Chopsticks: How billions use them and no one really knows what they’re doing
A deceptively simple tool with a surprisingly contested origin and a genuinely complex history spanning three thousand years.
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Potato: A Deep-Rooted Word1
A humble tuber with a surprisingly complicated identity. The potato’s names — from pomme de terre to 馬鈴薯 — tell a story of empire, confusion, and one very embarrassing supermarket incident in Taipei.
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Dragon Boat Festival/端午節
The Dragon Boat Festival traces back to a banished poet, a loyal minister, and a leap into a river. The surprisingly rich origin story of one of Taiwan’s most celebrated festivals.
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The World’s First Cookbook
The urge to write down recipes is older than you might think. Meet Archestratus — a Greek gourmand who documented his culinary opinions in 330 BCE and never looked back.
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The Michelin Guide: What have tyres got to do with food?
A tyre company’s marketing gimmick became the most feared and coveted symbol in fine dining. The unlikely origin story of the Michelin Guide — and what those stars actually mean.
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Sandwiches: A Round of Johns
From Mrs. Beeton’s toast sandwich for invalids to the latest fast food monstrosity — a brief, affectionate history of humanity’s most democratic meal.
