This newspaper ran an article on page two yesterday headlined "EPA wants `squid' spotters," about cash awards being offered to people who report vehicles, dubbed "squid cars," spewing black smoke and other pollutants. We asked one of our resident linguists to explain the Chinese word.
"The term has been around for a long time, maybe 10-15 years, and it's a good example of Taiwanese humor. A squid is called "hua chih" (
We got Ste@m Mail!
As you know, we've been inviting readers to send in rants and raves when something really gets them steamed up: work, life, culture, politics, you name it. Yesterday, we received the following e-mail from Carl Schwenger in Taipei.
Dear Off the Beat,
My rant relates to the occupation of Taipei sidewalks by car shops of all sizes and shapes.??
I live in Tienmu where the main boulevards of Chungcheng and Chungshan Roads and their sidewalks are relatively wide by Taipei standards and thus walking around verges on convenient and comfortable. The one consistent exception is the area around tire, muffler, detailing and other car-repair places.??
Yesterday my way was totally blocked by some car jockies who were mucking around with the engine of a car parked directly in my path across the sidewalk. The only way around was by squeezing by the front or back bumper. ?
As I negotiated my way carefully around the car, I almost upended myself when I tripped on a compressor hose plugged into the back of the shop.??
What really peeves me is that both of the shop's service bays were completely empty! Couldn't these guys have put the car in their shop where it belonged and left the sidewalk clear for the pedestrians?
E-mail rants and raves to
offthebeat@taipeitimes.com
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