Episode 4: Win Son + Taiwanese Danzi Noodles

Taiwan may have food trends that went international like gua bao and bubble tea, but on this episode, Josh Ku and Chef Trigg Brown of Win Son Restaurant in Brooklyn want to tell you about danzi noodles. This humble snack is widely available in Taiwan, and while it’s not a household name in the States yet, it’s growing in popularity amongst foodies. Tune in to learn about what it is, its history, and why you should be eating it.

Iris calls in from Hong Kong to talk about what exactly this shrimp and pork noodle dish is and what are its origins. Danzi noodles come from Tainan, Taiwan but we wonder if it was perhaps adapted from a Fujian dish, given the historical connection between Taiwan and Fujian. Lynda and Iris then talk about the Taiwanese food scene, or lack thereof, in Hong Kong and New York City.

Next, Trigg and Josh tells us about who they are and how they came to open Win Son, a Taiwanese-American restaurant in East Williamsburg. They talk about their travels to Taiwan, why they wanted to talk about danzi noodles and what's special about the dish, as well as how guests respond to the dish at Win Son. Perhaps the best part of the interview is  how they feed off each other, and hearing how they bonded as friends over Taiwanese food!

19:02

Trigg: "A lot of people come into the restaurant and they have expectations based on what they understand. Taiwanese history, and especially Taiwanese food culture, is very shrouded to most people. At least in America, outside of California."

Josh: "I'd say one out of five people that come in are like, oh, Thai food? Sweet!"

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