By Chen Yan-ting and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA water caltrop vendor in Pingtung County has been receiving unwanted attention after a foreign tourist commented that the vendor appeared to be selling bats as food. The rumors about his stall appeared to have started after the tourist mistook an image of a water caltrop on signage as being an image of a bat, he said. The fruit of the water caltrop curves downward on two sides, resembling the silhouette of a flying bat. There are numerous sellers along 10km of Kanding Township’s (崁頂) Nanjhou Road, all of whom have signs featuring water caltrops, the vendor said. Many foreign visitors are unfamiliar with the water caltrop — an aquatic plant native to temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa that has been cultivated in China and the Indian subcontinent.

Source: Taipei Times February 08, 2020 15:56 UTC