Californian couple opens vegan restaurant in Taiwan

Californian couple opens vegan restaurant in Taiwan

2023-06-25

Today we take you to meet two Californians who opened a vegan restaurant in Taiwan. Mai Bach and Spencer Hudson serve up vegan burgers, rice bowls, smoothies and more. These meals are a mixture of Californian, Mexican, and Vietnamese influences. Although they were successful in the first few years of opening the restaurant, the couple went through many hardships during the pandemic and even considered closing up shop. Our very own Stephany Yang met up with the couple to find out more.

First up is this fiesta bowl. Inside there’s chipotle portobello and shiitake, Mexican-style edamame mash, zucchini, baby corn, pico de gallo, and sour cream.

If you are craving a burger, there’s this sunny side burger filled with yuba vegan egg, kale pesto, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. These are some of the most popular dishes at this vegan restaurant in Taipei.

Mai Bach
Cofounder
Our mission like I said is not to convert everyone to go vegan. It is to actually educate and empower people that there is a different way to eat and you can start adapting it into their life. It will make a huge impact. I think that is the first thing people can do is like if you feel some kind of want. That you want to contribute. First, start with your diet. And then, you can start talking about plastics, energy, and all these kinds of things.

Spencer Hudson
Cofounder
It is not explicitly California style. You can see little speckled things of Mexican inspiration and Vietnamese inspiration, which are large communities in Southern California. Our tendency is to use avocado and pico de gallo. Otherwise, it is a meld just like how our lives have been, very international.

Bach and Hudson are the founders of this vegan restaurant. After meeting during university at UCLA, the two stayed in Los Angeles, where Mai worked for a Hollywood publicist. After a few years of working, they decided to go on a life-changing six-month trip in Asia. Before the trip, Mai read a book and decided to go vegan. After traveling for six months, the two landed in Taiwan, where they taught English and originally planned to stay short-term. However, they quickly fell in love with Taiwan and decided to stay longer. In 2013, they launched their first vegan restaurant in Taiwan.

Mai Bach
Cofounder
I read a book right before we met backpacking called "Eating Animals." He refused to read it because he could already hear the stories that I was recounting to him and it was already affecting him so much. He was just like, "I don’t need to read it. " But after I read the book, I could not think about meat or eat meat. It would just cause me to come into tears. I quickly made the decision that I didn’t want to eat any more animal products right before we went backpacking. When we came back to Taiwan it was really difficult to find convenient spaces, to find and really understand and know where your food was coming from.

The couple was greatly successful in the first few years of opening the restaurant. But they went through quite a hurdle during the pandemic. They closed their flagship restaurant, and at one point, even considered closing all their other stores. They pushed through the hardship and made several changes to their business model by food delivery and takeout.

Spencer Hudson
Cofounder
We made massive changes because people couldn’t come in. There were some systemic changes that lasted beyond just COVID. One of the biggest changes was that food delivery became the way people ate. We had months where tomatoes quadrupled in price. Obviously, typhoons and things impacted that. Food prices had crept up significantly. We had that, we had commission and COVID. So it just became there wasn’t a way of dealing with it. It was just about surviving. The way to deal with it was for us to close our most expensive place.

Mai Bach
Cofounder
The takeout thing was so crushing for me because we always try to minimize our footprint. Trying to find alternatives constantly and seeing what was out there was very disheartening. It is not just us. Thinking of the macro picture of how these businesses have to survive. Everyone is just kind of having to go all in on takeout.

After persevering through hardship during the pandemic, the couple is brimming with hope. They hope to continue creating innovative and tasty vegan meals, create long-lasting change in the world, and educate more people about the benefits of veganism.

加州夫妻移居台灣開餐廳推廣蔬食生活

2023-06-25

今天帶大家認識在台灣開素食餐廳的加州夫妻檔。貝媚瀟和洪盛魄的店裡賣純素漢堡、沙拉、冰沙等，這些餐點融合了加洲、墨西哥和越南風味，雖然創業初期就獲得成功，但在疫情期間夫妻倆卻歷經艱辛，一度考慮要關掉店鋪。民視新聞記者帶大家看看加州蔬食背後的故事。

首先這道菜是"墨西哥嘉年華"，裡面有墨式煙燻辣椒和花菇、墨式毛豆泥、烤櫛瓜、玉米筍、番茄莎莎醬和腰果酸白醬。

如果您想吃漢堡，可以選擇"嚮光漢堡"，裡面裝滿了腐皮蛋、甘藍羅勒青醬、萵苣、番茄和腰果酸白醬。這些都是台北這家素食餐廳的必吃美食。

[[創辦人貝媚瀟]]
"我們的使命不是讓大家都茹素，這是為了推廣蔬食生活，讓人們知道原來有不同的飲食方式，並且可以把生活價值融入飲食中，而這會是很有影響力的，我認為這是人們可以參與改變，就像為了社會貢獻一樣。首先從飲食開始改變，接著再討論塑膠、能源和所有與氣候變遷、環境有關的議題。

[[創辦人洪盛魄]]
"它不是純粹的加州風味，你可以看到來自墨西哥和越南的風格，而他們也是南加州文化的一部分。我們的料理喜歡用酪梨和番茄莎莎酱，來自四面八方的食材就像加州一樣，非常國際化。"

貝媚瀟和洪盛魄是餐廳的創始人，在加州大學洛杉磯分校相識後，兩人留在了洛杉磯，貝媚瀟在好萊塢從事公關工作幾年後，他們倆決定去亞洲旅行6個月，出發前，貝媚瀟只因一本書，毅然決定吃素。6個月後，兩人來到台灣，從事英語教學，原先只打算停留一小段時間，然而，他們很快就愛上了台灣，就此定居。2013年，他們在台灣開設了一家素食餐廳。

[[創辦人貝媚瀟]]
"在我們展開背包客之旅前，我讀了一本書叫做《吃動物》。他不想讀這本書，因為書裡的內容太震撼了，他根本不願意讀它。而我讀完之後，淚如雨下、且發誓再也不吃肉了。當我們回到台灣後，發現這裡對於吃素的我而言，很難找到方便且值得信賴的蔬食餐廳。

他們的餐廳頭幾年生意就很不錯，但在疫情期間經歷了許多挑戰，迫使他們關閉最大的門市，甚至一度考慮關閉所有分店，但他們最終挺過難關，透過外送與外帶來改變商業模式。

[[創辦人洪盛魄]]
"我們做出了巨大的改變，因為客人無法來店用餐，這些改變也是系統性的，一直持續到了疫情結束。最大的變化是外送成為了民眾用餐的首選，還有物價上漲也是一大挑戰，番茄的價格翻了四倍，也有颱風造成的食物的價格大幅上漲。我們有成本和疫情的壓力，許多事變得無法處理，只能求生存，而最好的辦法就是關閉成本最高昂的餐廳。"

[[創辦人貝媚瀟]]
"外帶對我而言太難適應了，因為我們總是盡量減少碳足跡，不斷思考替代方案的過程也令人疲憊，不僅僅是我們，餐飲業都得全力以赴開發新的外帶市場。"

經歷了疫情的難關，這對夫妻充滿了希望。他們將繼續以創意且美味的純素餐點，為世界帶來改變，並讓更多人了解蔬食的好處。

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China’s military flies eight sorties within 44 kilometers of Taiwan proper

Taiwan’s missile defense system in Pingtung County was deployed on Saturday when Chinese fighter jets flew to within 44 kilometers of Taiwan’s main island. On Sunday, the defense ministry confirmed the incident. But one retired Air Force general says the military should be more active and send Taiwan’s own fighters on regular patrols in the Taiwan Strait. Meanwhile, one military analyst says China’s saber rattling will only result in greater international support for Taiwan, thereby defying Beijing’s threatening rhetoric.

Taiwan’s domestically produced Sky Bow III longe-range air-defense missiles have a range of approximately 200 kilometers. On Saturday, launch vehicles for those missiles appeared on the streets of Hengchun in Pingtung County, after Chinese military aircraft came within 44 kilometers from Taiwan’s shoreline.

Voice of Sun Li-fang
Defense ministry spokesperson
Starting at around 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, the national defense ministry detected 19 sorties by various Chinese military aircraft including the J-10, the J-16 and others. Eight of the sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, and came within 44 kilometers of Taiwan’s shoreline. There were also five Chinese military vessels involved in combat-readiness drills and patrols.

According to a trajectory map released by the defense ministry, a total of eight Chinese J-10 fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, coming within 44 kilometers of Taiwan proper.

Chang Yen-ting
Retired Air Force official
In Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, Taoyuan and Yilan, there are no dedicated military air bases. No fighter jets are permanently stationed there, and no military aircraft on standby alert. If you just rely on anti-aircraft missiles for tracking and monitoring, the effectiveness is very limited. In the future, we should send four F-16s, or four Mirage 2000s or IDFs every month to Kinmen or Matsu Islands on patrol, as a show of power. We could also send our drones. We would cross the median line of the strait for reconnaissance and patrols. As soon as a PLA plane enters our training airspace, we would respond by sending planes to intercept it.

The retired official said Taiwan’s military must take a more active defense posture, citing increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait that have even garnered the concern of the U.S.

The U.S.’ National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 mentions the establishment of a “comprehensive training, advising, and institutional capacity-building program for the military forces of Taiwan." It also calls for American and Taiwanese officials to conduct appropriate exchanges, and to expand cooperation in military cybersecurity.

Su Tzu-yun
Institute for National Defense Security Research
The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act includes a great number of items that support Taiwan. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has expressed dissatisfaction over the bill, which may likely lead to Chinese military intimidation. However, the bill is proof that Chinese threats conversely result in greater international support for Taiwan, which means Beijing loses more than it gains.

China continues to react aggressively toward any acts of support for Taiwan. But the more threatening China becomes, the more support Taiwan gains from the international community.

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Rankings of top Taiwan universities drop with only 3 remaining in world’s top 100

The 2023 rankings of nearly 1,800 universities around the globe by the Times Higher Education magazine have come out, and Taiwan did not get a high score. Only three of Taiwan’s top universities are in the top 100, and two of the three, National Taiwan University and National Tsing Hua University, have seen their positions drop significantly over the past 10 years. Some are worried that Taiwan’s top students will decide to study abroad instead of staying in the country to pursue higher learning.

In the category of Asia University Rankings under the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, National Taiwan University has dropped from last year’s 21st place down to its current 29th place.

Hsu Kuan-tse
NTU graduate student association
If we look at it in a positive light, this indicator can certainly help us understand the performance of various universities around the world with various quantitative data. But these statistics also have their limitations. The indicators may not be able to reflect the value that universities have in promoting social progress.

Not just NTU, but National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University is now at 85th place, National Tsing Hua University at 95th, and National Cheng Kung University has dropped out of the top 100, landing at 159th place. The rankings of Taiwan’s top universities have all gone south, reflecting the woes in local higher education.

Huang I-chang
USC supply chain management graduate student
I think there are more opportunities overseas, so you’re not confined to Taiwan. Another reason for going abroad is that it can be used as a springboard, so that you can have work opportunities in America.

Tsai Wei-an
Harvard Law School student
I want to better understand Taiwan, and I want to put it in a larger structure and in a bigger map, so I can see it more clearly. I also want to know other people’s views and how they see Taiwan. That’s why I decided to leave Taiwan, so the ranking was not a deciding factor for me.

Many Taiwanese students who study abroad say that the bigger job market and the more liberal environment overseas are the reasons behind their decision to study abroad, and that university rankings are not so important. So why have Taiwan’s universities fallen behind others? Experts say that unlike the top institutions overseas, Taiwan’s universities cater mostly to undergraduates and lack graduate students who conduct research. This has led to the less-than-stellar evaluations of their research capacities.

Huang I-chang
USC supply chain management graduate student
Before I came abroad, I thought university rankings were very important, but after I came here, I realized that the rankings, especially the overall rankings, are not that important. I don’t think the drop in rankings will have much impact on students studying in Taiwan.

Tsai Wei-an
Harvard Law School student
They should try and create an open atmosphere within their limited resources there in Taiwan, so that foreign students with various backgrounds would be willing to go there, and even Taiwan’s own minority groups would be willing to stay there for study.

National Taiwan University has responded that it would continue to work hard to make improvements. It said it would advocate that the evaluation of universities should not only be based on the number of research papers produced and how much influence those papers have. Evaluations should also be based on a school’s efforts toward talent cultivation, teaching and research, as well as the contributions of its alumni to society.

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Spotlight on cross-cultural artist couple Chiu Chieh-sen and Margot Guillemot

Today, in our spotlight story, we’re meeting a mixed-media artist couple, Chiu Chieh-sen and Margot Guillemot. After the couple met at a university in Guillemot’s native France, the two decided to relocate to Taiwan to work. Many of their works explore urban landscapes and redefine geographical and temporal boundaries. Our reporter Stephany Yang caught up with the duo to find out more about their works.

Today, in our spotlight story, we’re meeting a mixed-media artist couple, Chiu Chieh-sen and Margot Guillemot. After the husband-and-wife met at university in Guillemot’s native France, the two decided to relocate to Taiwan to work. Many of their works explore urban landscapes and redefine geographical and temporal boundaries. FTV reporter Stephany Yang caught up with the duo to find out more about their works.

Nestled on the second floor of this 40-year-old factory is an artist’s studio filled with artworks in various mediums. This is the workspace of Margot Guillemot and her husband Chiu Chieh-sen.

This piece, "An Attempt at Exhausting an Unknown Place," was created by Guillemot in 2014. She spent four years making ink drawings of Taoyuan’s cityscape and street life by referencing Google Street Views. After compiling the drawings, a huge comic with an area of 79 A4 sheets of paper is revealed. It tells the story of life in Taoyuan. Guillemot says it was quite a difficult project because it was created in France before she had ever been to Taiwan. The piece inspired her to launch her career as a professional artist here.

Margot Guillemot
Artist
It looks like a comic that shows us the everyday life of Taoyuan’s city and streets. That was something that was very interesting for me because I felt that the street life and the street organization is very different from the one I was seeing everyday in France. It was something that I felt very inspiring.

A recent work created by Guillemot and her husband Chiu is this installation, “A Home of One’s Own.”It is constructed with a foundation of suitcases, which symbolize the experiences of immigrants leaving their home countries. The LED lights depict Taipei’s 12 districts. Guillemot said that although she didn’t have much difficulty integrating in Taiwan, she did have some trouble learning Mandarin. However, after living in Taiwan for six years, her Mandarin has greatly improved.

Margot Guillemot
Artist
In French, we have a saying that is "Poser ses valises" which means put our luggage down. It means deciding to leave somewhere. When I put my luggage down means like I arrived at home. I decided to live in the place. This is the inspiration. I had help from Chieh-sen along the way to understand some kind of translate things and translate the way of living in Taiwan. I would say the process of coming and living in Taiwan and integrate into Taiwanese society has been quite smooth.But indeed, the language was a bit of a learning curve. I went from maybe knowing how to say "Hello and goodbye" to maybe be able to count a few numbers, to the Chinese level I have now.

Guillemot was born in Ireland and lived there till she was 5. After that she moved back to France and eventually graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in the south of France. She met her husband Chiu in university. The two fell in love and made plans to move back to Taiwan. After visiting once, the country and its landscapes quickly grew on Guillemot and she decided to call it home. She said lots of her artworks were inspired by the Taiwanese cities she had visited.

Margot Guillemot
Artist
I fell in love with the country. I felt like the cityscape and the urban environment of Taiwan really helped me in my artwork. I found a lot of inspiration and ideas in the city environment in Taiwan.

Her husband Chiu creates work that has to do with maps, memory, spaces and historical documents. He transforms his experiences regarding human footprints and thought processes into art. The two currently live in Taoyuan with their 1-year-old son Louis. They rented their own studio space in Hsinchu where they work on projects together.

Chiu Chieh-sen
Artist
Most of my artworks center on maps and how people look at maps, which is such a simple action, but in fact involve many abstraction processes. What I am interested in is identifying what is lost during the process of abstraction. It is not easy for Margot and many foreigners to make a life in Taiwan. We wondered if there is a way for the two of us to work and grow together in Taiwan. We usually work together and are together and we have a child now. That is why we’ve set up a studio that allows us to combine our life and work. We try to find a balance in the studio.

Margot Guillemot
Artist
I use my work to actually understand the place I am living in. Through technologies, through images, digital images, and different perspectives, my own eye, my own body into space, and I can go and walk into space to make observations. At the same time, I can use other technology devices to take images maybe from the sky with a drone or maybe with cameras that can go higher than me.

Guillemot is currently pursuing her PhD in Taiwan and hopes to continue exploring contemporary digital technology and art. She says her goal is to continue mastering her craft and mentor younger artists.

2023-06-25