So most cities in Taiwan have a night market. This is when people open up their stands in front of the normal stores in the street and sell food, clothes, souvenirs, accessories, just about everything you can think of. It opens around 5pm every single day. Being the shopaholics we are, Becky and I frequent the night market every single night until the very last second when we have to get back to our dorm for curfew at 11pm. (PS - the night market is directly behind our dorm so it's a little too accessible.)
Last night we were walking back to the dorm after dinner when Becky, who has a BS in microbiology so she's a legit scientist discovers the phenomenon of "Night Market Syndrome". It's the urge you feel every night right before bed to go buy something, no matter what it is. You must make a money transaction before you are locked into your dorm. Becky's fix is a milkshake from Tip of the Iceberg, a dessert stand by our dorm, and Cosmed, and drugstore we also frequent. Mine is usually any accessory with a bow or some black tea.
Even if you don't need anything or couldn't possibly eat or drink another gram of food, you have the strongest urge to go buy something. You'll find any excuse to make your way over to the night market to go buy something. You find yourself digging through people's conversations, waiting for any chance to suggest visiting the night market.
Examples:
Person #1 - "I bought my girlfriend a bracelet in Taipei 101. What do you think of it?"
Me - "I need to buy some more souvenirs for my family. I'm going into this shop real quick."
Becky - "Hey do you want to go get a watermelon drink...I think I'm gonna go get one. Yeah I'm going."
We're not sure what kind of treatment would work best for this illness. Once we leave Taiwan, it will obviously be harder to find the types of goodies we have grown accustomed to here, and especially at such low prices. I'm thinking about checking myself into rehab when we land in Nashville so I don't end up going broke or gaining another 50 lbs once i get home and am not confined to my home at 11 every night.
I'm sure case studies and much more research will need to be done before this issue can be cured for good. Good luck everyone.
1 comment:
This is actually a pretty serious condition. The only way I've discovered to cure Nigth Market Syndrome is to be a tight-ass (in some circles, doctors refer to this as "Cheap Apnea"). Being cheap in NTD is a task that involves becoming accustomed to the living expenses in Taiwan versus the higher cost of living in the US (furthermore, try not to think in terms of USD).
Example:
Patient- (Pointing to a food item) "How much?"
Vendor- "180 NTD"
Patient- "Too much; let's go somewhere else. I'm not paying more than 100 NTD for food."
The only other way I know to cure NMS is to quit cold turkey (leaving on a jetplane is a good way to do this). Withdraw symptoms will include scream-crying, mass hysteria, and epilepsy. Please make sure you are under observation during withdraw.
-Justin
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