As tall as the trees

I don't understand the obsession about height with Taiwanese mothers of sons. This, however, was never an issue in my family. Though ever since I can remember, I've seen commercials for Chinese medicine or machines which stimulates growth for teenage boys.

The basic plot of the ad since the dawn of time has been one mother with a short and unfortunate looking boy, and the other with a taller boy. While the short boy's mother complains to the tall boy's mother, admires the the boy's height and complains how short her own son is, the pathetic looking shrimp looks ever so whimpy besides his taller counter-part. An image which hammered into each growing boys' mind since the 80's to now.

But as time progresses, conventional 20 second commercials turn into 10 minute infomercials. Now, they invite 'real-live-witnesses' of the product and have thankful mothers crying while telling the audience how grateful she is with the product now that her son has grown into a real-size person.

After seeing such bewildering scene, I suppose I'm blessed with good genes away from shortness. Even though I don't understand the rationale behind it, I believe there is an explanation in evolution behind this height-obsession. Nonetheless, the height-marketing will always be an imprint of my memory and to some of the Taiwanese people.