Taiwan's ambassador to the Vatican Tou Chou-seng (杜筑生) revealed yesterday that his African chef -- a devout Muslim -- is his "secret weapon" in doing diplomatic work in the Holy See.
The chef started working for Tou when he was the ambassador to Senegal.
"In the beginning, he did not quite understand the format of diplomatic banquets. He cut meat into big chunks and served all courses within a short period," Tou said.
Tou, who is in Taipei to present a report on Taiwan-Vatican ties in the legislature, yesterday shared some anecdotes of his experiences in the Holy See with reporters.
The ambassador said his wife was dedicated in training the chef, who learnt how to make various Chinese delicacies.
"The delicious food my chef makes has indeed played a vital role in promoting interaction between Taiwanese and Vatican officials," Tou said.
"Vatican officials and clerics, including many cardinals, have showered praise on my chef's excellent cooking skills. He is a famous figure in the Vatican indeed," the ambassador said.
Tou also told how he taught President Chen Shui-bian (
"I told the president he only needed to follow what other people do during the mass. But I told him that, because he is not a Catholic, he should not kneel down when other people do so," the ambassador said.
"I think the president went through the mass rituals properly," he added.
Tou also introduced Chen to many Vatican officials and heads of state after the mass.
The ambassador said he told the president's delegation that it might not be possible for them to leave their seats to go to the toilet during the four-hour mass.
"After my briefing, no member of the president's delegation dared drink any juice or coffee," he said.
He added that the president's bodyguards were very concerned about his safety during the mass, because they felt they were not close enough to Chen to adequately protect him.
Tou, who was appointed ambassador to the Vatican last year, said Pope John Paul was already ill when he arrived at the Holy See.
The ambassador then started visiting potential successors to John Paul. One of the cardinals he visited was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI.
"Cardinal Ratzinger told me at that time that he hoped the people of Taiwan could help people in China gain freedom," Tou said.
The ambassador, who said he is a faithful follower of Confucius' teachings, does not feel inclined to convert to Catholicism.
"So far it seems that I haven't been touched by Catholicism," he said.
A Taiwanese software developer has created a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model to help people use AI without exposing sensitive data, project head Huang Chung-hsiao (黃崇校) said yesterday. Huang, a 55-year-old coder leading a US-based team, said that concerns over data privacy and security in popular generative AIs such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek motivated him to develop a personal AI assistant named “Mei.” One of the biggest security flaws with cloud-based algorithms is that users are required to hand over personal information to access the service, giving developers the opportunity to mine user data, he said. For this reason, many government agencies and
The National Fire Agency on Thursday said a series of drills simulating a magnitude 8.5 earthquake would be held in September to enhance the government’s emergency response capabilities. Since earthquakes cannot be predicted, only by continuously promoting disaster prevention measures could Taiwan enhance its resilience to earthquakes, agency Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang (蕭煥章) said in a news release. The exercises would be held to mark annual National Disaster Prevention Day on Sept. 21, the aim of which is to test Taiwan’s preparedness and improve its earthquake resilience in case of a major temblor, Hsiao said. As part of those drills, an earthquake alert would
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
STRICTER ENFORCEMENT: Taipei authorities warned against drunk cycling after a sharp rise in riding under the influence, urging greater public awareness of its illegality Taipei authorities have issued a public warning urging people not to ride bicycles after consuming alcohol, following a sharp rise in riding under the influence (DUI) cases involving bicycles. Five hundred and seven people were charged with DUI last year while riding YouBikes, personal bicycles, or other self-propelled two-wheelers — a fourfold increase from the previous year, data released by the Taipei Police Department’s Traffic Division showed. Of these, 33 cases were considered severe enough to be prosecuted under “offenses against public safety,” the data showed. Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), bicycles — including YouBikes and other
RSS