Given how adept fans have proven to be at spotting stars out in public even when the latter have their masks on, it’s quite impressive how Taiwanese pop diva Jolin Tsai aka one of Mandopop’s biggest stars has managed to avoid drawing attention when she goes grocery-shopping.

On Thursday (Aug 19), the 40-year-old attended an event and showed off her cooking skills by pan-frying a steak on stage.

She shared that she only knows how to prepare “simple” meals such as fried vegetables, fried fish, steak, and kimchi tofu stew, and that she really enjoys going to the supermarket to shop for fresh ingredients by herself.

“I dress very simply when I go to the supermarket, with slippers and a mask. No one pays attention to who you are, so I feel quite relaxed when I’m shopping,” she said, quipping that the fact that nobody has ever recognised her shows just how “ordinary” she looks in private.

Well, either that, or she’s been lucky enough to only encounter fans who were respectful enough to keep a distance.

The star, who is rumoured to earn “hundreds of millions of dollars” a year (NT$100mil is around S$4.9mil), also admitted that she can be quite thrifty when purchasing her daily necessities online.

“I will add less urgent items like dental floss, kitchen towels, and cleaning supplies into my shopping cart and only check them out when there is a sale,” she chuckled. “But I don’t do it ‘cos it’s cheaper, but ‘cos there’s this ‘lively atmosphere’.”

Jolin then gave a quick update on her upcoming work and birthday plans.

“I was looking forward to releasing a new song this month, but it seems there’s been a change in schedule and it had to be postponed,” she explained. “We’re now waiting for an auspicious time to do it, so maybe it’ll be better after the Ghost Month passes!”

As for how she intends to celebrate turning 41 on September 15, she said that she just wishes to be “healthy and happy” ‘cos at her age, she “doesn’t need much”.

Photos: Jolin Tsai/Instagram, PX Mart