Day Two

I began the day today with a delicious croissant from the bakery across the street, along with some fruit from a street vendor. The fruit that I've had here has been very sweet and delicious. Other people tried wraps stuffed with egg or vegetables inside, or a type of rice oatmeal stuff. 

Our first stop today was at the Department of Health. The Department of Health promotes healthy lifestyles by regulating things such as food safety, clean air, and drugs. They also promote screening in an attempt to catch diseases early. At the airport, they screen every person entering the country using infrared thermal energy to detect whether a person has a temperature. This helps them control the spread of infectious diseases. So, all of us were scanned when we entered the airport here in Taipei. 

We were able to ask questions of the director and other staff. The conversation included some discussion about obesity. This is particularly interesting to me because my partner and I will be doing our project on obesity prevention in the US vs Taiwan. The staff from the Department of Health said that western influence has had an effect on Taiwan. McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and other fast food restaurants are becoming more and more popular. Parents are working more and eating out more. They have seen an increase in obesity among school aged children. Therefore, the Department of Health is trying to promote cooking at home and eating fresh, healthy foods. I thought it was interesting to hear about the huge influence of western culture in Taiwan. 

The set up of this meeting was similar to yesterdays at the Bureau of National Health Insurance, where we all had microphones and could ask questions for discussion, which makes us feel like we are a big deal! 

 Kim and her partner Carrie

 My partner Doris and I

Our meeting with the Department of Health

For lunch we stopped at an underground mall to eat. I had rice with beef and some kind of curry like sauce. It was pretty good. 

My lunch!

Our group at lunch

Our next stop was a local station in the Wenshan community, which is in the southern portion of the city. This local station is a NGO that promotes health within the community. We talked a lot about care of the elderly. This organization provides opportunities for the elderly to stay active and to age with dignity within their own home. We were able to join a music class, which was a highlight of the day. When we arrived the elderly group was finishing up an arts and crafts session, then they sang and danced for us. We joined in for some of the dance and then say "You are my sunshine" for them. It was a great time and I think we will both talk about it for days to come. 

Dr. Chen got into the music

Tonight we visited another night market for dinner. This one was smaller, but I nicer than the one last night. I went for chicken and rice, but a lot of our group ate sushi. Kim had the most interesting meal of the night. She had shrimp with icing and sprinkles

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Kim's Meal

A couple of interesting side notes: 

-There are a lot of strict rules especially on the subway. You aren't allowed to eat, drink, or even chew gum. If you are caught doing so, you will be fined. 

-It's very hard to find trash cans. Even at Starbucks, you just set your trash on a shelf and they take care of it. There aren't any trash cans on the streets, yet the city is extremely clean.