An Ode To 99 Ranch + Taiwan's Chili Center

plus, book launch event announcement!

Hi all,

I just got back to Taiwan after a lovely two-month vacation—a fast-paced around-the-world trip across California, through the cobblestone streets of Lisbon, to the Sahara desert in Morocco, and finally inside the quaint forests of Sweden just in time for Midsummer. It was a quick getaway dedicated to weddings, old friends, and family; a much-needed respite from the small, insular social bubble that is Taipei. But now that I’m back, I’m glad to be settling back into my normal routine, even though the scorching inferno that is summer in Taiwan is no joke. I’ve mostly been ensconced in the air-conditioned bliss of my apartment since we landed because it’s too damn hot to do anything else.

I’m writing to keep you guys abreast of what I’ve been working on. All in all, it’s been a pretty slow summer, but a couple of pieces of mine published over the last couple of months and I’m quite happy with how they turned out.

But first, virtual cookbook launch (9/19 at 6:45 EST) with the Smithsonian!

For personal reasons, I won’t be able to do a physical book launch in the States this year. You’re more than welcome to ask me at this event why, but it’s been a bit of a letdown considering the amount of work, sweat, and actual tears I’ve poured into the cookbook. While I’ve been assured that book signings don’t have a strong effect on sales (unless I was an actual celebrity who can fill auditoriums, which, I’m not), I was so looking forward to ushering my book’s birth into the world with a proper American launch party. And as a first-time author, I harbor an incredible amount of anxiety about the book not performing well enough and being shunned forever by the publishing industry. I’ll have physical events in November in Taipei, but other than that, all of my events for the rest of this year will be online (thank goodness for technology and the grace of my publisher).

With all that said, I’m kicking off with a virtual talk at The Smithsonian (!!) with my dear friend and fellow food writer Esther Tseng on Tuesday, September 19, 2023 from 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. I’m so looking forward to this and meeting you guys.

A side note: if you’re based in Taiwan and want a copy of the book, the best way is to order directly from Bookman, an independent bookstore in Taipei. They’ll have signed copies and their pre-order form closes at the end of July. Eslite, of course, is another option, but I prefer supporting little guys.

What I’ve Been Working On

An Ode To 99 Ranch for the LA Times

As a native Angeleno, 99 Ranch holds a dear space in my heart. It was a mecca for my Taiwanese family, a place of refuge where we could indulge in the flavors of home. I was surprised no one had taken it upon themselves before to sit down with the owners for a proper conversation about their legacy. So I took on the responsibility and spent a delightful couple of hours with the 99 Ranch siblings Alice and Jonson.

The Quest To Save The Chili Peppers for the New Yorker

Did you know: Taiwan has the largest collection of chili pepper seeds in the world? And yet, most people on the island are scared of spice. Meet the team in Taiwan charged with saving chili peppers from climate change.

For this piece, I spent a full week in Tainan, commuting back and forth from my family’s home in the city to the outskirts of Shanhua where the World Vegetable Center is located. Then for the subsequent month, all I did was just sit in front of my laptop with a pile of notes and photographs, trying to get the facts right and wrap my head around the finicky science of plant breeding. Putting this piece together while being on the road felt like knitting together a giant, convoluted puzzle. It was painful, but oh-so-rewarding.

A documentary on Taiwanese post-partum centers for SBS Australia

This was a delight. Taiwanese post-partum centers are luxury hotels where new moms and babies are pampered and fed for a whole month. I was the field producer for this piece and got to hang out with chubby babies for a whole week. A dream gig.

A video on civilian defense and militia groups in Taiwan for SBS Australia

I’ll be honest. I’ve purposely been taking fewer assignments this year that have to do with Taiwan, China, guns, and impending war. It’s exhausting, depressing, and quite frankly, a tad sensationalist. But I had worked with this team before and trusted they would provide the neccessary context. For balance, we interviewed Kuma Academy, a popular non-profit civilian defense group to gain insights on what the average Taiwanese person should actually be concerned about.

A New Cooking Show for TaiwanPlus

My friends and I got together for a ten-episode show on Taiwanese cookery. In this show, I make a Taiwanese classic (think bawan, rice vermicelli, tang yuan, three-cup chicken), and my much-more charismatic co-host, Brandon O’Neal, puts on his own personal twist. I’ll be honest, I don’t like (nor do I thrive) being on camera, but we had a lot of fun putting this series together.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.