tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63213297503976677962024-03-19T00:14:17.106+08:00Lao Ren Cha - 老人茶All About Taiwan: Scenting cups of culture, drinking cups of nature, a steaming pot of politics and a little cache of tools to help you figure it all out.Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.comBlogger1445125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-41573458347201635592024-03-13T11:01:00.011+08:002024-03-13T11:07:10.282+08:00On China, Republicans won't get out of their own wayI don't have a good cover photo tie-in so enjoy this one just because I like it.Earlier this week, a few well-meaning people shared footage of Senator Tom Cotton grilling TikTok CEO Shou Chew on his nationality and ties to the Chinese government. Chew is Singaporean, not Chinese -- at least, regardless of how he identifies culturally, he is not a citizen of the People's Republic of China.
The Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-59436176538574901302024-02-13T13:05:00.006+08:002024-02-13T13:05:51.570+08:00The Great Game Was A Great IdeaThe face of every analyst if China invades Taiwan By Thadtaniel McDorpington IIIThe world has changed. Over the past decade, we have witnessed a distinct shift toward a renewed competition between the great powers. The bipolar struggle between the U.S. and China is the new Great Game of the 21st century. In fact, when it comes to Taiwan, the only two countries which matter are the U.S. and Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-48038444640238225252024-02-11T10:56:00.005+08:002024-02-11T10:57:13.662+08:00Summer Flowers Dining RoomI don't do restaurant reviews often these days. This is partly a natural evolution of the blog, and partly because as a diabetic, I can no longer enjoy food in the same way. Chef Joseph, however, is an exception. His erstwhile Joseph Bistro was a favorite; fine food, creatively prepared at prices entirely reasonable vis-à-vis quality. It was one of our go-to restaurants for special celebrations Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-35078468524147278612024-01-17T19:56:00.008+08:002024-01-17T19:56:54.519+08:00Five great things to read after the electionI spend so much time critiquing the media that sometimes, I like to point out pieces that are worth reading. The well-written (or spoken), thoughtful stuff that either makes you think, teaches you something, or elevates Taiwanese voices above the general din of foreign commentators. Not all of these are about the election specifically. Some are, but some are more about critical points and Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-28650631548995653752024-01-14T12:27:00.005+08:002024-01-14T12:52:56.967+08:00Dear International Journalism on Taiwan: I fixed all your bullshit headlines for youI woke up this morning elated for Taiwan, and annoyed at the headlines dominating international news coverage. Editors around the world were clamoring over each other to choose the most asinine angle to introduce the results of the Taiwanese elections. If these editors festering behind news desks are to be believed, Taiwan is a recalcitrant teen -- a very naughty boy -- defying the will of Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-53094495138535807342024-01-12T02:25:00.002+08:002024-01-12T02:27:03.801+08:00Chillin with 120,000 of my people at the big DPP rallyI usually only go to one big rally per election season, because the big ones are exhausting. It can be hard to leave depending on where you are, so attending may be a real commitment. If I get the chance I might seek out some local rallies for legislative candidates, because I can bail at any time. The presidential ones, though? I know people who rally-hop, but I don't have the energy for it.&Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-9069509339023208952024-01-10T11:46:00.007+08:002024-01-10T12:14:09.172+08:00International reporting on Taiwan: getting better, but still not quite thereThe road to democracy is bumpy. So is the road to good media coverage of Taiwanese elections.I don't have a lot of time today, but I want to take a quick dive into a pre-election piece from the BBC on Taiwanese identity. The BBC is a good news outlet through which to look at what reporting on Taiwan looks like now. It used to be absolutely awful -- I mean, really so stinking bad that it wasn't Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-90714745919540501982024-01-08T20:10:00.005+08:002024-01-08T20:10:44.171+08:00Lai Ching-te has Taiwan, not the ROC, to thankI've been avoiding election commentary to keep my anxiety levels in check. Plus, I had a piece of metal drilled into my jaw today, and I'm working six days a week. Suffice it to say, I've had to let blogging take a backseat again. But now that I have two days to recover from the whole metal-in-jaw thing where I get to lounge around in my LL Bean hoodie and sushi pajama pants, and I Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-73883354795527334902023-12-27T12:10:00.006+08:002023-12-27T12:25:12.298+08:00A Thin ComfortTaiwan's eternal lightWhen I'm extremely stressed, I engage in a practice that is likely very common: curling up on my bed and covering myself completely in a blanket. Phone nearby but not within perfect reach, lights off. In the US, that blanket would probably be a thick afghan or quilt. In Taiwan it's usually some thin linen drape. It doesn't matter; I just need to be covered. I don't even takeJenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-46715563032624232332023-12-03T22:08:00.001+08:002023-12-04T12:34:20.750+08:00Abusers lie: everything wrong with that horrid Foreign Affairs articleMy two expressions while reading this tedious Foreign Affairs articleNote: this is far too long, and I know that already. I know I end up repeating myself. Frankly, you only need to read the first half or so to get the point, but I offer quotes from most of the article, until I too got too tired to continue. There's just so much to refute!Stop wherever you like; I won't blame you. ***I want Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-32270743965783560172023-11-24T14:56:00.006+08:002023-11-24T16:19:01.128+08:00TLC announces new reality show spin-off "90 Day Fiancé: Opposition Parties" Presidential candidate Lai Ching-te and running mate Hsiao Bi-khim take a photo with the extended cast of TLC's new reality show hit, "90-Day Fiancé: Opposition Parties"Warning: this article contains spoilersFollowing on the success of spin-offs such as 90-Day Fiancé: The Other Way, Darcey and Stacey and The Family Chantel where ill-suited couples bicker on TV, TLC has just dropped a Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-23004748706381433572023-11-23T11:52:00.002+08:002023-11-23T11:52:53.745+08:00Humble Pie, and Ko's HypocrisySome people have fantastic housing!This is a bit of a frankenpost, but we've had a frankenweek in Taiwanese politics.First, yes, I was wrong about the KMT/TPP dalliance. There's no way Ko was promised the top spot on the ticket if negotiations could fall apart that quickly. Before it turned into a massive clownshow, my Taiwanese teacher's pet theory was that the CCP gave Ma dirt on Ko: Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-58759716999785767512023-11-16T20:48:00.004+08:002023-11-16T20:48:27.709+08:00Who's on top in the Ko/Hou/Ma throuple?All eyes on one thingThere are two more things I want to say about the flappy flappy mating dance happening over in the blue/white camp. One of them is a discussion of why on earth Ko has a large youth following. I'll save that for sometime in the next few days. Unfortunately, he's not going anywhere; I can take my time. Today, I'd like to offer a few parting thoughts on the "blue and Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-8240154244301117432023-11-15T17:09:00.015+08:002023-11-16T09:23:46.049+08:00Lai Ching-te vs. the FrankenticketYeah yeah yeah I know this is literary or whatever, but the Ko-Hou Frankenticket really does feel like a monkey riding a lobsterI didn't want to say it yesterday, but I knew -- I knew -- the moment Emperor Ma Ying-jeou stuck his sticky dirty fingers into the Taiwanese election, that the Ko/Hou team-up was more likely than not. That's how it always goes. The KMT halfheartedly tries to be a party Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-48581335571814895082023-11-14T18:29:00.011+08:002023-11-15T00:43:00.741+08:00The Hou/Ko/(Ma) embroilmentThe photo suits the post and you already know whyTwo days ago, Donovan Smith wrote a fantastic column on Ma Ying-jeou's entrée into the weird "will they or won't they" situation between the KMT's Hou You-yih and the TPP's personality cult leader, Ko Wen-je. I'd actually missed this when it happened; I've been pulling odd hours at my many workplaces, because I've had a few career things (not Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-74155931637106838852023-11-13T12:07:00.003+08:002023-11-13T12:07:34.852+08:00Book review: "The Butcher's Wife" is a brutal readContent note: this book is about sexual assault and domestic violence. I don't know what else to say. Don't read this book (or this post) if you aren't in a place where you can engage with such topics. * * * Years ago in a used bookstore in downtown Singapore, I came across a lonely copy of The Butcher's Wife, by Li Ang. Li cemented herself as one of my favorite Taiwanese authors Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-28868561808163094932023-11-09T21:24:00.010+08:002023-11-09T23:39:57.230+08:00Why stay in Taiwan?It's the little things...or is it?You probably don’t care about my life, but here’s the deal. I’ve had a somewhat tumultuous week professionally, although nothing that ended up being terribly deleterious. I don’t want to say too much about it, but I’ve been feeling frustrated about the limitations of teacher training opportunities in Taiwan for residents like me, despite how much we can help in Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-38148759083699692062023-11-03T17:19:00.005+08:002023-11-03T17:20:39.046+08:00Which Taiwanese party offers the best chance for peace? (Not the KMT)Here's a random picture from Hyderabad because I have somewhere to be and haven't got time to be messing around with photosLord forgive me, but I'm gonna pull a Tom Friedman and start with a taxi anecdote. If I have work at 9am, I usually take a taxi because I simply cannot with the morning rush hour. Sometimes, we talk politics, and I've heard all sorts of opinions, from the standard-issue Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-43670969122668862022023-10-30T22:57:00.010+08:002023-10-30T22:57:57.201+08:00As beautiful as the ringworm on her body: a review of Sorceress DiguwanSorceress Diguwan by BadaiI'm a blockhead. I don't do stream of consciousness, and I'm not a fan of I like novels with intentionally beguiling names like Autumn of the Sixteenth Nephrologist. Novels that your white mom would read in her book club that the gals winkingly called "Prosé" because they meet to discuss books and drink rosé. I like novels that are creative, but also follow a novel Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-47947876928334469202023-09-28T13:37:00.002+08:002023-09-28T13:37:42.007+08:00Good commentary about bad eggsThere's no reason for using this photo. I just like it.I've been trying to write something about Artsakh but just can't seem to get my head in the right place. In the meantime, I wanted to share some commentary from others on my last post about the ridiculous egg "scandal". I don't necessarily agree with every comment, so I'll offer some thoughts about each. First up, we have my favorite Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-69014407089747201632023-09-26T10:47:00.008+08:002023-09-26T11:10:56.394+08:00A bunch of bad eggsThis big snake covered in money lives in a Burmese temple, but it's what I picture when I think of the KMT.Imagine spending three weeks traveling in the US and Canada -- San Francisco, Las Vegas (for a wedding), the Grand Canyon, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria -- complete with a break from Taiwanese current events, simply because maintaining good health requires lots of breaks. Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-54056082704254537392023-09-23T10:46:00.000+08:002023-09-23T10:46:05.203+08:00Pear-shapedSomething about this sculpture from Thailand being just a few body parts feels aproposContent note: this post contains some descriptions of a health issue and its treatment. If such things make you uneasy, you may not want to read ahead.
“In Taiwan this would have been resolved by now,” I huffed. “Fixed in less than a day. Ouch…ew!”
Brendan mumbled in agreement but did not look; only Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-50656775016438967872023-09-04T00:58:00.005+08:002023-09-06T01:45:34.159+08:00RenunciationSquid in the air, still tied to something “Do you have a plan if things go sideways in Taiwan?”
One of my oldest friends asks us this as he zips us to the BART station from his home in central Oakland. A pair of committed northeasterners settled permanently in Taipei, we’re properly visiting the West Coast for the first time as part of a trip for my brother-in-law’s wedding.
Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-53821668511601652482023-08-27T22:13:00.003+08:002023-08-28T08:41:15.889+08:00A Paucity of “Blessings”: the KMT and what it means to be “credible opposition”Screaming in stone?It’s rare that I have not a single critical thing to say about the overall body of work of an expert or policy wonk focusing on Taiwan. However, a few people come close, and I’ve always admired the work of Kharis Templeman. He’s good at what he does, he’s clear and to the point, and he makes sense. I’ve never heard him say anything ridiculous about the US or Taiwan “provoking” Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6321329750397667796.post-30588347524812655852023-08-06T13:57:00.006+08:002023-08-06T14:08:34.026+08:00An Audio-Visual Garden of WeedsFun fact: the original title was "an audio-visual weed garden" but that would have raised questions not answered by the post.Outside my window I have a weird little garden. Two under-pruned and overgrown money trees, a bougainvillea, lemon balm started from a cutting that fell onto my casement from an upstairs neighbor and is now taking over my house. Hipster-approved succulents because I can Jenna Lynn Codyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04032277820150000198noreply@blogger.com0