That's the Way the Banana Peels
So the other week, I went to get some scooter maintenance. At the shop, the proprietors started making conversation, and inevitably came the fascination/incomprehension of "Wait... you're Taiwanese, but you're American? You speak Chinese, but you really speak English?" etc. etc.
Now, the woman of the shop is very typically Taiwanese, and instantly claimed to understand the entire situation, in a friendly and inclusive way that nonetheless brooked no dissent.
"Oh! You're a banana. Just like my friend's niece!" (A banana, if you don't know is yellow on the outside and white on the inside).
Bingo! It's like my whole life suddenly became clear. It was so simple really. Then she continued to explain to me, very authoritatively, what that meant, what her friend's niece is like, what America is like, and how Chinese-Americans find and adapt to Taiwan. Apparently, sometimes they can't actually read Chinese, much less write the language (despite being Chinese--for shame!) and are quite helpless--practically little children who rely on the guidance of others, but at the same time making good money at English cram schools (by the way, how much money do I make anyway?). Essentially, it was concluded that her friend's niece and I must be the same person.
Anyway, after a long and amusing, if somewhat awkard exchange along these lines, my scooter was ready. On my way out, in the brusque Taiwanese manner of impressing gifts of food upon guests, friends, anyone you meet, the woman insisted that I take a bag of bananas with me. After all, I'd never had proper Taiwanese bananas like these before (she was sure). After the perfunctory 'no no, I couldn't, don't trouble yourself' routine I accepted the bag and promised to come back everytime my scooter broke down.
In the end, I decided there was a nice symmetry to this gesture. Now just to confound the issue a bit, these special Taiwanese bananas are larger than normal and--interestingly, they have these dark red-brown lustrous peels. But of course they are still white on the inside. Maybe this is all just to say, though they may be special and Taiwanese, but in the end, it's still just a banana.
Now, the woman of the shop is very typically Taiwanese, and instantly claimed to understand the entire situation, in a friendly and inclusive way that nonetheless brooked no dissent.
"Oh! You're a banana. Just like my friend's niece!" (A banana, if you don't know is yellow on the outside and white on the inside).
Bingo! It's like my whole life suddenly became clear. It was so simple really. Then she continued to explain to me, very authoritatively, what that meant, what her friend's niece is like, what America is like, and how Chinese-Americans find and adapt to Taiwan. Apparently, sometimes they can't actually read Chinese, much less write the language (despite being Chinese--for shame!) and are quite helpless--practically little children who rely on the guidance of others, but at the same time making good money at English cram schools (by the way, how much money do I make anyway?). Essentially, it was concluded that her friend's niece and I must be the same person.
Anyway, after a long and amusing, if somewhat awkard exchange along these lines, my scooter was ready. On my way out, in the brusque Taiwanese manner of impressing gifts of food upon guests, friends, anyone you meet, the woman insisted that I take a bag of bananas with me. After all, I'd never had proper Taiwanese bananas like these before (she was sure). After the perfunctory 'no no, I couldn't, don't trouble yourself' routine I accepted the bag and promised to come back everytime my scooter broke down.
In the end, I decided there was a nice symmetry to this gesture. Now just to confound the issue a bit, these special Taiwanese bananas are larger than normal and--interestingly, they have these dark red-brown lustrous peels. But of course they are still white on the inside. Maybe this is all just to say, though they may be special and Taiwanese, but in the end, it's still just a banana.
posted by Diana at
9:08 PM
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