Taichung chef receives French award for culinary excellence

2026-10-22

Taiwan’s first Michelin-starred female chef Justine Li earned further international recognition this year for excellence in French cuisine. She was awarded the rank of Knight in France’s Order of Agriculture Merit, with the honor presented by the director of the French Office in Taipei. Li, founder and head chef of a renowned French restaurant in Taichung, has once again proven Taiwan’s culinary talent on the international stage.

Frédéric Laplanche
French Office in Taipei Director
It is my great honor to present Ms. Justine Li with this distinction from the Order of Agricultural Merit on behalf of the French Republic.

The director of the French Office in Taipei personally awarded the Order of Agricultural Merit to Justine Li, recognizing her efforts in promoting French cuisine in Taiwan for over 20 years. She founded a French restaurant in Taichung in 2004, when Taiwanese were still largely unfamiliar with French cuisine. Her delicious creations have since been praised by critics and customers alike.

Justine Li
Decorated chef
While this medal is more of a personal honor, it’s thanks to the hard work of my team that I have the chance to receive it. I couldn’t have done it alone.

Li cooks Taiwanese ingredients in the French culinary style, such as grilled mackerel from Penghu served with a clear bouillabaisse broth, or pan-seared prawns with zucchini garnish. In 2020, when Taichung was included in the Michelin Guide for the first time, Li’s restaurant earned a star.

Justine Li
Decorated chef
The whole journey has been challenging. For example, at the start, people in Taiwan weren’t familiar with French cuisine, plus finding the right ingredients was tough. I think French cuisine truly takes teamwork. It’s not something you can do alone.

Frédéric Laplanche
French Office in Taipei Director
French cuisine is an important part of French culture. We believe it’s a deeply rooted cultural element. So we are very grateful to have someone promoting it in Taiwan.

France’s Order of Agricultural Merit recognizes people for their outstanding contributions to agriculture and cuisine. From earning a Michelin star to the medal now on her lapel, Li has spent decades pursuing her dream, bringing authentic French cuisine to Taiwan.

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#Taichung #French #France #cuisine #OrderofAgriculturalMerit #award #FrenchOfficeinTaipei #Michelin #JustineLi #chef

料理端出台灣之光! 黎俞君法餐摘星後再獲法勳章

2026-10-22

從2020年成為台灣第一位拿下米其林一星的女主廚，到今年獲得法國政府授勳，台中知名法式餐廳的創辦人兼主廚黎俞君，獲頒法國農業功勳勳章騎士勳位，由法國在台協會主任親自授勳，在法式料理深耕數十年，如今再獲國際肯定，也讓台灣法餐實力，登上國際舞台。

[[法國在台協會主任龐維德]]
“我十分榮幸，代表法蘭西共和國，將此項(農業功勳勳章)榮譽，頒授給黎俞君女士”

法國在台協會主任龐維德，親自頒授法國農業功勳勳章，表彰台中法式料理的創辦人兼主廚黎俞君，20多年來在台推廣法國美食文化。2004年在大家對法餐都還不懂的時候，當起開路先鋒，掌杓多年來，黎俞君用一道道料理，讓自己的作品深受青睞。

[[法國餐廳主廚黎俞君]]
“這個勳章應該是比較屬於給個人的一個獎項，但是還是因為我的團隊，大家的努力，我才有機會有這個勳章，光靠個人是辦不到的”

台灣食材，以法式料理方式呈現，像是澎湖土魠魚用烤的，淋上馬賽魚清湯，或是這道煎明蝦，簡單的蝦子，旁邊櫛瓜雕花，馬上讓料理大升級。2020年，台中第一次納入米其林評鑑，黎俞君的餐廳就一舉摘下一星，好手藝登上國際美食舞台。

[[法國餐廳主廚黎俞君]]
“我覺得一路上都滿難的，因為比方說從一開始，在台灣大家都不知道法餐是什麼，然後尋找食材也是個困難，我覺得法國料理真的是一個Teamwork，它不是屬於一個個人可以做到的”

[[法國在台協會主任龐維德]]
“法國的美食文化，是法國文化的很重要的一部分，我們總覺得這可能是很深層文化的一個元素，所以有人在台灣這樣子推廣，我們非常非常感謝”

法國農業功勳勳章，表彰對農業、飲食文化等貢獻的人士，從米其林一星，到胸前的一枚勳章，幾十年來，黎俞君懷抱夢想，走過的不只是歲月，更是對法式料理的堅持，用簡單、新鮮的食材，讓料理迸出新滋味。

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Candidate sparks viral trend with poster doodle contest

After noticing a half-moustache drawn onto one of his campaign posters, DPP Kaohsiung city council candidate Chang Yi-li decided to fill in the other half himself. He never expected it to go viral! Since vandalizing billboards is illegal, he launched his own contest inviting the public to doodle on his campaign posters. So far, he’s been turned into Hello Kitty, Nezuko, a woman, and more, engaging Kaohsiung voters’ expansive creativity.

Each one of these campaign posters is a little bit different. If you look closely, you can see that some have moustaches and earrings, and some have moles on his face. Others were changed more dramatically. In this one, he’s become Hello Kitty.

With her signature red bow and whiskers, even a little “meow” written off to the side, this poster hanging in a shop has drawn a lot of attention.

Shop owner’s daughter
Loves drawing
I wanted to draw a bow on him. Then I thought of adding whiskers and ears.

All of these doodles were sanctioned by the candidate himself, who wanted to encourage residents to express their creative side.

Chang Yi-li
Kaohsiung city council candidate (DPP)
Parents have found these posters to be a lifesaver. When I’m out on the street, they come up to me asking for posters. There are so many great ones. Like this one. They gave me braids and lipstick, and even stuck little gems on the poster.

As a former director of Kaohsiung’s Youth Bureau, Chang is now throwing his hat in the ring to represent the Zuoying-Nanzih constituency. After discovering a half-moustache drawn onto one of his billboards, the former Red Dot Design Award-winner decided to add the other half himself. It went viral online, but since it’s illegal to vandalize campaign billboards, he started a poster doodling contest. Even other candidates have joined in the fun.

These city council candidates decided to give him pink hair like G-Dragon, and a muzzle like Nezuko from Demon Slayer.

Member of public
Kaohsiung resident
It’s a pretty unique promotional strategy.

Member of public
Kaohsiung resident
Allowing people to doodle on the posters makes him more approachable to people.

Chang Yi-li
Kaohsiung city council candidate (DPP)
I’ve given out more than 300 posters so far. We really look forward to everyone sharing their feedback and designs with us.

Doodle fever has taken over, both online and off. But officials still issued a warning that defacing campaign posters without the candidate’s consent remains illegal. With permission though, voters are having a blast with this creative campaign twist.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#Kaohsiung #2026election #Changyili #creative #doodle #campaignposter #viral

2026-10-22

National Chengchi University inaugurates Abe Shinzo Library

National Chengchi University has officially opened its Abe Shinzo Library, marking the fourth anniversary of the death of the former Japanese prime minister. Taiwan-Japan Relations Association chair Frank Hsieh and Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Ho Chih-wei attended the inauguration ceremony, where Abe Akie, Shinzo’s widow, gave a moving speech.

Glass cabinets display photographs of former Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzo. To mark the fourth anniversary of his death, National Chengchi University inaugurated a new Shinzo Abe Library, with Taiwan-Japan Relations Association chair Frank Hsieh and Abe Akie, Shinzo’s widow, attending the ceremony.

Abe Akie
Abe Shinzo’s widow
My husband will not be coming back now, so to ensure that his sacrifice was not in vain, I hope to continue sharing his story and passing on his legacy. I hope especially that the younger generation can carry on his spirit and beliefs.

Frank Hsieh
Taiwan-Japan Relations Association chair
Abe Shinzo was an internationally renowned politician. His ideas were ahead of his time and very influential. More importantly, he was a good friend of Taiwan. This new library provides a tangible way to pass on his ideas and spirit.

The library is built with cypress imported from Japan, creating a space for research and reading that is connected to Japanese culture. It will be a hub for research on Abe and modern Japan, collecting materials on his philosophy, diplomacy, and policies, and even displaying legislation he signed.

Lu Yeh-chung
NCCU College of International Affairs dean
The establishment of the Abe Shinzo Library is not only a tribute to the former prime minister’s vision, but an important milestone for our college and university in advancing Indo-Pacific studies and promoting academic exchanges between Taiwan and Japan.

The library honors Abe Shinzo’s legacy, preserving records of his life and achievements. It marks a new milestone in academic cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, furthering Japanese studies in Taiwan.

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#library #ShinzoAbe #NCCU #Japanstudies #university #research #legacy #politics #internationalexchange

2026-10-22

High-end wagyu hotpot restaurants offer creative dishes for fall

2026-10-22

Work and class cancellations as Champi draws close to Taiwan

2026-10-22

Puma Shen sticker sparks political storm at Taipei theater

Renowned theater troupe Our Theatre, has gotten embroiled in a political controversy, all over a campaign sticker. The group had put up a message board to get feedback from the audience about their new play at Taipei’s Shuiyuan Theater. The problem came after someone posted a small campaign sticker for Taipei Mayoral Candidate Puma Shen on a sticky note on the board. The City’s Department of Cultural Affairs asked the troupe to remove it. The request was slammed by a DPP lawmaker. Let’s hear more.

Chang Hsin-yi
Our Theatre
Venue staff warned our team about the sticker. From the get-go, we told Mr. Tsai that it was our long-standing custom to create spaces for public expression. He later phoned me. He was very supportive about our play, Louder! but he did say that he hoped we’d take the sticker down to stay out of trouble.

Chen Pei-yu
Lawmaker (DPP)
Nobody working in the arts industry wants to face this kind of suppression. A typhoon is coming, but instead of preparing for landslides, Taipei is busy trying to stop the O’Shen wave.

Puma Shen
Taipei Mayoral Candidate (DPP)
I have a concern. The requirement for political neutrality only applies to the civil servants and the venue operators. The obligation doesn’t apply to individual vendors or theater groups. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding regarding the regulations when they spoke to each other.

Tsai Shih-ping
Taipei Cultural Affairs Department
I feel that Mr. Puma Shen doesn’t have a sufficient understanding of the rules for cultural groups. Since he wants to become mayor, he should know that Taipei has long enforced political neutrality rules at all venues. Both venues and civil servants must remain politically neutral, and the groups renting the venues should help preserve that neutrality.

The theater troupe later posted a notice next to the message board. It says that, after a “friendly reminder” from the Taipei government, participants are asked to refrain from posting explicit political slogans on the board. The notice included the contentious campaign sticker on the sticky note, as well as a graphic for Chiang’s campaign printed of the paper. The notice along with a meme making fun of the situation hints at what the troupe really things of the incident.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#politics #taipei #theater #play #culture

2026-10-22

Elder man returns with scythe to little girl’s family restaurant

A man surnamed Wu is causing more trouble in Chiayi. Earlier this week, he was reported to the police for putting an 11-year-old girl in a chokehold and dragging her away after she refused to call him “uncle.” The young girl’s family intervened as he began pushing her towards an alley and he was reported to the police on charges of coercion. But he returned to the restaurant the following day, on Thursday, threatening to pour gasoline and to scare the girl’s family.

A man is raging and carrying a large scythe shouting outside the restaurant, threatening to pour gasoline on it. Just a day before, he was pushing around the granddaughter of the owners who called the police on him. Now he’s returned to cause trouble.

The restaurant owner’s 11-year-old granddaughter was standing at the door entrance waiting for her grandparents to finish closing up, when a man suddenly grabbed her neck and pulled her towards an alley. When the grandmother found out what was happening, she stopped them.

Girl’s Family Member
Concerned about escalation
He said he came to apologize, but if you’re apologizing you wouldn’t carry a blade, which would scare away our customers. Even though my granddaughter is scared, she still goes to school and her teacher is providing her counseling.

The incident took place outside the family’s restaurant in Chiayi, the man in question is a friend of the girl’s grandfather, and claimed he was simply playing with the girl and putting his arm around her shoulder because she didn’t call him “uncle.” The family rejects this reasoning and filed a police report to get to the bottom of the matter.

Chen Chih-kai
Chiayi City Councilor Candidate
To prevent our children, and even other members of the public, from this kind of suffering and intimidation and violence, we urge the prosecution to support preventative detention measures. The prosecutor’s office should take preventative measures.

Wu Chao-yi
Chief at Chiayi City Police Department
Regarding the case of Mr. Wu and the Tsai family from the day before yesterday, the police accepted the case and transferred it to judicial authorities. It will be handled according to law. In response to public concerns, the police have increased patrols and surveillance in the area surrounding the incident site.

The police have detained Mr. Wu and taken him into custody; from there he will be transferred for further investigation. The family hopes that the police and prosecutors will detain Mr. Wu who continues to cause trouble and hope they won’t have to live in fear.

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#childabuse #predator #publicsafety #sexualharassment #chiayi

2026-10-22

Old woman pleads to Puma Shen over deprived state of Shezidao

During a recent visit to Shezidao, Taipei’s DPP Mayoral Candidate, Puma Shen, was approached by a woman from a local Self-help Association. Overcome with emotion, she knelt down and sobbed to Puma Shen about the decades-long construction bans in Shezidao. She didn’t think this action, would be the cause of her being smeared online. KMT Taipei City Councilor, Lin Hsing-erh accused the grandma of being a paid actor, which led to a wave of cyberbullying against the old woman. Although Lin later apologized, the old woman stood in front of the Self-help Association and announced she was filing a defamation lawsuit.

Old Woman
Local to Shezidao
My 10 years of hard work, I’m not sure how to say, really, I cannot take it anymore. And even on the television they all just say whatever, say I’m taking money, who is going to give money to me? I’m also not lacking money, really, I wouldn’t do it for NT$3,000, now the living cost is so high, what can NT$3,000 even buy, huh? Buy me?

Looking back at the Shezidao Development Project dilemma, the 76-year-old woman wasn’t able to hold back her tears. When she saw Taipei’s DPP mayoral candidate Puma Shen, she erupted into pleas and this action led to her being smeared online.

- Shezidao has many poor souls, they can’t live, when you become mayor, you have to help Shezidao.

At the time, the old woman was on the floor pleading to Puma Shen, who responded saying if he became mayor he would solve it. The 50-year construction ban in Shezidao has been a long-standing issue. KMT Taipei City Councilor, Lin Hsing-erh, mocked the grandma saying she was a paid actor. As a result, the grandma was subject to bullying online and was so angry she filed a defamation lawsuit.

Lee Hua-ping
Shezidao Self-help Association Spokesperson
In 2022, Chiang Wan-an, before he became mayor, he was very kind, very friendly, and personally helped the petition for Shezidao Self-help Association. It’s been four years since and have they met again?

Old Woman
Local to Shezidao
We’ve been lied to by so many mayors, I’ve lost my faith.

Although Lin Hsing-erh issued an apology, she emphasized that she is unafraid and advised against using the old woman for ulterior motives and political games. She criticized the Shezidao Self-help Association for blowing things out of proportion. However, members fired back and also criticized Taipei’s Mayor Chiang Wan-an for being friendly before he was elected and ignoring them after. They felt they were deceived and hope the election would change things.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#shezi #社子島 #蔣萬安 #dpp #kmt #constructionban #defamationsuit

2026-10-22

Athletic trainer flips off teen at high school basketball game

An adult athletic trainer for a high school basketball team got so worked up about his team’s victory that he stormed onto the court and flipped off his opponents. The man taunted a player from the opposing team who had just fallen to the ground after attempting a three-pointer. He gave the teen the middle finger and allegedly called him a “piece of trash.” The shocking outburst sparked widespread outrage, prompting the school to fire the trainer.

A player from Dalun Junior High is attempting a three-pointer, when he loses his balance and falls to the floor. The referee blows the whistle, sealing the victory for their opponents, Jinhe Junior High. Then, a man wearing a black T-shirt storms onto the court, yells at the fallen player and flips him off.

- The athletic trainer is on the court!
He flipped off a player!
Call the parents over!

Jinhe Junior High’s athletic trainer shocked everyone rushing onto the court in the middle of the game to harass a player from Dalun Junior High. He gave the player the middle finger, shouted at him to “Keep acting,” and may have even called him a piece of trash. His actions sparked swift backlash on social media.

Hsieh Nien-tzu
Dalun Junior High coach
He insulted the kids and made rude gestures at them. Some kids heard him say “piece of trash.” He’s not even a member of staff at the school, so he shouldn’t even have been there to begin with.

Kuo Fang-chiang
Dalun Junior High Principal
I’m very upset that the three years of efforts that our kids did were stained by this provocation.

Jinhe Junior High released an apology after the incident, saying that the athletic trainer had been dismissed and would never be hired again. Dalun Junior High released a statement condemning the incident and asking the national school sport federation to investigate the matter to clarify the facts and responsibilities. The Commissioner of Miaoli County also spoke on the matter.

Chung Tung-chin
Miaoli Commissioner
It’s unbelievable. I think the school sports federation should give Miaoli an explanation on how order is maintained at games. The rules should prevent all the participants from every county from getting harassed on the court.

The commissioner says the perpetrator should apologize publicly for his actions. He stressed that both winning and losing is a part of sports, and urged athletes and their teams to show good sportsmanship by being humble in victory and gracious in defeat.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#sports #taiwan #miaoli #basketball #sportsmanship

2026-10-22

Taichung chef receives French award for culinary excellence