'Coriander diplomacy': Ex-president, UK envoy share love for herb

Taipei, Dec. 14 (CNA) After United Kingdom Representative to Taiwan Ruth Bradley-Jones shared her love for coriander in an interview with CNA last week, former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) also voiced her fondness for the polarizing herb.

In the interview, published Wednesday, Bradley-Jones, who took up her post as head of the British Office Taipei in February, told CNA that her favorite food in Taiwan so far is peanut ice cream rolls (花生捲冰淇淋), a traditional Taiwanese snack from Yilan County.

"And it has to come with coriander," she said.

The office later shared the interview on its Facebook page, highlighting the envoy's enthusiasm for coriander, whose distinctive flavor tends to divide opinion.

On Saturday, former President Tsai, who also described herself as a coriander lover, left a comment in Chinese, saying she is a fan of the herb.

"With our shared love of coriander as a foundation, I hope Taiwan-U.K. relations will continue to deepen," Tsai wrote.

The office replied: "Of course! The U.K. and Taiwan are like-minded partners."

Tsai earned her Ph.D. in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 1984. She most recently visited London and LSE in May this year.