Yang Ju-men (楊儒門), better known as the "rice bomber," will be starting a new life next month as a lecturer at Wenshan Community College (文山) in Taipei, teaching how to support local food to an audience ranging from students to social activists and, possibly, special agents monitoring his every move.
Saying that bomb-making would not be on the curriculum, Yang said he wished to deliver two principal messages in his three-credit course -- where food comes from and the hardships confronting local farmers and the agricultural industry.
"Farmers are the guardians of food, yet in modern society they are underappreciated and even seen as `losers' who cannot hold better jobs," Yang told the Taipei Times by telephone. "Farming brings food to the table in a literal sense. The skill that city people discredit involves much experience and wisdom."
Twenty-nine-year-old Yang received national attention in 2004 when he was arrested for placing 17 homemade bombs in public spaces, including phone booths. Two of the bombs exploded, but no one was injured.
At his trial, Yang said he had made the bombs to draw the government's attention to the plight of local farmers after it started importing rice.
Sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison, he was released last June on special pardon by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Yang said he would teach the class by drawing from his own experience and self-studies. He listed Soochow University professor Kuo Chung-yi (郭中一), who offered him the post, as one of a long list of academics who offered him relevant books and moral support during his two-year sentence.
Practicing what he preaches, Yang reportedly never sets foot in chain restaurants and said he would ask those attending his class to do the same.
"The way [the restaurants] treat farmers, slaughter animals and grow crops is unethical and should not be supported by consumers," he said.
"Besides, working in convenience stores or fastfood restaurants does not teach youngsters practical skills, nor does their food offer their consumers any health benefits," he said.
Asked what had drawn him to teaching and what lessons he had learned during his self-studies, Yang quoted Pablo Coehlo's The Alchemist as a positive influence.
"Pursuit of your passion should be a process carried out carefully -- I have learned that while actively pursuing one's goals, one shouldn't lose sight of oneself in the process, he said.
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