tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post6056004254492505094..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Saturday Night Short ShortsMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-44051861570150222502013-04-01T22:32:04.464+08:002013-04-01T22:32:04.464+08:00Really? You'll "love" it:
http://w...Really? You'll "love" it: <br />http://www.shinyeh.com.tw/index.phpAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-72881556577290850612013-04-01T22:26:42.360+08:002013-04-01T22:26:42.360+08:00Her parents grew up in Hualien and Taidong.Her parents grew up in Hualien and Taidong.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-4837179716169304102013-04-01T22:19:36.426+08:002013-04-01T22:19:36.426+08:00I don't even know what Shin Yeh is, sorry.I don't even know what Shin Yeh is, sorry. <br /><br />Michael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-27864764491594212362013-04-01T22:14:39.375+08:002013-04-01T22:14:39.375+08:001) I know it's your blog, but calling posters ...1) I know it's your blog, but calling posters "trolls" ain't cool. I like your blog. I don't like it when you start doing that.<br /><br />2) The article in question isn't _that_ bad.... You do self-identify as a 'rant' here, of course.<br /><br />3) I'd like to see you review the Taiwan "cuisine" at Shin Yeh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-36383394099076325532013-04-01T16:41:59.981+08:002013-04-01T16:41:59.981+08:00She's born and raised in New England the child...She's born and raised in New England the child of Chinese parents. She comes back to Taipei and we get a slew of Chinese-centric writing and recommendations from the local uncle who sends her to a mainlander run nostalgia-capitalizing joint, and then an avalanche of chinese-contextualized food writing occurs. You'd have to be deliberately deaf to miss the obvious POV and mainlander subtext-- deliberately. Note how at each step the food is related back to China -- the pork buns are Shanghaiese pork buns (20 years I've lived here not once has anyone ever referred to them as "Shanghaiese pork buns", the guabao with dong pou rou are "fusion" of Hangzhou, the food is constantly compared to the "real" China and of course, the pretentious too-Chinese dessert is rebuttal to shaved ice, which, as everyone knows, is a low class Taiwanese treat (heh, a bonus class dig at Taiwanese food). She may have visited here in her childhood, but the mainlander bias is very obvious. I am not the only one who spotted this, a great number of people did, some of whom forwarded this to me. It also made the rounds of some email discussion lists I am on for the exact same reason. Her biases are obvious and the only reason you can't see them is because you're trolling. Good bye. <br /><br />Michael<br /><br />Michael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-25073063341975473662013-04-01T15:43:23.967+08:002013-04-01T15:43:23.967+08:00When you take it out of context and only read &quo...When you take it out of context and only read "...As a child of Chinese parents living in the U.S...:" you're going to get the wrong impression. When you read the rest of what she says, "This isn’t the city I grew up with" and "obligatory family visits " it's pretty obvious that her heritage has a healthy dose of Taiwan in it. <br /><br />As I'm sure you know, a lot of Taiwanese, particularly expat or OC, use the terms "Chinese" and "Taiwanese" interchangeably, which is certainly what she appears to have done here. It in no way suggests she's from the mainland, any more than the 90+% of Taiwan's population who trace their ancestors back to the mainland are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-70077537176598043772013-04-01T14:57:38.922+08:002013-04-01T14:57:38.922+08:00Actually, I know why she was chosen.
WTF??? Did ...Actually, I know why she was chosen. <br /><br /><b>WTF??? Did you even read the article? The part where she mentions her Taiwan born and bred family? Or her bio - born and bred in the US? There's nothing "Mainlander" or "mainlander-colored glasses" about it.</b><br /><br />Speaking of reading, perhaps you should get some bifocals or something. As she clearly states, her uncle was born in Taiwan, <i>everyone else was not</i>. Now go and read her previous article to learn her roots. "...As a child of Chinese parents living in the U.S...:<br /><br />I know you won't actually apologize for being an idiot because high-minded trolls with an inability to read like yourself never do that, but I don't expect any further trolling from you.<br /><br />MichaelMichael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-35348272951188535782013-04-01T13:05:17.827+08:002013-04-01T13:05:17.827+08:00LOL, I know who she is. You might want to read the...<b>LOL, I know who she is. You might want to read the criticism, before you respond with irrelevancies. She sees Taipei through mainlander-colored glasses because that is her family background as she has courageously made clear in both her articles, each of which shows that she sees Taipei in a very superficial way. That is why this article is so China biased, not because she lives in Beijing. Beijing or Bangkok, why is she being sourced for an article on Taipei when the city is filled with people who know what they are talking about, write well, and don't think China is the only proper context for talking about Taiwan?</b><br /><br />WTF??? Did you even read the article? The part where she mentions her Taiwan born and bred family? Or her bio - born and bred in the US? There's nothing "Mainlander" or "mainlander-colored glasses" about it.<br /><br />There may be better writers here but you don't know why she was chosen for this article. She could well have been in Taipei anyway (perhaps visiting her family here) and the WSJ decided to take advantage of that. Perhaps the editor knows her and has worked with her and would rather use someone known instead of an unknown local writer. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-25541976820342561682013-04-01T12:31:07.543+08:002013-04-01T12:31:07.543+08:00Before throwing criticism at the writer of the foo...<b>Before throwing criticism at the writer of the food piece, you may want to actually check who she is - an American who has actually lived in Taipei before, has spent most of her time in Asia based in Bangkok and only relatively recently moved to Beijing.</b><br /><br />LOL, I know who she is. You might want to read the criticism, before you respond with irrelevancies. She sees Taipei through mainlander-colored glasses because that is her family background as she has courageously made clear in both her articles, each of which shows that she sees Taipei in a very superficial way. That is why this article is so China biased, not because she lives in Beijing. Beijing or Bangkok, why is she being sourced for an article on Taipei when the city is filled with people who know what they are talking about, write well, and don't think China is the only proper context for talking about Taiwan?<br /><br />Michael Michael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-47653082256727993802013-04-01T12:09:01.163+08:002013-04-01T12:09:01.163+08:00Before throwing criticism at the writer of the foo...Before throwing criticism at the writer of the food piece, you may want to actually check who she is - an American who has actually lived in Taipei before, has spent most of her time in Asia based in Bangkok and only relatively recently moved to Beijing. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-84364872807779457272013-04-01T10:23:49.356+08:002013-04-01T10:23:49.356+08:00Why does WSJ hire people like this to cover Taiwan...Why does WSJ hire people like this to cover Taiwan? Jennifer Chen after her last poor article on HuaShan is my new least favorite writer. I'm going to have to rip apart each of her articles from now on.daisynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-92213515089198728252013-04-01T07:08:02.639+08:002013-04-01T07:08:02.639+08:00"""Asian breakfasts are usually neg..."""Asian breakfasts are usually negligible, watered-down versions of what’s for lunch. Taiwan proves that rule wrong. From fresh soy milk to street-bought scallion pancakes, thinner and more delicate than what you get in Hong Kong or China, you can’t go wrong by going local at breakfast. """"<br /><br />Differentiates in a very trivial way. She really doesn't get Taiwan, because she sees it through mainlander eyes. Like when she asked her people where they go to eat at the beginning, she was really asking where mainlanders go to eat to retain and re-experience their separate identity.Michael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-16293224746145722622013-04-01T00:13:30.039+08:002013-04-01T00:13:30.039+08:00I dunno, I think she serves her market - WSJ reade...I dunno, I think she serves her market - WSJ readers, for chrissake! They are not going to tramp around in back alleys with their wingtips looking for food, let alone sucking goat bones :)<br /><br />Yes, WSJ should have picked a Taiwan-based writer (MT, hint-hint), but I thought she was fair, putting DTF in it's place, and she even differentiates China from Taiwan & HK (that's gotta be a win, no?):<br /><br />"Asian breakfasts are usually negligible, watered-down versions of what’s for lunch. Taiwan proves that rule wrong. From fresh soy milk to street-bought scallion pancakes, thinner and more delicate than what you get in Hong Kong or China, you can’t go wrong by going local at breakfast. "<br /><br />Maybe invite her to Taichung for her next trip and show her around.P. S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11503894022260641010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-84673523262094877032013-03-31T22:00:25.915+08:002013-03-31T22:00:25.915+08:00I never eat 小龍包 in Taipei or anywhere else. Low-ca...I never eat 小龍包 in Taipei or anywhere else. Low-carb diet. :)<br /><br />MichaelMichael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-21568783541821381222013-03-31T21:46:50.963+08:002013-03-31T21:46:50.963+08:00Let us know your favorite choice for 小龍包 in Taipei...Let us know your favorite choice for 小龍包 in Taipei.JohnMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-35207272252566363882013-03-31T12:29:33.790+08:002013-03-31T12:29:33.790+08:00I say bravo to the reviewer. Let the tourists go...I say bravo to the reviewer. Let the tourists go to DTF thinking there's no better place. Who wants them hanging out in our secret places?Marcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-31088028355211826532013-03-31T02:19:29.566+08:002013-03-31T02:19:29.566+08:00You are right of course. But how do you explain to...You are right of course. But how do you explain to pretentious food critics that the best food in a place is not served by a snobby restaurant but is, in fact, often at the cheapest holes? And that lowly stinky tofu, luwei, tianbula and other cheap treats are indeed the pleasure of eating in Taiwan? In other words, Taiwan does not and has never excelled in high culture, and anyone who goes there looking for high culture of any part of the world will come away disappointed. Your pretentious critic is grasping at the only twig she sees because she cannot see the green forest around her.Tommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13552370490869601403noreply@blogger.com