The View from Taiwan => A Pinch of Fate
Never let it be said that I passed up an opportunity to mock another culture…
Every time I pinch my wife’s cute little nose she says, “Don’t! My nose will get longer!†Never mind that she’s a college graduate with an above average intelligence, this is one of the weird cultural things around our house I just don’t understand.
Now it’s beginning to make sense… link, with picture.
There’s a strong Taiwanese folk belief that the shape of the nose can be changed simply by pinching it. In local society a long straight nose is preferred, with the result that the childhoods of many local women saw periodic torture with clothespins and other devices to lengthen out a beautiful pug nose. Like my wife.
Here an intrepid company has capitalized on this belief by offering a specialized nose pincher, a “nose lengthener.†The original price was $250, but it’s on special for $199. Use just 5-10 minutes per day, while driving, reading, watching TV… Very convenient! And you can use it with any nose.