Clarissa Wei

Last updated

Clarissa Wei
Born
Los Angeles
NationalityAmerican and Taiwanese [1]
OccupationJournalist
Known forFood and politics writing

Clarissa Wei is an American journalist and writer. Her focus is on Taiwan and in particular Taiwanese food and food culture. Her book Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories of the Island Nation was released in 2023.

Contents

Family and early life

Wei was born in Los Angeles to immigrant parents from Tainan. As of 2023 she resided in New Taipei City. [2]

Career

Wei moved to Asia in her 20s and traveled extensively. In 2018 she moved to Hong Kong and began writing for the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Her journalism initially focused on politics but she shifted to food after finding politics "too heavy and dark." However her food writing often inherently touches on politics. [3] Many of her stories in Hong Kong focused on aging restaurateurs or chefs who maintained important culinary traditions. [4] During this time she traveled around China producing food and culture videos for SCMP. [1]

She moved to Taiwan following the crackdown on the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests. [3] She is one of the main authors writing about Taiwanese cuisine in English. [5]

In February 2022, The New York Times removed a video of Wei's Singaporean chicken curry following criticism, including from several high-profile Singaporean chefs. [6] [7] A Malay Mail commentator described the result as an 'insipid-looking stew'. [8]

She is a co-host of the cooking show Kitchen Remix on Taiwan+. [9]

Books

Made in Taiwan

Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories of the Island Nation was released in 2023. [10] [2] Made in Taiwan is an exploration of Taiwan's food culture. [11] [12] In it she emphasizes using Taiwanese ingredients and not substitutes more widely available internationally. [2] The book has proved controversial due to Wei's focus on Taiwanese identity and politics as embodied in food. [3]

Wei collaborated with recipe developer Ivy Chen on Made in Taiwan. [2] James Lin, a historian, was hired to make sure that the historical aspects of the book were accurate. Xin Yun worked as Clarissa Wei's research assistant. Yen Wei was the food stylist and Ryan Chen handled photography. [1]

Podcast

Her show, Climate Cuisine, is part of the Whetstone Radio Collective. [13] It was launched in 2021 and examines how different cuisines and agricultural practices have developed in similar climactic zones across the planet. [14]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 LA CORTE, MICHAEL (2 September 2023). ""Taiwanese food is an underdog": In her new cookbook, Clarissa Wei writes a love letter to Taiwan". Salon. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lin, Eddie (31 August 2023). "'Made in Taiwan' is the cookbook that couldn't have existed 20 years ago". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Cheng, Martha (15 September 2023). "Clarissa Wei Knows All Too Well That Food Is Political". eater.com. Eater. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Haime, Jordyn (15 September 2023). "Letting Taiwanese cuisine speak for itself". thechinaproject.com. The China Project. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  5. ↑ Tsai, Luke (5 June 2024). "Clarissa's Wei's 'Made in Taiwan' Is the Taiwanese Cookbook I've Always Wanted". kqed.org. KQED. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  6. ↑ Chinnuswamy, Yamini (2022-02-09). "Veteran Singapore chefs respond to New York Times chicken curry uproar". The Straits Times. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  7. ↑ "New York Times removes slammed 'Singaporean Chicken Curry' video, clarifies recipe after complaints". CNA Lifestyle. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  8. ↑ Yadav, Surekha A. (2022-02-06). "Chicken curry with a side of imperialism". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  9. ↑ "Taiwanese Food With a Modern Twist: 'Kitchen Remix' on TaiwanPlus". koreaherald.com. Korean Herald. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  10. ↑ Hubbel, Diana (15 September 2023). "'Made in Taiwan' Is a Love Letter to the Island Nation". atlasobscura.com. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Chen, Kat (18 September 2023). "This New Cookbook Is an Essential Guide Through Taiwan's Culinary Landscape". epicurious.com. Epicurious. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  12. ↑ Lam, Doris (11 September 2023). "'What Taiwanese food really is': cookbook writer on a return to her roots to explore the island's complex cuisine and unique culture". scmp.com. South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  13. ↑ Fox, Killian (17 September 2023). "Just for starters: 11 of the best food podcasts". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  14. ↑ Babür-Winter, Oset. "A New Radio Network for Food Lovers". foodandwine.com. Food and Wine. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
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