Blog 4

Our agenda on 9/11 was full of activities, from learning about Taiwanese teas to witnessing a Master woodworker in his element. We started off the day by traveling from Tainan to Nantou. The travel was lengthy, but I appreciated the time for extra sleep. Once we reached our first destination, Yoshan Tea, we were given a history of Taiwanese tea and there was this lovely informational map that gave an overview of where certain teas are produced. There were many teas, such as Alishan, Sun Moon Lake, and Dong Ding teas. 

The tea tour reminded me of earlier this year when I attended a tea tasting where Dong Ding tea was used as an example of tea texture (or “mouthfeel”) because the tea starts off bitter, but the taste moves around your mouth and ends in a sweet aftertaste. At the event, I also learned about how Western cuisine tends to have an emphasis on flavor whereas Eastern cuisine tends to emphasize texture. “Western” and “Eastern” are large labels, so I’m unsure how accurate they are, but I believe they are correct when comparing US and Taiwanese cuisine. In the US, if food lacks flavor or starts off tasting bitter, it’s considered bad food whereas some Taiwanese delicacies such as Buddha-jumps-over-the-wall are considered bland in taste but complex in texture. I notice this more as I eat Taiwanese cuisine, and it’s quite fascinating. 

After the tour, we tasted different sorts of teas, and the information I learned from the tea tasting remained in the back of my mind. After our tea tour and tasting session, we visited a woodshop, but not before our group lunch which included playing with huge balls. It was a small, cozy workshop, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in craftsmanship. In the room, we could marvel at all the intricate designs and witness a Master woodworker in the corner, carving away at a design. Seeing him work with such precision and passion made me appreciate and admire his dedication to this age-old craft. 

What struck me most about the woodshop was its familial roots. Many artisan shops we have visited, including this one, are family-run, with generations working side by side to keep the tradition alive. It reminded me that while family businesses aren’t uncommon in the United States, the craft shops I’m familiar with in Seattle don’t nearly have this level of emphasis on family. I was fascinated by how deeply family ties are integrated into the artisanal craft industry here in Taiwan, and I wonder if Seattle has anything similar. 

Later in the day, we checked into Star Hostel. As the owner of Star Hostel explained how he founded his hostel, he mentioned that Taiwan emphasizes sourcing materials locally because of political tensions with neighboring countries. It reminded me that although there is value in sourcing locally from a sustainability and local economy viewpoint, certain values are pushed more heavily when there is a political dimension to it. Seattle also emphasizes locality, but the push for locality likely stems from wealth and the city’s political ideologies. It was a quiet reminder of the power of politics, and that to incite real change, you must engage and confront the politics behind what you care about.