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Kuai Kuai culture

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Kuai Kuai culture is a phenomenon in Taiwan wherein people put snacks of the brand Kuai Kuai (Chinese: 乖乖; pinyin: guāiguāi; Wade–Giles: kuai1kuai1) next to or on top of machines. People who do this believe that, because the name of the snack—"Kuai Kuai"—stands for "obedient" or "well-behaved," it will make a device function without errors.[1] As such, it can be commonly found in myriad places of work in Taiwanese society. A rigid set of best practices has arisen surrounding the proper use of Kuai Kuai snacks, such as using green bags only, and ensuring the snacks are not expired.[2]

A bag of coconut butter flavored Kuai Kuai, with green bag, next to a desktop PC, believed by some Taiwanese to bless the machine. The package design has a space for writing wishes. The one pictured has been written with "Wikipedians behave. Do not sabotage." (維基人乖乖／不要搞破壞)

Cultural influence

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Kuai Kuai Company Limited was established in 1968. The company produces mainly cookies and puff corn snacks; among these is a line of puff corn snacks bearing the company's name.[3] Kuai Kuai is a puff corn product.

The practice of adorning machines with the snack was documented as early as 2008.[4] Adornment is not only an informal convention of the information industry in Taiwan, but also expands to other fields of industries.[5] Kuai Kuai is now placed next to the devices of server rooms, ATMs,[6][7][8][9] ticket booths,[10] control systems,[11] and toll booths.[12] It was also seen in places such as a computer center,[13] a social affairs bureau,[14] an architecture of sustainability,[15] a police station,[16] a hospital,[17] an office of nursing, a center of domestic violence and sexual assault prevention, a cutting room, a theater,[10] household registration offices,[18] and examination halls for national tests.[19] It is also among the only items of food that one can bring into otherwise-fragile computer and server rooms.[13][20][5]

The culture is seen by some as superstition.[21][22] For example, movie director Chi Po-lin is on the record as saying, "I write my name (on the bag) and I am not fooling around."[10] However, the vice professor of Taipei City University of Science and Technology, Chiang Tsan-teng (江燦騰), points out that the purported stabilizing effects of Kuai Kuai may be purely a coincidence, and the snack is only a placebo for engineers.[12]

Convention

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The placement of Kuai Kuai is rather rigid. Because the indication light denoting correct function is green, the snack bag should be only the corresponding green one (coconut flavor). Conversely, the yellow or red ones represent abnormality and thus should not be used.[23][24][25] For instance, in May 2017 during the collection of consolidated income taxes, the Ministry of Finance in Taiwan tried to place Kuai Kuai to save the overwhelmed operational systems due to overload access.[26] However, they bought the yellow-colored bags, drawing criticism from netizens in Taiwan.[27] The Kuomintang congressperson Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) mentioned to the Ministry of Finance, when reviewing drafts of acts, that the Ministry must keep up with the conventions and not make mistakes with the color of the bag.[28] However, the snack company itself proposes a different set of conventions. Green bags are for electronic devices and computer rooms. Yellow bags stand for gold and fortunes, so it is more welcome in the financial and banking industries. The red bags stands for love, so the company sells limited amounts for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day.[27]

According to the prevailing culture, one must be aware of not only the color difference but also the expiration date. It is important to not place expired Kuai Kuai; expired products must be replaced immediately.[27] People must also check the bags for signs of damage, lest the food inside be consumed by cockroaches or mice.[10] Importantly, no one is permitted to open and eat snacks adorning machines themselves or haphazardly replace them. News reports in Taiwan have placed the blame for some accidents on improper Kuai Kuai usage.[29][30][31][32]

Partnerships

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Five-spice-flavored Kuai Kuai on a conveyor belt.

The placement Kuai Kuai is often closely tied to machinery and equipment, so it is often considered part of the essential supply chain in the information industry in Taiwan.[33] In 2016, the earthquake in Kaohsiung damaged the production line of TSMC in Southern Taiwan Science Park, and the TSMC engineers ordered a special edition of Kuai Kuai after they repaired the production line for the company staff. On the bag is customized print bearing the words "FAB14A 222K limited edition" (FAB14A 222K限定) and the mascot of the factory Black-faced spoonbill; the limited edition bag could be found being sold on the internet for twenty times the ordinary price. After the event, other information companies also commissioned the Kuai Kuai company for custom editions.[34][33] For example, Microsoft in Taiwan has collaborated with Kuai Kuai for the special edition of the "Peacock rice puff" (孔雀香酥脆);[35] in March 2017, when the Taoyuan Airport MRT was opened, the MRT made 60,000 green bags that read, "Just take the MRT, it saves time" (乖乖搭捷運，省時又快捷) for the general public;[36][3][37] Chang Hwa Bank also collaborated with Kuai Kuai to produce golden bags of five spice flavored Kuai Kuai.[38][39]

In June 2017, when the German theme park Europa-Park announced the opening of a flying theater called "Voletarium," Kuai Kuai snacks were placed in the center of the press conference stage. The park introduced the snack to the public, calling it "an extraordinary tradition from Taiwan". Brogent, the company in charge of Voletarium, requires that gaming equipment outside of Taiwan from its company are all adorned with Kuai Kuai; the precise manner in which this is to be done is written in the relevant contracts.[40][11]

Before the launch of Formosat-5, the first indigenous Taiwanese optical remote surveillance satellite, staff in the National Applied Research Laboratories piled up Kuai Kuai around the satellite model, to pray that all went well in the launching process.[41][23][34] For the occasion, the Kuai Kuai company printed out another special edition bag with the laboratories reading, "All the amazing views from space will be taken into our lens" (太空浩瀚無垠，乖乖盡收眼底).[42]

References

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  1. ^ Hope Ngo (2024-04-16). "The 'good luck' snack that makes Taiwan's technology behave". BBC. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  2. ^ Noah Buchan (2020-11-19). "How a snack protects Taiwan's tech". Taipei Times. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  3. ^ a b 李至和 (2017-06-05). "乖乖總座專訪／乖乖放膽玩 變話題製造機" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 經濟日報. Retrieved 2017-09-15.[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ "網路系統業 拜「綠乖乖」求順暢". Formosa Television. 2008-08-12.
  5. ^ a b 鄒秀明,蘇湘雲 (2011-10-28). "乖乖的神力 資訊界到機場都信". United Daily News. p. A16版. Archived from the original on 2011-10-29. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  6. ^ 邱瑞杰 (2011-10-28). "提款機別當機！ 內藏乖乖鎮壓". United Daily News. p. A16版. Archived from the original on 2011-10-29. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  7. ^ 邱瑞杰 (2011-10-28). "提款機常故障 維修者祭出乖乖牌". Upaper. p. 2版.
  8. ^ 邱瑞杰 (2011-10-28). "提款機內放乖乖 要它乖乖別當機". World Journal. Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  9. ^ 劉欣逵 (2011-10-27). "乖！別當機 提款機、機房放「乖乖」". TVBS新聞. Retrieved 2014-07-08.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ a b c d 游振昇、陳秋雲、張弘昌 (2017-06-17). "齊柏林也信的「乖乖」大神 連警察也跟著拜" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). United Daily News. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  11. ^ a b 蕭文康 (2017-06-02). "歐洲最大飛行劇院開幕 台灣「乖乖」意外吸睛" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 蘋果日報. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  12. ^ a b 李姿慧 (2011-08-11). "求ETC順暢 遠通拜乖乖" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 蘋果日報. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  13. ^ a b 蕭文康 (2011-01-20). "明新機房 供奉「乖乖」防故障" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). United Daily News. Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  14. ^ 陳雨鑫 (2014-04-23). "盼個案乖乖 社工桌上供「乖乖」". United Daily News. Archived from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  15. ^ 曾依璇 (2014-07-05). "交大蘭花屋 決戰巴黎綠建築賽". 中央社. Archived from the original on 2014-07-03. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  16. ^ 朱顯名 (2014-07-08). "「綠乖乖」成守護神？ 交通小隊指定擺放". China Times Electronic News. Archived from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  17. ^ 陳清芳 (2014-08-09). "醫界普渡供品 綠色乖乖保平安". 中央社. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  18. ^ 蔡淑媛 (2017-09-06). "七月祭拜好兄弟 戶政所、動物醫院拜「這個」" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 自由時報. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  19. ^ 曹以會 (2013-07-19). "最大電腦化國考 保佑「乖乖」別當機". United Daily News. Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  20. ^ 王宏仁 (2017-09-08). "與其擺乖乖，不如考慮資安險". IThome Weekly電腦報: 4.
  21. ^ 王秉慎 (2011-03-15). "不用乖乖，IT也能當好朋友" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 網管人. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  22. ^ Twelve (2016-12-01). "吃飯的工具只餵乖乖不夠，要誠心供奉謝恩" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 癮科技. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  23. ^ a b 彭清仁 (2017-08-28). "工程師愛綠乖乖 中元普渡供品" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 鉅亨網. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  24. ^ 尼瑪來了 (2016-04-22). "不能吃，但一定要擺！台灣工程師的「乖乖傳奇」" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 聯合新聞網. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  25. ^ 彭清仁 (2011-07-31). "七月禁忌工程師也不能免俗 機房拜乖乖求運轉順利" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 中廣新聞網. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  26. ^ 陳雲上 (2017-05-01). "拜「乖乖」也無效！報稅系統才修好又不穩" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). United Daily News. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  27. ^ a b c "報稅系統一再出包 網友說財政部買錯乖乖口味了" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 聯合新聞網. 2017-05-03. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  28. ^ 林昱均 (2017-05-10). "報稅送乖乖 系統卻不乖？ 立委：顏色不對啦" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 今日新聞. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  29. ^ 余宗翰 (2017-07-19). "乖乖不是有拜就乖 還須注意這3個禁忌" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). knowing. Archived from the original on 2017-10-25. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  30. ^ 廖學賢 (2014-07-08). "有"擺"有保庇! "乖乖"擋死亡車禍" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 中華電視公司. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  31. ^ 廖淑玲 (2014-07-08). "有「擺」有保庇？5包乖乖讓車禍絕跡". 自由時報. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  32. ^ "有「擺」有保庇？交通隊放5包綠色乖乖 讓死亡車禍絕跡". SET News. 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
  33. ^ a b Atkinson (2017-07-20). "放一包綠色乖乖，保佑機台不當機！乖乖成科技業另類供應鏈" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 科技新報. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  34. ^ a b 陳瑞霖 (2017-07-19). "乖乖也來助陣，福衛五號啟程前往美國等待 8 月發射" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 科技新報. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  35. ^ 彭子豪 (2016-12-04). "微軟乖乖合作 資訊月推Office 365聯名包" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 經濟日報. Archived from the original on 2016-12-05. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  36. ^ 張允曦 劉懿萱 張智鈞 蔡宗儒 黃俊維 (2017-03-02). "機捷正式通車！送旅客「乖乖」 祈營運順暢" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). TVBS. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  37. ^ 沈佩瑤 (2017-03-02). "機捷今通車 限量版乖乖大放送" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 自由時報. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  38. ^ "機台「乖乖」不當機！不只台積電有聯名版 彰銀也有獨家款" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 中央社. 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  39. ^ 陳怡慈 (2017-02-22). "「彰銀牌乖乖」限量免費送客戶" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 經濟日報. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  40. ^ 張慧雯 (2017-06-01). "智崴海外飛行劇院要擺「乖乖」 納入合約中" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 自由時報. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  41. ^ "福衛五號25日在美升空 「乖乖」越洋祈福" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 自由時報. 2017-08-19. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  42. ^ 曾婉婷 (2017-07-19). "祈求福衛五號發射順利！乖乖推花生紀念版 家樂福限2萬包" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). ettoday. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
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