In Europe and North America, people sometimes change their names, though the process is often complicated. It’s simpler in Taiwan. So simple, in fact, that people will change their names for a free meal. This can can bring trouble.
A few years ago, a well-known chain of all-you-can-eat conveyor-belt sushi restaurants, called Akindo Sushiro, said it would offer free sushi on two days in the month to anyone whose Chinese name included the two characters for salmon. Up to five guests could eat for free too. Anyone who had two characters in their name which sounded like the word for salmon would get a 50% discount. Those with just one character would get a 10% discount.
As a result, more than 130 people rushed to the household registration office to change their names, despite pleas from government officials to stop. One became Kuo Salmon Rice Bowl, another Salmon Prince. There was also a Meteor Salmon King, Explosive Good Looking Salmon and, less imaginatively, Salmon Fried Rice. Their rewards were great though, with some people (and their friends) feasting for free on food that would normally have set them back well over 350 euros.
In Taiwan, people can change their names three times relatively easily, for a couple of euros each time. People change their names to something they think will bring them luck, to escape a difficult past, or because the romanised version of their Chinese name is too long. Those 130-odd people decided to become Mr Salmon for a few days and then change their name to something else as soon as their tummies were full of raw fish.
For most, this worked out fine. For one person though, the plan didn’t go so swimmingly.
Having changed his name to Chang Salmon Dream, a student at the Chinese Medical University booked a table for six people at one of the restaurant’s branches. Rather than just getting free meals for himself and five of his friends, he sold tickets for 6 euros each so that 29 other people could join him in shifts.
Trouble came not from his attempts to feed so many people for free, and make a profit, but from the household registration office, which told him that he couldn’t change his name back again. As he had changed his name twice before his change allowance was up. His Salmon Dream name had become a fishy nightmare.
Until he finds a solution, he will be Dr Chang Salmon Dream when he graduates from medical school and remain stuck in this net for the rest of his life.
At some point he will also have to tell his parents, because it is the only way remaining he will be able to change his name to something else.
Under Taiwan’s Name Act, it’s only possible to change your name more than three times if your name is exactly the same as that of a close relative. This means Salmon Dream will have to tell his family and then find a close relative who is willing to change their name to Salmon Dream as well. Only then, will he be able to change his name to something else.
If that relative has only one name change remaining, then he or she will become Chang Salmon Dream for life instead.
The restaurant’s promotional efforts had one other interesting side-effect. It spawned the longest name in Taiwan’s history with one person changing their name to “Chen Loves Taiwan, Abalone, Tuna, Salmon, Snow Crab, Sea Urchin, Scallop, Lobster and Beef, Mayfull, Palais de Chine, Regent, Hilton, Caesar Park, Hilton Royal”.
The last, non food, names refer to some of best hotels and restaurants in Taiwan, adopted in the presumable hope that they might feed him for free too.