Democracy sausage (Taiwan)
Democracy sausages (Chinese: 民主香腸, Min Nan Chinese: bîn-chú ian-chhiâng or bîn-tsú ian-tshiâng) are sausage booths operated at street protests in Taiwan. These booths mostly sell sausages, rice sausage, their combination known as small sausage in large sausage, and drinks. They may also sell other foods or goods, such as drinks or merchandise related to politicians.[1] According to etnet, a vendor can prepare 2,000 sausages, or generate 60,000 new Taiwan dollar worth of sales in a protest.[2]
The origins of such booths can be traced back to the Tangwai movement, when it was associated with the Democratic Progressive Party. Local vendors saw demand and business oppurtunities during protests, and therefore operated at many protests in Taiwan at the time.[3] Some protesters of the wild Lily student movement described democracy sausages as "the taste of free speech and association".[4]
In 2019, democracy sausages was mentioned by Lin Chia-lung, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan at the time, while explaining Taiwanese democracy to Bruno Kaufmann, the co-founder of Democracy International.[5] In 2025, Joseph Wu, the secretary-general of the National Security Council at the time, also mentioned democracy sausages when meeting with Gabrielius Landsbergis, the former minister for Foreign Affairs in Lithuania.[6]
References
- ↑ "台灣社會運動如雨後春筍 「民主香腸」大發利市". 報時光 (in Chinese). Retrieved 10 July 2026.
90年代出席各式集會遊行場合的香腸攤他們有個親民的暱稱，叫做「民主香腸」，這些香腸攤攤商，會四處隨著遊行、示威抗議、選舉造勢等政治場所移動，除了販售烤香腸、米腸、大腸包小腸外，還有各式飲料。他們陪伴人們見證社會演變，以味覺紀錄時代氛圍……民主香腸並不是一種食物，而是稱呼在台灣各種政治集會場合出現的香腸攤，但現在也擴大稱呼其他隨政治場合出現的小吃、政治周邊商品攤商。
- ↑ 姚超文. "選舉嘉年華，10萬人逛夜市". etnet 經濟通 (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 10 July 2026.
台灣政治活動的傳統，一定會出現香腸攤，又稱「民主香腸」。肚子餓了，烤得香噴噴的香腸最方便果腹，成為台灣選舉不可或缺的一景。而今年韓國瑜的造勢晚會，比全台任何夜市都壯觀，臨時攤販長達兩公里，三、四百個攤商聚集，最誇張的甚至有人一天多前就來搶佔位置，只因為人潮就是錢潮。民主香腸越賣越誇張，出現所謂的香腸瀑布。也就是一次備貨一兩千條香腸，掛起來變成了瀑布。最厲害的一攤，最多擺到2400條。據說有人一場晚會光賣香腸就能進帳6萬台幣，財源滾滾。
- ↑ 楊孟瑜 (29 March 2004). "來鴻：民主香腸變民主大餅". BBC (in Chinese). Retrieved 10 July 2026.
政黨輪替就是這麼現實吧，而小老百姓的營生也嗅到了風向。以前民進黨在街頭搞群眾運動時，總是有小販推著賣香腸的小攤子跟著跑，有"人潮"就有生意嘛，要填飽肚子才有力氣喊"抗議"，這類跟著街頭運動跑的小販攤子也就被稱為"民主香腸"。
- ↑ 周東慶; 楊琇雯 (13 November 2020). "【民主的滋味】民主路上的那些經典點心". 財團法人人本教育文教基金會 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 10 July 2026.
對1990年的野百合學運學子們，香腸是「言論結社自由」的滋味！他們修憲示威靜坐，台上一場一場演說發表，台下一口一口吃著香腸，還邊罵老賊下台，又將臺灣民主往前推了一步！
- ↑ 溫貴香 (30 September 2019). "用鐵路串連台灣民主故事 林佳龍：民主可以很觀光". 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Retrieved 10 July 2026.
萬華火車站、龍山寺附近過去也有很多演講、甚至是民主香腸、往南有中壢事件等說不完的民主故事。
- ↑ 溫貴香 (14 January 2025). "立陶宛外長參訪民主方舟常設展 吳釗燮介紹民主香腸". 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Retrieved 10 July 2026.
Further reading
- 看見台灣基金會編輯群. "台式香腸─有人潮的地方就有它". 財團法人看見台灣基金會 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- 楊索 (2014-04-21). "民主香腸". www.verymulan.com. Archived from the original on 2025-04-25. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
External sites
- 非官方聚合的民主香腸，國家文化記憶庫 2.0