Lazy Sunday pancakes. I woke this morning not wanting to do anything except feed my hungry stomach. And it was asking for only one thing, pancakes! After some research on places in Taipei that offered pancakes, I gave up. It was either too far or too expensive. So I called up brother from another mother aka Kiwi, which happens the live in the neighborhood. I remembered last time he had some left over Costco pancake mix and golden syrup. So my girlfriend and I strolled on over to the Yonghe traditional markets for some fruits and toppings. After fighting our way through some thick crowds, we ended up with some strawberries and bananas. Thinking back I saw a vender that sold nuts. Some crushed pecans or walnuts would have added some stellar crunch texture. Next time. So we zipped on over right in time as Kiwi was just starting to fry up the first batch. We tried some plain and some with banana slices mixed in. Some chopped fruits and golden syrup, viola! Enjoy!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Home cookin': Pancakes on a lazy sunday
Lazy Sunday pancakes. I woke this morning not wanting to do anything except feed my hungry stomach. And it was asking for only one thing, pancakes! After some research on places in Taipei that offered pancakes, I gave up. It was either too far or too expensive. So I called up brother from another mother aka Kiwi, which happens the live in the neighborhood. I remembered last time he had some left over Costco pancake mix and golden syrup. So my girlfriend and I strolled on over to the Yonghe traditional markets for some fruits and toppings. After fighting our way through some thick crowds, we ended up with some strawberries and bananas. Thinking back I saw a vender that sold nuts. Some crushed pecans or walnuts would have added some stellar crunch texture. Next time. So we zipped on over right in time as Kiwi was just starting to fry up the first batch. We tried some plain and some with banana slices mixed in. Some chopped fruits and golden syrup, viola! Enjoy!
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http://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/15/11720584-in-china-english-teaching-is-a-whites-only-club
ReplyDeleteBrian, does this happen in Taiwan as well?
Yes. It's absolutely stupid, illogical and ignorant. China/Taiwan still have a long way to go before they mature.
ReplyDeleteI find this ludicrous because it is obvious that an ABC has much higher competence in the English literacy compare to Europeans who are not learning English as their first language. For instance, the German, French, Dutch etc yet these blond folks will have much higher chance of acceptance for the job according to the article.
ReplyDeleteBrian, have u successfully find a teaching job for temporary financial need?
I am heading to Shanghai to learn Mandarin on July after my college graduation. But it seems like is not gonna be an easy job hunt for me since I have an Asian face.
Although it's common in both countries, I believe Taiwan is a bit less ignorant. There are a few here that understand not all white people speak perfect English. Outside of ESL, it's still culturally accepted in Taiwan to judge based on appearance over skill. I found a legit job related to my career (non-teaching).
ReplyDeleteCongrat Brian,
ReplyDeleteHow is it compare to US? Wait, are you Californian? I think you told me once or someone's writing informed it on your blog once, but I am not too sure.
Anyway, my question is how is it compare to California? (Ex: salary comparison and overtime pay etc)
I google it and noticed it is Asian culture to not pay their workers overtime.
in regards to salary, of course it's different. It's about 1/3 less pay, but so is the cost of living. The average pay per month here is 32k+NT which is just over $1000USD/month. As for overtime pay, it's the same as the US. You get overtime if you work hourly, you don't if you have salary. Rules will vary with company, so ask lots of questions and choose wisely.
ReplyDeleteOh I see, thanks Brian.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder why for the folks who are working for the "salary policy" in US, they leave immediately after 5pm like those prisoners are finally free from jail. LOL, is that a great metaphor?
for yr info, this was last year in Aug 2011
ReplyDeleteA Chinese-American teacher has successfully sued and won a case against a school in Taiwan for discrimination due to his ethnicity.
The male teacher, identified only as Chang, applied for a teaching position at a kindergarten in Taipei and was rejected because of his Chinese heritage. Chang is a qualified teacher and a native English speaker. Upon discovering his ethnic background, the school dismissed him based on his ethnicity and opted to hire a less-qualified Caucasian teacher for the position.
After recording a telephone conversation with the school, Chang filed a complaint against them with the Labour Affairs Department. The New Taipei City Employment Discrimination Committee investigated his case and found that the employer had acted with bias and they were fined NT $300,000, which is the minimum sum for labour disputes violating discrimination.
Article 46 of the Employment Services Act state that it is illegal for kindergartens to hire foreign teachers unless applicants fit specified conditions outlined in Article 48 and 51. These conditions include permanent residency in Taiwan, marriage to a Taiwanese spouse, having lineal relatives with a registered residence or refugee status, the officials said.
Chang has lineal relatives living in Taiwan and therefore, he is legal to work in a kindergarten.
Fight the system! I hope eventually Taiwan will understand the meaning of equal opportunity and non-discrimination.
ReplyDelete@Annoymous
ReplyDeleteWoohoo!!! I found your article. But still, this is in Taiwan. Mainland China may be different due to the dictatorial government's policy.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/08/27/2003511789
@Brian
ReplyDeleteOnly slightly higher over $1000USD/month? LOL that's insane!! $1k usd is roughly $6.25 an hr if you work 5 days per week and 8 hrs per day (neglecting the overtime condition which happen hella frequent in Asia). This amount is even less than the minimum wage in California.
If I am a software developer/entry level engineer/IT pro in the Bay Area or LA, I can earn roughly $60000 annually. No wonder why American feel like a boss when just traveling to Taiwan and have fun.
you can't compare a countries wages like that without calculating other factors in. It's impossible to survive in CA on $1500/month, but you could live rather nicely here in TW. Average rent is $300USD, and you dont need a car or smog or registration or petrol. Yes, excessive overtime does happen, but it's usually based on company culture, so choose wisely. US has it's excessive OT too, I used to work at EA. Now if you can get a US company to hire you and ship you out to Taiwan, THAT'S GOLD!
ReplyDeleteBrian bro,
DeleteYour blog has not been updated recently. Grrrrrrr
Write something LOL, anything please ^^ (workplace, more food adventures, or your Taiwanese gf's picture LOL, or whatever) since u know I am your blog's fan and I would like to learn more on Taiwanese culture.
How is life by the way? I switched my decision last yr September and went to Beijing to learn Chinese instead of Taitung (Since the school in Beijing gave me a scholarship). Dude, now my Chinese is hellla good( At lease I think LOL).
~ Javier
ok i'll get right to it. I've been meaning to, but recently I signed up for dragonboat and found a job. So i train 3 hours daily and work 9 hours daily. After dinner, I dont have much time for anything else. Congrats! 恭喜!那我該用中文回答,你也需用中文巴.
DeleteAre you serious Brian? You used to work at Electronics Arts(EA)? What position?
ReplyDeleteI am thinking about searching a job at the Bay Area as well after taking a break at Shanghai (Learning Chinese). College does stress people out, especially I am in this Computer Science/Electrical Engineering field.
Well, I won't be surprise that EA has excessive OT (Especially entry level position). However, if a company in US demand you for OT, in general they are more likely to pay you for OT compare to Asian countries. Do you agree with this statement?
tester. not anything high level, but that's why we worked overtime. We volunteered for it at any opportunity and during crunch time (end of product cycle, pre-release) we worked 6-7 days a week, 14 hours a day for several weeks on end.
ReplyDeleteperhaps, my previous company never asked me to work OT (I was salary). but if they did, they may have compensated me with at least a super nice dinner. Overall, you right. Asia does not treat their employees very well compared to America. Which is why I must work hard at my current job, it is a diamond in the rough.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteYou reminded me my previous summer internship at the Bay Area. You are correct about the statement: "We volunteered for it at any opportunity and during crunch time".
I was working at a software company name 365 Media as a debug intern. They didn't pay me for OT but I was doing it for the sake of a great recommendation letter.
"If you can get a US company to hire you and ship you out to Taiwan, THAT'S GOLD!" <-- This previous statement of yours also reminds me that 365 Media also ship their workers to foreign countries for training their programmers overseas. Unfortunately, it is not Taiwan but India instead. If I work for them full time after college graduation and my break from Shanghai, they might ship me to India and train their programmers.
The only downside is that I am not interested in Indian foods and culture as much as the East Asian ones since I am not Indian myself. =P
What!! Your company actually ship their workers to India!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's GOLD bro!!!!!
What does that 365 Media company do, do they offer mostly programming jobs?
~Javier
Javier, there u go, read for yourself.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.365media.com/features.html
However, if u are searching for programming jobs, then forget it since they move all the positions into India already. The reason why I can work there as an debug intern is because one of the directors is my cousin and he build connection for me.(Actually, that helps a lot too since he was the one who interviewed me.)
Most of the folks who are staying at the Bay Area office are simply doing management works. If u are searching for a management job, contact Kenny Thai and say that I am the one who recommend u then. No guarantee though.
http://www.365media.com/people.html