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๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ Taiwan /Economy & Trade

Finland hosts first Taiwanese market, featuring bubble tea and stinky tofu

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Finland will host its first Taiwanese market as part of the second "F:F:F-Formosa : Finland : Fest." cultural festival in Helsinki.
  • The event aims to provide a platform for political and diplomatic figures to engage with Taiwan, overcoming past political obstacles.
  • Taiwanese representative Jere Tala expressed anticipation for trying stinky tofu, a food often challenging for foreigners, and proposed a cultural exchange involving Taiwanese sausage and Finnish black sausage.

Helsinki is set to host Finland's inaugural Taiwanese market during the second "F:F:F-Formosa : Finland : Fest." cultural festival on July 11th. This expansion of the festival, organized by the General Association of Chinese Culture (Wen Zong), will feature not only various performance groups but also the well-known Taiwanese market, offering a taste of Taiwanese culture.

Ambassador Lin Chๆ˜ถ-tso of Taiwan to Finland highlighted the success of the previous year's festival, which garnered significant online and media attention, even achieving viral spread in the United States. He noted the absence of a dedicated Taiwanese market in Finland, unlike those for Thai, Japanese, and Korean cultures. This year's market aims to create an accessible space for political friends and envoys who may have previously been unable to participate in Taiwanese events due to political reasons.

The first "F:F:F-Taiwan Finland Festival" broke the Nordic night's silence with music, letting Finland feel Taiwan's heavy metal music.

โ€” Jere TalaReflecting on the previous year's festival and the expansion for the current year.

Accompanying the delegation, known for promoting Taiwanese snacks, expressed a desire to introduce Finnish people to various Taiwanese foods, including traditional breakfasts and bubble tea, a beverage representing Taiwanese language. They also suggested mini hot pots as a convenient option, considering Finnish social distancing norms. A unique proposal involved a cultural exchange: offering Taiwanese "large intestine wrapped in small intestine" (da chang bao xiao chang) in return for Finnish black sausage, symbolizing a "long-lasting" relationship.

Jere Tala, Deputy Representative of the Finnish Commerce Office in Taiwan, recalled the impact of the first festival in breaking the "Nordic silence" with Taiwanese heavy metal music. He expressed excitement for the expanded event, which now includes independent and electronic music, alongside the market. Tala specifically mentioned his anticipation for bringing stinky tofu to Helsinki, a dish often perceived as challenging by foreigners but eagerly awaited by him.

I look forward to bringing stinky tofu to Helsinki next time.

โ€” Jere TalaExpressing anticipation for a specific Taiwanese food at the festival.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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