Taiwan, explained through its people.
Taiwan Talk is an interview series built around Taiwan’s public life, food culture, sports, and immigrant stories. Episodes move from U.S. trade law and Taipei’s unhoused residents to hot sauce, Indian cuisine, cycling, sports broadcasting, and identity.
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Taiwan Talk is an interview series about Taiwan as experienced by the people who live, work, build, advocate, cook, and compete there. It has a wide field of view. The show can spend one week inside the language of U.S. trade law, then shift to a family-run hot sauce brand, Taipei’s unhoused residents, or the feel of cycling Taiwan’s scenery. Its center is the interview. Guests are given space to explain not only what happened, but what the work feels like in practice. James Ransdell breaks down Section 301 as a legal tool and a bargaining mechanism. Ryan and Taylor Chen describe the split-second coordination and different strengths behind English-language sports broadcasting. Jane Chen and Alex Denner talk about Empress Hot Sauce through fruit, heat, tasting rubrics, and the goal of making Taiwan’s produce legible in a bottle. HoChie Tsai connects Taiwanese American identity to childhood, community, student organizing, and care for younger generations. Luke Piggott and Uncle Liang bring attention to rough sleepers around Taipei Main Station, including the nightly routines and rules that shape public space. Food is a strong recurring thread, from Michelin’s view of Taiwan’s dining scene to Mayur Srivastava’s account of Indian cuisine, fresh spices, dosas, idlis, and restaurant growth. Sport appears through broadcasting, women’s sports, and the social value of play. The show’s register is plainspoken and journalistic. It asks concrete questions, then follows the answer into texture. That makes the series useful for listeners who want more than travel impressions or policy headlines. Taiwan Talk presents Taiwan as a network of decisions, histories, tastes, institutions, and personal commitments, with guests carrying the detail themselves.
Made for: For listeners who want Taiwan beyond headlines: culture, policy, food, sport, identity, and civic life told through interviews. It especially suits internationally minded listeners, Taiwan residents, and diaspora audiences.
What sets it apart: Taiwan Talk pairs radio-style clarity with unusually broad subject matter, moving from trade investigations and homelessness to hot sauce, Michelin dining, cycling, and Taiwanese American identity. The show’s strength is close-range explanation from people directly involved.
Taiwan is patchwork quilt of diverse, motiving personalities. The show features politicians who make history, entrepreneurs whose innovations help keep the global economy afloat, and artists who explore creativity in fascinating, inspiring ways. Taiwan Talk tells stories from the unique perspectives of Taiwan all over the world. From those at home, those abroad, and those who’ve chosen to make this island their home. Taiwan Talk airs on ICRT FM100 at 8am, and in the evening in the 6pm news hour. --Hosting provided by SoundOn
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A Taiwanese American activist and physician traces identity from feeling othered to building communities where less has to be explained.
HoChi Tsai's search for Taiwanese American identity starts in the Chicago suburbs, between a home shaped by Taiwanese food, language, and culture and a school life where being Asian made him feel singled out.
A restaurant-chain story shaped by dosa carts and word of mouth.
Taiwan Talk presents Meijer Kitchen, or MK, as a grounded founder story about Mayor Srivastava, who moved to Taiwan from Dubai more than a decade ago and built a home for Indian food that many locals had not really known.
Sibling chemistry and contrasting broadcast styles shape the conversation.
Ryan and Taylor Chen present their sibling partnership as a clear look at how a broadcast booth functions when two different styles work in sync.
Outbreak updates, plainly reported.
Urgent questions, practical civic answers.
This episode features an interview with Taiwan's Deputy Health and Welfare Minister Lin Jing-yi discussing her role in communicating health policies, preventative medicine, and mental health initiatives.
Siblings Ryan and Taylor Chen discuss their journey as Taiwan's first brother-sister English sports broadcasting team.
Former Foreign Minister Frederick Chien recounts the dramatic events following President Jimmy Carter's 1978 announcement that the U.S.
Taiwan Talk interviews Lutz Gollner, head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan, about Europe Day and EU-Taiwan relations.
This episode features an interview with Ryan and Taylor Chen, the first brother-sister sports broadcasting team in Taiwan, discussing how their sibling dynamic enhances their on-air chemistry and unique approaches to broadcasting.
This episode discusses the Trump administration's Section 301 investigation against Taiwan, its implications for U.S.-Taiwan trade relations, and the historical context of this trade tool.
Jane Chen and Alex Denner share the origin story of their Taiwan-based Empress Hot Sauce, which began when Alex ran out of his favorite hot sauce and experimented with combining local mangoes and chilies.
Taiwan Talk interviews Asian American activist and pediatrician HoChie Tsai about growing up between Taiwanese culture at home and American life in Chicago suburbs during the 1970s and 1980s.
This episode explores the situation of Taipei's homeless population, focusing on their gathering at Taipei Main Station and other areas, with insights from activists on safety, government policies, and community dynamics.
A binary geothermal system turns underground heat into electricity, then reinjects cooled water into the reservoir.
Taiwan Talk host Tim Berge interviews Dutch authors Viola van Anselen and Erik van Anselen de Jong about A Cyclist's Guide to Taiwan, a four-year project covering routes across Taiwan and offshore islands.
This episode explores Taiwan's evolving culinary scene through interviews with Michelin Guide officials, discussing how COVID accelerated innovation and the blend of cultural influences in the 2025 Taiwan Guide.
This episode features an interview with Elena Liao, founder of Te Company in Manhattan's West Village, discussing her inspiration to introduce Taiwanese teas and snacks to New York and make them accessible to a broader audience.
This episode discusses how changing US educational policies and immigration issues affect international students from Taiwan, featuring insights from an expert on student recruitment and global university rankings.