Hello Tea friends! I have another comedian on the pod today! So psyched to have Lai Wei-Sheng here to talk about stand-up comedy in Taiwan, China, and the US.

It takes guts to tell jokes all over the globe! We sip on some Taiwanese Oolong while we chat about tea, boba, and cultural differences in the international comedy scene.

Try the Taiwanese Oolong Sampler:

https://jessesteahouse.com/products/j...

Join Jesse's Tea Club:

https://jessesteahouse.com/products/j...

Listen to/Download this episode on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4M2PVna...

Listen to/Download this episode on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

#taiwaneseoolong #bilingualcomedy #taiwanesecomedy #chinesecomedy #chineselanguagelearning #yourchineseteaguy #foreignerinchina #jessesteahouse #teatimewithjesse

0:28 Taiwan vs. US Comedy

0:48 Taiwanese Oolong

0:54 I’m a tea virgin

01:20 What’s in the Taiwan oolong box

02:15 You don’t need too much

02:31 Boba tea shops in Taiwan

03:44 Oolong aftertaste

03:55 The oolong is half-fermented

04:40 Oolong is somewhere between green and red/black tea

05:05 It’s all camellia sinensis, just differently picked

05:21 Meet Wei-Sheng Lai

06:00 Performing at comedy clubs in Taiwan

07:00 Welcome to Los Angeles, USA

07:48 Tea from Dongding Mountain

08:05 You gotta up your tea game

08:15 Is there Oolong in Mainland China?

08:54 Getting started in Taiwanese comedy as a high schooler

09:43 Comedians care about the type of laugh

11:27 Understanding your audience

11:55 How to set up jokes for an audience

12:12 Getting the confidence to try comedy in Los Angeles

12:33 International comedy

13:57 The Chinese Comedy scene in Los Angeles

15:56 The Western comedy doesn’t like puns

17:00 If I really p*ss my pants it’s okay

18:00 Translating jokes

18:22 Getting out there is scary

19:21 Standup comedy is the best way to learn a foreign language

23:53 The sunshine makes it hard to drive

24:19 American stereotypes

25:11 Culture shock

27:14 When you have an opinion you’ll share it

29:00 Taiwanese and Chinese jokes

29:29 Coming out of the closet

29:45 Understanding American culture to do jokes

30:26 Developing a niche, focused opinion

31:45 Five times roasted oolong

34:10 Why and how we pour tea

35:38 The charcoal roasted oolong is unique

35:55 Charcoal roasted oolong is more expensive

37:40 Making milk tea

41:24 Standup comedy is a lifestyle

42:45 Acting vs. Comedy

50:00 Buying houses in Taiwan

53:33 The deals in Taiwan

58:52 Tipping culture

59:26 It’s hard being a mommy