Catch the Wave   2004-08-09

a small observation.


it's hard not to notice the radically different waving style here in taipei.


how it works:

1. stand about 3 feet away from the person/people you're going to take leave of.



2. start wrapping up your conversation. maybe something like, "see you tomorrow." ... or ... "okay, so i'll see you __________."



3. slowly bring your waving hand up to your chest while continuing to talk.



4. start waving. slowly ... slowly.



5. while continuing to wrap up your conversation pick up the waving speed.



6. wave faster.



7. faster.



8. now ... just give'r. open up that wave up to full throttle and don't hold anything back.



9. importantly, don't move. not yet. stand in the same place while continuing to wrap it up.



10. when your wave has reached cruising altitude and it's flickering away on automatic pilot, start to seriously wrap up the conversation. just another couple of sentences.



11. by this time you should've been waving to each other at close quarters for about a minute.



12. it's almost time to turn around and leave.



13. turn around while continuing to wave.



14. once you've completely turned around you can lower your waving hand.



15. done. the asian goodbye wave.

i can't tell you how many times i've seen the asian wave since moving here ... and each time it throws me for a loop.


why so close?

why so long?

why so vigorous?


it wasn't until this past weekend, when i caught myself doing the asian wave, that it all came together. marlene and i were cruising around   ximen—148 kb   on sunday. it was deadly hot and crowded. people everywhere. ximen is a great shopping district if you're into pink pleather mini-skirts, leg warmers, old skool puma sneakers, and fedoras. the crowd is young and so hip it hurts. leave the khaki, pleated shorts at home when you head into ximen ... oh ... and no rockports either.


so ... marlene is on the prowl for a new nose ring and i'm doing consumer research on digital cameras. we come to a crossroads. people everywhere. and then ... it happens:

1. i'm standing about 3 feet away from marlene and we're going to head off in different directions.



2. we're wrapping up our conversation. "okay, so i'll see you back here in 15 minutes."



3. i'm slowly bringing my right hand up to my chest while continuing to talk.


4. i start waving. slowly ... ever so slowly.



5. we continue making plans on where we're going to meet and how long we're going to be all the while my hand is picking up speed.



6. i'm waving faster.



7. faster.


8. now ... i'm just given'r.



9. but i'm not moving. too many people we've carved out a three foot niche of space and we're not giving it up ... not yet.



10. okay ... just another couple of sentences. plans confirmed. kisses given and taken.



11. by this time i've been waving to marlene for about a minute.



12. it's almost time to turn around and leave.



13. i turn around while continuing to wave.



14. once i've completely turned around i lower my waving hand and i'm instantly swallowed up by the crowd.



15. i've done it! an asian goodbye wave.

the turn-around is an important hutzulak waving ritual. leave someone and only turn around once to wave goodbye to them and you may as well have given them the finger. turn around twice and it could be construed that you're slightly pissed off or annoyed at them. at the very very very least you should turn around and wave three times. by the third wave you should be about 100 meters from your part of departure. if possible, a fourth turn-around is strongly expected. perhaps you're just about to turn a corner and disappear from view ... well ... not before throwing in another a goodbye wave. if at all possible, do the fifth. it can't hurt and it provides some good, solid closure to the departure. a sixth turn-around ... however ... would just be silly.


now ... in taipei at least ... there isn't the luxury of doing the five wave ritual. too many people. turn around to wave goodbye just once and you're going to either blindside someone or be blindsided. so ... you have to cram the whole ritual into a three foot square piece of pavement.


so there it was. my first asian wave. it finally made sense.

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