It was by chance that we could have two interviews with Miss Hsiao-Chen from Sweet, So Sweet Juice Bar. Her story has been reported on the news, and there are many supportive articles on the Internet. Although her shop is within a twenty-minute walking distance from Wu Xing Primary School, we had never heard of her before we met. On the day we visited BaiLing Massage Parlor, Auntie Chang recommended a juice bar to us. She said the shop owner is a visually impaired friend. We didn’t have much time left, but we all wanted to visit a juice bar. Auntie Chang called Miss Hsiao-Chen for us, and she said yes for the interview. We thanked Auntie Chang and rushed to Miss Hsiao-Chen’s shop. Due to time limit, we could only tell her our purpose and ask some questions. We left after enjoying some drinks at her shop. The day before this winter break, we went to her shop again and interviewed her. We also ordered some of her best drinks. Below is the record of our two visits:

 

First meeting with Miss Hsiao-Chen

 

 

 

 

Date: December 30th 2011

Weather: Cloudy

Location: Sweet, So Sweet Juice Bar,

in Taipei

 

 

 

We only had 40 minutes for the first meeting. We all ordered drinks from Miss Hsiao-Chen. It was very cold that she was surprised when we ordered ice smoothie. The smoothies she made were very delicious. We decided to order drinks again when we have our second meeting.

 

 

 

Second meeting with Miss Hsiao-Chen

 

 

Date: January 19th 2012

Weather: Sunny

Location: Sweet, So Sweet Juice Bar

in Taipei

 

 

 

 

We went to Miss Hsiao-Chen’s shop this afternoon. Her shop is very close to the teacher’s home, so her two kids came to join us. Miss Hsiao-Chen is the first visually impaired person to open a juice bar in Taiwan. Although she’s the shop owner, she does everything on her own. She’s the only employee. Her father would deliver fresh fruit to the shop in the morning. Other than that, Miss Hsiao-Chen does everything on her own.

 

Q1:What was the cause of your amblyopia?

A1:I accidentally hurt my eyes twice when I was little, so I’ve lost the crystalline lenses. About ten years ago, I started to suffer from pathological changes. My vision became worse. I can only see very narrow angle and very close things. It’s serious amblyopia for me now.

 

Q2:Why were you so brave and decided to open a juice bar on your own?

A2:Before my eyesight got worse, I had been helping at a bubble tea shop run by own brother and sister. I’ve always been interested in making drinks. I quit school when my eyesight got worse, and I opened this shop without talking to my family first. At first I hired a friend to help and deliver drinks, but he had his plans and left. I believe as long as one is determined, any visually impaired can do whatever he or she wants.

Q3:Did your family support your decision?

A3:They were worried at first, but there was little they could do. I make enough to support myself and I’m not a burden to my family.

Q4:Is it dangerous for you to cut fruit or making tea?

A4:I rely on my feelings at work, because the visually impaired are more sensitive than others. Of course I’ve burnt or hurt myself before, but they happen to normal people, too. There’s nothing to be afraid of.

 

Q5: What’s your ambition for this shop?

A5:I hope to expand the shop and have more help in the future, but it’s more difficult to hire the right people. The main group of my customers are office workers who have little time to wait. I’m fairly slow in making drinks compare to other juice bars. I hope I’ll open another shop for the customers to enjoy having tea and relax. Some customers said the key to success is speed, but I make my drinks with love. I applied for employment counseling a while ago. When the Bureau of Labor Affairs were helping me, the media started paying attention to my shop. Because of the media and the Internet, I’ve met many visually impaired friends like myself. A lot of them joked about learning to make drinks with me. No one has ever come to learn with me though. If possible, I’d love to teach friends with similar interests to make drinks and open a juice bar.

 

Q6:So people should call in advance, How do you keep a record of their drinks and amount?

A6:Calling in advance allows me time to make drinks and doesn’t keep the customers wait for too long. I usually keep the orders in mind because I’m really good with memorizing. Unless the order is huge, I write the list down on a piece of paper.

 

Q7: Do you have any assisting tools?

A7:Thanks to the grant from Social Affairs Bureau, I have a reading aid. I want to buy a computer with blind assistance this year. Since my eyesight got worse, I haven’t used the computer. I know some basic skills, so it should be easy for me to use the computer.

 

Q8:Is there anything about the facilities in public places in Taipei that need to be changed?

A8:Transportation is the most important. I hope there will be audio announcements at bus stops. With such help, we will know it when the bus is approaching. Some buses have audio announcement, but the volume is too low. If we don’t take the bus, we’ll have to spend more on taking taxis.

 

Afterthoughts:

Jou-Chun: After our visit to the massage parlor, we were recommended to a juice bar run by a visually impaired girl. I think she’s really amazing. She can make drinks without seeing anything. On the door of the shop was a report telling her story. It mentioned how she burnt herself or made mistakes in the beginning, but she never gave up. It is because of her persistence that we can drink delicious drinks today.

 

Yen-Ching: We visited Miss Hsiao-Chen at her juice bar on Kuangfu S. Road today. I think she’s very optimistic and hard-working. It is like she said, she makes drinks with her “heart.” I really admire her spirit, and I really love her drinks.

 

Ming-Han: The drinks were amazing. Especially the passion fruit ice smoothie, Miss Hsiao-Chen made it with a lot of love. She was very friendly to us, and she’s such a brave lady to open a juice bar on her own. We should follow her spirit.

 

Pei-Yu: I think we should be supportive to her because she never gives up and is always persistent with her career. Her “never-give-up” spirit is really respectful.

 

Yi-Ting: Miss Hsiao-Chen is really amazing. She can’t see clearly, but she can make delicious drinks. Amazing!

 

Hsin-Tung: We went to Miss Hsiao-Chen’s juice bar today. It was very cold, but the ice smoothie she made for me was too delicious that I finished it all.