A Taiwanese vegetable vendor who received Time magazine's 100 most influential people award for 2010 said Wednesday she prefers living in quiet and peaceful Taitung to crowded New York, although she added that Americans are very friendly. The 61-year-old Chen Shu-chu asked the press not to follow her as she went sightseeing in the Big Apple Wednesday after attending the awards banquet at Time Warner Center the previous day. Shen said that given her low-key personality, too much media attention would make her uncomfortable. Chen said she enjoys her life of haggling over prices at a market in Taitung City on Taiwan's east coast, where she has worked since she was 13 years old. Over the years, Chen has donated nearly NT$10 million (US$320,000) to various charities from her modest income. To her surprise, her generosity is now earning her international accolades. As for a party her family is planning to welcome her when she returns to Taiwan, Chen said that she only wants a bowl of noodles, and that she will ask her family to make the event as frugal as possible. During her first three days in New York, Chen took a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park. She said that it was her first time in such a carriage and that the city was full of picturesque views. She also visited Times Square and the United Nations headquarters before being interviewed by The Associated Press and Voice of America. Chen will head to San Francisco Thursday for a flight home on May 8. 