Hearts in Taiwan

In this episode, we get to know Joy Huang, one of the founders and moderators for the Taiwanese Home Cooking Facebook group. She started her food blog, The Cooking of Joy, because she was inspired to document her mom's Taiwanese dishes. This hobby continued to grow and now you can find her work on Instagram at @joyosity where she is known for her artistic take on baked goods. We asked Joy to share her early influences, tips for food photography, and some of the most lively topics discussed in...

Angela’s mom shares a memory from her college days and Angela learns more about her mom as a person through this story. Let us know if you do a similar exercise recording the stories your parents tell you behind their old photos!Resources:Google PhotoScan appinstagram.com/cutfruitcollectiveinstagram.com/parentsarehumaninstagram.com/asiansformentalhealthConnect:instagram.com/heartsintaiwanfacebook.com/heartsintaiwanbuymeacoffee.com/heartsintaiwan ← Buy us a boba!heartsintaiwan.comConnect: inst...

In this episode, we examine the dark side of the model minority myth and the “tiger mom” stereotype. Joanna Ho’s first young adult novel, The Silence that Binds Us, is inspired by a real community’s anti-Asian reaction to teen suicides. Discussing the novel also compels Annie and Angela to get real about passive and active anti-Blackness in the Asian American community. Featuring Joanna Ho:Buy The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho@joannahowrites on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikT...

About 32% of people in Taiwan identify as both Taiwanese and Chinese, while diaspora from Taiwan in America tend to identify as solely one or the other. We talk about blending Chinese, Taiwanese, and American identity with Michelle Kuo and Albert Wu. Michelle and Albert moved back to their heritage country mid-career and have been sharing their Asian American observations and introspections about living in Taiwan in their weekly newsletter, A Broad and Ample Road.Featuring Michelle Kuo and Al...

The mass shooting at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, CA has sparked conversation about the significance of the Presbyterian Church for many Taiwanese individuals. Annie and Angela interview Christine Lin, a lawyer and expert on the history and influence of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan who also conducts research on Taiwanese American identity. The hosts also share their own experiences with Christianity.Featuring Christine Lin:Respond to Christine’s current resea...

The Chinese name for America, 美国/美國/měiguó, translates to “Beautiful Country”. We talked with author Jane Kuo about her experience as a 1.5-generation immigrant bridging Chinese, Taiwanese, and American identity. Her family’s pursuit of the American Dream inspired her debut novel In the Beautiful Country which is available for pre-order before its June 28 release (delayed from June 14 due to supply chain issues).Featuring Jane Kuo:In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuojanekuo.com for upcoming t...

Who were the Taiwanese before they called themselves Taiwanese? In this episode, we’re going back to school for a crash course in history with Dr. Evan Dawley. We discuss identity on the island before the Japanese colonial period, the influences of Japanese colonizers and the Kuomintang-led Republic of China, and identity among the modern Chinese diaspora. This historical overview of the formation and evolution of the Taiwanese identity provides context for present day conversations.Resources...

We hope that sharing this conversation helps anyone who has chased top grades, Instagram followers, performance ratings and promotions at work, or other external metrics of success. Taking and sharing personality tests teaches us new things about ourselves and each other. We discover that we each have a strong inner tiger parent, and we discuss the paradox that seeking external validation actually ends up blocking deeper social connections. Throughout, we realize how our respective beli...

Inspired by our conversation with Carey Lai, hosts Angela and Annie share the rocky beginnings of starting their careers in the early ‘00s when nobody was hiring after the dot-com bubble burst. We also share a different way of looking at the career journey to get around leadership ceilings.Mentioned:“10 big dot-com flops” (money.cnn.com)“Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder” - excerpt from Lean In by Sheryl SandbergRelated episode: Bringing Taiwanese values to entrepreneurship with Carey La...

“Budget Conscious | Authentic Relationships | Integrity”—these values distinguish Conductive Ventures from other venture capital firms that hold the keys to which startups get funding in Silicon Valley. Our guest Carey Lai shares how his story and shared values with co-founder Paul Yeh have shaped their unique formula for investment that have led to a portfolio of companies that is two-thirds led by minorities and first-generation immigrants.Featuring:Conductive Ventures (conductive.vc) Sand ...

Whether you call your grandmother “amah”, “popo”, “waipo”, “nainai”, “mama”, “grandma”, or something else, she plays a key role in your connection to your heritage. Amah Faraway tells the story of how young Kylie transforms from feeling unsure and reluctant to embracing her grandmother and her heritage country. We got to talk with author Margaret Chiu Greanias and illustrator Tracy Subisak and found many common threads that the Taiwanese diaspora will see reflected throughout this delightful ...

Hosts Annie Wang and Angela Yu kick off Season 2 with an interview of Abigail Hing Wen, author of New York Times bestseller Loveboat, Taipei which is currently being filmed in Taiwan starring Ashley Jiao, Ross Butler, Nico Hiraga, and Chelsea Zhang. The Young Adult novel’s sequel Loveboat Reunion hits bookshelves January 25.We learned how Abigail's family background has shaped her worldview, got a realtime account of what it's like to run around Taiwan with movie stars, and talked frankly abo...

Hearts in Taiwan podcast is back with a second season! Hosts Annie Wang and Angela Yu share what you can look forward to this year.Connect:instagram.com/heartsintaiwanfacebook.com/heartsintaiwanheartsintaiwan.comConnect: instagram.com/heartsintaiwan facebook.com/heartsintaiwan buymeacoffee.com/heartsintaiwan ← Buy us a boba! heartsintaiwan.com

Was it crazy for two women in their 40s with kids, full-time jobs, and no media experience to start a podcast during the pandemic? From our first emails in January, we never would have guessed that by September we’d be wrapping our first season with 18 episodes and hundreds of listeners. In this episode, we look at the progress we’ve made on our journey so far, what we’ve learned about ourselves and each other, and the surprises we’ve encountered along the way. We reveal popular episodes and ...

As English-speaking parents living outside our heritage country, we discuss how we go about passing our culture on to our kids. From seeking out Mandarin Immersion schools and caregivers, cultivating our kids' palates to appreciate Taiwanese food, and planning to visit Taiwan regularly for family vacations (when we can again!), we share what’s worked and what hasn’t across our kids ranging from age 4 to 12. Angela also shares the many new resources that have cropped up from entrepreneurs in t...

When we recorded our episode on politics in Taiwan, we practiced a mock debate to help us understand the viewpoints of the green and blue ends of the Taiwanese political spectrum. The issue in question: Should Taiwan formally declare independence from China in the next 12 months? Each of us was randomly assigned to represent one side in this bonus companion to the “50 shades of green (and blue)” episode.Credit:Cover photo of the infamous “pig guts brawl” in Taiwan’s legislative yuan by Gwydio...

Annie and Angela tackle a taboo topic: politics in Taiwan! From dark green to light green and light blue to dark blue, we attempt to understand why each party believes what they do, and relate our observations to American pop culture. Plus, Angela asks for your recommendations for earth-friendly products that aren’t made in China.Further reading:Brawls in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan (YouTube: pig guts in 2020, commonplace in 2017)Wild Lily student movement (OFTaiwan)1992 Consensus (Wikipedia)Ch...

Japan has some of the more notable cultural influences on Taiwan due to its 50 year occupation of Taiwan from 1895 to 1945. We explore some of the marks that Japan has left and its unique approach to colonization of Taiwan. Annie's mom returns for a guest appearance. SourcesThe Empire of Japan (Wikipedia)Kano - 2014 movie about the baseball teamEar cleaning with mimikaki (JapanTravel)Ear cleaning in Chengdu, China (BBC)Ellie Yang Camp’s post on ear wax types (Instagram)Symbolism of plum...

Just how big is the worldwide Taiwanese community anyway? We look at the numbers past and present that make up Taiwan and its diaspora, and discuss why it’s hard to track and measure the Taiwanese diaspora. The numbers surprise us and also leave us with some mysteries.Sources:UN world population prospects for TaiwanCIA World Factbook page on TaiwanWikipedia page on Austronesian peoplesWikipedia page on Christianity in ChinaTaipei vs New Taipei City Quora answerWikipedia page on Overseas Taiwa...

Twinkies and bananas - Yellow on the outside, white on the inside. This is how many second generation Asian Americans felt growing up. In the 80s and 90s, when we only saw white or Black representation in American media. We explore how this quest to assimilate drove our development as individuals and what this means for Asian Americans now.Links: Crazy Rich AsiansPEN15The Babysitter's ClubBTS (YouTube, Instagram)Joy Luck Club (Movie, Book)WongFu Productions (YouTube, "Yellow Fever" short)The ...

There are so many things that make Taiwan unique and exceptional. From policy making to manufacturing to transportation, and of course food, Taiwan has a lot to celebrate.Links:Taiwan Covid Relief (DM or email us with a photo of your donation receipt dated after July 22nd and we'll match your donation until we hit $1,000 in total donation matching)Audrey Tang (Talks at Google, Twitter)Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing CompanyASUSGiant Bicycles Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) / Metro TaipeiCr...

Simple question, hard to answer! Angela and Annie share their journeys exploring their identities with respect to Taiwan, and reflect on definitions contributed by a wide variety of Taiwanese individuals in America and Taiwan. We pitch each other some thought experiments that test our hypotheses about identity, and discuss the evolution of the Taiwanese identity in relation to China and in the context of America.Links: Nationality, Ethnicity, & Race, by Hello Prosper (blog post, IG post)M...

Every culture and region has its own unique flavors, dishes, and culinary history. Food brings people together and is a source of cultural pride - Taiwan is no exception. From beef noodle soup to boba, we celebrate the things that make Taiwanese food what it is today. Join us as we journey through the regional influences of Taiwanese food, take a trip down memory lane, and highlight some of our favorite dishes. Links:Eating Taiwanese in the Bay (KQED)Taiwan Bento (Oakland, California)Chia Te ...

If you didn't know that the KMT government killed about 20,000 Taiwanese people in a one-month span in early 1947 and imprisoned about 140,000 more during the 40 years after, that's no accident. In Part 2 of a 2-part series, we share the way that the 228 Massacre and White Terror were handled since these events ended and the parallels to how governments handle similar events like the Tulsa Race Massacre and the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Trigger warnings: violence, police/military bruta...

If you didn’t know that the KMT government killed about 20,000 Taiwanese people in a one-month span in early 1947 and imprisoned about 140,000 more during the 40 years after, that’s no accident. In Part 1 of a 2-part series, we share what we’ve learned from our research about the 228 Massacre and the period of martial law afterward called White Terror designed to silence and erase. Trigger warnings: violence, police/military brutality, totalitarian government.Invitation: Tell us how you...

We've been inspired lately by musicians who are making waves in genres where Asians are vastly underrepresented. Angela unpacks what The Linda Lindas' punk performances mean to her, and Annie finds flow with rapper Alan Z.Featured:“Never Say Never” and “Missing You” by The Linda LindasSpotify: http://bit.ly/linda-lindas YouTube: http://bit.ly/linda-lindas-youtube "Foreigner" by Alan Z x Jason Chu “Model Minority” by Alan Z x Jason Chu (feat. Dante Basco and Neela)Instagram: www.instagram...

This one is for everyone whose name is pronounced differently in America than it would be in your family’s original language. Angela and Annie discuss how even a simple name like Wang can be a hallmark of assimilation, a source of trauma, or an opportunity for reclaimed identity.Invitation: Tell us how you define Taiwanese! Send us a voice message on Instagram, Facebook, or at heartsintaiwan.com/voicemail and we’ll mail you a Hearts in Taiwan sticker.Links:“America Ruined My Name for Me”...

We stan Maya and Anna of PEN15. In our second (Not Just) Book Club with Hearts in Taiwan, we unpack how one particular episode captures the experience of adolescence as an Asian American among mostly white peers in the '90s. Also, we read excerpts of the first reviews of this podcast.Links:PEN15 on Hulu"Level Up" by Vienna Teng (Spotify)Cover photo:Still from PEN15/Hulu by Alex LombardiConnect:instagram.com/heartsintaiwanfacebook.com/heartsintaiwanheartsintaiwan.comConnect: instagram.com/hear...

America is known as the land of opportunity. What did that mean for young adults living in Taiwan in the 60s and 70s? We asked our parents about their immigration experiences and whether America lived up to their expectations.Links:Immigrant story questions by Ellie Yang Camp (@eeewhysee) CNN on Asian American diversity May 2021"Level Up" by Vienna Teng (Spotify)"Show Yourself" by Alex Wong (Patreon)Cover photo:Annie's mom before she boarded a plane to the US for grad school Connect:instagram...

Angela and Annie introduce Not Just Book Club with Hearts in Taiwan, where we share what we're reading, watching, and listening to. First up: Interior Chinatown by Taiwanese American author Charles Yu, and Taiwanese American musician Vienna Teng.Links:Interior Chinatown excerpt and where to buy, Charles Yu on Twitter Vienna Teng on Spotify, Facebook, and Instagram Connect:instagram.com/heartsintaiwanfacebook.com/heartsintaiwanheartsintaiwan.comConnect: instagram.com/heartsintaiwan facebook.co...

Annie and Angela decode the distinction among people whose families come from Taiwan: who identifies as Chinese and who identifies as Taiwanese, and why. Our journey begins when we combine Wikipedia research with questions we’ve never asked our moms until now.Vocab:外省人 waishengren - Family from mainland China who moved to Taiwan to escape Communism in the late 1940s本省人 benshengren - Family who was already in Taiwan when waishengren cameCover photo:Eight-year-olds Angela and Annie in Chinese s...

Here’s what the Hearts in Taiwan podcast is all about. Meet Annie Wang and Angela Yu and get to know our motivation for this project.Connect:instagram.com/heartsintaiwanfacebook.com/heartsintaiwanheartsintaiwan.comConnect: instagram.com/heartsintaiwan facebook.com/heartsintaiwan buymeacoffee.com/heartsintaiwan ← Buy us a boba! heartsintaiwan.com