Art & Culture Archives | Talking Taiwan Podcast

Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry: Our Talk with Founder Lisa Cheng Smith Ep 135

Felicia Lin — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 13:51:25 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

My guest on this episode of Talking Taiwan, Lisa Cheng Smith, has channeled her love of Taiwanese food, cooking and premium ingredients into creating Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry. Yun Hai sources premium ingredients for Taiwanese cooking, directly from artisans, farms, and soy sauce breweries in Taiwan.

In this interview Lisa not only talks about how and why she started Yun Hai, and her vision for the business, but she shares her favorite Taiwanese restaurants, cookbooks, and some great resources for tips on Taiwanese cooking.

Taiwanese food lovers, this episode is definitely for you!

I initially spoke with Lisa earlier this year but so much has happened with Yun Hai since then, so a week or so ago we spoke again to get some updates. Be sure to listen to the end of the interview to hear about all of the exciting developments.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in the podcast:

What inspired Lisa to start Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry
Where Lisa’s love of Taiwanese food comes from
The chili sauce that inspired her to start Yun Hai
The slow food movement
What Lisa loves about the food in Taiwan
How long it took Lisa to set up Yun Hai
The story behind the name Yun Hai
The challenges of running a small online business
How Lisa met her business partner
Yun Hai’s collaboration with Rose Bakery for the Lunar New Year
Lisa’s favorite Taiwanese holidays and festivals
Lisa’s Taiwanese cookbook recommendations
Other sources recommended by Lisa for Taiwanese recipes (blogs, YouTube)
Products offered by Yun Hai
New products
How Lisa choses products for Yun Hai
Yun Hai’s connection to Win Son
Lisa’s Taiwanese restaurant recommendations
Future plans for Yun Hai
The short documentary that Yun Hai produced about soy sauce makers in Taiwan
The newest developments with Yun Hai since the initial interview with Lisa earlier this year
Yun Hai’s Kickstarter campaign for Yun Hai Selection Dried Fruit Line (pineapple, mango, guava)
New products that Yun Hai is introducing
How Yun Hai has been growing
Yun Hai’s plans to open a store in East Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
The Yun Hai Stories newsletter

How Eva Lou Runs a Multi-Lingual Children’s Book Publishing Company Ep 131

Felicia Lin — Mon, 24 May 2021 22:04:30 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

My guest on this episode is Eva Lou a writer and publisher and the founder of Madeleine Editions, a multi-lingual children’s book publishing company, that offers books in English, French and Mandarin Chinese. Madeleine Editions published Monster Dance, a children’s book created to help children deal with and understand the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. For every copy of Monster Dance sold, a donation will be made to Donate PPE.

Eva spoke with me about the uniqueness of what Madeleine Editions is doing with their digital books, which are a multisensory experience, that combines animation, and the beauty of the spoken word and music. She shared a particularly memorable story that involved the recording of music for the book, The Little Baby Airplane.

We also spoke about her personal writing projects and her perspectives on what It takes to be a writer.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Madeleine Editions got involved in publishing the children’s book, Monster Dance
What it took to get Monster Dance published so quickly and in a timely fashion
What inspired Eva to start Madeleine Editions
How Madeleine Editions publishes multi-lingual books in three languages: Chinese, English and French
The Taste of a Strawberry, the first book that led to the creation of Madeleine Editions’
How Madeleine Editions’ books combine animation, the spoken word and music
How Madeleine Editions collaborated with Deutsche Grammophon:
How 3-7 years of age is a critical time for children to be exposed languages
How Taiwanese supermodel Chiling Lin (林志玲) got involved as the Chinese narrator for Monster Dance
How Eva’s personal background set her on the path to run a multi-lingual publishing house
How Eva relates differently she when speaks English, Mandarin Chinese and French
Eva’s connection to Taiwan
The many different languages spoken in Eva’s household
The joys and challenges of running Madeleine Editions
What it was like working with illustrator Guy Gilchrist
One of the highlights of her work with Madeleine Editions involved the recording of music for the book, The Little Baby Airplane
The uniqueness of what Madeline Editions does as a multilingual children’s book publisher
How Madeleine Editions’ books can expose children to other nonnative languages
The musicality of language
Eva’s career as a writer
The novel that Eva has been working on that is related to Taiwan
Madeleine Editions’ plans to adapt The Little Prince for children 3-7 years of age
The series of essays that Eva is working on about homes vs. houses
Eva’s writing routine
The difference between a career in publishing vs. being a writer
Eva’s perspective on being a writer and what it takes to be a writer

Dr. Michi Fu Straddles Between Living in Taiwan and the U.S. Ep 118

Felicia Lin — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 21:58:23 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Dr. Michi Fu is a professor, psychologist, writer, public speaker and experience creator. She spoke with me about how her mother’s decision to retire in Taiwan led her to decide to take a one-year sabbatical in Taiwan and to apply for Taiwan citizenship- which proved to be an arduous process but well worth it in the end. It has allowed her to more easily travel and straddle between living in the U.S. and Taiwan. As she’s spent more time residing in Taiwan, she’s faced challenges adulting in Taiwan due to limited language and cultural proficiency. We spoke in depth about how she’s dealt with all this by learning to let go of cultural norms and expectations, and found ways to build a community for herself in Taiwan.

While in Taiwan she’s connected with expat communities like the Black lives Matter and Burning Man Taiwan communities, participated in a bilingual version of the Vagina Monologues, and she’s also been invited to participate in the 228 Transitional Justice Project. I found that to be a timely topic of conversation indeed, with the 74^th anniversary of the 228 Incident having just passed.

Also referred to as The 228 Massacre, or The 228 Uprising, 228 is February 28, 1947, the date that the arrest of a cigarette seller in Taipei sparked protests over the corruption and repression of the ruling Kuomintang party at the time. What followed were the disappearance and execution of thousands by the Kuomintang. Some say up to 20 thousand were murdered. It led to the declaration of martial law and it was the beginning of the reign of White Terror in Taiwan that lasted for decades.

CORRECTION: At the 45-minute mark of Michi’s interview when she stated that she had arrived on holiday for her dissertation, she had arrived during the Dragon Boat Holiday for her sabbatical not her dissertation.

Photo above of Dr. Michi Fu is courtesy of Tobie Openshaw

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Michi’s upbringing and where she grew up
Michi’s connection to Taiwan
The study tour that Michi has co-organized with Dr. Tsuann Kuo (Founder of NATWA II)
How Michi’s perception of Taiwan has changed over time
How she’s met expats who have made Taiwan their home and out be interested in applying for citizenship in Taiwan
The reason why Michi decided to apply for citizenship and residency in Taiwan, and to split her time between the U.S. and Taiwan
What’s involved in the process to apply for citizenship and residency in Taiwan if you have a Taiwan birthright (i.e. parents born in Taiwan, and have residency and citizenship in Taiwan)
What the Yo yo card is and how to use it
Residency status that children of Taiwanese nationals can apply for to stay longer than a passport visa
The number of days required to stay in Taiwan in order to able to apply for citizenship
Michi’s sense of Taiwanese and Taiwanese American identity
Michi’s participation in the 228 Transitional Justice Project
The challenges of learning a language later in life
How Michi sometimes feels like a Third Culture Kid
How Michi has learned from cultural misunderstandings
How Michi has connected with and made friends through the expat community in Taiwan
What Michi misses about the U.S. when she’s in Taiwan
What Michi misses about Taiwan when she’s in the U.S.
What advice Michi has for those considering applying for Taiwan residency and citizenship
What advice Michi has for those considering spending more of the calendar year living in Taiwan
The different cultural expectations of Taiwan and the U.S.
The challenges of adulting in Taiwan with limited language and cultural proficiency
The wage gap for certain professions in Taiwan vs. the U.S.
The things Michi considers in deciding to live in Taiwan full-time
How Michi built her own sense of community by connecting with the expat community and Facebook groups

Anthony Kao of Cinema Escapist Recommends Films About Taiwan Ep 117

Felicia Lin — Sun, 21 Feb 2021 19:18:29 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

This week we welcome back Anthony Kao, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Cinema Escapist to Talking Taiwan. I’ve asked him to recommend films that help familiarize people with Taiwan. He’ll be recommending films about Taiwan that best represent certain decades, eras or significant historical events.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Anthony’s recommendations are of films made after the lifting of martial law in Taiwan 1987
In selecting films to recommend Anthony tried to select a variety of film genres to suit the different tastes of Talking Taiwan listeners
The films Anthony recommends represent a diverse array of Taiwan’s culture and historical phenomena
The five films that Anthony recommends: A City of Sadness (1989), Yi Yi (1999), Cape No. 7 (2008)
The historical and political relevance of Anthony’s film recommendations
The Taiwan history film trilogy by film director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢): A City of Sadness (1989), Good Men, Good Women (好男好女1995), The Puppetmaster (1993)
New Taiwanese Cinema
Second New Wave of Taiwan Cinema

Anthony Kao of Cinema Escapist Often First to Cover Taiwanese Films Ep 116

Felicia Lin — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 12:40:34 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Anthony Kao is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Cinema Escapist, which is often the first or only publication that covers Taiwanese film or television shows. I’ve found it has some really great reviews and recommendations of films from and about Taiwan. Cinema Escapist also covers films from all around the world and takes a look at their social and political context.

Anthony spoke with me about how he started Cinema Escapist and their unique approach to discussing film. Next week we’ll have Anthony back to recommend films about Taiwan that represent different decades or historical events significant to Taiwan.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Where Anthony’s interest in film comes from
Film as a way to explore the world
Cinema Escapist’s focus on international films and the social and political context of films
Anthony’s interest in Taiwanese film and television
How Cinema Escapist is often the first or only publication that covers Taiwanese film or television shows
Publications about Taiwan recommended by Anthony
Anthony’s approach to writing about film
When and why Anthony started Cinema Escapist
How Cinema Escapist has changed over time
What’s behind the name “Cinema Escapist”
The challenges of running Cinema Escapist which has a completely volunteer staff
The interesting experiences and people that Anthony has met through Cinema Escapist
Cinema Escapist’s plans to go into podcasting

An Interview with Charles Yu, Winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction Ep 114

Felicia Lin — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 09:10:21 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Charles Yu is a Taiwanese American writer, author of the novel Interior Chinatown, and winner of the 2020 National Book Award for fiction. He spoke candidly with me about how he and his family are dealing with the pandemic, his writing process, what it was like appearing on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and how he transitioned from a career as a lawyer to television writing.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Charles and his family are doing during the pandemic
The piece that Charles wrote for The Atlantic about life during the pandemic
How Charles first started writing poetry as a child
How Charles’ Taiwanese parents’ reactions to his interest in writing have changed over time
How Charles recently found some of the poetry that he wrote when at Berkeley
Charles’ connection to Taiwan
How Charles started writing Interior Chinatown in 2013 and the concept changed over time
How/why Interior Chinatown is written in a screenplay-type format
Charles’ approach to writing
His appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Charles’ writing for TV
How Charles was previously a lawyer and quit to work in TV in 2014
The difference between writing books and for TV
Charles’ interest in writing his own TV series
How Charles feels about being compared to Franz Kafka, Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams
Why/What motivates Charles to write
What themes inspire Charles to write
Advice Charles has for some struggling to write their first book
Why it took Charles seven years to write Interior Chinatown

Talking Taiwan’s Top 5 of 2020 End of Year Review Ep 109

Felicia Lin — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 11:51:23 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Since March of this year, we’ve been publishing new episodes of Talking Taiwan on a weekly basis, so for our last episode of 2020, we thought it would be fun to look back and see which were the top five episodes of the year. It comes as no surprise that 2 of the episodes are related to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Through it all, it’s been amazing to see our listenership grow. In fact, I’ve really enjoyed hearing from listeners who’ve reached out to tell me how much they’ve enjoyed listening to Talking Taiwan. Thanks for all of the positive feedback. We look forward to continuing to deliver new episodes about interesting people and stories connected to Taiwan.

Which episode was your favorite of 2020? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Don’t forget to check out our new feature starting in the new year called “Talking Taiwan Shorts.” We will be creating 100 short one-minute videos for our YouTube channel highlighting a GREAT segment from one of our podcast episodes. Be sure to check out Talking Taiwan’s YouTube channel, or go to our website here for “Talking Taiwan Shorts.”

Below are links to the top five Talking Taiwan episodes of 2020. Wishing you a wonderful rest of 2020, and a Happy New Year!

CORRECTION: At the 15:32-minute in the interview, Dr. Keating remarks, “We are 75 years at the end of World War I.” What he meant to say is that, “We are 75 years at the end of World War II.”

Jason Chew Talks About Being a Filmmaker Ep 105

Felicia Lin — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 10:09:29 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

On this episode of Talking Taiwan I speak with Jason Chew about being a filmmaker. We talked about how he veered away from his traditional Taiwanese upbringing and parents’ expectations that he become a lawyer.

As a filmmaker, he’s worked with several different clients in both Taiwan (a funeral home and cosmetics company) and the U.S. He shared how one project with the NYPD required him to wear a bulletproof vest while cruising around with the NYPD to the scene of a crime.

When I asked him what inspires his creativity, Jason responded by asking “where don’t you find inspiration… everything could be inspiration.”

Check out the show notes on the Talking Taiwan website for some of the great film directors that have inspired Jason and a few of the classic films about Taiwan that he recommends.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Jason’s connection to musician Treya, who we interviewed in episode 55
Jason’s “traditional Taiwanese upbringing” and what a “traditional Taiwanese upbringing” means to him
How he went from being on the path to attend law school to applying for film school
What it was like attending NYU Film School in Singapore
What Jason’s film career has been like so far
The difference between film editing, shooting, and directing
What sets someone apart as a director
What is cinematography
Jason’s short films
The music video he worked on for Treya’s song Magic
The work that Jason did on the NYPD’s Domain Awareness System (DAS) which is a sort of monitoring service
How Jason and his colleagues rode around in an NYPD police car to crime scenes in response to alerts from the Shot Spotter, which is a series of microphones that listen for shots fired
Jason’s thoughts on Black Lives Matter
Jason’s work with Taiwanese companies
Jason’s parents’ reaction to his choice to pursue a career as a filmmaker instead of law
What inspires him as a cinematographer
The crowdfunding campaigns on student films that he’s worked on
Jason’s favorite films about Taiwan
Films that he recommends for people who would like to know more about Taiwan
Jason’s work on the short film A Father’s Son – A 90s Chinatown Noir Thriller, which is based on the characters from Henry Chang’s NYPD Detective Jack Yu crime series novels
What Jason enjoys the most about filmmaking
How the pandemic has affected Jason
What Jason is currently working on
Jason’s advice for people interested in pursuing filmmaking
Jason’s advice on how to push through tough challenging times

Dr. Jerome Keating’s Books: Mapping, Paradigm Shifts, and his Favorite Quotes Ep 98

Felicia Lin — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 04:38:17 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

In part two of my conversation with Dr. Keating, we spoke about his other books on mapping and paradigm shifts. Dr. Keating also shared some of his favorite quotes including the one that encapsulates why he writes about Taiwan. And he talked about meeting with Trigg Brown and Josh Ku the owners of the popular Taiwanese American restaurant Win Son, who I interviewed in episode 60.

Since his book, Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus features some great photos of him with several influential Taiwanese celebrities, politicians and individuals, I asked him to reflect on some of the most memorable individuals he’s met.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Keating’s books about Taiwan, that were written before Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus
How Taiwan The Struggle Gains Focus will probably be the last book Dr. Keating will write about Taiwan
Keating’s book about the mapping of Taiwan
What maps can tell us about the mapmaker, trade, and economies
The role that the Spice Islands played in bringing the West to Asia
Dutch settlement of Anping, Taiwan
Spanish occupation of Taiwan
How the Portuguese named Taiwan “Ilha Formosa”
Keating’s book about paradigms, The Paradigms that Guide Our Lives and Drive Our Souls
The three realms of paradigms: science, metaphysics/teleology, phenomenology
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Examples of paradigm shifts that have happened in the world of physics (science)
What Dr. Keating plans to write about next
Coronavirus and the paradigm shift that it has caused
Keating’s writing process and why he writes
Keating’s favorite quotes
How the owners of the Taiwanese American restaurant Win Son (featured in episode 60), Trigg Brown and Josh Ku sought out Dr. Keating for his perspective on Taiwan’s history
Keating’s thoughts on the late president Lee Teng-hui and on some of well-known politicians and personalities from Taiwan that he’s met
An African quote that sums up why Jerome writes about Taiwan
Where you can buy Dr. Keating’s books and learn more about him

Professor Andrew Morris: The Relationship Between Taiwan Baseball and its History Ep 96

Felicia Lin — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 08:21:44 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

With major league baseball playoffs soon upon us, we thought that this episode might appeal to our baseball fans. It seems like a distant memory now, when about a month into the Coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan was the only place on the planet where live professional baseball was being played. My guest on this episode is Professor Andrew Morris whose research on baseball in Taiwan presents a fascinating new angle and way of seeing Taiwan’s history. I came across his writings and research when I was doing some research for my interview (episode 77) with Richard Wang the English-speaking broadcaster of CPBL games in Taiwan.

How important is baseball to Taiwan? Did you know that there’s a baseball related image featured on Taiwan’s currency or that Taiwan’s little league baseball team won 17 times from 1979 to 1996?

Interestingly, Professor Morris began our interview by sharing his own mistaken assumption of baseball as a symbol of American culture in Taiwan. He went on to explain that baseball was introduced to Taiwan by Japan, while it was a colony of Japan from 1895-1945. We covered a broad range of topics including how baseball survived the arrival of the Kuomintang in Taiwan, the rise of Taiwan’s little league team, the establishment of a professional baseball league in Taiwan (CPBL) which has had its ups and downs, and the short-lived Taiwan Major League.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Professor Morris got interested in the topic of baseball and the history of Taiwan
How baseball in Taiwan is not as it seems on the surface, a symbol of American culture in Taiwan
What were some of the most surprising and interesting things that Professor Morris has learned about baseball in Taiwan over the course of his research
The role of Taiwan’s Indigenous people in the game of baseball in Taiwan
What baseball tells us about Taiwan’s Japanese colonial era
How Chiayi (嘉義) is known as the spiritual home of baseball and how that was captured in the film Kano
How “Kano,” is the nickname of the old Chiayi Agricultural and Forestry Vocational High School, which comes from the two Japanese words “Ka-gi No-rin”
The Kano baseball team became the best team in Taiwan and is remembered by the Japanese
How Kano is remembered as an example of the success of Japan’s colonialism in Taiwan
Baseball as a pathway for Indigenous peoples during Taiwan’s Japanese colonial period
Professor Morris’ thoughts about the film Kano and its historical accuracy
The Japanese influence that we still see in Taiwanese baseball today
How after the Kuomintang arrived in Taiwan, around 1946, they tried to remove and erase Japanese culture, but baseball was allowed to remain
What happened to baseball after the Kuomintang arrived in Taiwan
How baseball games were played in the aftermath of the 228 massacre and a famous baseball coach was killed in the 228 massacre
Taiwan’s little league baseball team and how it served to bolster Republic of China (ROC) nationalism
The 1968 legend of what led Taiwan creating a little league team and participating in the little league world series
How in 1969, the Taiwanese little league team played in the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, PA for the first time and won
Between 1969-1996 the Taiwanese little league team won the Little League World Series 17 times and became a source of pride for the Taiwanese who watched the games late at night
The story (from the 70s) of how a coach of a little league team comprised mostly of Black players sensed the anti-Chinese and anti-Taiwanese sentiment against the Taiwanese little league team
How the Taiwanese little league team became a source of Taiwanese pride (different from ROC pride)
How the KMT hired Chinatown thugs to beat up the pro-Taiwanese little league fans and fights would break out between them after little league games
What happened to Taiwan’s little league team
The legacy of Taiwan’s little league team
How the American little league teams that were able to beat Taiwan’s little league team were celebrated an ESPN made a 30 for 30 film about this
The story behind the image of the youth baseball team that appears on Taiwan’s 500 dollar bill
The establishment of the CPBL and its game throwing and gambling scandals
The short-lived Taiwan Major League (TML) and how it differed from the CPBL
How baseball has been tied to Taiwan’s national identity in the past but that has changed as Taiwan has become more democratic
The research that Professor Morris is working on now
Professor Morris’ recommendations of other books on the subject of baseball in Taiwan

Art & Culture Archives | Talking Taiwan Podcast

Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry: Our Talk with Founder Lisa Cheng Smith Ep 135

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in the podcast:

Related Links:

How Eva Lou Runs a Multi-Lingual Children’s Book Publishing Company Ep 131

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Dr. Michi Fu Straddles Between Living in Taiwan and the U.S. Ep 118

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links and Terms:

Anthony Kao of Cinema Escapist Recommends Films About Taiwan Ep 117

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Anthony Kao of Cinema Escapist Often First to Cover Taiwanese Films Ep 116

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

An Interview with Charles Yu, Winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction Ep 114

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Talking Taiwan’s Top 5 of 2020 End of Year Review Ep 109

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Related Links:

Jason Chew Talks About Being a Filmmaker Ep 105

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Dr. Jerome Keating’s Books: Mapping, Paradigm Shifts, and his Favorite Quotes Ep 98

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links:

Professor Andrew Morris: The Relationship Between Taiwan Baseball and its History Ep 96

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Related Links: