That is why I found the sequences involving the preparation of cuisine in the opening ceremony to be so vivid: They may be signature “Taiwan dishes,” but the ingredients, the culinary ingenuity, the coming together and fusion of meat and vegetable and noodle and pig’s blood and broth, not to mention fish balls — all of this is, at its core, Chinese.
I’m sure my esteemed colleagues in this room are aware that my family has been in Taiwan for generations. You could say we are nobility, if I may be so bold. My grandfather was the leading historian of his time, a man of integrity who influenced the way we understand China. My father was a first-class public servant and reformer and a confidant of the most powerful and respectable men in all the Republic. And I’m proud that my son, recently back from a stint with those fine Eisenhower Fellowships people, is continuing the family tradition of intellectual excellence, professional achievement and taking the most beautiful and sophisticated ladies in the nation as our wives.
I raise this personal material simply to say that I am a Taiwanese and a Chinese. The two are inseparable concepts, as they are inseparable societies. We have overcome a grievous era of conflict and misuse of foreign ideologies and are poised to unite to become a strong, benevolent country that will offer a beacon of hope to the world and light the path to greater prosperity, justice and cultural magnificence.
I’m afraid that as my schedule is very tight, I will have to decline your generous invitation to answer questions. Should you consider my opinion indispensable, please leave your enquiries and details with my secretary and I will endeavor to respond in the shortest possible time.
Thank you and congratulations on this successful and thought-provoking conference.
[3 GRAFS ON LOVE OF LUNCH BOXES, 2 ON MEETING WIFE 1ST TIME, 1 ON ‘JAP LOVER’ LEE CUT, CUTS APPROVED-WU, WAIT SEC-GEN APPROVAL]
Next in the Institute’s series of distinguished Asian speakers:
Sept. 24: Kim Jong-un: “Port, prawns and porn in Pyongyang: Successions and sex sessions in a benevolent dictatorship.”
Oct. 1: Lee Kwan Yew: “Who wants to be a billionaire? Perpetual altruism in the governance of a modern city-state.”
Oct. 8: Hun Sen: “Reconciliation and economic growth: A personal view.”
Oct. 15: General Than Shwe: “Oh, Karen! (Re)learning ethnic relations.”
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but these will all be worth the carbon footprint.
Got something to tell Johnny? Get it off your chest: Write to dearjohnny@taipeitimes.com, but put “Dear Johnny” in the subject line or he’ll mark your bouquets and brickbats as spam.
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