Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) hopes to move into something more stimulating than politics after he retires — coffee.
Ker wrote on Facebook on Sunday that he hopes to take over a historic coffee shop below his office in Taipei.
Established in 1978, Mi Fong Cafe (蜜蜂咖啡) was once the site of a detention center where political prisoners were held during the Martial Law era.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
Given its history, the cafe — at 3 Qingdao E Rd, next to the Legislative Yuan building — is a historic relic, Ker said.
“If the boss ever retires, I hope she’ll let me take over and keep running the cafe,” he said.
Innumerable politicians, reporters and visitors to the capital have stepped into the coffee shop over its 43 years in business, he said.
“So many restaurants near the legislature have come and gone over the years, but Mi Fong Cafe has always been here. It shares its life with the legislature,” he said.
The Taiwan Garrison Command’s detention center had been established on the site, where it remained until 1967 when it was moved to New Taipei City’s Jingmei District (景美), he said.
Most of those held at the original detention center ended up either being executed or transferred to the former prison on Green Island, he said, adding that the most unlucky detainees had been tortured to death.
A sign on the wall outside the cafe reads: “Open the door and come on in. Order a cup of the aromas you remember. Let the warm beverage soothe your restless mind and let the aromas take you back. Rejoice that you can still enjoy a happy cup of coffee.”
The sign impressed Ker, he said.
“Whoever wrote this was a witness to history, and they were writing this on behalf of its victims. Don’t you think?” he said.
Part of the cafe’s charm is its unwillingness to change with the times, he said.
Ker, who moved his office to a space above the cafe in 1996, said that the past 25 years have gone by in the blink of an eye.
The cafe has also served as a reminder to him of his responsibility as a legislator in the pursuit of transitional justice, he said.
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