By Trista di Genova

This is Pingdong, in southern Taiwan, which has been considered for centuries the banana basket of the island. This is BebeÝs sister, tending to the family ‘farm,’ a strip of land with betel nut trees, banana trees and a host of other vegetables they grow themselves. The modern Taiwanese were best described by a Taiwanese friend of mine as ‘farmers who became rich when they sold off part of their land; now they drive around in BMWs in flip-flops.’