8/31/10 A sea of pens

I thought it was a bit odd that there were so many young people selling pencil cases on the streets and in the markets of Taipei.  Who the hell carries a pencil case apart from kids in elementary school?  But there were much stranger things in Taipei, so I didn’t bother to ask the question; the answer would come on its own.

After our titty devouring session, Space needed to get some workbooks for his students.  The best place for this was the Big Yellow Store, so named because it’s big, it’s yellow, it’s a store and most importantly, it lacks an English name.  It would have been great to see a man with a yellow hat there, but I had no such luck.

The second floor of the Big Yellow Store was a pen lover’s wet dream.  It was porn…only with lead and ink.  It all relates back to the Taiwanese obsession with studying and school.  And just like a chef is picky with his knives or a hockey player is picky about his stick and the way it’s taped, the Taiwanese are very picky about their writing instruments.  There is every possible variation on the theme: colour, thickness, grip, length, and cartoon character.  I’d never seen so many in one place.  But rest assured, not all Taiwanese are this fastidious.

At the opposite end of the spectrum to the socially crippled students was Chuckles, Space’s motorcycle mechanic who came by his name because he is always smiling.  Chuckle’s writing weapon of choice?  The end of a pair of needle nosed pliers on a stone floor.  Elegant and efficient all at once.