ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS

I got tired of eating the food from the vegetarian restaurant as I felt that they use a lot of sugar as well as flavouring to make it tastier since garlic and onions cannot be used to cook the dishes. For a change, I went and bought the salad dish from Pizza Hut without the onions and the mayonnaise.

Anyway, it is not compulsory for all Taoists to observe the 9-day fast. It is done voluntarily and out of the sincerity of the devotee. Some people only observe the vegetarian fast when they wish to offer prayers at the temple while others opt to fast for a day, three days and so on. From young I was taught that observing the 9-Emperor Gods diet is an act for us mere mortals to acquire merits during our stay here on earth. The more days that the fast is observed, the more merits can be accrued.