Fieldnotes From History (10)—Transportation

Click here for the introduction to the Round and Square series "Fieldnotes From History."

Part of an occasional Round and Square series that follows the blog’s main theme (east meets west, round meets square, and past meets present), these snippets from my early fieldnotes are reproduced as they were written by hand—and then revised on an ancient desktop computer—during my first fieldwork stay in Taiwan (1985-1987).  All entries are the way that I left them when I returned to the United States in 1987—some nicely-stated and some embarrassing. Although the series began with my assumption that the entries can stand alone, I have found that separate comments and notes might help readers understand a world that is now, well, history. These are always separate from the original fieldnote.

Comment

[b] Driving RF

Clearly, I couldn't help trying to note at least a little bit of the humor in the transportation situation in Taipei back in 1985. All I can say is that my fieldnote voice in 1985 is a precursor of my blog voice a quarter century later (for better or worse). There is nothing, from my perspective, that is particularly problematic with using humor in fieldnotes. I am now curious to ask other fieldworkers about this issue, because I sense that it is more prevalent than I might have guessed. How could it be otherwise, in some ways. Being confused much of the time, half-hearing things and being expected to act correctly—such is the stuff of humor...or at least lame attempts at it (such as these musings).

Note

The Rockford Files was a 1970s television drama starring James Garner, who never used stunt men for any of his own scenes.

17 May 1985

Taipei

I have been a little frustrated by the sheer monotony of moving around Taipei. Buses take too long. I don’t want to buy a car, and wouldn’t even consider a motorcycle. Motorcycle drivers here scare me—they drive like stunt men on The Rockford Files, weaving in and out of cars in streets that resemble cattle drives more than traffic jams; even the most minor accidents cause severe cranial trauma. The air in Taipei is bad enough, but they ride behind buses, sucking in leaded exhaust fumes. Better to stay at home, hook up a bus exhaust I.V., and read a magazine. 

Don’t blame them, though. The reason people ride motorcycles is the buses. They are slow, bumpy, and crowded. Especially at rush hour, the drivers continue to admit new passengers until the rivets are ready to pop. Standing on the bus with my nose in someone’s armpit (and someone else’s in mine), I feel like we’re tuna packed in oil; it’s Chicken of the Sea all the way home.

[c] Crush RF