Nazi?

First time visitors to Taiwan are occasionally taken aback to see swastikas in public settings. Not to worry! They almost always point to Buddhist temples or vegetarian restaurants. Although I like vegetarian food (I often eat in veggie cafeterias), I must say I must prefer heavily-spiced Indian vegetarian dishes (when I can find them, not an easy task in Taiwan ;-)

This particular photo was taken in front of a vegetarian food stand inside a traditional wet market. Notice that the swastika in the middle (#2) is the clockwise 卍 Buddhist symbol for “ten thousand” (pronounced wann in Chinese,usually written as 萬 [traditional simplified character = 万]), not the counterclockwise Nazi version 卐 (Wikipedia has more to say about the difference).

#1 is the name of the restaurant. Vegetarian travelers take note: the second and third characters (素 齋 = suhshyr) are frequently used in the names of vegetarian eateries.Note that the -h in suh is a GR Tonal Spelling mnemonic contour marker for the abruptly falling 4th tone; similarly, the -r in shyr is a 2nd tone marker (GR Tonal Spelling is AKA Gwoyeu Romatzyh). -y- is a unique Chinese vowel that sounds sort of like a buzzing mosquito.

#3 is actually a Japanese term (shōjin ryōri) for Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, which is characterized by the use of seasonal ingredients and the lack of strong-smelling plants such as garlic, onions and chili peppers (Wikipedia on dietary restrictions)

#8 notice the strictly utilitarian stainless steel folding table with chopsticks and condiments, very common for street food (or in a traditional wet market)