Important Cultural Notes

Things I've learned recently from my friend Dana about the culture of Taiwan--
*In Taiwan if you like someone or think that they are your "type" you will say "He/she is my vegetable". Or if you don't like them you say "He isn't my vegetable". For example, a couple of weeks ago we were eating supper together and watching "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" when Dana said "I think the second brother (Benjamin) is my vegetable." I had to agree that he is the cutest of the 7 brothers so maybe he's my vegetable too! At the end of the movie she just said "That's ridiculous!" to which I said, "Exactly, and that's why we love it!";-)
*Dana's generation (she was born in 1981) is called the strawberry generation. They are called that because a strawberry, even though it is beautiful, is very delicate. If you don't handle it carefully it is very easily damaged. So her generation can't handle difficulties without being damaged. She feels that because of her life experiences she can handle life fairly well, but many of her classmates fit this description.
*Dana is a cat lover so last night as we ate supper together she told me the story of why the cat isn't represented in the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Originally, cats and rats were good friends. One day the gods said they were going to hold a race and the 12 fastest animals would be chosen. The cat and the rat ran together until they got to a river. Then the cow offered them a ride across on his back. Well, halfway across the river the rat pushed the cat off of the cow's back and was able to run to the finish line by himself and win the race. So the cat was not only excluded from the Chinese zodiac, he also became the sworn enemy of the rat!
*Apparently 9 is a bad number in Chinese culture. It is believed that 29 is a bad year for most people and many bad things will happen to you during that time. So when you turn 30 it's a big deal because you survived being 29. Also, you can't get married when your 29. You either have to be 28 or 30. I explained to Dana that in America this is the opposite. We want to be "Always 29", never 30. And many people want to get married when they are 29 so they can say the were married before they turned 30. This is one of the many things in Taiwan that is EXACTLY OPPOSITE of what we think in America. I guess that's what makes life interesting.