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