First, I went to Kantei-byo (関帝廟). It is a temple dedicated to Kuan Yu, a hero in “The Romance of Three Kingdom” who has been worshipped as a god of war or business. There I bought a ticket from a vending machine and got five incense sticks and an entry card for the temple building.
After putting incense sticks in five places in front of the building, I went inside. The ceiling of the temple was splendid, but I couldn’t dare to take pictures. There were people kneeling down in prayer. In Japanese temples, we are usually standing when we pray. I looked around and did as others did. This was my first time to pray in the Chinese way.
After that, I went to a restaurant that has a Taiwanese vegetarian menu as well as a non-vegetarian menu. I had searched it in advance, and it was easy to find because the word “Vegetarian” was clearly written (also in English) outside. When I asked the owner about the menu, he asked me if I was a vegan and recommended me to try majian mian. I ordered this and turnip cakes. There were other familiar dishes such as boiled dumplings, spring rolls, and fried rice in vegan version. How I wished to try all these, though it was impossible to eat them alone!
Turnip cakes are known as “daikonmochi” in Japan. They were very soft and melted in my mouth. Majian mian is sesame paste noodle. The owner explained that they use black sesame and sesame seeds are good for our skin and high blood pressure. When blending pak-choi, bean sprouts and noodles with the sesame paste well by using chopsticks, I felt good smell of sesame. The noodle was a little firm and chewy. I had never eaten noodle like this before. The owner also recommended me to eat up the sesame paste, and I did so.
People at other tables also enjoyed their meal, following advices given by the owner. He was a pleasant person and seemed to know about food very well. Maybe I’ll come to this restaurant again to try boiled dumplings because they seemed delicious.
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