Welcome to Taiwan, nicknamed Formosa - or beautiful island. For hundreds of years influences from all over the world have created a fascinatingly rich culture and an equally rich cuisine. The food of Taiwan, and its capital Taipei, is some of the most delicious on planet earth.

Recently, a food craze that took root in Taipei has spread across the globe: the plant based diet. Vegan food has a long history in the region, but a particularly interesting story in Taiwan. And as we began to explore this unique food scene we found a rabbit hole that none of us expected.

Today on Passport, we’re heading to Taipei to find out how a restaurant entrepreneur and vegan evangelist may actually be leading a worldwide cult, with a following in the many thousands, a small fortune, and a truly bizarre origin story. Also, she calls herself the Supreme Master.

We’re going to walk the line between religion and cult and find out if the Supreme Master is responsible for the vegan craze that began in Taiwan and swept the world. And if you think this is just a Taipei story, think again - with over 200 locations and counting, you may already have one of Supreme Master’s restaurants in your city!

For more, including links to the things we talked about, and the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: https://www.frequencymachine.com/passport

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