Scooter Masks, Helmet Cloth Linings, and Oversized Gloves

Hello everybody!

It's Misadventures in Taiwan podcast time again, and know the stuff that you just saw

fly by, they aren't handkerchiefs, they're scooter masks, and they're a part of Taiwanese

scooter culture.

Scooters are an integral part of Taiwanese life.

The Taiwanese use scooters to get around the island and to go about their daily business.

Another integral part of Taiwanese life is air pollution, smog, and smoke from cars and

other motorized vehicles.

That's why you can see shops selling these scooter masks everywhere in the city.

Most motorists wouldn't be caught dead riding outdoors without one, unless they're brave,

or they enjoy a breathing suit, or they don't give a shit about their faces.

Ah, just kidding.

Another part of Taiwanese scooter culture is the helmet cloth lining.

There's this law that you have to wear a helmet when you go out riding, because if someone

crashes into you, you might die or whatever, hit your head and stuff.

But if you ride with your helmet every day, it's bound to get smelly and dirty and whatever,

so you have this helmet cloth lining.

It's a good thing.

The helmet cloth lining comes with velcro in the cloth for you to stick onto your helmet.

So you stick it on, and then whenever you feel it getting dirty, you can wash it, because

well, it's washable, it's cloth, and it can prevent your helmet from stinking up and getting

dirty prematurely.

And now that you have these two things in your arsenal, you're ready to go out riding

into the wild wilderness of the Taiwanese countryside.

And then you put on your mask this way.

Yeah, kind of like a surgical mask.

You know, the way the doctors put it on.

You put this on, don't forget to clasp it, and you're ready to go!

A few nights ago I went to the city to take photos of people riding scooters with their

masks on to put in this video.

I can't believe how hard it is to shoot at night, I shot a lot and only less than half

turned out decent enough for inclusion in this video.

There are times when you might come across someone in Taiwan wearing a scooter mask,

even if he's not in a scooter, or on the way to where his scooter is parked.

You can see some people with scooter masks or surgical masks indoors at the mall, or

maybe at a train, or strolling outside on the sidewalk.

Most of the time this is because they have a cold and they cover their mouths with the

masks as a sign of politeness that they're not going to sneeze on or transfer their germs

to their fellow travelers in the train or fellow pedestrians outside.

Some people just leave their masks on when buying stuff at a 7-11 because it's a hassle

to park your scooter outside.

Take off your helmet and mask, go in the store to pick up a bottle of water, then get

out and put everything on again.

The thing is there have been a few robberies in the past couple of years involving guys

with masks and helmets on, and they can't be identified on the security cameras because

their features are obscured.

Now whenever you withdraw money from an ATM outdoors or before you enter a convenience

store, you'll see a sign asking you to remove your mask and helmet prior to entering.

Another part of Taiwanese scooter culture is putting huge oversized gloves and handlebars.

You can get these gloves at almost any supermarket.

You stick them on your handlebars.

And then when you ride, you put your mask on.

You put your hands in them.

Their purpose is to prevent your hands and wrists from getting sunburnt while riding

outside during daytime.

And there you have it folks, yet another exciting Misadventures in Taiwan podcast episode.

Thanks for listening!