What comes to mind when someone says, “join us and be a unicorn?”
According to Sidney Hsu (徐令軒), it’s veganism.
“A unicorn is a peaceful, grass-eating animal,” Hsu, founder of the Taipei Vegan Frenzy fair, says. “It is an animal that reminds me of rainbows and harmony, and it’s pretty.”
Photo courtesy of Sidney Hsu
Fantasy aside, Hsu chose the mythical animal as a mascot for the event, which in Chinese is caoshou paidui (草獸派對, grass beast party), because she did not like directly using the word su (素, vegetarianism).
“People often connect that word to religion,” Hsu says. “I don’t have a religious background. I just don’t like using animals. It is a more peaceful lifestyle.”
The three-day fair, which features 35 vegan-friendly vendors and live music, takes place from today to Sunday at Meimen Arts and Ethics Academy (梅門德藝天地).
Hsu says that veganism is more than just a dietary choice, evidenced in the variety of the 35 vendors, which include clothing, skin care products and even tattoo art.
“Excluding the use of any animals or byproducts is a lifestyle,” she says, adding that the movement is rooted in equality, animal rights and the freedom to live.
Many products featured at the fair are not what one would typically expect vegans to need to watch out for. For example, most varieties of Guinness beer are currently not vegan because although the beverage itself contains no animal products, it uses a fish bladder-derived product in its clarification process. Hsu says Heineken and Corona are vegan-friendly, and Guinness just announced last November its plans to forgo the fish process and join the club.
Tattoos are another surprising item. Hsu says the ink often contains pig bone products or gelatin to make them last longer. Vegan tattoos start fading earlier — but at least they do not use animals, she says.
Hsu says the fair’s original idea was to provide resources for other vegans, but after seeing the reaction of passersby, she thought it could also be an educational tool to let people know that there are many products that could be animal-free, and also to let them understand what veganism is.
“In the West, even in places with few vegetarians, when you tell people you’re vegan they more or less know what you can and can’t eat,” she says. “It’s very hard to explain to people in Taiwan. I want it to become something that society is aware of.”
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