Delinquent Dad or Astute Risk Manager?

I have only been in Taiwan for about three months and I am already taking the city for granted.  

Abel and I were both very wound up last night, not at all ready for bed despite the late hour, so I decided we should go for a walk.  I strapped him into the carrier and headed out the door to Da’an Park, Taiwan’s version of Central Park.  Da’an is large, wooded, and right in middle of the city.  The park is only about a block away from our apartment, but luckily there is a 7-11 on the way, so I stopped and bought a refreshing adult beverage (Busch – which I don’t like in the US, but find myself liking while in Taipei).  Abel and I strolled around the darkened park as he drifted off to sleep and I relaxed in the cool autumn air.  As I walked, I realized what I was doing.  I was in middle of a major city, at night, in a dark park, drinking alcohol, with a baby strapped to my chest.  Am I completely irresponsible or is Taipei just that safe?

I may not be a perfect Dad, but I’m pretty sure the answer to the previous question is that Taipei is just that safe.  There is virtually no random street crime.  Muggings, shootings, kidnapping – these are all incredibly rare for a city as large as Taipei. I have been searching for some statistics to back me up on this claim, which is taken as common knowledge among expats, but have found very little.  This could be due to my rusty research skills, but it is also partly due to the fact that the only clearinghouse of international crime data is the United Nations. Since Taiwan is not recognized by the UN, it is not included in its reports.   Since I have no quantitative data to share, here are some more anecdotal reports of crime rates in Taiwan:

• You could walk around dropping money and someone would collect it all and politely hand it back. Taipei is one of the safest cities in the world.
• It is also one of the safest cities in world,and locals are friendly and helpful to foreigners. All in all, Taipei is a city where travelers will not feel stranded.
• Taipei is a very safe city. Violent crime is nearly non-existent,
• CRIME: Although the overall violent crime rate in Taiwan is low, you should avoid high crime areas, namely areas where massage parlors, barbershops, and nightclubs operate as covers for prostitution and are often run by criminals. 
• Few report being victims of crime, which is a common complaint and concern for tourists worldwide.
• A summary of the above reports – stay away from prostitution rings and you will have to try really hard to be victimized in Taipei. 

As for the open container I enjoyed while walking in the park – individual beers are sold in every corner store 24 hours a day in Taipei and open containers are not banned in public.  I did not believe this initially because I have still NEVER witnessed a Taiwanese person drinking while in a public space.  I assumed that since no one does it, it must be illegal, but social conformity is so strong here that no law is needed to regulate when and where you can drink.  If there were no regulations in the US on drinking in public parks or on the street, you would see drunks stumbling all over the place.  In fact, you do often see drunks stumbling around with beers in the few places where you can have open containers.  Public drunkenness is very uncommon in Taipei – so far I’ve seen a handful of red-faced old guys who are really smiley after hitting the sauce in restaurants.  More restrictive alcohol laws are simply not needed here because binge drinking and the associated vices are just not common.  A very foreign concept for this reformed frat boy from the Midwest.

My confidence that I was not an anti-social risk-taking delinquent dad was strengthened during my walk when I came across two young women in their twenties pushing strollers with sleeping babies.  If it is safe for them to wander around the park at night, who is going to mess with a bearded guy drinking a big American beer?