![Foreign minister Joseph Wu introduces Taiwans "Freedom Fried Rice." (X, Ministry of Foreign Affairs screenshot)](https://image.taiwannews.com.tw/2023%2F12%2F06%2Ff51e0776ae1e42a7a3acbfed5fd87bce.jpg "Foreign minister Joseph Wu introduces Taiwans "Freedom Fried Rice." (X, Ministry of Foreign Affairs screenshot)")
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) mocked Chinese nationalist outrage over the timing of an influencer's video on egg-fried rice by introducing what he has dubbed "Freedom Fried Rice."
On Tuesday (Dec. 5), Wu posted on X that in Taiwan "we savor #FreedomFriedRice whenever the mood strikes and #FreedomBeer is always refreshingly ready. No apologies needed." Wu called them his "chill snacks" and said they "embody the essence of freedom," which Taiwanese enjoy daily.
In the accompanying video, Wu can be seen holding a plate of fried rice and a glass of Taiwan Beer. In the video, Wu said, "We have 'Freedom Fried Rice' and we have 'Freedom Beer. Tonight we toast to freedom!"
According to a story that has circulated in China for decades, Mao Zedong's (毛澤東) eldest son Mao Anying (毛岸英) died on a Korean War battlefield on Nov. 25, 1950, allegedly because the smoke from the egg fried rice he cooked gave away his position. Some Chinese who disagree with Mao Zedong or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) deliberately post recipes for egg fried rice online as an act of defiance near Mao Anying's birthday on Oct. 24 or the date of his death.
Chinese celebrity chef Wang Gang (王剛) on Nov. 27 posted a video introducing his recipe for egg-fried rice. However, due to massive online backlash from Chinese nationalists, Wang posted a video that same day apologizing and vowing that he will never make egg fried rice or post a video of it ever again.
Wang has previously posted videos on egg-fried rice twice on politically sensitive dates. On Oct. 22, 2018, Wang posted a video on his homemade fried rice recipe, which was picked up by the People's Daily, drawing rare criticism from the China state-run mouthpiece, reported CNN.
On Oct. 24, 2020, he posted a video on Yangzhou fried rice, spurring a backlash from nationalists and prompting him to issue an apology.
In #Taiwan〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕, we savor #FreedomFriedRice whenever the mood strikes, & #FreedomBeer is always refreshingly ready. No apologies needed.
Curious about the flavor of Minister Wu’s chill snacks? They embody the essence of freedom, a taste everyone here enjoys every day! https://t.co/OAlrSzruOh pic.twitter.com/BQF3SVB8LA
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕〔錯誤字元無法儲存〕 (@MOFA_Taiwan) December 5, 2023
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