Hello there, I'm your host Sharon Lin. Welcome back to That’s Debatable. Today Michelle and I are continuing our chat on the upcoming 2023 live action movie of The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey. In today's episode, we talked more about how we learn about race in education, and that there's actually so much we have to unlearn. And hey, by the way, did you know that one of the earliest myths about mermaids was from Africa? Go look up Mami Wata. It's a fascinating story. 

This topic has been on my list since Disney dropped the 2023 live action The Little Mermaid teaser, especially overhearing what folks are saying online. The new movie stars Halle Bailey as the lead. Why do some people think a Black actor “could not” play the role of a fictional, fairytale character like the Little Mermaid? What’s the background of “why” some people think the way they do? Why do some people in Taiwan, a society that’s mostly made up of East Asians, find it hard to “accept” Black actors playing lead roles? Where do contemporary beauty standards come from? Today, Michelle and I sat down and tried breaking down some of these questions. We also talked about what we observed from our experiences living in Taiwan. Of course, we couldn’t cover everything in the scope of the show. Stay tuned as there will be a part 2. Hope you’re all doing well and staying warm.

Taiwan, ah, this lovely, eclectic, resilient, warm, safe, home we have. Honestly, it's a pretty wonderful place to live. However, there are pros and cons to everything. Have you heard of the term "ghost island" (鬼島）used to describe Taiwan? Many Taiwanese people, expecially the younger generation, use the term describing the frustration they face living in Taiwan. "Taiwan is a ghost island," they say, in a frustrated tone. Emily Y. Wu, co-founder of Ghost Island Media, is here with us today. Hey, in case you haven't noticed, the exact term is in the name of her podcast network. We have to chat with her about this. Is Taiwan a ghost island? Should we be hopeful of the outlooks of our homeland? 

Socks and sandals, do they... go together? If you think, yeah, it's a look. Why? If you think these two items should never go together, why? Are there exceptions? Let's talk about it.

Creativity is a huge part of food culture. In Taiwan, people are definately not shy with giving their food a local twist. Boba or bubble milk tea is a well-known drink from Taiwan. You see drink shops selling boba drinks everywhere throughout Taiwan. However, should we put this beloved ingredient on...pizzas? Do they go with cheeze? Sweet and savory at the same time...? Today, Michelle and Sharon are at the (imaginary) table, serving you the boba on pizza debate.