The Overseas Community Affairs Council’s “2025 Taiwan Culinary International Tour Lecture” on the US-Canada West Coast line kicked off in a lively manner at the Jinshan Bay Area Overseas Education Center on May 4th (last Sunday). The event combined the Jinshan Bay Area Mom’s Kitchen’s 2025 Spring Cooking Class “Taiwanese Cuisine Demonstration,” along with Mother’s Day activities within the overseas community, attracting approximately two hundred compatriots, overseas leaders, and FASCA youth members to join the event, creating a vibrant atmosphere filled with Taiwanese flavor and warmth.
The event specially featured Chef Lian Aiqing from the Ocean Blue Class of the Department of Life and Applied Sciences at Taiwan University of Culture, and well-known cookware demonstration lecturer Du Lijuan, demonstrating three classic Taiwanese dishes: beef noodles, salt and pepper chicken, and peanut candy. Both chefs were professional and approachable, offering insightful teachings that not only delighted the audience’s taste buds but also moved them deeply.
Chef Lian Aiqing expressed that during this trip, she aimed to bring the “nostalgic, exotic, and warm” flavors of Taiwan to the Bay Area. She humorously shared the secrets to making beef noodles, including blanching the beef first to remove excess moisture, then stir-frying it with spices, fine sugar, soy sauce, and bean paste until the aroma is rich. For the salt and pepper chicken, she used chicken breast meat and sweet potato powder, judging the oil temperature by the slow rising of the chicken, making it practical and down-to-earth.
Teacher Du Lijuan demonstrated the traditional Yunlin peanut candy-making process, cooking sugar, malt, and salt over low heat, emphasizing the need for patience in the process. She presented an old-fashioned flavor by frying half in water and half in oil. After tasting on-site, the response was enthusiastic, with many people exclaiming “It’s like being back in Taiwan in a second.”
Before the event started, both chefs also served as judges for the “Parent-Child Light Snack Bento Culinary Contest.” Participating families worked together, showing creativity in their exquisite and cute creations, adding a warm atmosphere to the Mother’s Day activities. The chefs provided professional feedback on the bento designs, benefiting the participants greatly.
Guests including Director Lai Ming-chi and his wife from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, Director Chuang Yashu from the Overseas Education Center, and Overseas Chinese Affairs Commissioners Wei Dezhen, Chen Yangming, Li Yuanlin, Zhang Zhengbang, Liu Lingxia attended to show their support. Director Lai Ming-chi stated in his speech that Taiwan boasts beautiful scenery, virtues, and cuisine, attracting millions of visitors every year. “Food knows no borders,” he hoped that through culinary diplomacy, the world would come to know Taiwan better.
Chuang Yashu, on behalf of the Overseas Community Affairs Council, introduced the two professional chefs. She mentioned that this event not only comforted compatriots’ longing for their homeland but also aimed to make friends worldwide through Taiwanese cuisine.
During the event, the Overseas Education Center also promoted the “iCompatriot Card,” offering gift packages to attract many people to enthusiastically apply for it. At the same time, a petition station was set up to call on compatriots to sign in support of Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization (WHO).
To promote Taiwanese cuisine, strengthen international exchanges, and enhance visibility, the Overseas Community Affairs Council has been promoting the “Taiwan Cuisine International Tour Lecture” since 2010, integrating Taiwanese cuisine promotion into mainstream events worldwide. In 2025, a total of five tour routes have been planned, covering 18 countries and inviting ten top Taiwanese chefs to participate. The “US-Canada West Coast Line” tour started on April 17th and will continue until May 23rd, with visits to cities such as Houston, Dallas, Austin, Orange County, Forest Lake City, Anaheim, Jinshan Bay Area, Phoenix, and others.