Taiwanese normally say hello by asking if you have eaten. But this week, you are more likely to hear people asking each other if they have made offerings today.
That's because the full moon this week marked the culmination of the rituals and sacrifices to appease the dead that have lasted for the entire seventh month of the traditional lunar calendar known in English as 'Ghost Month'.
Ghost Month is celebrated throughout the Chinese-speaking world, and observed with special intensity in Taiwan, where traditional Chinese religions remain strong despite the society's adaptation to modern life.
I saw a classical example of this early on Monday, the peak day for the rituals, near my house. Two teenage girls made an unconventional offering - a mini Dominos pizza complete with lit joss sticks - at a tiny shrine for the lost souls of people killed in accidents at a dangerous, three-way intersection nearby.
Later, at my favourite pub, the owner and a waitress had a long debate about whether imported beer was an appropriate offering to the 'Good Brothers' - as the wandering dead are politely known in Taiwanese. Eventually, it was decided that the ghosts would take this as a token of respect, since they had probably already had their fill of the domestic stuff earlier in the day.
This is the one day of the year where, even in cosmopolitan Taipei, you will see everyone - from betel-nut girls in their skimpy outfits to investment bankers in suits - out on the street holding incense and making offerings.