Taiwanese love to say "Taiwanese are so hard working." As a rule this is both extremely true and not true at all. The difference is what kind of job they have. If they work in a company for somebody else, than their manager is their god and they must work 14 hour days. But if they have their own business than they work five hour days.
I've complained before about restaurants taking large breaks in the afternoons, and closing very early in the evening. And about shops taking eternal lunch breaks. I'm obviously annoyed by the inconvenience it causes me, but i'm also a bit annoyed at just how poorly their business is planned and run. They are leaving so much money on the table, money they could make with only the tiniest of more effort and expense.
I used to get pretty annoyed at this last part, especially since friends have some shops/restaurants that they, in my eyes, run inefficiently. But I was calmed down about all this after meeting the guy above. Well the picture above is of pizza, so I mean the guy who owns this pizza place.
This is a pizza place i mentioned in the past. It's a tiny hole in the wall place in a tiny neighborhood. He doesn't advertise, he doesn't deliver, and he doesn't have a website. The pizza is pretty good, but he has the best goat cheese pizza (pictured) in the country. So much so that years ago I offered to team up with him to help him market and expand his business.
He basically said that he was happy with the way things are. He works a few hours a day, makes a few pizzas, and that's enough to get by. I came to really respect that, especially since it takes a lot of courage. In Asia especially you can only be viewed as a success if you have a popular business, make a lot of money, or have a high position.
So I have learned to admire those people in Taiwan who i would previously have complained about. Because in fact they have found the true meaning of success...personal happiness.
