An article on the CNN Web site that labels Taipei as a city of “gluttony” has angered some legislators and prompted Government Information Office Minister Philip Yang (楊永明) to say that the government would have to fill CNN in on the nation’s cuisine and culture.
Answering questions yesterday from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers at the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee on concerns over the CNN report, Yang said it had “damaged” the nation’s image.
CNNGo, CNN’s culture and travel Web site, on April 20 used Catholicism’s seven deadly sins to describe the seven best Asian cities for indulgence, with Taipei named as the best city for gluttony.
“We understand the media’s need for interesting and provocative articles, but gluttony, the word … is indecent and it has a negative connotation,” Yang told KMT Legislator Chen Shu-huey (陳淑慧).
The CNN report was an issue of interest among several KMT lawmakers at the committee.
“I can’t stand the idea that we are described as gluttonous. Saying that Taipei is a city of gluttony is definitely not praise for its delicacies,” KMT Legislator Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) said.
KMT Legislator Chiang Nai-shin (蔣乃辛) also said the incident had hurt the nation’s image.
KMT Chiang Yi-hsiung (江義雄) said the CNN report suggested that people in Taiwan are “fond of eating and averse to work.”
“What’s wrong with eating?” Chiang asked.
CNN showed a lack of courtesy by attaching such a vulgar label to Taipei, Chiang said.
In response, Yang said Taipei is a city where visitors can enjoy gourmet food.
CNNGo said visitors can find cheap meals everywhere, day and night, in a city that sports 18 streets dedicated to nothing but food.
“Where you might usually expect a bus shelter, instead you’ll find a barbecue. Sidewalks become snack stalls. The pungent smell of stinky tofu fills the air. Night markets in Taipei have become famous for their snack selections, or xiaochi, literally meaning ‘small eats,’” the article says.
“The dishes may be little, but so are the prices, running [at] about US$1 or US$2,” it said, adding: “A fat gut never came so easily.”
Speaking to reporters later yesterday, Yang said he had asked the Department of International Information to communicate its concerns to CNN.
“I also feel that [gluttony] is a strong word to use. We don’t need to be too angry over this, because this is the bantering style of the report,” he said. “Nonetheless, it has affected the nation’s image to some extent and some people do care about this.”
On the bright side, Yang said, the government would use the incident to boost international recognition of Taiwanese gourmet and culinary culture.
The Tourism Bureau said “gluttony” was an interesting way to promote Taiwan when compared with the other words used by CNNGo to describe other Asian cities, including “sloth” for Seoul and “wrath” for Pyongyang.
The Discovery channel once introduced Taiwan in a program titled Glutton For Punishment, it said.
Cheng Ying-hui (鄭瑛慧), an official at the Tourism Bureau, said gluttony does not always have to be interpreted as meaning something negative.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
RSS