TaiwaneseAmerican.org has been proud to follow and support musicians Emily and Susan Hsu of the indie band Exit Clov for years, and in turn, they’ve been kind to us as well. Remember them from our Taiwan Typhoon Morakot fundraising campaign a few years back when their video went viral? Ever since then, we (and many of you) have hoped that they would put out a Taiwanese/Mandarin album. So now, we’re pleased to announce that they have. Island X. And dare we say that this may be the most amazing Taiwanese musical tribute we’ve come across. Ever.

We reprint the following from Emily and Susan’s personal blog, MousyBabe.com. Read on, and learn about the origins of Island X, both the historical name and the album:

The Story Behind… Island X

She’s here! Our newborn baby has officially hit the digital shelves.

Island X is a collection of songs in Taiwanese and Mandarin:

Just a little background on this record… We grew up singing some of these songs around the house. Most of them are quintessential Taiwanese tunes and, judging from the sentimental glee they always bring to our parents’ faces, you can tell the songs embody an experience that’s shared only by, well, the Taiwanese.

From everything we’ve seen and learned growing up, the Taiwanese are a peaceful people whose extraordinary strength of character has prevailed in spite of a long, and at times tragic, national history. From Europeans to other Asians to the United States, the island’s been subject to both the goodwill and the opportunism of outside interests over the last four centuries. But much like a resilient foster child who’s been passed from home to home, the Taiwanese have managed to nourish and still preserve their cultural spirit — one that today is distinct from that of any one of their rulers’ of centuries past. (As it is, the cultural symbols of Taiwan are the yam and water buffalo — a telling contrast from the mightier, chest-thumping symbols of many another nation. Yay yams and water buffalo!)

So, being musicians of Taiwanese descent, we decided to record these songs as a simple celebration of Taiwan’s story. ”Island X” was actually a term used by a U.S. admiral during WWII to refer secretly to Taiwan (then occupied by Japan) while preparing covert ops to invade the island and cut off supply lines to the Japanese army. Incidentally, the term also happens to symbolize Taiwan’s historical circumstances – the way it’s served as a vehicle for the agendas and interests of others, which inevitably sidelined the will and interests of the island’s own people for years. So we decided to name this album, “Island X,” as a way of turning the term on its head and highlighting, ironically, the identity and essence that has come to persist and indeed has thrived over time. In fact, in the last two decades, the island has flourished as a progressive, beacon model of democracy in Asia, a result due in no small part to the character and determination of the people who inhabit it (read: Thomas Friedman, NYT, March 10, 2012).

In essence, Taiwan has been “island x” for too long! We’re re-appropriating the “X” in Island X–no longer as an indicator of non-identity, but as a placeholder for all the things that Taiwan has achieved in spite of the odds, as well as all the potential its people are to realize in years to come.

The Songs

Although our renditions of the songs are filtered by our two pairs of “Westernized” ears, they hopefully exude their original depth of spirit and character. Old Asian songs often to have a certain Eastern twang or ‘world music’ vibe to it, which tends to mask the purity and beauty of the melody for Western ears that are more accustomed to “pop.” Our versions of some of these songs have rendered them folky, others a retro vibe, and a couple others we strived for a stripped down indie pop sound.

We plan to play some of these live with our band, Exit Clov, during our Ilha Formosa 2012 tour to Taiwan next month. As a countdown to the tour in the coming weeks, we *hope* to publish a series of posts on each of the songs, describing some of the lyrical content and their historical context.

Thanks!

Before we bid you adieu, we want to give a shout out to HoChie Tsai (TaiwaneseAmerican.org) for his generous support and for always encouraging us in our artistic endeavors related to Taiwan. He is a true champion of the TA community! Dr. Wendy Hsu (Dzian!), an ethnomusicologist, introduced us to “Cold Rain Song” a couple years ago, which helped cement the track list that is Island X today. Jack Hsu (Hsu-nami erhu phenom) has also kindly served as our “Virgil” recently, guiding us through Taiwan’s inferno of an indie rock scene. Love also to John from Exit Clov for his singular production magic and to Aaron & Brett for lending their amazing talent as well.

And of course, in requisite Taiwanese filial fashion, endless LOVE to our mum and pops, who taught us these songs and who showed us unequivocally what it means to be Taiwanese.

TaiwaneseAmerican.org end note: Thank you Emily and Susan for the shout-out! If you’re a fan in Taiwan, be sure to catch them on tour between April 7-14, 2012. Visit their website exitclov.com for details. And for all of you out there, be sure to support them by purchasing or downloading a copy of their album here: http://islandx.bandcamp.com/

TaiwaneseAmerican.org’s Ho Chie Tsai and Karen Lin take you on a Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup tasting adventure as they attend a special event sponsored by the Asia Society and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco featuring the winner of the 2011 Taipei International Beef Noodle Soup Festival, Chef Hou Chun-sheng.

In Taiwan, beef noodle soup (牛肉麵) is considered a national dish. Of 189 entries and 40 finalists, Chef Hou’s recipe placed first in the most popular category –spicy braised beef noodle. The soup includes a rich broth flavored with tomato paste, fermented bean curd sauce and the Chef’s own Chinese herbal mixture.

You can see the recipe here:
http://www.taiwaninsights.com/2012/01/17/chef-hous-recipe-for-beef-noodle-soup/

Visiting Taipei, Taiwan soon? Be sure to visit Room 18, a popular night club in Taipei, where Chef Hou currently serves as the executive chef. Before long, he will likely open his own beef noodle soup shop and fulfill his lifelong dream.

This event was co-sponsored by Hyphen Magazine and Taiwanese American Professionals, San Francisco Bay Are Chapter (TAP-SF) and was hosted at L’Olivier Restaurant at 465 Davis Court, San Francisco, CA.

We are pleased to share an interview conducted by Athena Chang, the Social Chair of Taiwanese American Professionals in New York (TAP-NY), and adapted for TaiwaneseAmerican.org. Special thanks also goes out to TAP-NY President, Bob Wu!

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Terry Chen is the real deal: a bonafide Taiwanese American Martha Stewart baking cupcakes and putting her own spin on it. Before I met Terry, I did my homework and research on her.  After reading her bio though, I am truly inspired by her entrepreneurial  drive.  More interestingly, I was curious to know how she divides her regular day job and her passion for a career in baking. It is always refreshing to hear a young professional’s story, especially when it comes from a Taiwanese-American woman.  I love desserts myself and I can’t wait to share her story below with you all, so please enjoy!

Athena Chang (AC):  Please tell our audience who you are and what you do

Terry Chen (TC): I am Taiwanese-American, born and raised in New York and have a passion for food. I went to school at NYU and basically have lived in Manhattan ever since.  Currently I am a consultant but look to pursue my passion through my baking company called Filled With Sweets.

During some time off from my jobs, I started to think about what I really wanted to do and baking was something I always did as a hobby. I just started to experiment with flavors, mainly with the Asian flavors that I grew up with and love eating. Eventually I brought these baked goods to parties and my friends really liked what I was making, so then I decided to sell at Hester Street Fair…and have been moving forward ever since!

AC:  Who and/or what inspired you to start your own dessert business?

TC: Being Taiwanese, I grew up with eating and enjoying Asian cuisines and flavors.  I have always loved my heritage and would like to see more of it being represented in the U.S.  My family loves food and I think that is deeply rooted in Taiwanese culture, so we are food lovers!

AC:  How does your Taiwanese heritage influence or enhance your food endeavor?

TC: It is really the basis of everything I make and create.  All the flavors I have been using, such as red bean, green tea and black sesame, stem from my childhood upbringing.

AC:  You are a business consultant by day and decided to start your own food business on the side. What business advice did you give yourself?

TC: Haha. This is a very interesting question.  As a consultant we create work plans to help structure our time and efforts so it’s also important for me to do that for my personal business as well.

AC:  How did your Taiwanese parents think of your new business venture?

TC: They are very supportive and excited at the same time for me. They are always the first to try my creations and give me compliments. They are my biggest fans!

AC:  What are the best selling flavors? Or products?

TC: For cupcakes, I would say black sesame, green tea, green tea and red bean and honey with jasmine. As far as cookies, the real winner is the Maple Black Sugar (黑砂糖) cookie. Personally, I love black sesame cupcake just because I am obsessed with black sesame!

AC: What are the challenges and successes so far?

TC: So far the biggest challenge is to really get my name out there, to increase my brand awareness. I can see it slowly gaining steam but really I would definitely hope my brand and sweets can gain access to more customers. The success I have enjoyed is when my products sell. I know it might be so little compared to other established brands but it makes me happy to know people like my products or at least like the way they look and they buy them.

AC: What do you think are your advantages that make you stand out?

TC: I really believe in my products and I have always told people that I make what I would want to eat. I also think it’s important to use healthy and high quality ingredients in all my products such as organic flour and sugar, range-free eggs, hormone-free milk.   In addition, I don’t use too much butter and sugar in my baked goods because I personally prefer lighter and healthier Asian flavors even though I am making “sweet deserts”.

AC: How do you advertise your business?

TC: Right now, I use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Kickstarter.  It is inspiring to see people from all over the country recognize your effort and work you put into. It is also a lot of word-of-mouth marketing.

AC: What is your goal for 2012?

TC: I would really want to secure someone (distributor) or somewhere (i.e. restaurant, café) to sell my products.  Right now, I have a stand at Park Here at the Open Gallery in Soho for the winter time, but it is not permanent so it would be nice to have a spot or a store to provide my desserts.

AC: What advice would you give to other young entrepreneurs?

TC: Gosh, I don’t really feel like I am ready to give advice yet!  I would say it really is JUST DO IT, you know. Don’t doubt your ability and don’t think you are not good enough…at least not until you have tried. It is really about putting work into it and we will see what happens.

To learn more about Terry and Filled with Sweets, check out her website here, Facebook page, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

by Grace Yia-Hei Kao

Asian Americans and Harvard University have been in the news and on my mind recently. The bigger story has been about the “Linsanity” surrounding (Harvard grad) New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin who continues to take the NBA by storm.

The smaller story, though one that also made national headlines in early February, is of the recent decision by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights to investigate a complaint that Harvard and Princeton Universities discriminate against Asian Americans in admissions.

According to Daniel Golden of the Bloomberg News who first broke the story:

“Like Jews in the first half of the 20th century, who faced quotas at Harvard, Princeton, and other Ivy League schools, Asian-Americans are over-represented at top universities relative to their population, yet must meet a higher standard than other applicants based on measures such as test scores and high school grades, according to several academic studies.”

In one widely-reported study, Princeton sociologist Thomas Espenshade reviewed data at ten elite colleges in his co-authored book No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal: Race and Class in Elite College Admission and Campus Life. He found that Asian Americans must score 140 more points than whites, 270 points more than Hispanics, and 450 points more than African Americans out of a maximum of 1600 on the math and reading sections of the SAT to have the same chance of admissions at elite colleges.

To be sure, these and other findings of test score disparities are not sufficient to establish that these schools are in fact discriminating against Asian Americans in a way that would violate civil rights laws. Indeed, since official statistics from the College Board have long revealed that Asian Americans have the highest SAT scores of any racial group, we should not be surprised that Asian Americans as a group at top institutions have been outscoring their white (and other) counterparts on the SATs.

Not surprisingly, officials at both Harvard and Princeton have denied that they discriminate against Asian American applicants. They’ve reiterated how competitive their admissions process is and affirmed that every applicant is assessed “holistically” on a “case-by-case” basis as they take into account a variety of factors.

I’ll leave it to the Office for Civil Rights to complete its investigation before I render judgment on the existence of any such “Asian [glass] ceiling” or quota. In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I am an alumnus of Harvard University (Ph.D. 2003) who has since Fall 2011 been volunteering my time interviewing applicants for undergraduate admissions to the College. Still, my interest in withholding judgment until the facts come in has more to do with prudence, in a “boy who cried wolf” kind of way, than any desire to avoid tarnishing Harvard’s (or Princeton’s) reputation.

Acting “As If” Discrimination Exists

What I’ve discovered since that story first broke is that growing numbers of Asian Americans are not taking a “wait and see” approach about whether elite colleges are discriminating against Asian Americans on account of their race, but have increasingly been acting under the assumption that they have been and still are.

There have been multiple stories, articles, and blogs about a rising trend among unknown numbers of Asian American applicants of suppressing their racial identity. A Dec. 4, 2011 Associated Press article entitled “Some Asians’ College Strategy: Don’t check ‘Asian,’” noted that some believe so strongly that the “system” is rigged against them (i.e., in favoring other racial-ethnic minorities and even whites over them) that they are either “declining to state” their race, or are only checking the “white” box if they have one Asian parent and if their first or last names don’t give away their Asian heritage. James Chen of The American Thinker has noted that Chinese American applicants with “ethnically ambiguous surnames such as ‘Young’ or ‘Shaw’ or adoptees from Asia” might increase their chances for admission “merely by rendering hazy their ethnic origins.” He adds that native-born Filipino Americans who pursue a similar strategy would even have a “greater admissions advantage, as their Spanish surnames may mislead college admissions offices into believing that they are Hispanic.”

Half-Taiwanese, half-Norwegian Lanya Olmstead, who entered Harvard as a frosh in 2011, declined to indicate her multiracial heritage “because [her] mom told [her] there’s discrimination against Asians in the application process.” (image source)

“Passing” for the Sake of College Admissions?

I have had multiple layers of reactions to these stories. Initially, I imaginatively placed myself back into my high school senior self and thought that I could not even have fathomed concealing my Taiwanese American heritage as a college applications strategy. It’s not just that I could never have gotten away with it—as a name like “Grace Yia-Hei Kao” doesn’t exactly scream either ethnic ambiguity or Caucasian—it’s that it would have felt so desperate, dishonest, and disrespectful to have done so.

So in those first moments, I was simply aghast that friends, parents, and even high school guidance counselors (if these blogs and articles are to believed) are apparently now encouraging some high schoolers either to avoid disclosing their Asian racial-ethnic identities or attempt to “pass” as white for the purposes of admissions. I also wanted to know what else Asian kids were being encouraged to do. Explicitly ask their teachers to avoid mentioning their race or ethnicity in their letters of recommendation? Hide their leadership in any race- or ethnic-specific activities or organizations? Better yet, avoid getting involved in them in the first place so that no one would have to lie (e.g., in my case, that would have involved switching to a white church instead of the Taiwanese American one in which I was raised)?

After realizing that I had applied to college more than twenty years ago and that admissions to top colleges have since become even more selective, my next thoughts quickly turned to my two hapa (i.e., half-Asian) boys (ages 2 and 4). Still, my horror didn’t abate.

Instead, I became pained at the prospect of them trying to “pass” as white for any real or perceived competitive gain. Both my (Caucasian) husband and I don’t want our children to go to a top college (or to any college, for that matter) if that means that they must lie (by omission) about who they really are in order to get in.

In fact, my husband and I deliberately gave our boys Chinese middle names so that they would be recognized even on paper as Taiwanese/Chinese and so they couldn’t be mistaken as only white. To be clear, they have English first and last names (Preston Walker and Keenan Walker), but everyone regularly calls them by their nicknames—“PJ” (which stands for Preston Jia-Ying) and “KC” (which stands for Keenan Chuan-Sheng). We figured that even if PJ and KC someday tell others to call them by their (formal) first names, they would still have spent a lifetime explaining to their peers what the “J” or “C” in their nicknames, respectively, stands for and means.

There is much more that I could say about this topic. I’ll close by reiterating the feelings of sadness and shock I still feel about this all and then by commenting upon one more emotion I have—relief—that I’m surrounded by family and friends who would never pressure my boys to deny who they really are racially out of any (mistaken or real) prospect of competitive gain.

Grace Yia-Hei Kao is Associate Professor of Ethics at Claremont School of Theology in the Claremont Lincoln University Consortium. She is the author of Grounding Human Rights in a Pluralist World (Georgetown University Press, 2011) and is working on a second book manuscript on Asian American Christian Ethics.

This blog is cross-posted at Feminism and Religion and an earlier version appeared in SUBTLE magazine.

We recently connected with Charles McDonald, a hapa Taiwanese American, who has spent several years living and working in Taiwan. He mentioned to us a year ago that he intended to start a Taiwanese-inspired clothing line. Back then, it was just an idea, but a year later, his company has become reality and showcases some interesting Taiwan-themed designs all printed on Made in Taiwan T-shirts. The IDCY brand is available online and occasionally at select Night Market locations. We at TaiwaneseAmerican.org were fascinated by Charles’ personal story and experiences after seeing how far he has come. We’ve invited him to share some guest articles, and below is the first in the series. Enjoy!

There is no doubt that the differences between east and west are plentiful. And if you find yourself fortunate enough to experience the differences you will find that things are sometimes completely opposite of what you are used to. My mom is from Taiwan and my Dad is from America. I grew up near Washington DC speaking English at home and visited Taiwan once when I was 7 years old. I chose to come back to Taiwan 18 years later in 2009 for many reasons, of those being to learn Chinese as well as a culture that didn’t heavily influence my childhood, but was in my blood.

Most of my family is in the south but I decided to settle in Taipei. Being an international city I thought it had the most opportunity and as I absorbed Taiwan through my senses, it was at first very refreshing. Everything was exciting and new, but eventually the honeymoon was over. If you’ve ever been to Taipei you know how noisy it is. The millions of scooters zipping by make short work of any ‘bird song’ you might hear or your own voice, and Taipei’s size to population ratio makes it a densely populated place to live. But one of my biggest adjustments was getting used to the Asian way of thinking and communicating with family here in Taiwan.

Visiting for Chinese New Year was a bit…overwhelming. I didn’t know Taiwanese or Chinese leaving me able to communicate confidently to one cousin. Most other times were filled with having multiple people I barely knew simultaneously speaking and pointing at things in a foreign language while I try to make sense of all this over-stimulus. After a little bit, I found that I could get away with a lot by just saying 好吃！and then quickly returning to my bowl of food since eating was a frequent occurrence (which was awesome). At one point it was just me and my uncle at the table finishing off some 酒 (alcohol). I understood maybe 18% of what he was saying and my face was red as I was trying to figure out what in the world he was talking about, all the while hoping that he doesn’t ask me a question only to have me incorrectly nod along (對!) as if the question never took place. (Yes, this has happened more than once). Suddenly as my 二舅媽 (Aunt) was clearing the table I hear “Ha! 你的臉是紅的，喝了太多!” (Ha! your face is red, you drank too much!) I had officially been called out…incorrectly. I don’t even get red when I drink! Slightly embarrassed I went back to sipping my alcohol having learned that family are pretty blunt and certainly aren’t shy about pointing out your imperfections, despite barely knowing you (or the adult you). You’re too skinny, you’re too fat, you drink too much, your stomach is huge! Usually in America we either don’t bring it up or passively tiptoe around the actual point to point something out.

One thing in Taiwan that I started noticing is how far my thank you’s…didn’t go. In America most try to show their appreciation (family or not) when someone does them a favor, gives them dinner, a place to stay etc. In just offering to help clean the dishes or help out, that willingness goes a long way. While visiting family in Taiwan, I would always express my gratitude in helping clean the dishes, help around the house, dropping thank you’s here and there only to get a “hehe” like “he said it again…” and a 隨便 (whatever) wave of the hand. After a while one of my aunts told literally told me to stop asking. I finally realized that my gratitude wasn’t really required. I was family and even though I only saw them once before when I was just a kid, in their minds we were blood and that’s all that mattered. It was a really cool to see how welcoming they were to the unfamiliar American they had met 18 years ago.

Being able to communicate through speaking or body language is often taken for granted and I really missed it when it wasn’t there. I misunderstand, they misunderstand and navigating that interaction can get tricky (and embarrassing) sometimes. Learning to keep a cool head about things and to be easy going makes the whole experience much less stressful. Dictated by my life in America, my subconscious expectations of how people should act or how society should be really held no weight when I came here (as it shouldn’t), and I found that coming with those expectations greatly limited my own openness. Night is day, day is night. As soon as I stopped trying to force my own culture and adopted a ‘clean slate’ mentality, things became much less stressful and I became much more open. There are lots of ups and downs when you cross cultures, but I found how clean your ‘cultural slate’ is will greatly determine whether you love it or hate it. Fortunately, I have grown to love it.

Charles McDonald lives in Taipei and is currently working to create a Taiwanese clothing brand, IDCY, in Taiwan. He has been in operation for less than a year and is focused on Taiwan’s creativity, artist and street scene. You can visit his website at www.idcyclothing.com

Meet Fili, an expat blogger who previously spent two years living in Taiwan (Taipei and Tainan). During his time there, he and other Taiwan bloggers created a community to help expats and tourists find high quality information in English. The result? Handy websites that include travel/culture guides and forum advice: Taiwanderful and iTainan. Fili also blogs about his travels at Filination and has posted a few hundred entries about Taiwan travel and Taiwanese culture. Although he currently lives in Hong Kong pursuing his PhD, he still considers Taiwan one of his favorite places and “very much like home.”

On Taiwanderful, he and one of the original founders, David Reid, started a Taiwan blog awards in 2008, and since then, it has become an annual event highlighting the best of Taiwan’s English blogosphere and promoting Taiwan bloggers. David Reid has since returned to Australia, and Fili currently runs the award competition with photographer Craig Ferguson.

TaiwaneseAmerican.org recently came across a post on Fili’s website, Filination, showcasing some of his personal favorite blogs for 2011. With his permission, we have reprinted portions of the original post below. Read the full post and check out his website at: http://www.filination.com/blog/2011/12/18/recommended-taiwan-blogs-bloggers-2011/

But before you become biased when exploring the links below, be sure to take a moment to explore the other 80+ wonderful Taiwan websites they’ve been tracking. Then take a moment to vote for your favorite on the 2011 Taiwan Best Blog Award website before December 30th: http://www.taiwanderful.net/blog/2011-taiwan-best-blog-awards-voting-now-open

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By: Fili

It pains me greatly to admit it, but it’s been over 2 years since I’ve moved from Taiwan to Hong Kong. Still, a connection remains as I somehow manage to maintain links to Taiwan by following up on Taiwan’s finest blogs. In Taiwanderful we’re currently running the 4th annual Best Taiwan Blog Awards which is our greatest opportunity to show tribute to the blogs we follow and adore. It always blows my mind just how many high quality expat bloggers there are on this very small expat rare island.

So, after inviting you to vote for your favorite Taiwan blogs and encouraging the bloggers to share some link love with writing a post of their favorite Taiwan blogs, I’ll quickly point out my favorite Taiwan blogs. Some classics persist and have been fantastic over a course of a few years, but there are a few new additions.

Hiking

By far, my favorite category and the blogs I retweet and read through Google Reader. These blogs make me unbelievably jealous and incredibly regretful of having to leave Taiwan.

• OFF THE BEATEN TRACK – As the name suggests. Brilliant.
• Hiking Taiwan – Take me with you.
• Wandering Taiwan – Perfect combo. Not many things that I like more than wandering, or more than Taiwan.
• Camping in Taiwan 台灣露營 – If only… I’ll keep dreaming.

Relationships & Cultural observations

I love cross cultural observations, and these blogs do it so well. Don’t miss any of MKL’s and YFFM’s posts…

• My Kafkaesque Life – With lots of great travel blogging, as well. Posts are very well written, long and articulate, with some very interesting observations.
• Yellow Fever, Foreign Moons 黃色戀情‧外國月亮比較圓 – One of the greatest cross-cultural relationship projects out there. All bilingual, amazing.
• Betelnut Equation – Absolutely hilarious.

Business

This is a category not very often blogged about, but I’m very happy that there is one business blog that connects both of my former homes with such a passion.

• MultiReach.biz Blog – Go Israelis in Taiwan!

Photography

After so many years of taking photos you would expect I would know something about photography. I really don’t, but I am getting better over the years. In the last year I’ve taken my fake photographer skills to a new level by carrying around a DSLR and buying an all-around-superzoom-photographers-despise-people-who-use-it-18-270mm lens. Which is why I’m very envious of the wonderful photographer-bloggers in this following category. I don’t really know how they do it, but I’m hoping at some point we’ll meet up and I’ll learn a trick or two (though it could be I simply lack the touch).

• Josh in Taiwan – A relatively new one that keeps delivering both on photography and culture/travel.
• Liefintaiwan’s Weblog – A different look at things. Have really improved over the years. Like almost everything I see.
• Neil Wade’s Photography Blog – What can I say? Jealous.
• Brian Q. Webb – Love his work.
• Editorial music and travel images from Asia | CraigFergusonImages – In my eyes, has taken a leader role in the “cultural photography” niche. Has helped me with the Taiwanderful awards.
• Taiwan – Garret – Former classmate with a keen eye. Great projects, and does some good clubbing photography with Vigar.
• Alive and Kicking – With a local perspective.

Travel

• Hanjié’s Blog – My Tainan local pal, who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a few times. Helps me with iTainan. Does some amazing work on showing the lesser known areas of Taiwan, has really upgraded his photography over the last couple of years to produce some really great work.
• Taiwan In Cycles – Darn. I need to get me a bike.
• My Several Worlds – Not as Taiwan specific as she used to, but always a pleasure to read. A blogger with a golden heart.
• TheNHBushman.com – Been following the Bushman forever. He definitely does things differently and he’s got quite a character. Inspiring.
• Culture.tw – Opinions – Though it’s a government site, some of the articles there are fantastic.
• Steven Crook – Every place needs a freelance writer like Steven. Incredibly prolific writer.
• Ilha Formosa – Alt om Taiwan – Does a great job of promoting all that’s Taiwan.
• Patrick Cowsill – Visiting places you don’t normally see on blogs.

General

• The View from Taiwan – When it comes to blogging – Michael is everything and everywhere. Politics, travel, biking, cultural observations, you name it – he’s got it. Definitely one of Taiwan’s top bloggers with his blog serving as an ongoing tribute to the island.
• shuflies (舒飛) :: life in Taiwan – American Taiwan view of Taiwan. Not your typical Taiwan angle.
• OZSoapBox – A very diverse set of topics covered here. Always interesting.

Food

• a hungry girl’s guide to taipei – I only know one blog in this category that has proven consistently to be the top food blogger in Taiwan.

Politics

I feel so out of touch with what’s going on with Taiwanese politics, but these blogs help me through it. If you need to keep track of the upcoming elections, make frequent visits to the following :

• The Wild East
• Letters from Taiwan
• It’s Not Democracy, It’s A Conspiracy!
• Taiwan Matters!
• In Claudia Jean’s Eyes
• That’s Impossible! Politics from Taiwan
• Far Eastern Sweet Potato

New blogs I’ve (re)discovered through the …

Best Taiwan Blog Awards

… which I think are impressive and I’ll be following from now on.

• Taiwan Duck – we love to cook
• Charles Moacham Photography Blog
• Brent Franke Photos
• Ballots and Bullets
• The Taiwan Adventure Blog
• Sponge Bear

TaiwaneseAmerican.org has followed Wendy Hsu’s work since discovering her Asian American music blog, yellowbuzz.org, several years ago. We also found it fascinating that she founded Dzian!, a vintage pan-Asian garage and surf rock band (Dzian! means “super-cool” in Taiwanese) around the time we asked our musical artist friends to help support the 2009 Typhoon Morakot fundraising relief efforts for hard-hit Taiwan. Her band revived and paid tribute to the Taiwanese grassroots performance style known as “Nakashi / Nakasi.”

Watch carefully during the opening of Part 2 and see how TaiwaneseAmerican.org inspired some musical craft and played a role in a greater community effort! Enjoy the following from Wendy Hsu:

For the Society of Ethnomusicology meeting this year, I created a video that addresses the role of my role as a perform-scholar, instead of a traditional academic paper presentation. This is a 3-part video. In the first part of the video, I discuss my intention to raise the visibility of Asian and Asian American music. I also introduce the medium of the piece – a YouTube video – to enable my messages to spread virally and to give a shout out to the Asian and Taiwanese American stars on YouTube. [Note on the soundtrack: I played the sound of an academic talk and experimental noise to express the disruptive aim of this piece with the respect to the social and cultural invisibility of Asian and Taiwanese Americans]

Part two of the video opens with a story about the Taiwanese American support for the Typhoon Morakot relief efforts for Taiwan. It highlights TaiwaneseAmerican.org for organizing the relief efforts of Taiwanese American musicians, artists, and writers. Inspired by these relief efforts, particularly those of Susan and Emily Hsu of Exit Clov and the Hsu-nami, I organized a benefit concert in my town, Charlottesville, a small college town in central Virginia, bringing together the University of Virginia and the local Taiwanese community. My band Dzian! came together for the purpose of delivering the uber-fun, spectacular performance highlighting the Taiwanese style of Nakashi. The rest of this portion follows the story of how Dzian! spreads the love for the sound of rock and pop music from 1960s and 1970s Taiwan and its neighboring countries such as Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia.

In the last part of the video, I bring the “cultural work” of Dzian! to bear on its social mission of boosting the awareness of Taiwanese and Asian music in North America. I close the video by telling the story of an exchange I had with an older audience member at our performance at the first annual Hello! Taiwan Rocks concert at the Taiwan Center in Flushing. This conversation reminds me of the power of music in creating communities, spaces of comfort to which we, as Taiwanese/Asian Americans could feel like we belong to.

I hope that this video will continue to inspire others — musicians, artists, writers, journalists, academics, and other cultural workers, as well as the working and non-working professionals — to get behind the mission of creating a space of comfort and strength for Taiwanese and Asian Americans.

Follow Wendy at:
http://beingwendyhsu.info/
http://yellowbuzz.org
http://dzian.info/