When you walk down the streets of Taiwan, you can sometimes see people covering their faces from their nose to their chin using a medical face mask. People wear face masks in Taiwan not because they're sick, but as a way to protect themselves from the fumes emitted by all the scooters driving on the roads. (Of course, some people might wear them due to having a common cold.) Then, how many scooters are there in Taiwan? According to one news article, there are 14 million scooters in Taiwan, which equates to 60% of the 23 million population having one. Actually, Taiwan's roadways are narrower than those of other countries. Therefore, Taiwanese people, regardless of age or gender, prefer scooters to passenger cars.

 In Taiwan, where the weather is defined by frequent rain showers and hot sunshine, an umbrella is a necessity. Even when the sun is shining, a heavy downpour can strike. Therefore, most Taiwanese always carry light umbrellas in their bags. Given the island's frequent typhoons, umbrellas made in Taiwan are very strong. They don't break even when turned inside out by strong winds! If you come to Taiwan and come across an umbrella shop, be sure to check them out.

 After lunch, we ask "shall we have some tea?" instead of "shall we have some coffee?" As many of you may know, tea is central to Taiwan's culture, so you can find people enjoying tea wherever you go. The most popular teas are oolong tea, Oriental Beauty oolong tea (Dongfang Meiren) and Pu'er tea. You can enjoy them in restaurants or tea houses. Maokong in Taipei, which is a popular destination for tea, sells various tea products, including tea ice cream and tea snacks. Convenience stores also sell a number of teas, drinks and snacks made with the unique taste and scent of tea. You probably know bubble tea. It's a tea-based beverage mixed with milk that was first developed in the 1980s.

 Have you seen a person burning incense sticks on a table with snacks and fruits in front of a shop or house, or a person holding incense sticks and praying at a Buddhist temple in Taiwan? They are called "bai-bai", which is a key part of traditional Taiwanese culture. People pray for good health, a peaceful life and enduring prosperity. For its size, Taiwan has some of the highest numbers of temples in the world, so you can smell incense burning even while walking outside. Typically, there are five to eight places for worshipping in a temple. People follow the sequence as directed by the signs, holding the incense in front of each deity and saying their wishes to themselves. People then bow three times and place the incenses in the burner. A lot of Taiwanese stop by temples for bai-bai very frequently to pray for their wishes.

 Bored at night in Taiwan? Taiwan might not seem at first glance to have such rich nightlife as Korea, although there are bars or "re-chao" places. Most restaurants and department stores closes at 9:30 to 10pm. Then, what can you do after 10pm? Taiwanese people, who care very much about eating, love to go and eat at night market, re-chao places or hot pot restaurants which opens until 1am. What better way to spend your evening than eating hearty food with your friends?

 Or if Taiwanese people are done with eating and want to have some fun, they like to visit karaoke bar, called KTV, which is an essential part of Taiwanese nightlife. Typically, they are a very large size, having about one hundred rooms in a building. Depending on the size of group, you can take a small, mid-size or large room. Each private room has a restroom and you can even order food from the room. So, you won't go hungry while you sing.

 'Little but real happiness, xiaoquexing' has been a popular phrase in Taiwan for the last 2–3 years. As the economic downturn makes it hard for young people to get a job, this phrase encourages them to find and enjoy a little piece of happiness every day. Taiwanese people seem to seek happiness in little things through food tours or short trips.

 For a xiaoquexing-like tour in Taiwan, I would like to recommend Kenting, the vacation spot close to the beach in the southernmost region of Taiwan. Imagine enjoying the beautiful scenery on the beach, drinking fruit juice (or beer!) and quietly restoring your peace of mind. It makes me happy already.

 So far, I have introduced the daily life of our Taiwanese people. I hope that some of your questions about the local life of Taiwan have been answered in this column. If you are planning to visit Taiwan soon, please come and experience the culture I have introduced!