The 2026 "Taiwan Eats × Mandarin Learning" event drew more than 400 congressional staffers to a tasting inside the Dirksen Senate Office Building
The event menu featured Taiwanese popcorn chicken (鹽酥雞), stir-fried rice noodles (炒米粉), braised beef (滷牛肉), old-fashioned Taiwanese black tea (古早味紅茶), and gua bao (刈包）
Attendees enjoyed the food samples and shared glowing feedback on the dishes
On behalf of TCML-Baltimore, Board Chair Eugenia Henry and Principal Ponnie Pai jointly presented certificates of appreciation to chefs Ko-Chin Chang and Kai-Yuan Lu
The 2026 "Taiwan Eats × Mandarin Learning" culinary tour, sponsored by Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC), reached a new milestone this year as the program's food diplomacy formally entered the U.S. Congress for the first time, drawing more than 400 congressional staffers to a tasting event inside the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. on September 16.
The event was hosted by the Taiwanese Center of Mandarin Learning at the Chinese Language School of Baltimore (TCML-Baltimore) and received strong support from U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, who attended to champion the program. Turnout far exceeded expectations, with the venue packed to capacity and the food supply running out well before the enthusiastic crowds thinned.
The afternoon opened with remarks from TCML-Baltimore Principal Ponnie Pai, who said she was delighted to bring Taiwanese cuisine into the U.S. Congress and into the American mainstream, calling the event a successful example of food diplomacy. She was joined at the podium by Andrea Yi-Shan Yang, Deputy Representative at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO); Tai-San Chiu, leader of the visiting Cultural Goodwill Mission delegation from Taiwan; Thomas McDevitt, Chairman of The Washington Times; and Maryland State Senator Clarence Lam, whose presence highlighted strong local partnership and broad support for cultural exchange. During the ceremony, Board Chair Eugenia Henry and Principal Ponnie Pai, on behalf of TCML-Baltimore, jointly presented certificates of appreciation to chefs Ko-Chin Chang and Kai-Yuan Lu, honoring their exceptional dedication and contributions to the tour's success.
The event menu featured Taiwanese popcorn chicken (鹽酥雞), stir-fried rice noodles (炒米粉), old-fashioned Taiwanese black tea (古早味紅茶), 滷牛肉 (braised beef)，and gua bao (刈包) — the latter reimagined for American palates, with the chefs swapping the traditional pickled mustard greens for lettuce and apple, a small but thoughtful adjustment that let mainstream guests enjoy the dish's textures and sweetness without an unfamiliar sour note. Attending guests shared glowing feedback on the dishes: one guest gave the food a perfect 10-out-of-10 rating, noting that it smelled wonderful and tasted delicious, and enthusiastically describing the flavors to colleagues as sweet, spicy, and exceptionally flavorful. Overall, attendees remarked that experiencing Taiwan's vibrant culinary traditions firsthand offered a uniquely warm, engaging, and unforgettable window into the nation's rich heritage.
Youth volunteers from FASCA-DC (Formosa Association of Student Cultural Ambassadors in DC) also played an active role on the ground, staffing tasting stations to introduce each dish and help carry out the food diplomacy.
Cultural performance was woven into the diplomacy as well: the Ten Drum Percussion Group, part of the visiting Cultural Goodwill Mission delegation from Taiwan, closed the program with a performance that paired music with food as a way of introducing Taiwanese culture to a mainstream Washington audience inside the halls of Congress.
The event created an unprecedented sensation on Capitol Hill, with its overwhelming popularity demonstrating how pairing language learning with food and performance gives congressional staff a tangible, appetite-first way to engage with Taiwan.
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