Taiwan Food 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

Taipei Times Columnist Michael Turton Talks About the Taiwan Pineapple Ban by China Ep 119

Felicia Lin — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 21:54:10 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Michael Turton is a political commentator, writer and Taipei Times columnist based in Taichung, Taiwan. I first learned about him through his long running blog, The View From Taiwan when I lived in Taiwan myself and started blogging about living there. I’ve invited him on to the podcast to talk about China’s recent Taiwan pineapple ban. We talked about what’s really behind the ban and how trade issues between China and Taiwan led to the 2014 Sunflower Movement and occupation of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan building.

CORRECTION: At 1:28 when Michael says “over in Xiamen” he meant to refer to Fujian. There several towns in Fujian- Yongfu and Qingliu but not Xiamen, that are now using agricultural techniques learned from Taiwan. See link to the CommonWealth Magazine article, “Is Taiwan’s Farm Sector Selling Out to China” for reference.

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

Why China banned pineapples imported from Taiwan
What has happened since the ban
How the ban will impact Taiwan
What are the larger issues behind what happened and why China banned Taiwan’s pineapples
What can people overseas can do to support Taiwan, aside from buying Taiwan pineapples
How consumption is related to Taiwanese identity
What trade issues with China have to do with the Sunflower Movement
What precipitated the occupation of the Legislative Yuan building by the Sunflower Movement activists in March 2014
How the caucus system in Taiwan is set up to slow down the legislature
The problems with Taiwan’s constitution
How the spat between then President Ma Ying-jeou and Speaker Wang Jin-pyng contributed to the occupation of the Legislative Yuan by the Sunflower Movement activists in March of 2014
How the Sunflower Movement strengthened the Taiwanese identity of a generation that grew up in a democratic Taiwan vs. those who previously grew up under Kuomintang rule in the 1970s and 80s

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

Trigg Brown and Josh Ku of Win Son: Taiwanese Restaurant in NYC Ep 60

Felicia Lin — Mon, 30 Dec 2019 18:51:51 +0000

A Note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

When I sat down to interview Trigg Brown and Josh Ku about their Taiwanese American restaurant, Win Son, they talked about their shared a love of food, and how they used to trek all the way out to Flushing just to get good Taiwanese food. They used to get into discussions about what makes food uniquely Taiwanese vs. Chinese or Chinese American, and somewhere along the way they started tossing around the idea of opening up a restaurant together.

At first it seemed like just talk, but then Trigg inherited a commercial stove which they decided to keep- initially in the lobby of Josh’s building. The funny thing is that once this stove showed up, talk of Josh and Trigg’s restaurant idea seemed more and more real. Later the stove was moved into a former restaurant space that Josh was dealing with as a property manager. As fate and a Kickstarter campaign would have it, that former restaurant space ended up being where they opened Win Son.

The two spoke to me about how the challenges of dealing with a cuisine that most have never heard of before, and how the research they did in Taiwan before opening Win Son was less about replicating Taiwanese dishes exactly, but more about understanding Taiwan’s history, culture and food. Both Josh and Trigg understand the subtext they are dealing with by running a Taiwanese American restaurant. Sometimes, loaded political implications can come with the label of being “Taiwanese.” In recreating Taiwanese dishes at Win Son, Trigg and Josh have taken care to pay homage to Taiwan’s culture and cuisine.

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

How they met and bonded over their common love of food
How a stove that Trigg inherited led to the idea of opening a Taiwanese American restaurant concept to becoming a reality
Where the name Win Son came from
How Taiwan’s complex history influences Trigg’s understanding of how Taiwanese dishes are prepared
The research they did in Taiwan before opening up Win Son
What it means to be a Taiwanese restaurant in New York and how it’s hard not to be political
How they interpret and pay homage to Taiwan’s history and culture through food
The challenges of being in the restaurant industry
Recommendations for people interested in opening up a restaurant

Borcheng Hsu on the 13th Passport to Taiwan Festival Ep 45

Felicia Lin — Mon, 19 May 2014 15:12:27 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Borcheng Hsu talks about the 13th Passport 2 Taiwan Festival at Union Square in New York City. P2TW has grown to over 60 booths (1/3 are authentic Taiwanese food you cannot find in the US outside of someone’s home) and how cultural groups are now being flown in direct from Taiwan. Mr Hsu also talks about the future of the event, and how it could be traveling to a city new you someday soon!

The post Borcheng Hsu on the 13th Passport to Taiwan Festival Ep 45 appeared first on Talking Taiwan Podcast.

Andrew Watson of the band Feiwu Talks about Hello Taiwan Ep 38

Felicia Lin — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 15:55:34 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

When I invited Andrew Watson onto Talking Taiwan to talk about the fourth annual Hello Taiwan Concert, I was pleasantly surprised by how our conversation touched on the 1990s music scene in Taiwan. Andrew was living in Taiwan at the time when he formed his band Feiwu (廢物樂隊), which will be performing at Hello Taiwan. Feiwu is the hard-rocking band who wrote and performed the classic “我愛台灣啤酒” (“I Love Taiwan Beer”) and other original songs at Spring Scream and various venues around the island from 1997 to 2001. The band is well known as one of the core bands that pioneered the Taiwan independent music scene of the ’90’s along with Mayday (五月天), Cthonic (閃靈), 1976, The Chairman (董事長), and Quarterback (四分衛).

This year, organizers of the Hello Taiwan Concert will be raising funds for Typhoon Haiyan victims in the Philippines. Last year they raised $10,000 for the Breezy Point firemen who were themselves victims of Hurricane Sandy, when their houses were burned down in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Many of the Breezy Point firemen, were the first responders at the 9/11 terrorist attack.

The bands that will be performing at Hello Taiwan include: Feiwu (廢物樂隊), Bikini Carwash, Torpid May, and The Underground Channel.

There will be a special guest performance by Filipino American rapper, producer and performer, IZZY.

Hello Taiwan will be hosted by Ben Hedges. journalist, producer and TV host. He now hosts New Tang Dynasty Television’s show “Lao Wai Kan Zhongguo” 郝毅博是《老外看中國》的主持人.

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

The bands that will be featured at the fourth annual Hello Taiwan Concert
Andrew’s band Feiwu (廢物樂隊) and Code of Resistance
What’s going to be happening at the Hello Taiwan Concert
How the Hello Taiwan Concert is a mix of a Taiwan-style night market with live music performances
What brought Andrew to Taiwan
Will Feiwu record a third album?
The 1990s music scene in Taiwan
How Andrew would compare the music scenes in Taipei and New York
Andrew’s Flushing restaurant recommendations
Filipino rapper Izzy will be among those performing at Hello Taiwan
How Ben Hedges the host of Lao Wai Kan Zhongguo (老外看中國) on New Tang Dynasty Television will be hosting Hello Taiwan

Elena Liao about Te Company Ep 31

Felicia Lin — Sat, 03 Aug 2013 12:10:27 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Our guest on this episode of Talking Taiwan is Elena Liao, the owner of Té Company. She won last year’s Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC). To learn more about the ECC listen to the previous episode about the Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition. The name of her company, comes from the word “Té,” for “tea” in Taiwanese Hokkien.

Elena, founder of Té Company, is an avid tea drinker and a dedicated food enthusiast living in New York City. She was born and raised in Taiwan, then moved to the US in her early teens. Like most Taiwanese families, drinking oolong tea was part of her daily ritual growing up. Living in the food mecca of New York City, Elena was surrounded by foodies alike celebrating hand crafted espresso and the complex bouquet of artisanal wine. As her appreciation and knowledge for fine culinary craft blossomed, she found herself increasingly drawn to the delicate flavors of oolong teas. The childhood tea drinking tradition became more than a pastime. It became a culinary exploration, which led her to study oolong tea’s history and artistic craftsmanship.

Elena’s love of tea was first nurtured by her family and her passion for it shines through in this interview. Our conversation turned out to be a deep dive into the world of tea. She spoke to me about artisanal teas, how tea can be aged like wine, and even used in cooking and baking.

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

What the name of her company Te comes from
Her participation in the Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC), which is organized by TAP-NY and the Taiwanese Merchants Association
How she prepared her proposal for the ECC
What advice she would give to anyone preparing to go through a competition like the ECC
What she things is the one thing you need to succeed in participating in a competition like the ECC
What she did with the money she won from the ECC
How she got on the path to starting Te Company
The research she’s done about tea to prepare herself to be a tea merchant
Her visits with tea framers in Taiwan tea leaves are picked in Taiwan
How white, green, yellow, oolong and black tea can all be made from a single plant
How tea is similar to wine or whiskey
How tea ceremony can affect the taste of tea
What is espresso tea
The difference between drinking tea from a tea bag vs. loose leaf tea
How tea can be aged
How Elena comes up with new tea blends
The difference between ice tea and hot tea
How she uses oolong tea in cooking and baking
What’s next for Te Company

TAP-NY about the Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition Ep 30

Felicia Lin — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 21:10:41 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

In this episode of Talking Taiwan I spoke with Crystal Tang, TAP-NY’s Professional Chair and Jacqui Wu, TAP-NY’s Co-President about the second annual Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC). The ECC is organized by the Taiwanese American Professionals – NY (TAP-NY) and the Taiwan Merchants Association. Crystal and Jacqui talked about the ECC’s selection process and the impressive lineup of judges who are successful, prominent Taiwanese American entrepreneurs and business leaders.

The ECC is an opportunity to showcase the Taiwanese American entrepreneurial spirit. This year the organizers have added a nonprofit category. Eight finalists will be chosen for the final event, which will be open to the public. At the final event, there will be cash prizes of up to $10,000 for winners, and an audience favorite will be chosen.

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

What the Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition (ECC) is- the competition opens June 1, with business plans due on July 31
How written proposals are selected for the second round
The third round, which consists of eight proposals selected in the second round will be open to the public
There will be cash prizes for contestants of up to $10,000
The two organizations organizing the ECC, the Taiwan Merchants Association and Taiwanese American Professionals – NY (TAP-NY)
How the ECC was created by Bob Wu, the founder of TAP-NY
The ECC judges, which include prominent Taiwanese American entrepreneurs and business leaders: Andrew Yang (Venture for America) Will Peng, Yao Huang, Dorothy Jean, Benny Wang (Timehop)
The changes and improvements they’ve made to ECC for this second year of the competition, including the addition of a separate category for nonprofits
On September 14^th the top eight finalists will present to the judges and the audience
There will be an audience favorite who will be awarded $1,000
Last year’s ECC winner, Elena Liao

Taiwan Food 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:

Taipei Times Columnist Michael Turton Talks About the Taiwan Pineapple Ban by China Ep 119

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:

Trigg Brown and Josh Ku of Win Son: Taiwanese Restaurant in NYC Ep 60

A Note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

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

Related Links:

Borcheng Hsu on the 13th Passport to Taiwan Festival Ep 45

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Andrew Watson of the band Feiwu Talks about Hello Taiwan Ep 38

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

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

Related Links:

Elena Liao about Te Company Ep 31

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

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

Related Links:

TAP-NY about the Entrepreneur Challenge and Competition Ep 30

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

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

Related Links: