Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) joined Thai-Taiwanese YouTuber Chien-Chien (千千) on her show "Chien-Chien is Eating" (千千進食中) to discuss the New Southbound Policy and Vietnamese dishes on Friday (Oct. 11), garnering more than 200,000 views in under a day.
The 28-year-old Chien-Chien emerged as an online star when she participated in a 2016 Japanese eating contest, winning the title "Taiwanese Fairy" in the process. She had previously worked as a registered nurse, but would occasionally introduce local restaurants and snacks on her YouTube channel, which became a fan favorite, according to GQ Magazine.
In the newest episode of "Chien-Chien is Eating," President Tsai said Taiwan is a food heaven notable for its street snacks and cross-cultural cuisine from East Asian countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan. She added that immigrants have enriched Taiwan with new cultural elements, reported Liberty Times.
Chien-Chien told Tsai that when she was little, she was afraid her classmates would treat her differently because of where she came from. Tsai consoled her and said, "Taiwan will always be home for you and for your family."
Tsai has won the hearts of many young Taiwanese through appearing in videos on YouTube. She also recently teamed up with local YouTube host Tsai A-ga (蔡阿嘎) in a video titled, "What is the president up to?"
