Global Stars Go Wild for Taiwan   Food Guru Stanton Yee: Tainan’s Lu Wei Is Super Delicious

▲“Crazy for Taiwan” host Janet (center) with Singaporean food guru Stanton Yee and Angela Gan.

Reported and photographed by Chen Jui-chung / Taipei

The Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and TLC Travel Channel have collaborated for the sixth time on the “Crazy for Taiwan” series. In addition to host Janet, the show features 10 celebrities and travel hosts, including Bob Blumer, the food adventurer from “Bizarre Restaurants,” Ian Wright and craft traveler Anita Kapoor from “Globe Trekker,” supermodel Denise Keller from “Asia’s Next Top Model,” Oli Pettigrew from “The Simple Life with Paris Hilton,” Jamie Aditya from “Jamie’s Journeys,” Samantha Brown from “Passport to Europe” and “Great Hotels of the World,” Angela Gan from “Beach Holiday,” and Singaporean food guru Stanton Yee. Leveraging each individual’s unique traits, 10 distinctive Taiwan-themed travel routes were tailor-made to showcase Taiwan to the world.

▲Deputy Director of the Tourism Bureau Liu Hsi-lin (second from right) and Janet lead the tasting of Taiwan’s specialty snacks.

Liu Hsi-lin, Deputy Director of the Tourism Bureau, stated that every part of Taiwan has its own cultural characteristics and delicious foods. During the collaboration with TLC Travel Channel, they have continuously thought about how to let the world see the beauty of Taiwan’s various regions. Therefore, this time the planning was based on“Life Style”the concept of using local culture and snack experiences to make the travel routes more community-oriented, which will also attract more international backpackers to visit Taiwan.

Host Janet also mentioned that while filming the 10 routes, the experience was not only fun but also challenging. After Oli Pettigrew and she tried rafting, Oli even joked, “Janet must be trying to kill all 10 hosts with such an exciting rafting trip so she can become the queen of TLC Travel Channel!”

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Janet pointed out that after trying many delicious Taiwanese snacks, she recommends that foreign travelers must try“chicken butt”and“pig’s blood cake”when visiting Taiwan—both are absolutely memorable.

Stanton Yee, hailed as the “Singaporean food guru,” also said,that trying street food is the best way to experience local culture.Besides having stinky tofu, meatballs, oyster omelets, and bubble tea, Tainan’s lu wei (braised dishes)is an unforgettable delicacy—if it were to open a shop in Singapore, there would definitely be long lines.

Angela Gan, who loves sports, also noted that aside from her previous experience in downtown Taipei, she didn’t know Taiwan had such beautiful coastlines. Beyond the scenery, she also wants to taste specialties like stinky tofu, chicken butt, and bento boxes.

The 10 themed routes designed by TLC Travel Channel this time include exploring the Yuanshan secret tunnels and oyster harvesting culture, experiencing Ghost Month customs and joining the Toucheng Guan event, a sports journey combining swimming across Sun Moon Lake, rafting, and biking up Wuling, as well as Taiwan’s food tour and temple banquet feasts, a health and wellness lifestyle journey, a Taiwanese opera experience, and Hakka pickled vegetable making activities. The episodes will air on TLC Travel Channel from March 9 to April 5.