Taipei is vying to join UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network as a City of Gastronomy, local government officials said March 28.
“The city’s wide variety of food and numerous styles of Chinese cuisine will be the backbone of our campaign to join the UNESCO program,” said Liu Chug-chun, director-general of the Taipei City Office of Commerce.
“Very few metropolises have such diversity in cuisine as Taipei,” Liu said, adding that top-notch international and Taiwanese food can be found everywhere, from five-star restaurants to street vendors in night markets.
According to Liu, the Taipei City Government is planning to submit its application to UNESCO in June. “If everything goes well, we could be included in the network by mid-2013,” he said.
The Creative Cities Network, which was launched by UNESCO in 2004, aims to promote the cultural, economic and social development of metropolises around the world. Nearly 30 cities have been recognized in the seven areas of design, crafts and folk art, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music.
If Taipei’s application is approved, it will be the second Asian City of Gastronomy behind Chengdu in mainland China, which received the accolade last year. The other two cities on the list are Popayan in Colombia and Sweden’s Ostersund. (JSM)
Write to Audrey Wang at audrey@mail.gio.gov.tw