Grateful for Family & Friends #TaiwaneseThanksgiving

Written by

WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR YOU! And for what our Taiwanese American heritage and culture have given us... especially how it influences our American holiday traditions and food experiences. We asked for your photos showing how you celebrate #TaiwaneseThanksgiving, and we were impressed! Check out some of the submissions below. #TaiwaneseThanksgiving This American holiday is all about spending time with and appreciating family, and when you get together, you've got to take a photo... It's a given…

Read More »

Harvest Moons and Autumn Flowers

Written by

"I don’t know how the moon looked where you were last night, but from the curb where I stood, a few paces away from the auto repair shop and the two men tamping down the embers of their barbecue, the moon was round and luminous and haunting, and it glowed even through the quick-flitting clouds. Last night’s moon-gazing was for the Mid-Autumn Festival. That means it’s fully autumn, and it’s time to unveil a project I’ve been working on for the past year." About 12 hours after Kevin…

Read More »

Who Is Arthur Chu? Villain, Hero, or Anti-Hero?

Written by

In 2014, I spoke with filmmaker Yu Gu (顾雨) and her co-director, Scott Drucker, as they were gearing up to follow Arthur Chu for his appearance in the Tournament of Champions on Jeopardy! as a part of their documentary, Who is Arthur Chu?. The film centers on this fellow Taiwanese American, who translated his notoriety from the game show into a being a critical voice on issues of social justice and pop culture. After following the film’s progress, I drove up on a rainy day to speak with Gu…

Read More »

When the World Met Taiwan: A Taiwanese Opera

Written by

In the 17th century, the Dutch East & West India Companies launched their simultaneous exploration of the Americas and Asia. While the Dutch West India Company built "New Amsterdam" on Manhattan Island, New York, "Fort Zeelandia" was established in today’s Tâilâm (Tainan in Mandarin), Taiwan under the rule of the Dutch East India Company. When The World Met Taiwan "Koeh Hoâi-it" is a Broadway-style Taiwanese Opera that tells the story of a historical turning point of different ethnic groups…

Read More »

Summer Language Camps in Taiwan: Five Firsthand Accounts

Written by

Thinking of sending your children to Taiwan to study Chinese but don’t know where to begin? In this article, we profile five Taiwanese-American families, detailing their language-learning goals, which camps they chose, and their recommendations and tips for others looking to do the same. (Side note: If you’re in Taiwan and have time to kill while your kid is at camp, read this article: 9 Beef Noodle Soup Restaurants to Try While Your Child is at Summer Camp in Taipei) First-Timers - Cathy Cathy…

Read More »

A Canon of Our Own: Q&A with Michelle Kuo, Author of Reading with Patrick

Written by

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1050"] Author Michelle Kuo with her parents[/caption] I profess that I have been a bit of a book snob lately. I am reading 50 books in my 10 weeks of summer; 20 of which should have a focus on social justice, and 15 of which should be by or about Asian Americans. The more these categories overlap, the greedier I become. I have been desperately craving something for me, something that helps me navigate everything this world has become with the body I have.…

Read More »

Taiwanese Music and the World: Interview with FireEX

Written by

By Darice Dan Chang Reprinted by permission of author and Ketagalan Media One of the challenges of writing about musicians from another country is that you have to feel each other out a little, figure out how much you know, or don’t know, about each other. For example, they don’t understand that you haven’t experienced them, that you can’t just Google.tw their names and have lived every nook and cranny their 10+ year career through the power of the internet. They don’t know that…

Read More »

More than a Chef with a Ramen Wave: Tracy Chang of PAGU

Written by

As a food explorer living in Boston, I follow the food blog Tiny Urban Kitchen by Taiwanese American Jen Che. This is where I first heard about the restaurant PAGU and its Taiwanese American chef/owner Tracy Chang, a talented culinary entrepreneur who sports a unique hairstyle (aka the "ramen wave"). PAGU serves Japanese tapas, a reflection of Tracy’s culinary training at O Ya (one of Boston’s top sushi restaurants) and Restaurante Martin Berasategui (three-star Michelin restaurant…

Read More »

Taipei Guide: An Illustrated Exploration

Written by

Welcome to Taipei, Taiwan / Every year, I pick a month or two between November and February to spend in Taipei. These long trips are made possible by working remotely as a freelance illustrator. But once each day’s work is done, I’m free to grab my sketchbook and explore. This annual trip is my chance to conveniently miss a chunk of Chicago winter and to enjoy daily life in Asia, surrounded by mochi and savory buns. It’s an eating paradise. With vendors hawking sweet and savory treats…

Read More »

Who Is Arthur Chu? Screens at CAAMFest 2017

Written by

Each year, TaiwaneseAmerican.org is pleased to support the premier Asian American Film Festival in the San Francisco/Bay Area. CAAM Fest, the Center for Asian American Media’s annual festival features not only amazing works in film, TV, and digital media, but also includes showcases in music and food. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the festival--a treasure trove of great Asian American works from established as well as emerging talent. This year, we are proud to co-present the centerpiece…

Read More »