The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

19 TZU CHI 121 Vegetarianism for all D espite the restrictions imposed during the MCO, Yeo Siew Neo discovered an innovative way to continue sharing the benefits of vegetarianism from the comfort of her own home – uploading videos of herself demonstrating how to cook vegetarian cuisine. Siew Neo has been a staunch advocate of vegetarianism since adopting the lifestyle 37 years ago at the age of 18. After committing as a Tzu Chi volunteer a decade ago, her dedication to vegetarianism has been reinforced, as Master Cheng Yen’s principle of protecting animal lives through vegetarianism resonated deeply with her. In addition to preparing wholesome and delectable vegetarian meals for her family, she also frequently encourages those around her to embrace vegetarianism. Many of Siew Neo’s friends and family supported her vegetarian stance, but most of them had little knowledge of vegetarian recipes, hence the ingenious idea of producing cooking videos to be shared with the public. Siew Neo managed to overcome her initial nervousness in front of the camera and now records step-by-step visual guides to a variety of vegetarian dishes by using a smartphone. Her recipes are simple and tasty, featuring common ingredients such as brinjals, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and soy rolls. She also keeps highly-processed ingredients to a minimum. Siew Neo’s videos have garnered enthusiastic response, attracting more than 100 viewers within two days. The home cook hopes to leverage her culinary skills to inspire more people to commit to a vegetarian diet, which, she believes, fosters compassion and promotes a peaceful world. By Tan Kim Hion Translated by Choo Suet Fun Photograph by Yong Mun Fei Coming Together in Times of Crisis