Italian immigrant brings his mother’s authentic family recipes to Tainan

2024-04-02

An Italian immigrant has brought his authentic family recipes to Taiwan’s market. Nicola Fornasa met his wife in Shanghai, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, they decided to settle down in Tainan. After giving up a business career, Fornasa has become a professional baker. He uses the tried and tested sweet recipes created by his mom! Although they’re unusual in Taiwan, they go down a storm in a town that appreciates authentic food traditions as much as Tainan. Fornasa hopes that one day he can bring his mom over to see how far her recipes have come.

Nicola Fornasa touts his products at a lively market.

The Italian immigrant is here to sell his homemade cakes, the most distinctive of which is this sweet salame. It’s rare in Taiwan but Fornasa has been enjoying it his whole life.

Fornasa imports ingredients from his home region of Italy to make the salame, which is 85% chocolate. The chocolate is melted and mixed with other ingredients to form a sausage shape, then bound with string and set in a freezer.

Salame is a word most of us associate with cold meats or pork sausage. But don’t let it fool you! This cake, originating in Italy and Portugal, has nothing to do with meat.

Nicola Fornasa
Baker and Italian immigrant
You can find a charcuterie shop, the shop for salami, prosciutto, ham. But this one is only chocolate without any meat or other ingredient.

Before coming to Taiwan, Fornasa worked for a synthetic leather company. In his spare time, he liked to cook with his mother’s recipes to care for his homesickness. He never expected that one day he’d be a professional baker. His mother, who still lives in Italy, is astonished that her son has made a career out of her recipes. She still regularly handwrites a new recipe out and sends it to him, to bring novelty to his menu.

Nicola Fornasa
Baker and Italian immigrant
I’m lucky because I transform one passion in one business, and not so many people are so lucky in the world. So, for me, it’s just my passion.

Fornasa hopes that one day, he can bring his mother to Taiwan, so she can see how the sweetness of her ideas has won the hearts of Taiwanese markets.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

化學皮革公司業務轉做烘焙　用媽媽手作食譜創業

2024-04-02

來自義大利的李大千，和太太在上海認識，受到武漢肺炎疫情影響，回到臺南定居，有著一身烘焙好廚藝的他，在府城推廣-義大利甜點。初初創業，透過網路行銷，擺市集，一步一腳印，不只讓臺灣人認識他的家鄉美食，也一步一步圓了自己的創業夢。

熱鬧的市集，李大千叫賣著。

來自義大利的李大千賣的是他的手作甜點，其中最具特色的是他從小吃到大的甜點Salame，在臺灣不多見。

85%的黑巧克力，是李大千特地從義大利家鄉，採購回來的原料。已經隔水加熱融化的黑巧克力，和所有材料混合在一起之後，塑形成長條狀，再用棉線綑紮，最後放到冷藏定型就完成。

Salame這個詞跟外型，都因為跟臘腸一模一樣，總讓人傻傻分不清楚，這個源自於義大利以及葡萄牙的甜點，其實和肉完全無關。

[[義大利新住民李大千]]
“你可以發現，這個跟在義大利賣臘腸的商店裡，賣的臘腸很像，但這裡面只有巧克力，沒有任何肉類。”

李大千在來臺灣之前，是化學皮革公司的業務，空閒時就靠著媽媽的手作食譜，一解自己的思鄉情，從來沒想過，自己有一天會走上烘焙之路。遠在義大利的媽媽，看見兒子竟然可以把自己的食譜做成一門事業，驚訝不已，現在三不五時，就手寫下私房食譜，傳給兒子，要為他的菜單增添新意。

[[義大利新住民李大千]]
“我很幸運，因為我可以把興趣轉化為一項事業，世界上沒有多少人能夠如此幸運，所以對我來說，這是我的榮幸。”

李大千希望有一天，可以帶著媽媽來到臺灣，看看她的食譜，如何成為臺灣人喜歡吃的義大利甜點。

以上內容由《我們一家人》節目提供內政部移民署監製

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With Taiwan’s aging population crisis worsening, matters like inflexible parental leave seem to only be making matters worse. A press conference featuring DPP lawmakers and civic groups called on the government to allow parents to be able to take leave in customizable chunks of time. They say this can help them better meet the demands of their family and their workplaces.

Taiwan’s unpaid parental leave laws are known for being rigid, with current regulations stating that leave “shall not be, in principle, less than six months each time.” Today, DPP lawmakers and civic groups got together to hold a press conference where the speakers called on the government to provide more time-related flexibility for parental leave.

Fan Yun
DPP lawmaker
Once gender equality is achieved, women will also start to pursue the dream careers they originally had. When you add that together with financial pressure you get a dwindling birthrate. And if you can’t fix this issue, then you’ll get a social structure problem. We hope that the Ministry of Labor can give a real world response to public demand by implementing an important political viewpoint of President-elect Lai Ching-te, which is parental leave reform.

Lin Shu-fen
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The current system for parental leave without pay is if you as the parent choose to keep your job, then your job is protected if you want to take a longer-term parental leave without pay. If you want something more flexible, then the period of time for work leave can be altered to meet your workplace’s requirements. This second track is flexible leave for parents. We want both parental leave tracks to run alongside each other.

Another lawmaker said that if the law isn’t changed then the aging population crisis will only get worse over time.

Hung Sun-han
DPP lawmaker
When time isn’t flexible or ample enough to help a mother cope with all sorts of potential family situations, then she’ll have to face a difficult choice. When time allotment for parental leave time is so set in stone, then labor shortages will only get worse. Are worsening labor shortages good for industries? And so the way to bridge these labor gaps is by doing what industries seem to be doing effortlessly right now, which is hiring migrant workers from other countries? I don’t think that’s the way we should be doing things.

Taiwan’s potential demographic collapse concerns all political parties. Pan-green lawmakers have pitched the issue of fixing inflexible parental leave, and so they hope lawmakers nationwide will step up to the plate and, together, revise the law.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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These two mothers successfully gave birth to children after being implanted with mosaic embryos. They and their kids have come back to visit the hospital, where they previously underwent treatment, to celebrate Children’s Day.

Mother
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Mother
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The findings are a boost of confidence for mothers who only have mosaic embryos left to implant.

Lee Maw-sheng
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Amid Taiwan’s falling birthrates, the doctor says he hopes the findings will inspire more people to not give up on their dreams to grow their families.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Mask manufacturers embrace recycling to stay afloat

Since the COVID-19 pandemic receded, demand for face masks has plummeted. At the same time, cut-price Chinese masks have flooded the market. Mask manufacturers in Taiwan are looking for ways to stay afloat in the competitive industry. Many are turning to recycling, either reusing old masks in new ways, or highlighting how their masks are more “green” than competitors.

A production line whirrs with activity as mask after mask rolls by. Mask demand has plummeted since the pandemic ended, and the members of the “National Mask Squad” are transitioning to new ways of working.

Chen Yung-chih
Face mask manufacturer
The cleaning bag you see here uses material recycled from the nose bridges of our masks, remade into refuse bags. They’re very strong and difficult to perforate.

Refuse bags, clothes hangers, and other items are all made of recycled masks. When COVID-19 exploded in 2020, the government invited manufacturers to form a “National Mask Squad” to stabilize the production of public health equipment. At their height, they were producing 20 million face masks a day. But these disposable masks can also become environmental pollution.

Chen Yung-chih
Face mask manufacturer
We have always needed to deal with masks using landfill or incineration. That means that masks might defame, or pollute the air or the ocean in the future. So, how can we make masks sustainable, eco-friendly, circular and reusable?

With these green goals, Taiwanese mask manufacturers are working with the Taiwan Nonwoven Fabrics Industry Association. They’re recycling masks, and launching a new recycling logo. They want to protect the Earth while also making inroads into overseas markets, including Europe and America.

Chen Yung-chih
Face mask manufacturer
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Huang Chih-ping
Taiwan Nonwoven Fabrics Industry Association
Our masks still cost between NT$3.5 and NT$5, but the ones imported from China are 0.8 yuan, or even less. Facing this competition from China’s cut-price masks, we want to call on the public to contribute to the environment as they protect their own health. Get a mask that’s all one material, that we can recycle, that we can turn into another product.

Before the pandemic, Taiwan boasted about 30 mask manufacturers. At the height of COVID-19, there were more than 400. Now, there are fewer than 100. They face a decline in demand and cheap competition from China, as well as undercutting rivals within Taiwan. But these manufacturers are working to reinvent themselves. They’re not throwing in the towel yet.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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TSMC American depositary receipts pick up 4% after April Fools’ hoax report

Hoax reports on April Fools’ Day had a major impact on TSMC American depositary receipts on Monday and Taiwan shares on Tuesday. A false report had emerged that Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway was buying back his TSMC stake. The news boosted TSMC American depositary receipts by 4%, which in turn lifted TSMC shares by NT$20 on Tuesday. Taiwan shares overall picked up 1.21% to close at a record-breaking 20,466 points. The biggest winners were tech shares and AI concept stocks.

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Taiwan shares opened high and closed even higher at a new record high of 20,466 points, an increase of 1.21%. Tuesday was gains across the board for electronics and AI shares. MediaTek picked up 0.43%, and Quanta and Hon Hai skyrocketed by more than 5% each.

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For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Now we meet a tidying up guru who helps clients turn their “little houses” into “mansions.” Fang Li moved to Taiwan from China 15 years ago. After bringing up two kids as a single mother, she found her calling: tidying up. She now has a small business of her own and is excited about extending her housekeeping insights to more clients.

This professional tidying expert is Fang Li, who hails from China and has lived in Taiwan for 15 years.

She clears out the clothes closet, and separates items by category into large storage bags. She skillfully places the sofa in a new position and re-places the items according to their user’s habits, turning what was a messy bedroom into a spacious nest, spick and span.

Fang Li
Tidying expert and Chinese immigrant
We’ve tidied and organized the objects and then divided the room into zones. There’s the sleeping zone, the working zone, the cosmetics zone, and a little living room zone. Once your items are sorted and tidied, it’s easy and frictionless to use them.

Fang paid for her own education in the tidying profession. She has recognized professional qualifications from Taiwan and Japan, and has founded a small working group as she grows her business.

Fang Li
Tidying expert and Chinese immigrant
Often when we finish a job, the client will say, “I didn’t realize our house could feel so big! Yeah, we often say our home is very small.” But you can really turn a “small” home into a mansion through a tidying service.

When she first arrived in Taiwan, Fang worked part-time at a fruit and vegetable market. Later she worked as a cleaner, and in recent years transitioned to her work as a tidying guru. After a divorce, she raised her two children alone, which was a financial strain. But she got through the difficult years and was able to turn her focus to home organization, where she found her vocation.

Fang Li
Tidying expert and Chinese immigrant
The harvest I have now is that I brought up these two children, and I find my value in them. I bought my own house, thanks to the work I’ve done for the last decade or more. I think if you just work hard, and live sincerely, then you will have a beautiful life.

A 22-year-old woman went through marriage and migration to grow into a woman with strength and softness. Qipao dance, her favorite hobby, is a lot like her own life story: it may look simple, but behind the elegant movements is a surprising story. Fang hopes her small business will continue to put down roots, and one day she can become a big name in the world of tidying up.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-04-02

Italian immigrant brings his mother’s authentic family recipes to Tainan