Lisa Cheng Smith’s mom told her that learning Chinese would come in handy one day, and on Thursday she did.
Cheng Smith, who grew up in Texas, describes his Chinese language skills as “fine.” But they were nice enough to welcome Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen to Yun Hai, a small market store she co-owns with Lillian Lin in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The two showed off their store’s collection of island produce, including dried pineapple, which Tsai sampled.
“She is very charming and sweet,” Cheng Smith said of Tsai.
Tsai also stopped at Win Son, a Taiwanese American bakery and cafe next door, where she answered a few questions. The president’s favorite snack is bawan, which is a type of Taiwanese dumpling, Cheng Smith said.
The visit was not a complete surprise. The advance teams told Cheng Smith and Lin to expect a group of VIPs to visit. Cheng Smith thought Tsai might be one of them, but her mother, who was born in Taiwan, told her not to get her hopes up.
“She knows I’m sensitive,” he said.
The artisan shop features a variety of Taiwanese goods, including the Tutong rice cooker, a ubiquitous tool in Taiwan.
Cheng Smith and Lin have sought to generate more demand in the US by developing their own Taiwanese cookbook with their collaborator, Cat Yeh.
The Yun Hai Tatung family cookbook is sold in the shop, as is a cookbook by Win Son owners Trigg Brown and Josh Ku, and contributor Cathy Erway, food blogger and cook.
There’s also a variety of dried fruit, a staple of the Taiwanese diet that’s much less sugary than Americans, and various cooking and seasoning oils, among other items.
Cheng Smith is still not sure why her store was chosen, but she has been the subject of articles in Foreign Policy and New York magazines, as well as in a variety of publications in Asia. The shop’s name, Yun Hai, means “sea of clouds” and refers to a mist that settles over the mountains of central Taiwan and makes the region a fertile place to grow tea, according to the company’s website. store.
Tsai’s trip to Brooklyn was a feel-good detour on a trip abroad with more serious geopolitical implications.
China views Taiwan as part of its territory and makes its displeasure known when foreign officials meet with Taiwanese leaders. Beijing has threatened retaliation if Tsai complies with a planned meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles. The president plans to make a stop in the US city on her way home after visiting Guatemala and Belize, two countries that still maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Cheng Smith demurred when asked about the political situation facing Taiwan.
But she said she and Lin, who grew up in Taipei, wanted Yun Hai to give Taiwanese small farmers another market after China banned pineapple imports from Taiwan in 2021. Cheng Smith said they also hope to teach Americans more about the country, which they may only know from its technological prowess or the bikes it produces.
“The more people feel connected to Taiwan, the better,” he said.
