Taiwan Talk

Achim Hake has been in Taiwan since the 1990s, and has seen Taiwan's hotel industry grow and evolve into what it is today. He shares the more memorable moments of his career with ICRT's Hope Ngo, along with insight into what he feels will be the future of Taiwan tourism as we emerge from aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks for listening. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Manav Mehta is the curator and host of Red Room Rendezvous, a.k.a. R3, a restaurant, bar, and event space in Taipei. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Manav about the history of Red Room, international communities in Taipei, and Manav's current adventures with a percussion instrument called a "handpan". You can find Red Room Rendezvous on Instagram: @r3.taipei Follow Manav on Instagram as well: @aspiring_azul Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Ashley Tong was just eight when she first played with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. Today she is one of a three-person group known as the Heathcliff Trio, which went on to win first prize at the 9th International Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition. ICRT's Hope Ngo speaks to Tong about the path from child violinist to award-winning musician. Visit the Heathcliff Trio here to learn more about this talented group. Thanks for listening. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Lukas Engstrom is a Swedish YouTuber based here in Taiwan, who has collaborated with various content creators all over the island. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Lukas about what it's like living with YouTubers, and which videos seem to appeal to which audiences so far. You can check out Lukas' channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3LxWTmKK24 And you can also find him on Instagram: @lukasengstrom Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Rifat, also known as 吳鳳 (Wu Feng), is a Turkish-Taiwanese host, comedian, and actor in Taiwan, and the first foreigner to win Taiwan's Golden Bell Award, in 2012. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Rifat about his experiences as a bridge between Taiwan and his home country of Turkey, as well as his recent collaboration with TaiwanPlus, on shows such as "Live From Taiwan" and "Legit Mando". You can find more from Rifat online: Instagram: @rifatkarlova YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/%E5%90%B3%E9%B3%B3Rifat Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Sam Yarbs is a co-founder of the Two Three Comedy Club in Taipei, and a standup comedian with international accolades. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi speaks with Sam about his work on The Night Night Show (博恩夜夜秀), comedy across the language barrier, and the future of standup in Taiwan. You can find info on Two Three Comedy's upcoming shows: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoThreeComedy Instagram: @twothreecomedy And you can find Sam on Instagram: @sam.yarbs Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Taiwanese-American food blogger Frankie Gaw walked away from a successful career in tech and became a rising star within the highly competitive world of food blogging. ICRT’s Hope Ngo speaks to Gaw about what enticed him to swap a successful career in tech for food, and what he did to get his new cookbook “First Generation” ready for publication. Thanks for listening! You can find and follow Frankie on his blog, Little Fat Boy or on Instagram. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

William Stanton served as Director for the American Institute in Taiwan -- the organization charged with maintaining relations between the U.S. and Taiwan -- between 2009 to 2012. ICRT's Hope Ngo speaks to Stanton about what inspired him to enter the foreign service, how he feels about being a teacher at this critical juncture in modern history, and how he feels about China, and his country's exchanges with Taiwan today. Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Matan Shelomi is a professor of entomology (the study of insects) at National Taiwan University, and the first guest to make a return appearance on Taiwan Talk, after our previous journey through the world of insects in late 2020. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Matan to learn about why some people get bitten by mosquitoes more often, which insects taste the best, and why insect species are disappearing at such an alarming rate. Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Stephen Rong is a renaissance man of performance, as an actor, singer, dancer, model, podcaster, and radio DJ. ICRT's Trevor Tortomasi chats with Stephen about his role in the acapella group "Awkwapella", and its stark contrast with his murder-mystery podcast, "The Dark Forest". You can find Stephen on Instagram: @therongone And you can find his acapella group here: @awkwapella And if you understand Chinese, you can check out his podcast, 【暗黑森林 The Dark Forest】: https://open.spotify.com/show/2qKknXOhcJS0hxrKUSkNeB Thanks for listening! -- Hosting provided by SoundOn