When the 88-year-old Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche (堪布卡塔仁波切) arrives in Taiwan this week to teach Tibetan Buddhism, his interpreter will be a female lama Lodro Lhamo, formerly known to her Taichung family as Li Pei-guang (李佩光). When asked what she was looking forward to on her first visit to her homeland for many years, Li said what she missed most about Taiwan was its xiao-chi (小吃), the Central News Agency reports today (full Chinese-language article here).
Literally meaning “small eats”, the term xiaochi covers anything from snacks to light meals, including just about everything sold at night markets. Li, who originally followed the teaching of Taiwan’s Master Sheng-yen (聖嚴法師) before becoming a monastic of the esoteric Tibetan tradition, said she particularly looked forward to eating the “sun cakes” (太陽餅) of her native city.
Shitoushan (鄉獅山; “Lion Head Mountain”) straddling the Miaoli-Hsinchu county border is a popular hiking and tourist attraction due to its pleasant location and historic temples growing out of caves in which aesthetic monks and nuns sought escape from the beginning of the period of Japanese rule (1895~1945).
While these cave temples fall far short of the size, artistry and spectacle to be found at Luoyang or Datong (in China) or Ajanta or Ellora (in India), the hill nevertheless provides some attractive views, an enjoyable 2-hour walk, and some interesting architecture and history.
Most of the temples welcome visitors, while others tolerate them only on Sundays. The Quanhua Temple (勸化堂) nearest to the southern end of the trail is the most open, offering accommodation for NT$1,000 per two-person room in its Shishan Dalou (獅山大樓; “LionMountainBuilding” [no English]), and vegetarian breakfasts, lunches and dinners in its canteen.
Sad to say this is not where the monastics eat—unless of course they have separate sittings at 4am and 10am and no dinner in typical Buddhist style—so visitors will not be dining elbow-to-elbow with shaven-headed, rosary-twirling, sutra-reciting nuns and monks. There remains something of a pious atmosphere, however, with talk restricted to low intensity and definitely no food[buns] fights.
Served on canteen-style metal tray/plates, the rations include cold food that should be hot and a bowl of warm soup. On the day of NOMM’s visit, these included spoonfuls of leafy greens, bamboo shoots, seaweed, vegetarian chicken and doupi (豆皮; thin layers of tofu); bottomless bowls of white rice, wet rice or fried noodles, and miso soup with lumps of carrot, turnip, mushroom balls (丸) and fake meat.
Baroque-style Lingxia Cave Temple
Fake meat not withstanding, the soup was the best bit. No; the view was the best bit. And the food won’t poison you, in fact, it’s probably very nutritious.
There is also a Hakka food stall with vegetarian options in the car park at the southern end of the trail, and on weekends hawkers sell vegetarian snacks on the steps leading from there up towards QuanhuaTemple.
To stay open during a local town-wide vegetarian festival, McDonald’s sells vegetarian food, TVBS reports today (full Chinese-article here)
For 5 days every 12 years, the 90,000 citizens Puli (埔里) Township in Nantou (南投) County hold the jian jiao ji dian (建醮祭典) religious ceremony [to welcome, entertain and bid farewell to visiting spirits].
Although not all citizens strictly adhere to the spirit of vegetarianism, so many take it seriously that meat and fish vendors in the markets suspend business for five days, as do owners of non-vegetarian restaurants.
To "accord with" this local custom, McDonald’s, from Nov 27 to Dec 1, while not suspending or curbing its burger menu, is offering residents of Puli vegetarian options. These include “bagels with jam”, French fries and hash brown potatoes. All cooked, during this period, in vegetable oil.
A “meal” [NOMM’s emphasis] consisting of bagel, hash brown and fizzy drink costs NT$65.
