The Taipei City Government yesterday prepared and dished out more than 1,000 bowls of braised pork on rice free of charge in an attempt to set the record straight about the Taiwanese delicacy after the dish’s origins were mistakenly attributed to China in Michelin’s Green Guide Taiwan.
Known as luroufan, the Michelin guide labeled the dish as an “elemental staple of Shandong [Province] cuisine.”
“Today we’re here to let everyone know that luroufan is genuine Taiwanese cuisine, a national delicacy, not a ‘Shandong-style’ dish,” Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said during a press conference to defend the honor of the dish.
Photo: CNA
After finding out Michelin listed the dish as originating from Shandong Province in China, Hau wrote to the group’s editorial manager Jonathan Gilbert and requested a revision.
Hau wants to have the original text replaced with: “Braised Pork Rice, a true classic Taiwanese street delicacy.”
“This satisfying, yet inexpensive Taiwanese traditional savory dish is a meal in itself,” Hau wrote in an e-mail dated July 6, along with a short introduction to the Taiwanese dish.
Florent Bonnefoy, Michelin travel guides manager, answered in an e-mail that the group conducts regular updates and revisions to provide accurate information.
“As we hope to have reprints and further editions of our Taiwan Green Guide, we will naturally input the necessary changes and updates,” Bonnefoy said in response.
He did not say whether Michelin would change the description.
Liang Yu-hsiang (梁幼祥), a gourmet reviewer in Taiwan, also presented written proof from the Beijing-based Chinese Food Culture Research Association at the press conference, which said “there is no such food item in Shandong.”
“It is definitely a local delicacy,” Liang said. “Maybe there are nuances [in names] between northern and southern Taiwan, but it has nothing to do with Shandong.”
The Taiwanese public also found it hard to accept that China was given credit for a Taiwanese dish.
“I have been enjoying this traditional snack food all my life, and it’s very Taiwanese to me,” a woman standing in line for the free luroufan said.
The city blamed the mix-up on the first character in the Chinese name of the dish, lu (魯), which is also an alternate name for Shandong Province, where the State of Lu reigned about 2,200 years ago. The city is now urging the public to start using a homonym which means braising (滷), to avoid confusion.
The organizers added that several restaurants and vendors are scheduled to host daylong promotional campaigns.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
RSS