Talking Taiwan

During the pandemic, Kaarina Chu Mackenzie turned to art to find a sense of home. What resulted were a series of paintings inspired by the Raohe Night Market in Taipei. That became an immersive art exhibit called The Night Market which ran at the Bobble Haus, a gallery, shop and event space in New York City’s Lower East Side. While the exhibit has closed, some of Kaarina’s artwork can still be seen until the end of this month at the “On The Way” art gallery and tea shop experience curated by Jocelyn Hu and Thomas Duh at 48 Hester St, in New York City.   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/kaarina-chu-mackenzie-on-her-immersive-art-exhibit-the-night-market-ep-247/   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: ·         How the pandemic led Kaarina to focus more on creating paintings which later became part of an immersive art exhibit called The Night Market ·         How Kaarina designed the immersive art exhibit at the Bobble Haus ·         How she brought the night market experience to life at the opening reception of her art exhibit by and engaging all the senses through sound, light, and food ·         How the art that Kaarina created was also a reaction to the Asian hate that happened during the pandemic ·         How creating The Night Market exhibit was Kaarina’s way of creating a community for herself ·         How and why Kaarina paints on large life-sized canvases ·         How she hopes people feel when looking at her art ·         Kaarina’s connection to Taiwan and upbringing in China ·         Kaarina’s future plans for her night market series ·         How  Kaarina plans to explore her Taiwanese heritage and wants to use her art to create discourse and to connect with others ·         How Kaarina deals with people who challenge her about her identity ·         Kaarina’s advice for people who want to take the path of being an artist   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/kaarina-chu-mackenzie-on-her-immersive-art-exhibit-the-night-market-ep-247/

Chin Chih Yang stopped by the Talking Taiwan podcasting booth at Passport to Taiwan and we talked about his performance art and his 10-year project “Watch Us, Together We Can Do It” which he will be working on during his residency at the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s house, on New York’s Governors Island. The Taiwanese American Arts Council’s house, Building 7B is located in Noland Park on Governors Island.  In June, we went to Governors Island and spoke with Chin Chih after his first live outdoor performance of “Watch Us, Together We Can Do It”   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/chin-chih-yang-talks-about-his-unique-performance-art-at-passport-to-taiwan-ep-246/   Chin Chih Yang is a Taiwanese multidisciplinary artist who has been inducted into the New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame. A full in-depth interview with Chin Chih will be released at a future date.  Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:   ·       The concepts and themes behind Chin Chih’s art ·       The performance aspect of Chin Chih’s art ·       Chin Chih’s interactive performance at the Queens Museum of Art opening in 2013, Invisible Love and Beauty ·       Chin Chih’s residency at the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s house, located on Governors Island ·       Chin Chih’s long term project, “Watch Us, Together We Can Do It and the concept behind it   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/chin-chih-yang-talks-about-his-unique-performance-art-at-passport-to-taiwan-ep-246/

Sam Lin is the New York-based veteran bubble tea shop owner who you heard from in episode 238 about bubble tea featuring Kristin McCoy-Ward. If you’re a bubble tea lover, that episode is definitely worth a listen, Kristen covered everything you’d ever want to know about bubble tea and more.   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/bubble-tea-sam-from-quickly-to-coco-running-bubble-tea-shops-for-20-years-in-nyc-ep-245/   Sam talked to me about how he grew up in Taiwan eating tapioca in desserts, before there was even this thing called bubble tea. Consequently, he has some interesting thoughts on who invented bubble tea.     He brought the Quickly bubble tea shop from Taiwan to New York in 2003, and looking back on his first year of running a bubble tea shop, he recalls the trials and tribulations and that he barely survived it. With perseverance and an improved understanding of how to run a bubble tea shop, Sam moved on from Quickly to opening and running Coco bubble tea shops. Sam now owns and operates 22 Coco bubble tea shops in New York, New Jersey and Boston.   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:   ·      Sam’s connection to Taiwan ·      How Sam grew up eating tapioca before there was bubble tea ·      How Sam brought the Quickly bubble tea brand from Taiwan to New York in 2003 ·      How Sam struggled during the first year of running his first Quickly bubble tea shop and later ran eight Quickly shops ·      Which tea shop in Taiwan invented bubble tea ·      The outcome of the 10-year lawsuit over who invented bubble tea Chun Shui Tang (tea shop in Taichung, Taiwan) or Hanlin (tea shop in Tainan, Taiwan) ·      How Sam got involved in opening and running Coco bubble tea shops and now runs 22 shops in New York, New Jersey and Boston ·      What affects the texture of tapioca balls (and makes them too hard or too soft) ·      How the bubble tea scene in New York has changed since Sam opened his firs bubble tea shop in 2003 ·      How bubble tea is a relatively easy business to run compared to other restaurant or food-related businesses ·      How tapioca balls only last for 4 hours after being cooked ·      How Sam believes that there is more opportunity for bubble tea shops to open up in the U.S., and that there should be a bubble tea shop in every college town ·      How it’s important not to undercut the price of bubble tea to maintain the health of the bubble tea industry ·      Bubble Teak Kristen’s YouTube channel ·      The need for a bubble tea business association ·      Important considerations for people who want to open up a bubble tea shop ·      How much capital is needed to start a bubble tea shop business ·      What is required to set up a bubble tea shop ·      What makes a bubble tea shop successful   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/bubble-tea-sam-from-quickly-to-coco-running-bubble-tea-shops-for-20-years-in-nyc-ep-245/

Pasuya Yao (姚文智) is a politician turned film producer. His film production company thuànn TAIWAN, produced the documentary Su Beng, The Revolutionist and more recently the feature film Untold Herstory that ranked third at Taiwan’s box office in 2022. We spoke about Untold Herstory, which is based on a book authored by Tsao Chin-jung (曹欽榮) and published in 2012, the book’s title has been translated as "Bonfire Island: Untold Herstory." It is a collection of interviews of women political prisoners held on Green Island in the 1950s. If you haven’t seen Untold Herstory yet, it will be coming to Taiwan Plus on February 28 2024. Special thanks to Loretta Chen for her translation assistance for this episode. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/pasuya-yao-on-his-film-untold-herstory-about-1950s-women-political-prisoners-on-green-island-ep-244/   Mr. Yao is a former Democratic Progressive Party legislator and previously ran for Taipei City Mayor in 2018. We talked about why he decided to switch from a career in politics to film producing, and about the subjects his upcoming television and film projects: artist Chen Cheng-po （陳澄波）, the Taiyuan uprising of 1970, and Chen Nylon (鄭南榕).   This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association.      NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is:   1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.   To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Pasuya Yao’s career as a politician before becoming a film producer ·       How Mr. Yao got interested and involved in politics as a college student ·       Mr. Yao recalls the Kuomintang’s authoritarian rule during Taiwan’s martial law era ·       When Mr. Yao served as director of the News Bureau in 2004 he gained a more comprehensive understanding of Taiwan’s media culture and film industry ·       Mr. Yao served as director of the GIO (government information office) in 2005 he ·       How Mr. Yao ran for Taipei City mayor in 2018 but lost and decided to switch to producing films ·       How Mr. Yao was exposed to opposition (dangwai) magazines when he was a teenager ·       The meaning behind the name of Mr. Yao’s film production company, thuànn  TAIWAN Film Company ·       The difference between the first film Mr. Yao’s produced, Su Beng, The Revolutionist (a documentary) and Untold Herstory (a feature film) ·       How fundraising is the most challenging part of film production ·       The subjects of Mr, Yao’s future television and film projects: Chen Cheng-po, a Taiwanese artist that was executed in 1947, Taiyuan 1970, Cheng Nylon ·       Mr. Yao’s relatives that were affected by the 228 Massacre and White Terror era ·       “Puanpuatsu” which means that Chiang Kai-shek personally signed and issued orders to change people’s verdicts to death sentences ·       Documents revealing Chiang Kai-shek’s orders to execute were gradually exposed and made public over two decades since the DPP was the opposition party ·       How Mr. Yao feels it’s important that younger generations of Taiwanese understand Taiwan’s history and that Taiwan’s democracy was hard-earned and due to the sacrifices of many ·       How a thousand or more people’s fate were changed directly by Chiang Kai-shek who personally signed and issued orders to execute people ·       How the film Untold Herstory is based on the oral history research done by Tsao Chin-jung ·       The film Untold Herstory depicts 29 cases ofindividuals whose outcomes were changed directly by Chiang Kai-shek’s orders ·       The challenges in casting actors for Untold Herstory ·       Where Untold Herstory has been screened ·       What kind of response the film has received ·       How Untold Herstory was release around the time of Taiwan’s local elections in November 2022 ·       Untold Herstory ranked third at Taiwan’s box office in 2022 ·       Where Untold Herstory will be screened in the future ·       Untold Herstory will be available on Taiwan Plus beginning February 28, 2024, the anniversary of the 228 Massacre Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/pasuya-yao-on-his-film-untold-herstory-about-1950s-women-political-prisoners-on-green-island-ep-244/

 Summer is upon us and in the past it’s been a very busy time for the Taiwanese American community with several summer conferences and camps being organized across the country. There’s TAF, the Taiwanese American Foundation, TACEC, the Taiwanese American Conference East Coast, TAC-WC, the West Coast version of the Taiwanese American Conference, and TANG just to name a few.   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/christine-su-of-tang-enriching-youth-through-a-loving-taiwanese-community-ep-243/   These conferences and camps have become an annual tradition, the basis for lifelong friendships, a place for reunions of sorts, and a way to build and connect with our community.   After all we’ve been through these past couple of years, it’s good to be back and able to meet again in person.   This year marks the 20th anniversary of TANG (the Taiwanese American Next Generation). This year TANG will be held at West Chester University in Pennsylvania from July 1-4.   You may have heard this organization mentioned in past episodes of Talking Taiwan with my guests Rolla Chng, Peter Lin and Ed Lin (who incidentally are not related to me or to each other). Also, several of my past guests like Michelle Kuo and Tim Chng have been involved with TANG or invited to speak there.   TANG’s mission statement is: For the youth to be enriched by a loving Taiwanese community, so they can obtain a stronger sense of self and passionately pursue their convictions.   Since TANG is just around the corner, I thought it would be good to invite Christine Su to stop by Talking Taiwan’s podcasting booth at Passport to Taiwan to talk about TANG and how it’s connected to TACEC. The Taiwanese American Conference East Coast, is an annual conference organized the TAA, the Taiwanese Association of America, one of the oldest Taiwanese organizations with chapters all across the United States. Each year TACEC is organized by a different East Coast chapter of the TAA.   This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association.   NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is:   1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.   To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com    Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:   ·       The origins of TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation) and its connection to TACEC (Taiwanese American Conference East Coast) ·       This year is the 20th anniversary of TANG and 52nd anniversary of TACEC ·       TANG staff consists entirely of volunteers ·       The theme of this year’s TANG is “Identity: Write Your Story” ·       The Taiwan Night show that happens at TACEC and TANG ·       The programs for the different age groups that attend TANG: high schoolers, juniors, tiny tots, TANG parents, college, and young adults ·       TANG and TACEC are usually held together over the July 4th weekend and is a multigenerational experience with kids, their parents and grandparents attending ·       What TANG did during the pandemic ·       How the TANG high school counselors created a virtual program for high schoolers during the pandemic ·       In 2020 TANG organized a “Helping Hands Virtual Walk & Run” for the community to stay connected during the pandemic   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/christine-su-of-tang-enriching-youth-through-a-loving-taiwanese-community-ep-243/

Author Ed Lin stopped by to chat with me in the Talking Taiwan podcasting booth at Passport to Taiwan. This is the first of several live interviews we recorded at our outdoor on-location podcasting booth. We touched upon a broad range of topics, many that we’ve covered here in the past on Talking Taiwan. In fact, this gives us a good excuse to share some of our past episodes in the related links section for this episode on our website. On the other hand, my conversation with Ed brought up a few good ideas for future topics and guests that we should have on Talking Taiwan.   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/ed-lin-our-interview-live-at-passport-to-taiwan-ep-242/   As Ed and I were talking, you’ll hear us talking to some of the people who walked by and stopped by to say hello, among them were of some of our supporters, mutual friends and a previous Talking Taiwan guest another Lin, Peter Lin who’s band the Asian American Jazz Collective performed at Passport to Taiwan that day. That’s the thing about Passport to Taiwan, when you’re there you never know who you’ll run into. We were also thrilled to meet and talk to some of our listeners who stopped by our booth.  For those of you in New York City, you can catch Ed Lin performing in Short Stack 2 at the Ma-Yi Theatre from June 15-18. We’ll include a link to purchase tickets online on the Talking Taiwan website.   CORRECTION: The restaurant that Ed refers to in the interview as 688 is actually the 886 Restaurant. The film that Ed mentions as Taipei Au Revoir is Au Revoir Taipei.   This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association.    NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is:   1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.   To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com    Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: ·       What Ed’s been working on lately ·       How Ed will be performing in Short Stack 2 at the Ma-Yi Theater from June 15-18 to benefit Heart of Dinner, a community organization aiding and feeding working-class AAPI seniors throughout the city ·       Ed will be speaking at the TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation)/TAC (Taiwanese American Conference), which will be at West Chester University from July 1-4 ·       Taiwanese soft power and how it compares to that of other island nations like Ireland or Jamaica’s ·       People who will be stopping by to be interviewed in the Talking Taiwan podcasting booth at Passport to Taiwan ·       The upcoming movie adaptation of the novel Loveboat Taipei ·       Things to do in the first 24 hours upon arriving in Taiwan ·       Ximending Red House in Taipei ·       The bells of Kaohsiung Harbor public art project (Echo Across the Harbor) ·       The band Chthonic and how their song Supreme Pain for the Tyrant makes reference to Peter Huang, who tried to assassinate Chiang ·       How activist Yuri Kochiyama encouraged Ed when he was a student at Columbia University working on bringing Asian studies to the campus ·       How the Taiwanese and Taiwanese diaspora are becoming more outspoken and proud of their identity ·       How the Famous Porkchop House on Doyers Street in New York City’s Chinatown was renamed Taiwan’s Porkchop House ·       Cannabis use in Taiwan Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/ed-lin-our-interview-live-at-passport-to-taiwan-ep-242/

In October of last year, Anna May Wong became the only Asian American and fifth woman to appear on the U.S. quarter as a part of the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters™ Program. Anna May Wong is one of the better known early Chinese American movie stars. She was the first Asian American actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She received it in 1960, the inaugural year of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Anna May Wong was regarded as a fashion icon in the 1920s and 30s, and was also politically outspoken. In May, Barbie announced the release of an Anna May Wong Barbie doll for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/peilin-kuo-on-indie-film-making-and-the-life-of-anna-may-wong-ep-241/ To talk about the life and times of Anna May Wong I’ve invited Peilin Kuo a Taiwanese filmmaker who’s made a few short films about Anna May Wong and has plans to work on a biopic about the actress. Peilin also talked about some of her recent film projects, her love of martial arts films and her next film project that will be set in Taiwan. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association. NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.   To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:   ·      How Anna May Wong became the only Asian American and fifth woman to appear on the U.S. quarter as a part of the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters™ Program in October 2022 ·      Anna May Wong was the first Asian American actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 ·      In May, Barbie announced release of an Anna May Wong Barbie doll for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month ·      Taiwanese filmmaker Peilin Kuo who’d made a few short films about Anna May Wong ·      Peilin’s interest and start in filmmaking ·      Peilin’s connection and upbringing in Taiwan ·      What made Peilin decide to move to New York City ·      How Peilin first learned about Anna May Wong and what impressed her about Anna May Wong ·      Peilin’s approach to in creating her short films about Anna May Wong ·      Peilin’s plans to make a biopic about Anna May Wong ·      What set Anna May Wong apart from other Chinese American actresses ·      Anna May Wong appeared in 50-60 films ·      The stereotypical characters that Anna May Wong portrayed and the discrimination and anti-miscegenation laws she had to deal with ·      How Anna May Wong was a fashion icon and politically outspoken ·      Chinese press and government were critical of Wong but, Peking University awarded the actress an honorary doctorate in 1932. ·      Later in life Anna May Wong was outspoken about better film roles for Chinese Americans ·      Anna May Wong was passed over for the character O-Lan in the film version of Pearl Buck’s book, The Good Earth;  MGM cast Luise Rainer to play the leading role in yellowface, later Rainer won an Oscar for her performance ·      Other stereotypically Asian character played by non-Asian actors in yellowface like Mickey Rooney’s character in Breakfast at Tiffany’s ·      Anna May Wong’s visit to China in 1936 ·      How Anna May Wong passed away at the age of 56 before she was supposed appear in the film, Flower Drum Song ·      How there are no recordings of TV show Anna May Wong appeared in called  the Gallery of Madam Liu Tsong ·      Liu Tsong was Anna May Wong’s birth name ·      Peilin’s next film project which will be set and shot in Taiwan ·      Peilin’s other film projects in the sci-fi and martial arts genre ·      Peilin’s love of martial arts films ·      How Peiln’s short film Once Upon A Time In The Bamboo was inspired by the film, A Touch of Zen (by director King Hu) ·      What Peilin loves about filmmaking ·      What she would be doing if she wasn’t a filmmaker ·      Peilin’s approach to filmmaking ·      Peilin’s advice for others who want to pursue filmmaking   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/peilin-kuo-on-indie-film-making-and-the-life-of-anna-may-wong-ep-241/

We had a beautiful day on Sunday at the Passport to Taiwan in New York City’s Union Square Park. Congratulations to the Passport to Taiwan team for making the event a huge success! The park was packed and food lines were long. We were so glad to be invited to be a part of it. For us it was a welcome change of pace. It’s not often that we get to meet our listeners in person! Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/talking-taiwans-26-notable-episodes-ep-240/ We want to thank everyone who stopped by the Talking Taiwan podcasting booth and those that tuned in to our livestream on Facebook. We did have some technical issues with the sound on our livestream and a very loud generator in the booth, so thank you for bearing with us. Kaju, our sound engineer and executive producer, is optimistic that he’ll be able to do some sound editing magic with the interviews we recorded that day. Some of the people that stopped by that day included Tom Fifield of the Taiwan Employment Gold Card Office, author Ed Lin, multi-disciplinary artist Chin Chih Yang, singer and musician Jilliyeah, and Christine Su of TANG (Taiwanese American Next Generation). We’ll be sharing those interviews as future episodes of Talking Taiwan. We’d also like to give a huge shoutout to our volunteers Josh and Marcellus. The two of you were indispensable in helping us to get set up and breaking down at the end of the day. We really couldn’t have done it without you! In preparation for Passport to Taiwan, we created a selection of audio clips from some of our most notable interviews to play in our booth and we thought we’d share them with you here. Whether you’re new to Talking Taiwan or one of our loyal listeners we hope that you enjoy it and maybe even discover an episode that interests you. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association.   NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.   To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com   Related Links: https://talkingtaiwan.com/talking-taiwans-26-notable-episodes-ep-240/

This year the Passport to Taiwan will be returning to New York City’s Union Square Park on Sunday, May 28th from 12 noon to 5:00pm. It will be the first in-person Passport to Taiwan in three years since the pandemic, and we are looking forward to it!   Talking Taiwan will be there with a special live on-location podcasting studio. Read on to learn more about what we have planned.    Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/passport-to-taiwan-2023-u-s-largest-taiwan-festival-is-back-in-union-square-ep-239/   Since the first Passport to Taiwan was held in 2002 it’s become the largest outdoor Taiwanese American event in the entire United States. Passport to Taiwan is a celebration of Taiwanese art, culture, music, community, and of course food.   In this episode I mention some of the notable performances, organizations and businesses that will be at Passport to Taiwan. For a full list of performances visit the Passport to Taiwan website at: www.p2tw.org   If you’re going to be in New York City on May 28th stop by Talking Taiwan’s booth to hear clips from some of our most notable guests.   Maybe you’ll catch me interviewing some invited guests like Jilliyeah, who some may recognize for the memorable acceptance speech she made at last year’s Grammy awards on behalf of the Taiwanese designers who won the Best Recording Package Grammy award for the album Pakelan. Jilliyeah put Taiwan in the mind of viewers that night when she said, on behalf of the designers “We are from Taiwan…Taiwan is a beautiful and a peace-loving country.” And then she added, “I hope someday if you can go and visit Taiwan, super welcome.”   Jilliiyeah is now in the U.S. pursuing her own career as a singer musician. She’s going to be stopping by to do an interview with me at the Talking Taiwan podcasting.   Some past guests might be stopping by too. You never know who’ll show up in at our on-location podcasting studio!   We’ll also be doing some giveaways for anyone who comes and sits in the “hot seat” with me and answers my Flash Five Questions, or who wants to pitch themselves, or someone else to be a guest on Talking Taiwan.   For those of you who can’t make it to Passport to Taiwan, we want to let you know that we’ll be livestreaming throughout the day from Passport to Taiwan to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/talkingtaiwanpodcast   So if you’d like to see what we are up to on May 28th from 12 noon-5pm Eastern Time, just visit our Facebook page to catch our livestream from New York City’s Union Square Park. If you can’t tune in or we experience any technical issues, don’t worry we’ll be recording the event and will post recordings from the event to our YouTube channel and social media.   To learn more about the background and history behind the Passport Taiwan, we’re resharing some of my interview that was done in 2014 with Borcheng Hsu, the event’s organizer.     Here’s a little preview of what’s covered in this podcast episode:   ·      Talking Taiwan will be at Passport with a special live on-location podcasting studio ·      Some of the notable performances including: the featured presentation sponsored by the Overseas Community Affairs Council and performed by the College of Performing Arts, National Taiwan University of Arts, “A Touching Encounter with Music and Dance from Taiwan,” Peter Lin’s band the AAPI Jazz Collective, Jilliyeah, and Taiwan Republic ·      Some of the organizations and businesses that will be at this year’s Passport to Taiwan ·      Some of the individuals or organizations I’ll be interviewing in Talking Taiwan’s booth at Passport to Taiwan ·      2002 was the first time that Passport to Taiwan was held in Union Square Park ·      How Taiwanese American Heritage Week was declared in 1999 ·      Where the idea and the name Passport to Taiwan came from ·      How Passport to Taiwan started with a core group of 10 volunteers ·      How Passport to Taiwan was modeled after the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival organized by CAPA (Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans) ·      On the day of Passport to Taiwan there are about 200 volunteers helping out ·      How Passport to Taiwan has grown ·      How other Taiwanese American communities participate in, visit and attend Passport to Taiwan ·      How there were only four food booths at the first Passport to Taiwan ·      Folk artists that have been invited to do demonstrations at Passport to Taiwan have included sugar paining, aborigine fabric weaving, clay figurines, straw weaving ·      Artists and performers who have been invited from Taiwan to be a part of Passport to Taiwan ·      How Passport to Taiwan is not just about Taiwan, but the Taiwanese American community and people, the shared democratic values of Taiwan and the U.S. ·      Misconceptions about Taiwan ·      The is most rewarding thing about organizing Passport to Taiwan ·      The challenges of running and organizing Passport to Taiwan ·      The most popular thing about Passport to Taiwan ·      How most of the food booths offering Taiwanese dishes are made by local people in the Taiwanese American community, specifically for Passport to Taiwan, and are not available elsewhere ·      Sponsors of Passport to Taiwan ·      How people can sponsor Passport to Taiwan ·      Future plans for Passport to Taiwan   Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/passport-to-taiwan-2023-u-s-largest-taiwan-festival-is-back-in-union-square-ep-239/

How is it that I haven’t done an episode about bubble tea? It’s surprising that of all the things related to Taiwan, that I’ve covered on this podcast, I haven’t covered this one.  Last year I heard that April 30th was National Bubble Tea Day when I saw a tweet by President Tsai Ing-wen. So I got to work planning to release an episode about bubble tea for this year’s April 30th. Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below:  https://talkingtaiwan.com/kristen-mccoy-ward-everything-about-bubble-tea-with-the-bobba-queen-ep-238/   I started off speaking to New York-based bubble tea shop veteran Sam Lin who brought the Quickly bubble tea brand from Taiwan to New York. His first Quickly shop was in Flushing near the public library on Kissena. Now he runs 22 Coco bubble tea shops in New York, New Jersey and Boston. Sam’s mother is a street vendor in Taiwan selling douhua (a sweet dessert tofu) and Sam grew up eating douhua with tapioca balls long before there was this thing called bubble tea. Sam had some interesting things to say about the origins of bubble tea and who invented it.  As I was getting this episode ready for the end of April, I also spoke to Borcheng Hsu, organizer of the Bubble Tea Festival in New York, who clarified the origins of National Bubble Day.  And finally, I came across a YouTube channel called Bubble Tea Kristin. It’s an amazing resource for almost everything related to bubble tea. Kristin has recipes for those wanting to make bubble tea drinks at home. In the past she’s owned and run several bubble tea shops and what she does now is help people who dream of opening their own bubble tea shop. I wanted to find out why she’s been called the “Boba Queen,” so I looked her up and invited her to be a guest on Talking Taiwan. This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women's Association.   NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is: 1. to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women's dignity, 2. to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality, 3. to fully develop women's potential and encourage their participation in public affairs, 4. to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan, 5. to reach out and work with women's organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.   To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:                 ·         The origins of bubble tea and who invented it ·         Why National Bubble Tea Day is on April 30th ·         What should New York City celebrate as bubble tea day ·         Kristin the “Boba Queen” ·         Where Kristin’s love and interest in bubble tea comes from ·         How she learned about the bubble tea business and opened her own bubble tea shops ·         How she sold her bubble tea business at the beginning of the pandemic and now mentors and helps other people to open bubble tea shops ·         How her past experiences and childhood prepared her for being an entrepreneur and business owner ·         How it’s difficult to be profitable in the first year of running a bubble tea shop ·         What it takes to have a successful bubble tea shop ·         How to get the right texture for the tapioca pearls in bubble tea ·         The different types of tapioca pearl balls and toppings ·         How long tapioca pearls last after they are cooked ·         Kristin’s visit to Taiwan in 2018 ·         How bubble tea shops are popping up all around the world ·         The different flavors of bubble tea that Kristin created for her shops ·         How bubble tea has evolved over the years since Kristin opened her first bubble tea shop ·         The reactions from people that Kristin has gotten since she is not from Taiwan or Asia ·         How she was once the only white female bubble tea shop owner in the U.K. ·         Any backlash she’s experienced as a bubble tea shop owner ·         How Kristin works with her bubble tea shop clients and advises them ·         Her recommendations of what to do in the first year of running a bubble tea shop ·         How the approach of business owners in the U.S. differs from those in the U.K. ·         How the pricing of bubble tea is important ·         How Kristin has helped bubble tea shop owners who have already started their business but run into some problems and need help ·         How Kristin sees her role in the world of bubble tea ·         What Kristin misses about running a tea shop ·         A drink recipe that people can make at home   Related Links: To view all related links for this article, click link below: https://talkingtaiwan.com/kristen-mccoy-ward-everything-about-bubble-tea-with-the-bobba-queen-ep-238/