いらっしゃいませ

Growing up in the United States as a Taiwanese American can be a pretty lonely world to be living in. We’re often labeled as simply “Asian” here in the States because of how we look. It doesn’t matter if we have a Southern drawl, Midwest twang, or perfect American accent. It doesn’t matter if you grew up in Bahston or New Yawk (where “Houston” is pronounced “Howston”). Even though we’re taught to “never judge a book by its cover,” people still do. I am…Asian?

It’s only a little bit better on the other side. Americans dress differently than Taiwanese people,  so going back to Taiwan, our clothing choices can give us away as “foreigners.” For those of us who can pass clothing-wise, we’re often distinguished the moment we open our mouths to speak Mandarin / Taiwanese. Yeah, I’ve got that American accent. I am…American?

Within the Asian American community in the United States, Taiwanese Americans actually hold a pretty strong presence, but in the minds of the world/country at large, we’re still kind of an afterthought. “Ooh, I  love Thai food!”  is still a common response. Maybe you’ll get an “Ooh, so you’re Chinese?” if the respondent is slightly more educated than the former. Maybe you’ll get a tech savvy person who recognizes that Taiwan makes/designs a lot of technology. Some people are raised in families that instill their deep Taiwanese pride into their children and bring them along to rallies trying to get the United Nations to let Taiwan in (and this was me).  I am…Thai? Chinese? A Computer Maker? Taiwanese?

Taiwanese Americans all across the United States struggle with this identity crisis. Probably to the dismay of my parents, I identify with none of these. I identify as Taiwanese American. But what does this mean?

As I plan potential speaker sessions at various Taiwanese American / Asian American events, I’m thinking about using this as an opening monologue. Thoughts? Feedback? Contact