On May 1, 2024, Lai Shanlin used to work in the kitchen wearing a tie, and sometimes he would go to the front hall to chat with guests. (Xu Manyuan / The Epoch Times)
[The Epoch Times, Mai 06, 2024]Starting from Brussels, the capital of Belgium, it takes about an hour and a half to drive south to Ciney Along the way, you can see green mountains and groups of wild animals. But what greeted me was a friendly Changhua accent, which made me feel like I was back in rural Taiwan.
On May 1, 2024, Mr. and Mrs. Lai Shanlin (second and third from right) and Lin Tianzhang (first from right), President of the Belgian Taiwan Chamber of Commerce, Su Huanhao, curator of the “Beauty of Taiwan” exhibition received art from Los Angeles. (Xu Manyuan / The Epoch Times)
Lai Shanlin, who has lived in Belgium for almost fifty years, came to Belgium with his uncle to work when he was young At that time, he never expected that he would live there for nearly half a century, longer than he lived in Taiwan. Although he speaks fluent French, Lai Shanlin prefers to speak in Taiwanese When he doesn’t often meet friends from his hometown, he talks endlessly, and even cooks delicious meals in the kitchen itself – which makes people suspicious, a tie and an apron to work in the kitchen.
Lai Shanlin’s uncle was from Qingtian, Zhejiang After the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, he retreated to Taiwan with Chiang Kai-shek’s troops After marrying a Taiwanese woman, his family immigrated to Belgium. Lai Shanlin remembered that most of the Chinese in Belgium in the early days came from Qingtian The local people described Qingtian as “nine mountains, half water, and half farmland.” Because farming was not easy, many young people went out to do and live. One relative introduced another relative, and many people from the whole family went to Europe to work, so Qingtian is also known as the “hometown of Overseas Chinese.”
In 1978, Lai Shanlin, who had no experience in the catering industry, came to work in a Chinese restaurant run by his uncle in Belgium. While working in the kitchen, he was often so hot that he only wore a small undershirt. Once, he was scolded by his uncle for not dressing appropriately enough. At that time, he decided quietly in his heart: “One day, I will be my own boss and have to wear a tie every day.”
At that time, most Chinese who came to Belgium for the first time ran Chinese restaurants, and most international students worked as restaurant waiters. Later some Chinese who studied art and literature became monks and opened restaurants. Lai Shanlin said: “There were not many Chinese people in Europe at that time, and there was not much competition. As long as the food was not too unpleasant, business was good.”
After working in the restaurant run by his uncle for half a year, Lai Shanlin took over his wife Xie Xiuqin, and finally the two saved enough money to invest in the restaurant. In 1983, Lai Shanlin took over the Chinese restaurant shop owned by his uncle’s friend in Liège Although the business was very good, the cleaning and management costs were very high Although the couple worked hard, they were not the profit as much as expected. After a few years of operation, he decided to split the shares and open his own restaurant.
Lai Shanlin laughed at himself, maybe “mountain forests should open restaurants in the mountains.” Lai Shanlin came to Xinei because he was looking for a house However, the process of buying a house was not smooth and he had to wait for the permission of the other party’s family before signing the contract.
While eating at a Western-style fast food restaurant in Xi Nei that day, Lai Shanlin found that the owner was very old and even the handshake when serving food was shaky, so he asked the other party whether willing to sell. Unexpectedly, the restaurant owner had already transferred the shop to an agency, so after several attempts, Lai Shanlin contacted the agency and finally won the right to operate the shop. With his own “Lai Lai Restaurant”, he can also work in the kitchen “wearing a tie” as he wishes.
Lai Shanlin said with a smile: “Actually, it’s not just for gambling. Because there were not enough staff at the time, I also had to serve as a receptionist to greet the guests. ” So he always wore a tie. to work in. ” the kitchen, and then went to the front to help order food.
At that time, there was only one Chinese restaurant in Xi Nei, but the food was not tasty, so people in the small town did not have a good impression of Chinese food. But Lai Shanlin chatted with the owner of the coffee shop opposite After eating the food from Lai Lai Restaurant, the other party was full of praise and even made recommendations. Lai Shanlin soon established a foothold in the local area and became the most popular restaurant.
On May 1, 2024, a few Chinese customers visited the “Lai Lai Restaurant” run by Lai Shanlin in Ciney, Belgium. (Xu Manyuan / The Epoch Times) On May 1, 2024, the signature dish of “Lai Lai Restaurant”: fried shrimp balls. (Xu Manyuan / The Epoch Times)
When he first arrived in Belgium, Lai Shanlin joked that he was blind, deaf and dumb because of the language barrier. He was busy with his work every day and didn’t have time to learn the language. He had no choice but to study French in the kitchen with the Belgian locals, building up vocabulary bit by bit. What is interesting is that Lai Shanlin’s colleague comes from a Dutch speaking area and his French is not very good Both sides just dared to learn and the other was willing to learn, he gradually became able to communicate in French.
Sine is located in the valley of the Meuse River, and its development history can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The local rural landscape and ancient buildings have attracted many tourists; the local brewery is famous far and wide, and the Cine Beer Festival is held every summer (Ciney Beer Festival) also attracting beer lovers from all over the world, so the main customers of “Lai Lai Restaurant” are not only people local, but also tourists from all over the world.
The most popular dish at “Lai Lai Restaurant” is “Teppanyaki”. streets and avenues of Taichung After he recovered, he was very popular in Belgium.
Lai Shanlin also specially ordered 10 tables with ovens from Taiwan and shipped them to Belgium, allowing local people to experience the special “Taiwanese” dining table culture. In the early days, it was not easy to buy ingredients for Chinese restaurants in Belgium not as well as before.
Lai Shanlin lamented that the Belgian government’s labor tax was too high and many restaurant owners were overwhelmed that he could only motivate his family to help. Now that the eldest son and his wife are gradually taking over the restaurant, he and his wife can gradually let go and retire.
Lai Shanlin believes that Xinei is a small town suitable for experiencing Belgian rural life. The local Château de Ciney, built in the 11th century, is an important landmark in the area and a frequently visited tourist attraction.
After leaving his hometown and going to work in Belgium, Lai Shanlin looked back on his journey and was full of gratitude. He said: “It all depends on the help of noble people, and everything is going smoothly step by step.” Although the road to entrepreneurship is a little bumpy, he has no regrets, “I have no right to regret, just work hard.” This may also be a common aspiration of many first-generation Chinese overseas, to work hard and get ahead.
Editor in charge: Fang Ping
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