CNN has again raised hackles in Taiwan over its food reporting, with some people complaining that the network’s list of the “world’s 50 most delicious foods” did not include any Taiwanese dishes.
“What we have seen on the list are ice cream, donuts and potato chips — junk food probably favored by CNN reporters,” the Taipei-based Broadcasting Corporation of China said.
The No. 41 entry on the CNNGo Web site was stinky tofu, which was described as “one of Southeast Asia’s most iconic foods,” but in the comments at the end of the list, one person argued that “stinky tofu is Taiwan’s food not Southeast Asia’s.”
Other netizens said the list reflected the writers’ limited knowledge of good food.
“Good food is just good food to enjoy, not to rate,” someone called Eric commented. The listing of stinky tofu as a Southeast Asian food is “a glaring mistake,” he said.
On the CNNGo list, Massaman curry from Thailand was ranked as the tastiest food in the world.
Neapolitan pizza from Italy, chocolate from Mexico, sushi from Japan and Peking duck from China were ranked second, third, fourth and fifth on the list.
CNNGo has been the source of some controversy in Taiwan in recent months.
In April, it listed Taipei as the most gluttonous city in Asia, prompting Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Philip Yang (楊永明) to ask the GIO’s Department of International Information to lodge a complaint with CNN. At the time, Yang said the bright side to the incident was that the government would use it to boost international recognition of Taiwanese gourmet and culinary culture.
Late last month, a report on century eggs by an American on the local Taiwanese delicacy, known as pi dan (皮蛋) in Taiwan, was included in a list of “the world’s most revolting food.”
The report also drew ire from a number of Taiwanese food critics and gastronomists, saying the report undervalued the nature of the dish.
In response, CNN posted a statement on its Web site on July 8 about the issue.
“This article was not meant to offend in any way anyone who likes century eggs, anyone who dislikes century eggs, any century egg manufacturers, anyone who works in the manufacturing or serving of century eggs and especially Chinese culture,” said Andrew Demaria, CNNGo’s editor-in-chief. “We apologize unreservedly for any offense the article has inadvertently caused.”
The article’s author Danny Holwerda also later penned a letter to the Taipei Times, saying that CNN added his article to a special section about the world’s most disgusting foods on its own initiative. He added he meant no disrespect to Taiwanese or their culture.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS