‘Greatest reliever of all time’ Mariano Rivera touches down in Taiwan

‘Greatest reliever of all time’ Mariano Rivera touches down in Taiwan

2023-03-06

Former New York Yankee pitcher Mariano Rivera arrived in Taiwan on Monday morning, ahead of the World Baseball Classic’s opening match on Wednesday. Rivera will be throwing the ceremonial first pitch at the competition, which will kick off in Taichung. Dubbed the “greatest reliever of all time,” many fans headed to the airport to get an autograph from him. Let’s hear from Rivera.

Mariano Rivera
Former MLB player
First time in Taiwan. But it seems like I was here before because I played with Chien-ming Wang for so many years. So we always talk about Taiwan and how beautiful it was. So now I realize how beautiful it is. I would love to see for example, temples and see the beauty of the people and see the towns. You know, me being Panamanian, and me being in Taiwan and I wish the best to both teams. Whoever wins!

Rivera was born in Panama and played in the MLB for 19 years, and he’s a five-time World Series Champion. He’s also the first player ever to be inducted to the Hall of Fame in a unanimous vote. Rivera has a packed schedule in Taiwan. On Tuesday he’ll be giving talks about his experiences, and taking part in a charity baseball training camp. After throwing the inaugural pitch on Wednesday, he’ll also be holding meet-and-greets for fans.

"洋基守護神"李維拉抵台受邀經典賽開幕戰開球

2023-03-06

2023年世界棒球經典賽（WBC）A組預賽，週三將在台中開打，洋基隊退役傳奇球星李維拉受邀擔任開幕戰的開球嘉賓，今天清晨搭乘長榮班機抵台，不少球迷一早就來接機。

[[洋基隊退役球員李維拉]]
“我第一次來台灣，但是感覺起來我好像以前已經來過了，因為我跟王建民一起打球很多年，我們總是談論台灣有多美，現在我終於能夠感受台灣之美，我想到一些廟宇走走，體驗台灣美好的人事物，深度了解台灣都市的美麗，我是巴拿馬人，現在又在台灣，我希望巴拿馬跟台灣隊可以表現很好，誰贏都很好”

李維拉出身巴拿馬，19年大聯盟生涯中，幫助洋基隊5次奪冠，擁有"救援之神"稱號， 2019年更破紀錄成為第一位得票率100%入選美國棒球名人堂的球員。至於他的在台行程馬不停蹄，除了重頭戲開球之外，週二上午參加名人分享會、下午則出席公益棒球訓練營，開球後也會進行專屬簽名會。

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Leather becomes lifelike sculptures of crabs and eagles in hands of artist Yeh Fa-yuan

Leather sculpture is a rare artform practiced by skilled craftspeople worldwide. In Taiwan, Yeh Fa-yuan has been making stunning leather art for 36 years. Using techniques he developed himself, he’s found new ways to bring a simple strip of leather into a 3D work of art. From lifelike crabs to eagles, ants, and even human beings, Yeh can fashion them all out of leather. But as he shared with us, making a living from art has not always been easy. After years of hard work in obscurity, now Yeh’s work can be seen at the world famous Louvre Museum in Paris.

A tap of the hammer, and a flick of the chisel: gradually a pattern emerges. The trimmed-down crab’s legs are softened in water and remodeled.

A pin is used to create hairs. The crab’s body and legs are assembled, pieced together, then brushed with green dye. When it dries, another layer is applied – 10 times. Then the lifelike crab is finally complete.

Yeh Fa-yuan
Leather sculptor
Quite by accident, while I was working, I noticed a piece of leather that looked like a guitar. That’s how I first got involved with leather. I quit my job to dedicate myself to leather art because I think that it’s a very happy thing to be able to do work that interests you!

In Yeh Fa-yuan’s nimble hands, a simple piece of leather becomes a vendor with a basket full of crabs, ants crawling over watermelon or crystal sugar, or a dish of stir-fried pork. Yeh quit a stable career to follow his passion, and over the years he was surprised to find people loved his work.

Yeh Fa-yuan
Leather sculptor
Actually, while I’m working, I always think that artists need to have a lot of perseverance and willpower, to keep struggling at it for long periods of time, as well as a kind of foolish desire to just keep doing it, without complaints or regrets. At the stage when you’re not yet famous, you can go months without making any money. I thought about giving up, in the past. And I thought to myself, “Maybe I need to adjust my pace and my methods, so that I can fulfill these dreams of mine.”

Hsu Kuai
Wife of Yeh Fa-yuan
I’ve got a good line in leather chat! I can talk about his work in a more indirect, softer, more storytelling kind of way – about where he got the ideas for the piece, or the inspiration behind it.

And Yeh has also made a name for his work worldwide, having pieces exhibited at the Louvre Museum in France. His wife, a former art gallery tour guide, is his marketing manager par excellence.

Yeh Fa-yuan
Leather sculptor
I encounter many difficulties in my work, and I did once think about quitting. The insight which the eagle gives us is that we must have the courage to change and the determination to be reborn.

This series of eagle sculptures, created painstakingly over two years, exhibits the luxurious soft feathers of the bird, as well as their charismatic strength. Like Yeh himself, they swoop low to the ground so as to soar into the sky.

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Wholesale egg prices climb NT$3 as shortages continue around Taiwan

Egg prices went up again on Monday to reach a wholesale rate of NT$55 per 600 grams. It’s the second price hike in just about a month, as eggs remain scarce in Taiwan. That’s despite the first two batches of a government order having already arrived from Australia. A total of 5 million Australian eggs are scheduled to arrive before the end of the month, but with shelves island-wide still empty, the government says it will procure eggs from other places as well.

It’s 6 a.m. but already, a long line has formed outside this egg shop.

At 7:20, the shop finally opens. It’s out of regular white-shelled eggs and brown-shelled eggs, however. The only ones available are special and pricier varieties. But in just one hour, they are all gone.

Member of public
I haven’t bought any eggs for a week. I’m considering raising my own hens.

Ms. Wang
Egg seller
Sourcing these eggs was really difficult. I needed 400 boxes, but I had to go ask around to get 300 of them. People are always lining up. I tell them not to, but they still stand in line. I had no choice but to sell the eggs meant for businesses. But then there were no eggs for the businesses and I got yelled at by my boss.

Avian flu, rising feed prices and poor weather have brought farm prices up. Last March, 600 grams of eggs cost NT$36.5. That price went up by NT$2 in February, and now, on March 6, it’s gone up again, by NT$3. That’s two hikes in just about a month. Wholesale egg prices now stand at NT$55 per 600 grams.

Chen Chiu-chih
Egg farmer
Distributors have come to try and snatch some eggs. They got 12 kilograms of white-shelled eggs for NT$1,300. And think about it, if they go to Taipei, they could sell them for at least NT$1,400 or NT$1,500. I think this egg shortage nightmare will drag on for at least a year.

Chen Chi-chung
Council of Agriculture
We respect the outcome of both market mechanisms. We will continue to bring in eggs as quickly as possible from other areas. We’ll also look for eggs for egg processing firms.

Taiwan has placed an order of 5 million eggs from Australia. The first two batches, totaling 720,000 eggs have already reached Taiwan, and four more batches are scheduled for March. The Council of Agriculture says it will import eggs from other countries as well to get through the shortage.

2023-03-06

Nut producer commits to freezing retail prices, despite rising costs of import

Nuts are a popular treat at this time of year. They’re great for giving to loved ones, and for keeping at home for a healthy snack. But global inflation has seen the price of importing nuts soar. Today we meet one Taiwanese nut producer that insists on keeping its retail prices stable, despite the risk. Their commitment to healthier processing keeps loyal customers onboard. And they’re hoping the rise in online sales will see them through the turbulent post-pandemic period.

Trays of nuts revolve 360 degrees in the oven, so that each nut gets heated evenly with minimal rancidity. They’re baked at a low temperature, just 100 degrees, and each batch spends six to eight hours in the oven. During that time, the chef opens the oven door to check on their progress. Traditional deep-drying techniques take just 15 to 20 minutes. This baking process is much slower and more labor-intensive.

Hsu Chin-tang
Nut producer strategy director
We process them in the most responsible way possible. Our aim is to preserve as much nutrition as we can, as well as the natural flavors of the nuts, after all, we are a subcontracting factory. So we tried out lots of different processing techniques, before discovering that this is actually the best way to handle the nuts.

The company’s commitment to producing healthy nut products started with their founder, Hsu Kuan-sheng. When he developed cancer 20 years ago, he decided to pivot the company from subcontracting deep-frying food products, to working specially with nuts. In their heyday, they processed a staggering 80% of the nuts sold in the bustling Dihua Street market area of Taipei. Revenue then was almost NT$100 million annually. But the pandemic was a hard blow, and sales fell. Now inflation means it’s 20% more expensive to import nuts from abroad.

Hsu Chin-tang
Nut producer strategy director
The price comes from the fact that you can’t keep nuts for too long, so the price fluctuates quite significantly, even to the degree that you might get one price offered today, and if you don’t say yes, the next day the price will have gone up.

So import costs have risen, but the company has frozen its retail prices for the last eight years, for fear of losing customers. However, the good news is the pandemic saw online sales rise from 7% to 13% of total sales.

Healthy eating is a trend with a lot of mileage, and the company hopes that with timely evolution, they can keep hold of their place in today’s market.

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Yunlin fish farmer stands her ground to revolutionize aquaculture industry

Taiwan’s fishing industries are in need of innovation, and one Yunlin woman is doing more than her fair share. Lin Chia-hua has been recognized as an aquaculture expert, with an award from the Ministry of Education. The third-generation fisher from MailiaoTownship had to resist her father’s opposition to a woman becoming a fish farmer. But now the aquaculture expert is revolutionizing how Yunlin farmers process and sell their produce.

Lin Chia-hua works with a colleague to pull in a fishing net. She puts her all into fishing. Having grown up here in Hou’an village, on the southwest side of Mailiao Township in Yunlin, she’s been helping out with raising pigs and feeding fish for as long as she can remember. In high school she studied animal husbandry, but in university majored in aquaculture.

Lin Chia-hua
Third-generation Mailiao fisher
I’ve studied two legs and four legs. It was a slow transition. Because in the early days our family raised animals and did aquaculture.

But Lin’s father initially thought fish farming was too physically taxing, and strongly opposed his daughter focusing on it. It was Lin’s mother who supported her choice.

Lin Chia-hua
Third-generation Mailiao fisher
My mom acted as a bridge between us. She thought that it was good that at least I had a commitment to something, and that she wanted to support me.

Lin is constantly reflecting on the future of fish farming. The industry needs innovation and change to stay profitable. Fishers must continuously upgrade their techniques and improve their product processing and publicity systems. Lin has a thorough grounding in theory, as she’s now studying for her PhD, and conducting research while working.

Lin Chia-hua
Third-generation Mailiao fisher
If you sell your produce to a middleman, the price is limited. So I started thinking, very simply, wouldn’t it be better to make some more processed products? First off, it would extend the storage life of our aquaculture products.

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Serious about the beans: DPP lawmaker Mark Ho demonstrates the art of coffee

Serious coffee lovers, look up! Premium coffee has become more and more popular in Taiwan in recent years. More and more people are aspiring coffee connoisseurs. And among their ranks is DPP lawmaker Mark Ho. He’s been brewing and drinking the best beans for more than a decade. Today we’re going to take a class in the art of coffee, from a real aficionado.

A tiny flame burns beneath the coffee kettle, and steam is gently spiralling into the air. Coffee cups and beakers sit beside Tanzanian coffee grounds, and lawmaker Mark Ho is showing how to brew a premium cup of coffee.

Mark Ho
DPP lawmaker
Even the best grinders are the same. They all produce a mixture of more and less fine grounds, and the finer grounds are at the bottom.

The coffee grounds are poured into the funnel. Once boiling water is poured on, the grounds float up, while the coffee drips into the beaker below. As you brew the coffee, you must take care not to fill the funnel up completely with water. Steam rich with an invigorating scent fills the room.

Mark Ho
DPP lawmaker
See how its steam is rising? It also has a lot of volatiles in it. You could say that coffee is the most complex foodstuff in the world – from the moment it is roasted it is continuously changing.

The brewing is over. A cup of rich dark coffee is produced, but we’re not quite ready to drink it: the freshly-brewed coffee tastes too strong and it’s too hot. Most people add a little iced water to balance it out.

Mark Ho
DPP lawmaker
If I’m going to brew 500 milliliters, then I’ll leave 200 milliliters for water. That will make a coffee that’s exceptionally clean and vibrant. When we drink scalding liquids, our tastebuds contract. It’s my understanding that for really good tea or coffee, a temperature of about 50 degrees is correct.

Ho takes a sip, then swirls it around his mouth to taste it better. He’s meticulous about every step of the process.

Mark Ho
DPP lawmaker
Everyone needs to find something they enjoy. It could be wiping the floorboards, wiping your glasses, or drinking coffee. Find something you enjoy, and you won’t get tired even if you do it 100, 1,000 or 10,000 times. This is very important.

Ho has been interested in premium coffees for more than 10 years. For him, it’s not just a morning pick-me-up, but a relaxed and meditative process that can entertain him for decades.

2023-03-06