flavorful. I was more surprised by the beef noodle, it looks completely plain, almost not a single drop of oil, yet it is loaded with flavor and the texture is like nothing I have experienced before. Once one your mouth, you apply a little pressure without chewing the meat melts. Light, yet flavorful. I felt refreshed and comfortable even after eating all that food.

I met 2 Shanghai girls recently. They were joking about Xio Long Bao was suppose to be the Shanghai's pride. Now Taiwan's Din Tai Fun have took it international and have become 代言/代表 of Xio Long Bao.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I fly frequently to Japan. There are several Taiwanese bubble/boba tea shops in Tokyo. The first time I saw one was 6 years ago in Shinjuku near the movie theater by the East gate. On the International flights. They often have home delivery catalog that have large portion of 台湾お土産/Taiwanese food (pardon my wan, I only know how to type Japanese). I always thought that was pretty cool.

I am respondsible for turning the thread from postive to negaive. I apologize, I simply had to let out my anger from the incident somehow as I have never talk about it with anyone else. Once I let it out, I have no bad feeling any more. As long as Taiwan is Taiwan, personal opinion aside, we all want the best for Taiwan.

Having Taiwanese players in the major league, that is something.

 

[Ben]

Din Tai Fung/鼎泰豐

Din Tai Fung/ディンタイフォン was once ranked as one of the Top 10 restaurants in the world by the New York Times. Probably one of the most well known Chinese restaurant in the world, shops in Taipei, Tokyo, Singapore, Jakarta, and Shanghai. It is widely covered by Japanese media and magazines as well. Almost any travel magazines about Taiwan in Japan have content about Din Tai Fung.

This place is great...The hot and sour soup is surprisingly good also. When I lived in Taiwan, it was a 5 min walk from my apartment. I went there so much because of out-of-town visitors requesting to go there, I eventually got tired of it, if you can believe that. I've also been to the LA and Shanghai branches, but they aren't nearly as good as the original Taipei branches.

There are also several lesser known, but equally good restaurants in Taipei opened by former chefs of 鼎泰豐.

 

[Go Bears!]

This place is great...The hot and sour soup is surprisingly good also. When I lived in Taiwan, it was a 5 min walk from my apartment. I went there so much because of out-of-town visitors requesting to go there, I eventually got tired of it, if you can believe that. I've also been to the LA and Shanghai branches, but they aren't nearly as good as the original Taipei branches.

There are also several lesser known, but equally good restaurants in Taipei opened by former chefs of ???.

Is this the place in the back alley of Chung-Shiao E Road Section 4? If so, that's a cool place, a 5 min walk from where my parents live and also where I went to grade school!

 

[Ben]

Is this the place in the back alley of Chung-Shiao E Road Section 4? If so, that's a cool place, a 5 min walk from where my parents live and also where I went to grade school!

Yes, that is the one I am referring to. That is the 2nd one in Taipei though. The original is on the corner of Hsin-Yi Rd. and Yung-Kang St. However, in my opinion, both of them are equal as far as quality goes. Did you goto Ren-Ai Grade School?

 

[Go Bears!]

Yes, that is the one I am referring to. That is the 2nd one in Taipei though. The original is on the corner of Hsin-Yi Rd. and Yung-Kang St. However, in my opinion, both of them are equal as far as quality goes. Did you goto Ren-Ai Grade School?

I didnt' go to Ren-Ai but Fu-Shing (sp?) instead. I was a poor kid in a rich school. I caught the bus while my classmates got picked up in Caddies and Lincolns.

 

[blackna1]

Re: ...on a more cheerful note.....

Kuo became the first Taiwanese player in major-league history to hit a home run. He and New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang are the first Taiwanese pitchers to earn victories on the same day. Wang was the winning pitcher against the Diamondbacks.

I liked that, it was too f*king diao to see the first Taiwanese hit a HR in the major leauge, not to mention how often you see a pitcher hit a HR. I watched both games on that day and they were both insanely great.

And btw, don't forget to try the 香菇雞湯 at 鼎泰豐 as well, it is so good. And after having 鼎泰豐 as dinner, make a left into the block to have some Fresh cut Mango shaved ice @冰館 for dessert, always a good ending to have something sweet. I'm visiting Taiwan in august and won't forget those places for sure.

 

[Ben]

Re: ...on a more cheerful note.....

Fresh cut Mango shaved ice @冰館 for dessert,

Ahh, I remember 冰館 back in the day when they were a mom and pop operation, little more than literally a hole in the wall, and you had to stand outside when eating. I think they've gone too commercial in the recent years, and have strayed outside the original concept. Now they have trendy looking signs, uniformed servers, etc. It's still a decent shaved ice though, as long as you stick to the basic mango, and not one of the more recent menu additions.

 

[whatisreal7]

Holy crap I went to Fu-Xing myself! Go Bears, how old are you if you don't mind me asking?

 

[whatisreal7]

Do you guys ever go to "216 avenue" place for dessert? It too has become too popular for its own good, but I still go for old time's sake.

what I really miss is the truly authentic "doe hua", or "bean flower". I remember as a 5 year old kid walking downstairs with 5 kuai with a tin can, and the street vendor filling the damn thing up with the delicious dessert! man the good old days.

 

[Ben]

Do you guys ever go to "216 avenue" place for dessert? It too has become too popular for its own good, but I still go for old time's sake.

Yup, I used to walk there all the time when I had the apartment in that area. There are no shortage of good places to eat there!

what I really miss is the truly authentic "doe hua", or "bean flower". I remember as a 5 year old kid walking downstairs with 5 kuai with a tin can, and the street vendor filling the damn thing up with the delicious dessert! man the good old days.

You can still find these in some of the morning open markets throughout the city. My friend took me to one, and they scoop it straight from the wooden container for you.

 

[blackna1]

My friend took me to one, and they scoop it straight from the wooden container for you.

What I am about to say may be a bit out of all of your league but I am not sure, so I'm just gonna say it. Have you all tried the 'ba bu' back in the days, they're also 5 kuai and and you get 2 scoops of flavour of your choice. aww I miss those.

 

[Go Bears!]

Holy crap I went to Fu-Xing myself! Go Bears, how old are you if you don't mind me asking?

I'm in my...eh hmm..."mid" 30s. It's weird, but I met one of my classmates at some party in NY and the last time I saw that girl we were in the 2nd grade!

And oh yeah, love those "ba-bu"s. Now that's some real old school!

 

[Taiwanese]

My favorite was taro flavor "ba bu". I even played the glass ball machine with the street vendor sometimes I got extra scoop if I win.

Video game was not even available. We all played glass balls, round paper cards, jumping rubber bands, ride bicycle and try to catch frogs in the streets.

Sometimes I feel sad for today's kids, they don't play outside due to safety, kid napping etc.