A young German man has caused a stir among Taiwanese netizen by posting online a video clip titled “3 Reasons to Hate Taiwan.”
Despite its title, the clip had gathered more than 4,500 “likes” as of yesterday afternoon compared with 100 “dislikes.”
“There are three reasons that I really hate Taiwan. People, food and nature,” the man said in the video.
“People are too ... friendly. They always ask how they can help me,” he said.
The German then “complained” about the food in Taiwan.
“Food is too ... tasty. I will turn so ... fat,” he said.
As for the country’s landscape, “the nature is just too beautiful. I don’t want to go home again. My mom would kill me if I stay here longer,” he said.
The video, available on Youtube, has prompted Taiwanese netizens to reply in a similar spirit.
One response read: “We are so sorry about all that. I would like to offer my sincere apologies to you.”
Another said: “I’d say Germany is better. But Taiwan is still a wonderful place.”
Tourism Bureau Deputy Director Chang Hsi-chung (張錫聰) said the young man “should add one more thing to his list — having to leave Taiwan.”
“We are proud of Taiwanese hospitality toward tourists. We sometimes have foreigners come in after losing their wallets or passports, but the items are often returned by people seeking nothing in return. The visitors are quite moved by this kind of experience,” Chang said.
Taiwanese cuisine offers a lot of different snacks, not just in cities, but also many can be found in rural counties, he said.
“In recent years, we have had a boom in bicycle tours, which has attracted many cycling enthusiasts to Taiwan. Overall, more than 8 million tourists came to Taiwan last year,” Chang said.
Recently, a number of young people have produced and uploaded short video clips in which they interviewed foreign visitors about what they think of the nation.
The videos indicate that foreigners living in Taiwan are interested in local current events, with topics including recommendations to watch box-office hit Kano and the adept organization of the Sunflower movement by its student leaders.
The clip made by the German man can be viewed online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCH9A-nG8zQ.
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