Half Baked in Taiwan

by Beth Fowler

Release Date: 18 July, 2000

Edition: Paperback

Price:

More Info

Half Baked is Mostly Raw

I gave myself several weeks to sit on this book before I submitted a review. I was so disappointed after reading Half Baked in Taiwan that I didn't want to sit down and immediately start reeling off things that were wrong with it. I wanted to digest it a bit before I reviewed it.

Two weeks have passed and I am still annoyed at having read this book. My mistake was being fooled into thinking it was worth the purchase. When I put it on my wish list, I had read nothing but good reviews. When I got it for Christmas, I was excited to read it because of those reviews.

As it turns out, I shouldn't have believed the hype. An Internet search leads me to believe that several of the reviews posted here are friends of the author. I was able to find the very same reviews being touted as 'expert reviews' on a website where Mrs. Fowler has some web space along with other authors.

So what is wrong with this book? Let me preface this by giving my "credentials", if you will. My wife, who I have been with for 7 years, is Taiwanese. We have been to the island together twice. She and her entire family were born there. Her immediate family lives in the US and we frequently spend time together. While I do not claim to be an expert on Taiwan, my comments don't come with zero experience either. Additionally, I questioned my wife frequently while reading this book to make sure my annoyances were well founded.

I expected this book to be a humorous look at a culture different from our own, but one I am familiar with all the same. I also expected to read a variety of small things the author liked and disliked while living in Taiwan. Instead, I find this text to be a thinly veiled attempt in which the author repeatedly claims Taiwanese people do scores of things the wrong way. Page after page I could not shake the feeling that this was an outlet for her not being happy in Taiwan.

For an English teacher, I find the composition to be below average. She should have added another 50 pages to expand her ideas. Too often the reader is left with an unclear notion of precisely what the author is trying to say. The text is often comprised of sentences which are a hybrid between full sentences and poetic verse, even ignoring the untasty dim sum chapters.

One reviewer's comment that this book, "By far describes the real Taiwan culture," is so far removed from reality that I find it almost impossible to believe the reviewer has been to Taiwan as claimed. I see little resemblance between Taiwanese life and that as described in this book.

I don't think the author ever truly attempts to immerse herself in the culture in an effort to fully absorb it. As opposed to being a sponge and allowing it seep in, she acts as a raft which floats above it; in contact but not in. She doesn't let the culture become part of her, and the result is her frequently commenting about not understanding various idiosyncrasies of Taiwan; and how things should change to her standards.

As far as being factually accurate, I find several of the passages either incorrect or deficient. As an avid tea drinker, the chapter on tea can hardly be considered complete as she does not utter the word 'Oolong' once. How one manages to write about tea and Taiwan and not mention Oolong is puzzling, as Taiwan is known primarily for its Oolong tea production. In fact, it's world famous.

I feel somewhat bad writing this review because such a meager amount of literature exists discussing Taiwan. Having been there, I enjoy the country and try to read as much as I can about it. But this book is so severely lacking that it's hard for me to recommend it. In fact, it's impossible to do such a thing.

In summary, here's how I would typify this book. The last time I was in Taiwan, I was asked how I would describe the country. I said the 3 best things are the tea, the food, and the scenery. The fact that the author only touches on one of these 3 topics extensively (and does a mediocre job at that) is reason enough to not recommend this.

Considering my general opinion of the book, combined with the price, and the paltry 168 pages of text, there's no way I can honestly sit here and say you should buy this book. Those interested in reading about Taiwan would be better off buying Culture Shock, Taiwan by Chris & Ling-Li Bates or the Lonely Planet travel guide by Robert Storey. Both of those give the reader a more accurate narrative on the culture, both are more smoothly written, and both are better values.

Half Baked needs more time in the oven. Leave it there and buy a better book.

Like title, book is half-baked

Although this book has some very interesting insights into Taiwan's culture, it was a disappointment. Too many words are devoted to the author's whining about not understanding or fitting in to the culture. For example, the traffic is not the complete chaos as described. The traffic laws and signals are used as loose guidelines that lead to an elaborate ballet-like movement of cars, motorbikes, scooters and pedestrians.
Another problem is that the book is a series of vignettes, some of which survive on their own, some of which just mystify the reader (a set of diary excerpts about some fashion show is one example) because they are not placed in any context. Alas, there are few books describing Taiwan from an American viewpoint. Yet, with the high price for a slim paperback, I would only give this book a half-hearted endorsement.