'I'm more of a man than him'

cchar@sph.com.sg

So who wears the pants in their relationship?

And would she consider settling down in Singapore if she marries her Singapore-based boyfriend?

According to Taiwanese-American TV host Janet Hsieh, who revealed two months ago that she is dating Greek-Chinese actor and Fly Entertainment artiste George Young, she is "definitely more a man than he is".

She made this cheeky comment over the phone from Taiwan, where she is promoting the latest season of Fun Taiwan All-Stars, which airs every Thursday at 9pm on TLC (StarHub Ch 427).

Young, 34, had been her guest on the travel show - which introduces the sights and sounds of Taiwan - a few seasons ago when they were still just friends. She has known him for 10 years now.

Hsieh, 34, told The New Paper: "Of course I would want to have George back on the show. We got along very well and we hosted together very well too.

"His Mandarin used to be zilch, but at this point I think it's definitely good enough that he could come around and I think it would be so much fun.

"You know, I'm definitely more a man than he is, so I think there are things which he has to do that would scare him."

She added that she would invite her boyfriend back on the show "just for the entertainment factor".

Hsieh has also drawn up an itinerary wish list for Young, which includes catching shrimp and visiting Taitung.

And lucky Young would also get to soak in the hot springs with her if she gets her way.

So how about her ideal wedding and honeymoon spot should the lovebirds decide to get hitched?

Said Hsieh: "I think I'd prefer to have a wedding in an exotic location where I've never been before...

"Destination weddings are always fun. As to where? No clue. Bhutan, Madagascar, Antarctica. I'm up for anything.

"My sister did a sailing trip around Tahiti for her honeymoon and that sounds pretty awesome. I'd consider something like that."

However, a move to Singapore is unlikely as Hsieh was honest about how she felt about the cost of living here.

She said: "I like Singapore a lot. My sister used to live near Little India and I always liked to visit her.

"The food is amazing, and the city is compact and easy enough to get around in. Also, the variety in culture is enough to keep me on my toes with all the traditions and festivals.

"I also heard the education system is top-rated worldwide.

"The only fault would be that Singapore is quite expensive (to live in) and taxis are really hard to book on rainy days."

NEW SEASON

In the All-Stars season of Fun Taiwan, Hsieh will be taking celebrities such as Denise Keller, Oli Pettigrew and KF Seetoh to experience mountain adventures, deep-sea fishing and interesting culinary delights.

Hsieh recalled some of the most exotic food in Taiwan which she had to eat as part of the show and she actually liked some of it.

She said: "It started off with tarantula as the hot pot item, which was actually not too bad because it tasted like crab.

"Then I had fat larva the size of my thumb and it tasted like yam. That again was fried. So they just fry anything and it tastes pretty much good.

Hsieh added: "Millipede was the most gross item I've ever eaten. It tasted like what I imagined raw cockroaches would taste like.

"It was crunchy on the outside and... there was a green juice which came out of the body. It was very bitter and sour. And because there were so many legs on it, the legs got stuck between your teeth."

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I like Singapore a lot... The only fault would be that Singapore is quite expensive (to live in) and taxis are really hard to book on rainy days.

- Janet Hsieh