Inspired by Taichung’s recent hosting of the World Bird Fair, Eryk and John explore Taiwan’s rich avian diversity and look at bird omens, bird gambling, and bird superstitions. Star species make cameo appearances, but it’s the humble chicken that gets the spotlight in this episode… and the chopping board! (Apologies for Eryk’s fondness for certain sound effects). The beheading of chickens at temples was once a common folk judicial ritual – yes, oaths of legal innocence were sworn before temple gods with the aid of feathered sacrifices. Sounds a bit gruesome, but trust us; it’s a fun episode. We swear it before the City God (whack!).

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Everyone knew it was coming, but when U.S. President Carter announced on Dec. 15, 1978 that Washington D.C. was switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in two weeks, both the Taiwanese people and the foreign community (then mostly Americans) were shocked.

On that historic day of Jan. 1, 1979, Robert Parker began his term as the President of the American Chamber of Commerce. He soon found himself forced to act as a kind of de facto U.S. ambassador. Part of the bombshell announcement was the deadline for decoupling: everything and everyone officially connected to the United States would vanish by April 1979.

For Parker, this resulted in near-surreal experiences that included helping cobble together a civilian radio station in 90 days (ICRT FM100.7), walking a political tightrope to determine the legality of the Taipei American School, and testifying before the U.S. Congress as American officials reacted to Carter’s recognition of the PRC by passing the Taiwan Relations Act… a large part of which was based on his testimony.

These tumultuous times are described in his 2025 book (written with Don Shapiro), “Derecognition: How Americans in Taiwan surmounted multiple crises and helped shape the Taiwan Relations Act when the U.S. broke diplomatic relations with a loyal ally” – and this week, we’re happy to have Mr. Parker on Formosa Files for a fascinating chat.

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Music : "Love Rain" By Thomas Gresen is licensed under a Creative Commons License. GRSN Music. 24 July 2022

Travel with Eryk and John as they explore Taiwan using the 1967 edition of a long-forgotten guidebook: The Golden Guide to South & East Asia. Taiwan was then a new travel destination full of rewards for the tourist willing to get off the beaten path. Listen and learn what you can take into the country (half a pound of pipe tobacco) and what you can’t (roulette wheel). Find out where to visit, shop, eat and stay. Feast on Mongolian barbecue, visit a “hideous” giant statue, find the girlie bars unknown to the GIs, and go fishing without leaving your hotel.