When he became a vegetarian 18 years ago, Lin Hung-jui (林紘睿) never imagined his chosen lifestyle would eventually become his livelihood.
Then, in 1997, he founded the Web site Suiis, which has evolved into a popular online source of information for vegetarians.
His latest project is the release of a new updated version of his pocket-sized vegetarian restaurant guide, last published in 2006. The edition, which sold out all 15,000 copies printed online, was a remarkable success story, especially for a book that did not have a single picture. Volumes with sales of 10,000 copies in bookstores are generally considered best sellers in Taiwan.
The book’s success reflects the rapidly growing number of vegetarians in the country and the increasing demand for information on vegetarian restaurants because volumes with sales of 10,000 copies in bookstores are considered best sellers in Taiwan.
The Almanac of Food Consumption Survey in Taiwan last year showed that vegetarians — using the broadest definition that includes individuals who eat vegetarian only at specific times — accounted for almost 10 percent, or 2.3 million, of Taiwan’s 23 million people.
In its first six years, Lin’s Web site featured a free restaurant search, but the model failed to generate revenue for the site. That changed when Lin launched an online market for vegetarians.
As the company evolved, so did interest, 40 year-old Lin said.
“Just a few years ago, some people would flee when they heard the word ‘vegetarian.’ But now people have started to feel that being a vegetarian can benefit both their health and the environment,” he said.
Of his main business lines, Lin started the first online travel agency dedicated to vegetarians, whom Lin said usually feel uncomfortable or less respected in regular tour groups because they usually sit separately during meals and have less variety to choose from.
Lin acknowledged, however, that it could be extremely challenging to organize overseas vegetarian tours, especially to Japan and South Korea, which are among the most popular destinations for Taiwanese tourists.
To prevent his customers from being exposed to non-vegan ingredients, Lin sends vegetarian recipes to restaurants in Japan. And for tours in South Korea, Lin has even asked his partner there to visit local restaurants in advance to make sure their food is vegetarian before signing any contracts.
To get people to support the concept of a vegetarian diet, Lin said the food industry should improve itself first.
One of his suggestions would be to require all restaurants to specify the ingredients in each dish and prepare a separate menu for vegetarian customers.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS