The play opens with Wong recounting a real moment: her July 2022 interview with a Broadway producer to write the musical adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians, just two months after being named a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her seventh solo show Kristina Wong: Sweatshop Overlord. In retelling the experience, she pitches an exaggerated, Cinderella-style story about wealth, romance, and upward mobility.

The framing is intentionally absurd. Wong, a self-described activist artist with a history of working with marginalized communities, is painfully aware that she does not fit the mold of a mainstream Broadway storyteller. Her comedic desperation — “I can give you crazy and Asian” — sets up one of the central tensions of the piece: the pull between artistic integrity and the desire for financial security and recognition.

When she fails to land the job, Wong pivots. If she cannot write a glossy musical about wealth and aspiration, she will write her own musical — one that reflects her real life. In a clever structural move, she adopts the conventions of a romantic comedy (meet-cute, complications, resolution) and casts an unexpected love interest: her local food bank. This conceit becomes the organizing metaphor of the show. The “relationship” allows Wong to explore not only her personal history with food insecurity, but also the broader systems that shape access to food in the United States.

Hunger, Shame and a Struggle to Survive
Wong’s early adulthood as a struggling artist provides emotional grounding. In her twenties, she juggles low-paying jobs and inconsistent income, often relying on work that provided meals or improvising ways to get by.

Shame plays a central role. Cultural expectations and personal pride made it difficult for her to seek help. Even when assistance programs existed, they felt inaccessible and stigmatized. Through humor, Wong illustrates how people hide food insecurity, masking it with resourcefulness and silence.

Her story highlights a broader truth: hunger in America is often invisible, shaped as much by social stigma as by economic hardship.

The Meet-Cute: Discovering World Harvest Food Bank
The narrative shifts when Wong discovers the World Harvest Food Bank, a non-traditional food bank that operates like a grocery store. Unlike more institutional models, it offers flexibility and dignity — people pay what they can, volunteer, or simply receive food.

Wong describes this as a romantic “meet-cute.” For the first time, she experiences abundance without shame. The space redefines what food aid can look like, offering not just sustenance but autonomy.

Her affection for World Harvest extends to its founder, Glenn Curado, whom she portrays as an unconventional, almost mythic figure. Unlike leaders of large nonprofit food banks, he refuses restrictive funding, avoids bureaucratic oversight, and prioritizes accessibility for undocumented people and others who might be excluded from formal systems. Wong contrasts this model with the larger Feeding America network, highlighting tensions between scale, regulation, and flexibility. Through humor — comparing food banks to the Kardashian sisters — she critiques the hierarchies and branding within the nonprofit world.

Yet the play does not romanticize food banks uncritically. As the “relationship” deepens, Wong introduces complications. She examines the language of “hunger” versus “food insecurity,” noting how emotional appeals are often used in fundraising while obscuring systemic causes.

Dating the System: When Aid Programs Become Characters
Expanding beyond her own experience, Wong connects food insecurity to larger structural issues. She traces the history of U.S. food assistance, emphasizing that the country does not guarantee food as a basic right.

Stories from communities like the Navajo Nation illustrate “food apartheid,” where geography, race, and policy limit access to nutritious food. These examples reinforce that hunger is not accidental but systemic.

Wong critiques how food banks function politically. They offer powerful imagery for politicians while allowing deeper issues — low wages, housing costs, healthcare — to remain unaddressed. She suggests food banks act as a “Band-Aid,” providing relief without solving root causes. This dual role makes them both essential and problematic.

At the emotional peak, Wong realizes the food bank cannot be her “forever love.” While necessary, it cannot end hunger. This realization is framed as a romantic breakup. Food banks address immediate need but not systemic inequality. By dramatizing this, Wong captures the tension between gratitude and frustration.

The play ends with a vision of a world where food banks are no longer needed because basic needs are guaranteed. Wong imagines a society where food, housing, and healthcare are accessible to all.

This vision is aspirational but grounded in critique. It challenges audiences to think beyond temporary solutions and toward systemic change.

Comedy as a Call to Action
What makes Food Bank Influencer so compelling is its ability to hold multiple truths at once. It celebrates the lifesaving work of food banks while critiquing their limitations. It uses humor to make difficult topics accessible without diminishing their seriousness. And it transforms a deeply personal story into a broader call for systemic change.

In the end, Wong’s “love story” is less about a single institution than about a shift in perspective. By moving from charity to community, from scarcity to dignity, she challenges audiences to rethink not only how we feed people, but how we value them.

For more information, visit kristinawong.com

Read my article about Kristina Wong Food Bank Influencer where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Inside Kristina Wong’s Food Bank Influencer

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet.

The post A Love Story About Hunger: Inside Kristina Wong’s Food Bank Influencer appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

Gypsy jazz requires a pick and relies on powerful downstrokes and precise alternate picking. Classical guitar, by contrast, is played fingerstyle, demanding intricate coordination of four fingers and refined nail technique. The muscle memory required for each style is distinct and most musicians devote their lives to mastering just one.

Boyer began playing at age six, immersing himself first in gypsy jazz. As a teenager, he entered the conservatory to study classical guitar. His interpretations of the demanding works of Domenico Scarlatti have drawn praise. Scarlatti’s complex counterpoint, originally written for keyboard, is formidable on guitar. Yet Boyer moves through it with clarity and ease before pivoting back to improvisation with leading gypsy jazz players.

Boyer explained his musical development to me during our recent interview. Musicianship is only part of his story. It also led to something deeply personal ─ a cross-cultural love story between virtuosic musicians that began in Taiwan.

Meeting at a Taiwan Festival
In 2018, Boyer met Korean harmonica player Yeore Kim at a gypsy jazz festival in Taipei. He had traveled from France to give masterclasses and perform concerts. She attended at a friend’s suggestion, despite knowing little about gypsy jazz. The festival unfolded over several days, filled with concerts, lessons and late-night jam sessions where they first played together.

There was an immediate complication ─ they did not share a spoken language. Boyer did not speak Korean. Kim spoke limited English and French was not an option. “So we played,” Boyer recalls. “The more music we played, the more we talked.” Music became their shared vocabulary.

Both describe that first collaboration as a moment of recognition. Boyer says he often senses a musician’s personality through tone — the way they hold an instrument, shape a phrase or connect with an audience. When he heard Kim’s harmonica, he was struck by her “powerful, honest, vibrant sound.”

Kim remembers feeling that Boyer possessed something she did not — and at the same time, that they shared something essential. That feeling deepened as they continued playing together. Taipei left a lasting impression ─ especially the relaxed atmosphere, the friendly people and the food. The city now holds a special significance: it is where their relationship began.

Today they are a happily married couple.

Growing Up With Music
Kim grew up in a musical household; her mother was a piano teacher. As a child, she studied piano, cello, trumpet and drums before gravitating toward harmonica. She describes the instrument as uniquely close to the human voice — intimate, expressive and capable of subtle shading. Her first paid work came at 20, playing trumpet at weddings in Korea — a vibrant industry there.

Boyer’s father, an amateur pianist, encouraged him to take up guitar so they could play together. They began lessons at the same time, studying with the same teacher when Boyer was six. By 11 or 12, he was already performing concerts and earning money. His father managed logistics while they toured as a duet.

Neither Boyer nor Kim recalls a single turning point when they chose music as a profession. Music chose them.

Their influences span genres. For Boyer, gypsy jazz traces back to Django Reinhardt, the genre’s pioneering figure. Classical studies opened doors to a broader repertoire. Kim cites harmonica legend Toots Thielemans and jazz trumpeters Chet Baker and Miles Davis as formative inspirations.

Love and Collaboration
Today, Boyer and Kim share both a life and a stage. However, that dual partnership required adjustment. “In the beginning, it was difficult to find the balance,” Kim says. The roles of life partner and musical partner are not identical. Over seven years together, they have learned each other’s rhythms — emotional patterns, stress responses and working styles. Structure helps. So does space.

“When you spend so much time together, you also need time alone,” Boyer explains. Recognizing when the other is stressed — and understanding that it is temporary — has been crucial. Not taking professional tension personally allows both the relationship and the music to flourish.

Artistically, they describe each other in poetic terms. Kim compares Boyer’s playing to a Monet impressionist painting — layered and nuanced. Boyer admires Kim’s ability to make a single note resonate deeply, creating an emotional impact that lingers.

The Album: You and I
After years of performing in various group settings, the couple released their duet album, You and I. Though they had long intended to record as a duo, other collaborations delayed the project. Last year, they decided the time was right.

Recorded in Korea and released last May, the album features interpretations of existing compositions spanning jazz standards and classically inspired works. Rather than follow a rigid theme, they selected pieces based on a simple principle: the music had to suit their combined sound.

Some songs they loved individually did not translate effectively as a duet. Others flourished after careful arrangement. The pair recorded and mixed the album themselves, maintaining creative control, with outside assistance only for mastering.

Looking ahead, they plan to continue touring as a duo with performances scheduled across Europe and the United States.

From a chance jam session in Taipei to concert stages around the world, their journey underscores a simple truth: sometimes music speaks first — and says everything words cannot.

WATCH my full interview with Gypsy jazz and classical guitar virtuoso Antoine Boyer on YouTube at the link below:

Read my article about the Gypsy jazz and classical guitar virtuoso Antoine Boyer where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Antoine Boyer and Yeore Kim: A Love Story in Taipei Told Through Music

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet.

The post Antoine Boyer and Yeore Kim: A Love Story in Taipei Told Through Music appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

Emceed by three-time Asian literary award winner Ed Lin, this well-attended event featured live jazz music entertainment, catered Taiwanese American food and beverage, and a raffle of six outstanding prizes, while featuring the NYC premiere of the award-winning and longest running Taiwan-related podcast, Talking Taiwan, as a LIVE podcast!

A 2021 Golden Crane Award winning podcast, Talking Taiwan was also shortlisted in the category of Moment of Visionary Leadership by being chosen as one of 15 entries out of over 700 entries from 34 countries for the 2024 International Women’s Podcast Awards.

At the event, Talking Taiwan’s host and co-producer Felicia Lin conducted four live interviews with prominent Taiwanese American guests. This was an unusual divergence from its typical programming, which for more than 12 years has been predominantly online, where the two-person team conducted over 311 remote interviews with Taiwan diaspora and other interesting people from all over the world who share their interesting Taiwan-related stories.

Full disclosure: as the co-producer, editor, and sound engineer of Talking Taiwan, I am the other person of this two-person team.

A Musical Performance by Peter Lin’s AAPI Jazz Collective
Taiwanese American trombonist Peter Lin started the event by leading his quintet in a performance of classic Taiwanese jazz and folk songs, including Longing for the Spring Breeze, Moon Represents My Heart, Forgotten Time, and Tian Mi Mi. The band ended their first set with their own swinging version of Wife, and an authentic version of Rosemary, both sung by special guest, the great baritone Ting Yi-Chen.

Meanwhile, the popular Greenwich Village based Taiwanese restaurant 886 catered all the food for the event, while DAE Tea, a tea company for five generations from Taiwan operating since 1918, provided delicious and authentic freshly brewed Taiwan teas.

The Main Event: The Talking Taiwan LIVE podcast
Lin’s first guest was Taiwanese actor and comedian Esther Chen, who is known for her NYC standup act and appearances on Seinfeld. Notably, last year she posted several disturbing Instagram stories of crowd instances where censorship of Taiwan’s representation was demonstrated by derogatory signs inside the Paris stadium while she was a spectator at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

For decades, the International Olympic committee has not allowed Taiwan to call itself by its actual name, as it does not officially recognize Taiwan as a separate nation, forcing Taiwan to compete under the name “Chinese Taipei,” even though Taiwan has owned its sovereignty and conducted itself as a vibrant democracy since 1996.  Lin and Chen spoke about those jarring visual signs and disturbing audio events that took place inside the stadium, but their conversation was mostly filled with light-hearted and amusing commentary.

Next up was Thomas Duh, the co-owner of DAE Tea, a business that has been in his family for five generations. The American brand DAE (standing for “tea”) is better known as Hwa Gung Tea in Taiwan. He discussed the long family history of the brand, and where it is heading in the future.

Lin’s third interview was with renowned Taiwanese American visual artist and painter Kaarina Chu Mackenzie. She is widely known for her vast works encompassing the immersive Night Market exhibit in Taipei. Chu Mackenzie displays her works in many galleries and exhibits throughout the U.S. and Taiwan.

Lin’s final guest was Taiwanese American Jonny Lee, the current president of TAP-NY, which is the Taiwanese American Professionals – NY Chapter. They bring together a large network of Taiwanese American young professionals throughout the U.S. and host many networking events about New York City.

A Second Set Surprise!
My favorite part of the evening was definitely the AAPI Jazz Collective’s second set, where yours truly performed five songs with the band, including the Sinatra Basie classic, Fly Me to the Moon, Crowd Lu’s Fishes, and two originals.

For me personally, the highlight of the set was my performance of the Taiwanese banger Island’s Sunrise by the Taiwanese rock band FireEx, a song that became the inspiring anthem for the 2014 Sunflower Movement in Taipei.  The most enthralling part of all of this was singing this famous song in Taiwanese – as I do not speak the language! I had to learn this song phonetically, and apparently judging by the reaction of the mostly Taiwanese-speaking crowd, I was thrilled to see my performance was approved with high marks!

What a fun event this was! The night turned out to be such a raving success, we are seriously considering this to be an annual event. If you are curious about the Talking Taiwan podcast, visit talkingtaiwan.com

Read this article on Talking Taiwan’s 2025 Fundraising Gala where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

Talking Taiwan’s 2025 Fundraising Gala at Eichholtz

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify

The post Talking Taiwan’s 2025 Fundraising Gala at Eichholtz appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

The troupe’s latest incarnation “Islanders 4” celebrated and performed the event Compound Playground at Pretty Garden located on 99 Canal Street on November 2nd. The key eight principals of “Islanders 4” are: Chieh the choreographer/dancer, Yo-yo the violinist, Sabina the pianist, Leo the host/linguist (also singer/composer), Bing-Bing, the actor, Fang, the actor/singer, Yohan the photographer, and Grant, the cinematographer.

The Compound Playground
The event’s Compound Playground concept is a mix of live musical performances and multi-media exhibitions. For the latter the focus was on short films created by the troupe that featured abstract dance, a violinist fluttering upon urban rooftop scenes, the interaction of these subjects and how this relates and affects environmental concerns. Two key principals, Chieh and Yo-yo, were featured in the film. Actors also performed during an apartment scene. The live concert performance, which happened after the exhibition, consisted of Yo-yo, Sabina, Leo, and two special guests: a cellist, and a jazz singer.

Three Original Compositions
The first original piece was composed by the pianist Sabina to express her journey of motherhood called Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? which she wrote about her young son Ryan’s favorite book. The song is an allegory of a child’s vivid imagination, where numerous animals are represented by colors in the story. It culminated into the students in a classroom all seeing the “brown bear.”

The second song, also composed by Sabina, was called Sleepless, and this piano composition starts with a more upbeat jazzier feel, and later segues during the bridge into avant-garde classical, then back to jazz.

The third song, Curry Rice, was composed by the host Leo. He wrote this while living in New York City when he was homesick during Lunar New Year. He was missing his mother, still living in Taiwan, who used to cook this dish for him. Leo wrote and sang the lyrics in Taiwanese.

An End of Year Celebration
Compound Playground was an event filled with fun, music, and art. Special Taiwanese dishes and soups, beers and various local wines were also available.

If you’d like to learn more about Islanders 4, view their schedule, or book any of them for a private event, visit this link below.

instagram.com/compoundplayground

Read this article where I originally wrote it in The Village View:

The Islanders

Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award-winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify

The post The Islanders: A Troupe of Taiwanese American Actors, Musicians, and Performing Artists appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.

This outdoor event which ran from 12 Noon to 5:00 pm celebrating the delicious food, vibrant spirit, and diverse music culture of Taiwan was a jubilant affair. It has been held annually in New York City near the end of May ever since 2002. This outdoor event which ran from 12 Noon to 5:00 pm celebrating the delicious food, vibrant spirit, and diverse music culture of Taiwan was a jubilant affair. It has been held annually in New York City near the end of May ever since 2002.

The Passport to Taiwan Festival is not only about Taiwanese music and food culture. This year it provided even more interesting content. Talking Taiwan,the longest running Taiwan-related podcast and Golden Crane Award winner made its debut there. Felicia Lin, its award-winning podcast host broadcasted a fun and interactive Talking Taiwan Live Stream all day long, while interviewing five notable Taiwan guests, and impromptu Taiwan-related enthusiasts who stopped by wanting to share their interesting Taiwan stories.

I had a chance to interview Felicia and talk to her about the significance of the event and a bit of Taiwan’s history. In full disclosure, I am the Executive Producer of Talking Taiwan.K: Can you tell me about the history and significance of the Passport to Taiwan?

The idea for an outdoor festival celebrating Taiwan dates back to 1999 when the U.S. Congress designated the second week of May Taiwanese American Heritage Week. But it wasn’t until 2002 that the first Passport to Taiwan was held, so it has been around for nearly two decades if you don’t count the pandemic.

Events like this are important, not just as a celebration of our culture and roots, but in the case of Taiwan, it’s especially important for our community’s representation, due Taiwan’s international isolation.

K: Tell me more about that.

F: How is it that Taiwan, with its effective early containment of COVID-19 (that made it a haven for COVID-refugees) has been blocked from joining the World Health Organization? And why is it that Taiwanese athletes have to compete under the name “Chinese Taipei” at the Olympics? It’s the same reason that Taiwan does not have a seat in the United Nations. The People’s Republic of China refuses to recognize Taiwan since it lays claim to Taiwan despite never having ruled it, not for one day.

China also forces countries to choose between having diplomatic relations with Beijing or Taipei. This is what happened recently when Taiwan lost Honduras as a diplomatic ally to China, leaving Taiwan with only 13 diplomatic allies.

K: What is the situation between Taiwan and China?

F: China’s President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that China will not renounce the use of force in seeking to reunify Taiwan with China. This is nothing new. During Taiwan’s first direct presidential elections in 1996 China lobbed ballistic missiles across the Taiwan Strait and now nearly three decades later, China sends planes on a daily basis into Taiwan’s ADIZ (air defense identification zone). The record stands at over 90 aircraft in one day.

Taiwan is now the most democratic nation and the first to legalize same sex marriage in Asia. Its path from authoritarianism to democracy was hard won after enduring 38 years of martial law (the second longest period in world history).
Peacefully safeguarding Taiwan’s democracy and human rights is a very real concern as the world witnesses Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s President Xi Ji Ping publicly praising Russia’s President Vladimir Putin for his leadership.

K: What is the state of the U.S. Taiwan relations?

F: I’d say it’s very favorable. In August of 2022, then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and when Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen visited the U.S. earlier this year she met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in April. According to 2022 data, the United States was Taiwan’s second-largest trading partner for goods, while Taiwan was the United States’ 10th-largest trading partner.

Taiwan most notably produces 90% of the world’s semiconductors which are used in most electronics, and TSMC, Taiwan’s largest producer of semiconductors, is building a plant in Arizona.

K: Is there anything else you’d like to add that we haven’t covered?

F: Aside from all of these geopolitical issues related to Taiwan, I do hope that people can get to know more about Taiwan through the vibrant stories and people connected to it, by listening to our podcast Talking Taiwan.Visit our website talkingtaiwan.com or you can find us on all the major podcasting platforms.

The Passport to Taiwan Festival in New York City’s Union Square is definitely a late Spring NYC Cultural Must-Experience Event!

To learn more, go to: https://p2tw.org/

Link to the Village View article: ​

Passport to Taiwan: More Than Just Food, Culture and Music

​​​Kaju Roberto is an accomplished musician, singer/ songwriter, journalist, and an award winning producer. He is the artist Rad Jet on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/artist/32si7c4nk210HPuqbXvhJg

The post The Passport to Taiwan: More Than Just Food Culture and Music appeared first on Rad Jet's Historic Jazz Walking Tours.