top of page
Search

Thank you to all our friends in Taiwan for your love and support along the way.

Updated: 2 days ago


I am not only hurt but disappointed too with some Taiwanese deliberate act of maligning our image for TRP and sensation


Me and Mayur Indian Kitchen were no one today; whatever we are is only because of the love and appreciation of Taiwanese people, and we will carry forward their love and trust in us.


Thanks to the love and support of the friendly people of Taiwan.

There are moments when silence is the most dignified answer.

For years, whenever sensational stories appeared online using the name Mayur Indian Kitchen, suggesting that certain imported spices were dangerous or contained pesticide residues, we chose not to respond. We believed that facts, responsible authorities and our work would speak louder than frightening headlines.

But today, I feel not only hurt — I feel deeply disappointed.

I am disappointed that sometimes a routine food-safety matter can be presented in a way that makes ordinary people believe that something dangerous has been served in our restaurants, when that is simply not what happened.


Let me make one thing absolutely clear:

If a food product or spice fails Taiwan's food-safety requirements, Taiwan's competent authorities have every right — and responsibility — to stop it.

We respect the Taiwan FDA and Taiwan Customs. Their job is to inspect imported products and prevent products that do not meet Taiwan's requirements from entering the market. We have never complained when a shipment or product is stopped. That is exactly how a responsible food-safety system should work.

But if a product is stopped before it enters the market, why should the public be frightened into thinking that Taiwanese families are eating it?


We do not manufacture these spice powders.

Mayur Indian Kitchen imports hundreds of different food and grocery products from various countries, including India, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, the UAE, Canada, Australia and others.

If one particular product from one particular shipment fails an inspection, that does not mean that every product is unsafe. And it certainly does not mean that our customers have consumed something dangerous.

If a particular imported spice cannot be used, we simply don't use it.

Indian cuisine does not depend on one single spice.

There are hundreds of spices, herbs and ingredients that can be used in Indian cooking. Taiwan itself has an abundance of excellent local ingredients. When necessary, we can use whole spices, grind them ourselves and prepare our food accordingly.

If black pepper powder is unavailable, we can use whole black pepper and grind it ourselves.

How complicated is that?

Why should a simple food-safety procedure become a frightening story that makes customers believe our restaurants are putting their health at risk?


Behind every restaurant are real human beings.

This is something I wish sensational reporting would remember.

Mayur Indian Kitchen has employees — Taiwanese and foreign — who work hard every day. Behind every employee is a family. Behind every salary is someone's rent, food, children's education, parents, dreams and future.

When a restaurant's name is repeatedly associated with frightening headlines, the damage is not limited to the owner.

It affects everyone who depends on that business.

A sensational headline may generate clicks, views, ratings or attention for a few minutes.

But for us, the consequences can last much longer.

We are talking about people's livelihoods.


And I have one more question.

Taiwan is an island that imports countless food products and ingredients from around the world. Taiwan also exports its own products globally.

This is how the modern world works.

Products travel across borders. Authorities inspect them. Some pass. Some are rejected. Some are destroyed or returned.

That is normal international trade.

Products from many countries and regions can be stopped by food-safety authorities when they fail the required standards. We respect that process.

So why should every such incident involving an Indian spice become a frightening story?

Why repeatedly create the impression that something terrible has happened when the very system designed to protect consumers has already prevented the questionable product from entering the market?

Please report facts — not fear.


I say this not as an outsider, but as someone who has spent years building a life in Taiwan.

I came to Taiwan as a chef.

I built Mayur Indian Kitchen here.

I worked, struggled, cooked, served and dreamed here.

Taiwan gave me an opportunity.

Taiwanese people gave me trust.

And that trust became the foundation of everything we have today.

Today, Mayur Indian Kitchen has grown into a much larger family, and our journey has even taken us beyond Taiwan.

Our 15th branch, Mayur International Kitchen in Dubai, represents Taiwan internationally.

We proudly tell people that our story was born and grew in Taiwan — not in India.

We introduce Taiwanese food and culture to people overseas. We proudly display the Taiwan flag. We tell our guests that Taiwan is where our journey began.

I have spent so many years promoting Taiwan in a foreign land that, in my heart, Taiwan is no longer simply a place where I do business.


Taiwan is my second home.

India is my motherland.

Taiwan is the country where I built my life, my business and my dreams.

It is also the homeland of my wife and my children.

My children have grown with Taiwan around them.

Thousands of Taiwanese and international guests have eaten at our restaurants.

Families have trusted us with their meals.

Children, young people and elderly customers have sat at our tables.

We understand the responsibility that comes with that trust.

We would never deliberately compromise the health of our customers.

Never.


To my friends in the Taiwanese media:

I am not asking you to protect Mayur Indian Kitchen.

I am not asking you to ignore food-safety issues.

I am asking you to report them responsibly.

If something is genuinely dangerous and has reached consumers, tell people.

If something fails inspection and is stopped before entering the market, tell that truth too.

Please do not turn a regulatory rejection into a frightening story that makes ordinary people believe they have been eating dangerous food.

Facts are powerful enough. They don't need sensational headlines.

TRP, clicks and fame may come and go.

But the reputation of a business built over many years can be damaged in a few minutes.

And behind that reputation are hundreds of workers, their families and thousands of customers who have trusted us.


To the people of Taiwan, I want to say only this:

Thank you.

Thank you for giving me a chance when I was nobody.

Thank you for eating our food.

Thank you for trusting us.

Thank you for allowing Mayur Indian Kitchen to become part of your lives.

Whatever we are today is because of the love and appreciation of Taiwanese people.

We will never forget that.

And we will continue carrying that love and trust forward — in Taiwan, in Dubai and wherever our journey takes us.

We are proud of where we came from.

We are proud that Mayur Indian Kitchen was born and grew in Taiwan.

We are proud to represent Taiwan internationally.

And we will continue doing what we have always done:

Cook honestly. Serve responsibly. Respect Taiwan's laws. Respect Taiwan's people. And protect the trust that our customers have placed in us.

So, to the media, my friends and everyone reading this:


Please don't create fear where there is no danger.

Please don't turn facts into sensationalism.

Please don't destroy the reputation of people who have spent years building something with hard work and the trust of Taiwanese people.


We are not against the media.

We are against misleading sensationalism.

We respect Taiwan.

We respect its people.

We respect its food-safety authorities.

And we will continue to stand proudly as a business born in Taiwan and representing Taiwan to the world.

I am Mayur. I am the founder of Mayur Indian Kitchen. I am the founder of Mayur International Kitchen in Dubai. And I will always be grateful to the people of Taiwan who made this journey possible.

You gave us your trust.

We will carry that trust with us — always.

Thank you, Taiwan. ❤️🇹🇼


— Mayur Srivastava

Founder & Chef, Mayur Indian Kitchen, Taiwan

Founder, Mayur International Kitchen, Dubai

Proudly representing Taiwan on international forums


 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page