Taroko Gorge-ous!

we hiked to the top of this temple

Bamboo rice at an aboriginal restaurant

I just returned from a four day visit to Taroko Gorge in Taroko National Park (太魯閣國家公園) in the Eastern mountains of Taiwan. Taroko means "magnificent and beautiful" in Truku (太魯閣族), which is one of the indigenous tribes in Taiwan. Taroko Gorge is Yosemite times 1000! It is just that spectacular, with mist lined mountains rising sharply from the white marble gorges. There are waterfalls, jagged cliffs, suspension bridges, caves, and temples everywhere and you feel as if you have magically walked into a Chinese painting. See the temple in the first pic, we hiked to the top of it! We stayed in a cabin at the Bulowan aboriginal village of the Truku tribe and enjoyed delicious tribal feasts and meaningful cultural performances. The feasts included wild boar, bamboo stuffed rice, bitter melon soup (now we're talking!), millet wine (you drink from a clay boar cup), mountain vegetables, steamed fish, and numerous noodle and side dishes. The performances included songs and dances by local Truku children, lubu (or mouth harp), and wood carved xylophones. We also saw the Amis performances at Tiansiang. While the dances and food definitely offer a wonderful opportunity to experience unique aspects of a culture, I most appreciated the time I spent talking with members of the Truku and Amis tribe during my visit and learning more about their complex history and disputes for recognition. In fact, the Truku were the 12th indigenous tribe to be recognized in Taiwan and this did not happen until January 15th, 2004. Over the years, the Truku language and culture have been diminishing due to displacement and assimilation from the Han Chinese culture. Bulowan seeks to preserve and raise awareness about this important aboriginal community. 

Small sausage in a big sausage

Well, I knew it wouldn't be long until I found a night market snack or xiaochi (小吃)--small eats--that would be blogworthy. We were at an aboriginal marketplace in Tiansiang (天祥) when I spotted what looked like a hot dog. But no! It was a small sausage wrapped in a large sausage, but the large sausage was split to look like a hot dog bun. Not only that, but the large sausage was white which made it look even more like a Wonder-bread bun! Apparently, dachang bao xiaochang (大腸包小腸) is a very common and popular street food in Taiwan. It is comprised of a pork sausage wrapped in a glutinous (or sticky rice) rice sausage. The little sausage is then covered with chopped cilantro, peanut powder, and pickled cucumbers or bok choy. Unfortunately, I didn't try it. 

It seems as if the Taiwanese are obsessed with finding ways to stuff one food with another similar food (like the meat on meat reference above). For example, we live next door to a breakfast spot that serves fan tuan (反團) which is youtiao (油条), or deep-fried donut wrapped in glutinous rice and stuffed with pickled radish, and rousong (肉松, dried pork powder). They also serve xiao bing which is youtiao (donut) stuffed in sesame bread! Why, would you stuff sesame bread with a deep fried donut or a sausage with another sausage? I believe the real question is--why not?

note: this entry is dedicated to keith weiss (aka bobby flay)!!

Sacred beads of the Paiwan tribe

Paiwan beads

chart of beads and their meanings

Beads have special spiritual meaning for many Taiwanese aboriginal tribes. The Lazurite beads of the Paiwan (排灣) have been used to represent social identities, status, and respect. What I find most fascinating about the Paiwan beads is that each one represents a unique legend or story that has been passed down for generations. Beads have a specific design with colors and lines that are a sign of a particular cultural asset. For example, Names of beads include: Mulmulidan (beads of dignity and beauty), Za-aw (beads of Peacock, Lozegnagadaw (Tears of Sun), Magazaigaw (beads of hands and feet), Cadacada-an (beads of land), Pumacamaca (beads of eyes), and Malaligai (beads of Warrior). The beads are used in Paiwan culture in a way that reflects their meaning. So when warriors win a battle and return home, they are given the beads of warrior from the chief as a symbol of their warrior strength and spirit. I visited the Shung Ye Museum for Formosan Aborigines in Taipei where they showed me charts detailing the meaning and story behind each bead. How amazing is that?? I think it would be interesting to share these stories with the aboriginal children I am working with and connect artistically with the students by recreating the beads' beautiful design in a way that creatively resonates with them.

What is a Colophon?

One of the great advantages of doing a Fulbright is having the opportunity to engage with scholars from different fields. This year, the Senior Fulbright scholars in Taiwan include a composer, philosopher, jazz musician, computer scientist, educator, potter, medical researcher, and psychologist (me). A few days ago, we had the opportunity to hear Professor Charles Hartman, who teaches at the University at Albany in New York state, give his brilliant Fulbright Thought Leader Lecture, “Searching for Secrets: Song Historical Sources in Early Ming Rare Books” Dr. Hartman disputes the controlling narrative of the Song Dynasty as one of "political stability and cultural florescence despite military weakness"  and presents alternative historical interpretations through, in this case, his textual analysis of colophons. 

So what is a colophon? No, it's not related to the iPhone and it isn't an intestinal disorder. Rather, a colophon is a brief comment, inscription, or note written at the end of another text. Why are these relevant? Well, during the Song Dynasty 宋朝, (ruling dynasty in China between 960 -1279), colophons, or 題跋 refer mostly to the comments written at the end of a Chinese scroll (see diagram from Hartman's lecture 11/13/2012). According to Dr. Hartman, these 題跋 in fact have the potential to reveal critical insights about what their writers thought about earlier events. He has been analyzing the text of these colophon's to better understand the life and death of a particular individual, Chen Dong 陳東 (1087-1127). The colophons provide details about his  execution and eventual elevation to martyr status. Moreover, it appears that the colophons themselves may have been used to raise Chen Dong's rank posthumously. Although the authors of such inscriptions are often unknown or historically unrecognized, their private comments tell a rare and rather important narrative about the Song Dynasty.

Bitter melon juice!

After months of going through kale juice withdrawal, I finally found my dream drink—kugua 苦瓜 or bitter melon juice! A group of us were walking down old street in Tamsui when we came across a vegetable juice stand that made kugua juice (a combination of white bitter gourd, green pepper, cucumber, celery, and apple). It was well, bitter, but so incredibly delicious. I soon felt energetic and alert after drinking it. When i got home i immediately purchased a backpack full of kugua along with other veggies to make at home. Lucky for me, these kugua juice stands are everywhere in Taipei, just don't let them add any sugar! What I didn't realize was that the health benefits of kugua are well-documented and heavily researched. Kugua has been known to reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics, fight cancer and infections, prevent leprosy, alleviate eye problems, cleanse the liver, increase the immune system and remove toxins from the body. There are numerous recipes online but I am going to use the following ratio in my juicer (1 bitter melon, half cucumber, 1 green pepper, 1 apple, 1 celery stalk). I honestly was getting worried about the "no kale" situation in Taipei but I am fairly confident that kugua is my new fave drink. Just make sure, like everything, you consume in moderation.

Atayal children in Nanao

photos by Mikael Owunna

I am so excited that part of my Fulbright project will focus on a new program I am developing with Mikael Owunna (Fulbright ETA) at Nan'ao elementary school. Nan'ao is in Eastern Taiwan and there is a large community of Atayal aboriginals living there near and in the mountains. Nan'ao Elementary school is 98% Atayal (see photos taken by Mikael and more at his website) and so far it seems the teachers, administrators, and community are very dedicated to supporting and fostering strong cultural identities. The program we are developing is definitely "in progress" because there are many perspectives we are trying to include (teachers, students, collaborators, my students at NTNU, colleagues, etc.,) but the main purpose is to use artistic and creative techniques to meaningfully engage Atayal children in an educational program that builds cultural pride, explores Atayal identities, families, and communities, and teaches children English language. Since I do not speak Atayal, I also see this as an opportunity for the students to share their language and teach me and others about their lives. Mikael has been teaching these children since August and is a talented photographer. I will bring my background in educational and school-based programs as well as my background and interest in art and ...well, hopefully karaoke! The students are also very interested in music and dance as well, so I'll have to better develop those skill areas. Our program will begin at the end of November and we will start with a focus on sharing life narratives using pictures and a blend of Atayal and English words.

Asking questions across cultures

I spent the morning meeting with graduate students in the Department of Psychology at National Taiwan University. The students were research assistants working with Professor Jenny Su. During the drive up to main campus, I was reminded of another famous view--Stanford University--where I first began doing cross-cultural research with Professor Hazel Markus. The campus was bustling with hundreds, maybe thousands of students rushing to get to class on bicycles. It was pretty exciting to be at a different university. I gave a lecture on qualitative research and conducting interviews. We focused on the importance of asking questions and the complexity of cross-cultural differences between interviewing in the United States versus doing interviews in Taiwan. Interviewing students about their feelings and psychological experiences is a potentially stigmatizing experience so interviewers need to be sensitive to how their responses, questions, body language, manner, and style of interaction may contribute to the validity and authenticity of the data. These same issues are true in counseling psychology where questions and follow-up questions deeply influence the dynamics of the client and counselor. Lack of emotional expression may also not necessarily be a sign of lack of emotions. In fact, cultural norms around expression of feelings (publicly or to a stranger) may dictate what is shared and how. Thus, poses one of the dilemmas of conducting research; How do you measure or research complex psychological constructs when the very act of answering questions or responding to a survey limits the very construct were are seeking to understand. I will be returning to NTU to continue the lecture and to continue to explore these issues.

Wholistic Health and Development

Yesterday I gave a talk to about 200-300 parents, teachers, counselors, board members, and staff at the Superintendent's talk at Taipei American School. We talked about the importance of wellness and wholistic health for students which include conceptualizing development in terms of physical, emotional, social, and cultural development--and how these factors also strongly correlate with academic and career outcomes. All too often students and parents believe that studying more or staying up late results in good grades but in fact there are serious deleterious effects of sleep deprivation, stress, and poor nutrition that undermine the efforts of extended studying. But a vicious cycle is created when students attribute poor performance to quantity of time spent studying and so they study more and stay up later when in fact, the quality of studying can be increased when the brain is well-rested and nourished. Stress associated with studying and test-taking also contributes to poor eating and exercise habits. Similarly, there is a recent study published today in Teachers College Record that investigates the role of emotional regulation in homework. Obviously, we should care about emotional well-being and healthy development so that students can learn to make positive choices for a life time and not just for the sole purpose of getting good grades. I think also that the main point I was trying to make in the speech was that we need to also consider the role of community service and community partnership in our lives and how learning how to meaningful contribute to the betterment of society and to actively participate in social change is perhaps the best gift one can learn in the educational system.

US Politics in Taiwan

The US Presidential Election was big news in Taiwan with lots of news coverage, schools holding mock elections, and televisions focusing on the results from each state. Taiwan's President, Ma Ying -jeou (馬英九) was quick to congratulate President Obama through diplomatic channels--see article here. Former Taiwanese foreign minister, Frederick Chien, states that Taiwan and China relations have improved during the past few years which has also improved relations with the U.S. He believes that "the U.S. will maintain good relations with both China and Taiwan if Obama is re-elected."

The Taiwan news is also focused on the recent election of Taiwanese-American woman, Grace Meng (孟昭文), to the US House of Representatives. She is a 37-year old Democrat and the first Asian American to be elected to Congress from New York. Meng hopes that her election will "Strengthen the voice of the Asian American population" which is over 1 million people in New York. 

Racism in Taiwan

I just finished a series of lectures on racism, racial identity, and White Privilege to an inquisitive group of graduate students at National Taiwan Normal University (my host institution). The students were from various fields in psychology and education and had come to study in Taipei from different parts of the world (Malaysia, China, the United States, etc). I was asked to speak about models of racism and racial identity in the U.S. and to facilitate conversations about what racism and discrimination looks like in Taiwan. I was impressed with the depth of their thinking about the topic. It is clear that the racial identity models developed in the U.S. have important conceptual and practical contributions, but there needs to be more research and theory on racism in Taiwan.

As in so many parts of the world, there is clearly a long history of oppression and discrimination with so many different groups from the aboriginal communities (many of whom are still fighting to be officially recognized by the government) to the recent waves of Indonesian and Filipino/a immigrants who pay enormous fees and accrue large debt in order to have the opportunity to live here. I found this article on Forumosa.com on a community protest against foreign workers. This is a quote from the website "Taoyuan County Councilor Lu Lin Hsiao-feng (呂林小鳳), who represents the constituency, denied that residents wanted foreign workers to leave because of racial discrimination. “It has nothing to do with discrimination,” she said. “With 460 households and more than 1,000 residents, Rueilian is a peaceful community. They are merely worried that clashes could happen because of these foreign workers, with their different skin color and different culture, going in and out of the community.”

One of the advantages of doing a Fulbright is the numerous opportunities you have to meet people in another country who have shared interests and new perspectives. There are numerous researchers and activists already working hard in the fight for more equity in Taiwan. However, from my perspective so far, it appears that the public discourse on the topic is limited. This could be due to cultural practices associated with discussing topics that are taboo. I have been continuing these conversations with many students, faculty, and administrators and this has really helped me understand how to better approach my work with the Atayal community.

California Style in Taipei

Throughout Taipei there are references to the United States that are related to LA fashion (neon bright clothes), New York City music (hip hop, dance party), and All American food (pizza with seaweed and corn anyone)? But more and more, I am seeing businesses referring to the ever idealized "California Style" to market their product. Most recently, I finally broke down and joined the World Gym in Tienmu. I resisted for months, but their proximity to my place and swimming pool made the decision inevitable. World Gym sells what they believe is the California image of health and fitness. When you walk in to glass doors, surrounded by mirrors and flashing multicolored lights, you are hit by pulsating dance music and large screen TVs. There is a huge lounge with silver metallic furry sofas and the TVs only seem to show Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone movies (so I'm all caught up on the Rambo series btw). During my 90 minute negotiation with the sales team, they were intent on pointing out that this gym was modeled after the "California fitness craze!" California style in Taipei looks like Hollywood on steroids and every cliche from the LA night club scene. In this gym, the walls are shiny metal, the staircases are glass with cobalt blue lighting, the oversized murals are models in hip hop clothes and too much make up. I didn't have the heart to tell the managers that I am actually from California and my gym of 7 years is just one room filled with free weights, tie dye shirts, National Geographic and Audobon magazines and mountain bikes in the parking lot. I am beginning to wonder who falls for these exaggerated images of California or US culture? What are Taiwanese perceptions of California? When I turn on my TV, the main "American" shows that air are quite embarrassing commentaries of reality TV in the US: Bridezilla, Housewives of New Jersey, Bobby Flay Throwdown, Desperate Housewives, Say Yes to the Dress, the list goes on. When I eventually tell people that I am from California, they seem to already have some ideas of what my life must be like. I'm sure these stereotypes are reciprocal and I'm eager to advance the conversation.