The Yunlin County Service Station of the National Immigration Agency's Southern District Affairs Brigade recently collaborated with the Social Affairs Department of the Yunlin County Government and the New Immigrant Community Service Center to hold a family education and legal awareness course. Themed "Sharing Food Time" and "You and Me – Creating a Better Life Together," the event guided new residents through traditional markets to experience Taiwanese local culture, and included cooking competitions and cultural interaction activities.
During the event, the service station introduced ingredients for “Three Cup Chicken” and “Braised Pork Belly” using picture cards, and new resident couples were grouped to go to the market to purchase ingredients. They then showcased their cooking skills on-site, enhancing the couples’ tacit understanding. Additionally, local Taiwanese spouses also participated in the cooking activity, creating a lively atmosphere filled with authentic Taiwanese flavors and helping new residents gradually familiarize themselves with the traditional market environment.
New resident couples are grouped and sent to the market to purchase ingredients. (Image / Sourced from the National Immigration Agency website)
In addition to the cooking experience, the event featured an Indonesian cultural exhibition, where participants wore Indonesian national costumes and jointly made Batik wax-dyed coin purses. There were also traditional Indonesian games, such as the shrimp crackers eating contest, which attracted enthusiastic participation from both adults and children, adding to the vibrant atmosphere. The shrimp crackers eating contest was especially popular, requiring contestants to eat an entire shrimp cracker as fast as possible without using their hands, resulting in constant laughter.
Shrimp Crackers Eating Contest (Image / Sourced from the National Immigration Agency website)
Ms. Nguyen, a Vietnamese new resident, said that when she first arrived in Taiwan, she didn’t dare go to the market because she couldn’t understand the Taiwanese dialect, but after participating in the activity, she gradually gained confidence. Ms. Xue, a new resident from Mainland China, also shared that through this experience, her child learned to identify Taiwanese ingredients, and her husband appreciated the effort involved in cooking, leading to more harmonious family interactions.
The event organizer stated that through this market experience and culinary interaction, not only was the distance between new residents and Taiwanese life shortened, but it also improved couples’ interactions and mutual understanding. At the end of the event, Mr. Huang Zhongjie, Director of the Yunlin County Service Station, emphasized that the Immigration Agency continues to care for new residents, hoping they can settle down and prosper in Taiwan while feeling the warmth and cultural richness of the country through such activities.
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