The most natural experience ever: "Dining barefoot in the fields"

▲The "Dining in the Rice Fields" project has been brought to this year's Green Expo site, allowing the public to experience the beauty of rural countryside firsthand.(Photo / Provided by the Lanyang Agricultural Development Foundation)

Travel Center / Reported from Taipei

The 2013 Yilan Green Expo invites visitors to take part in the dining philosophy of "Eat Local, Eat Organic, Support Local Farmers, and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint." Starting now, at the "A-Chien City Settlement – Photosynthesis Cafeteria" within the expo site, creative tasting dishes made with organic produce from various townships in Yilan will be served free of charge to visitors daily at 11 AM. Local small-scale farmers and chefs will also share their insights, discussing creative cooking methods using local ingredients and the importance of sustainable farming practices.

This year’s Yilan Green Expo brings the highly popular "Dining in the Rice Fields" project previously held in the Danan’ao area to the expo grounds. For the first time, dining tables have been set up right in the rice paddies, showcasing signature local ingredients from Yilan. This offers the public an authentic taste of rural beauty, brings consumers closer to the land, crops, and farmers, and creates new value for rural communities through experiential consumption. It also helps visitors understand that reducing the distance food travels from farm to table not only supports local agriculture but is also a key step in lowering the carbon footprint of food.

Magistrate Lin Congxian stated that the fresh ingredients tasted on-site today were especially sweet and delicious. Local ingredients not only reduce food miles but also ensure and enhance food quality. Yilan is also promoting the concept of a “New Organic Yilan,” extending the organic movement from communities to the countryside in order to achieve the goal of becoming an organic county. At the same time, various policies are being used to encourage young farmers to engage in agriculture in Yilan, enabling the involvement of organic smallholders to drive rural transformation. By integrating leisure agriculture to boost rural income and encouraging youth participation, everyone is welcome to visit Yilan.

For more information, please visit the Green Expo official website at www.greenexpo.e-land.gov.tw or call the Green Expo hotline at (03)9955-101.