On May 1, 2024, Lai Shanlin was used to working in the kitchen with a tie, and sometimes he went to the front hall to chat with guests. (Xu Manyuan/The Epoch Times)
[The Epoch Times, 06 Cèitean, 2024]Starting from Brussels, the capital of Belgium, it takes about an hour and a half to drive south to Ciney On the way, you will see green mountains and groups of wild animals. But what welcomed me was Changhua’s friendly accent, which made me feel like I was back in rural Taiwan.
On May 1, 2024, Mr. art show 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 fifty years, longer than he had lived in Taiwan. Although he is fluent in French, Lai Shanlin still prefers to speak in Taiwanese, tie, and apron for work in the kitchen.
Lai Shanlin’s uncle was from Qingtian, Zhejiang. Lai Shanlin recalled that the majority of Chinese in Belgium came from Qingtian in the early days. The locals described Qingtian as “nine mountains, half water and half farmland”. . One relative introduced another relative, and many people from the whole family went to Europe to work, so Qingtian is also known as “Hometown of Overseas Chinese”.
In 1978, Lai Shanlin, who had no experience in the food industry, came to work in a Chinese restaurant run by his uncle in Belgium. While he was 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 quietly decided in his heart: “One day, I will be my own boss and I have to wear a tie every day.”
At that time, most Chinese who came to Belgium were involved in running Chinese restaurants, and most international students worked as restaurant waiters . Some Chinese who studied art and literature later became monks and opened restaurants. Lai Shanlin said: “There were not many Chinese in Europe at that time, and there was not much competition. As long as the food was not too inadequate, 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 eventually the two of them saved enough money to invest in the restaurant . In 1983, Lai Shanlin took over his uncle’s friend’s Chinese restaurant in Liège. Although the business was very good, the cleaning and management costs were very high. the profit was as much as expected. After a few years of work, he decided to split the shares and open his own restaurant.
Lai Shanlin smiled to 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 approval 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 boss was very old and even his hands were shaking when they served shaky food, so he asked the other party if he was willing to sell it. Suddenly, the restaurant owner had already given the shop to a group, so after many twists and turns, Lai Shanlin contacted the group and finally won the right to the shop work. With his own “Lai Lai Restaurant”, he can also work in the kitchen “wearing a tie” as he likes.
Lai Shanlin said with a smile: “Actually, it’s not just to gamble. Since there were not enough staff at the time, I had to be the receptionist to welcome the guests to the kitchen, and then went to the front to order food.
At that time, there was only one Chinese restaurant in Xi Nei, but the food was not delicious, so people in the small town did not have a good opinion of Chinese food. But Lai Shanlin talked to the owner of the coffee shop opposite after eating the food from Lai Lai Restaurant, the other party was full of suggestions and even offered suggestions. Lai Shanlin soon established a foothold in the local area and became the most popular restaurant among foodies.
On May 1, 2024, few Chinese customers visited the “Lai Lai Restaurant” run by Lai Shanlin in Ciney, Belgium. (Xu Manyuan/The Epoch Times)On May 1, 2024, “Lai Lai Restaurant” signature dish: 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 work every day and didn’t have time to learn the language. What is interesting is that Lai Shanlin’s colleague is from a Dutch area and his French is not very good, gradually he was able to communicate in French.
Sine is located in the valley of the Meuse River, and its development history back to the Middle Ages can be seen every summer.
The most popular dish at “Lai Lai Restaurant” is “Teppanyaki”. Taichung streets and alleys After it was developed, it was popular in Belgium.
Lai Shanlin specially ordered 10 tables with ovens from Taiwan and sent them to Belgium, allowing local people to experience the unique “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 that many restaurant owners were frustrated that he could only mobilize his family to help. Now that the eldest son and his wife are gradually taking over the restaurant, he and his wife can go away and retire.
Lai Shanlin believes that Xinei is a small town that is 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 frequent tourist attraction.
After leaving his hometown and going to work in Belgium, Lai Shanlin looked back on his journey and was filled with gratitude. He said: “It all depends on the help of gentlemen, and everything will go smoothly step by step.” Although the road to entrepreneurship is a bit bumpy, he has no regrets, “I have no right to regret, just work hard.” This may also be the general goal of many First generation Chinese overseas, to work hard and move forward.
Editor-in-Chief: Fang Ping
