Featured Stories

My Writing Journey: Is It Good Enough? Dealing with Self-Doubt [Part 2]

My name is Stephanie Chen and I am a 2nd generation Taiwanese American. Like many of my peers, I followed a prescribed path towards success: studied hard, got good grades, went to an Ivy League college. I studied finance and after graduation, started a job at a top-tier investment bank. I then joined an investment fund, where I eventually became a partner. However, if you had asked me when I was in the 6th grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said "a writer”. In early 2017,…

My Writing Journey: How it Began [Part 1]

My name is Stephanie Chen and I am a 2nd generation Taiwanese American. Like many of my peers, I followed a prescribed path towards success: studied hard, got good grades, went to an Ivy League college. I studied finance and after graduation, started a job at a top-tier investment bank. I then joined an investment fund, where I eventually became a partner. However, if you had asked me when I was in the 6th grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said "a writer”. In early 2017,…

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Taiwanese American Heritage Week!

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide during the month of May to honor the cultures, traditions, and achievements of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. In June of 1977, Congressmen Frank Horton (NY) and Norman Y. Mineta (CA) introduced a House resolution that called upon the President to proclaim the first 10 days of May as Asian/Pacific Heritage Week. May was chosen because in 1843 during the first week of the month, the first…

An Interview with Justine Ker: A Taiwanese American Journey to Miss Louisiana

I recently sat down for a chat with Justine Ker, who was crowned Miss Louisiana in 2016 and placed in the top 15 during the 2017 Miss America Pageant. She also represents the first Taiwanese or Asian American to represent Louisiana on the national stage, a worthy accomplishment within our Taiwanese American community. Soon after she won her title, Justine and I had previously discussed trying to coordinate a sit-down interview, but our schedules didn't coincide. A few months later, however,…

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

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…

Taipei Guide: An Illustrated Exploration

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…

Sweet Success: Q&A with Stephanie Chen of “The Great American Baking Show”

Stephanie Chen brought black sesame macarons, curry puffs and a pineapple bread Santa to the third iteration of “The Great American Baking Show” this year – dazzling celebrity pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini and British cookbook author Mary Berry with her bold flavors and knack for decoration. Even though the freelance advertising executive only started seriously baking about five years ago, Chen made it all the way to the finale and nearly took home the title. She shared her experiences on the…

Blacklist: A Film by Christina Hu

Starting in the early 1970s, thousands of Taiwanese immigrants came to the United States each year, in pursuit of higher education and better lives for their families. Yet, mostly untold, is the story of how hundreds of these Taiwanese in America were put on a blacklist by the government in Taiwan, for speaking out for democracy and human rights in Taiwan while they were in the United States. Once outside of Taiwan, that generation of Taiwanese graduate students were exposed to the values of freedom…

Who Is Arthur Chu? Screens at CAAMFest 2017

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…

A Rose By Any Other

My Chinese name is 陳克聞. Seven strokes for the first character of my given name, fourteen for the second, because the fortuneteller told my grandmother that this mathematics of words was auspicious. I write my name with one stroke fewer than the prescribed number, so perhaps all my misfortunes are a result of bad penmanship. No one uses 陳克聞. At home, I am 哥哥, “older brother,” except when my mother, in exasperation, calls out all three syllables of my name for dramatic effect.…