I arrived in Taipei on September 24th and stopped by to pay my respects at the place where a memorial for Su Beng has been set up from September 24-October 12th. Daily visitation hours are from 8:30am-8:00pm. For anyone wishing to pay their respects, see my previous blog post for full details. Before Su Beng was cremated on September 28th, I stopped by there a few more times. There I saw many familiar faces and we traded stories about Su Beng. It’s times like this- at weddings and funerals- that the real stories about our loved ones are shared. Needless to say, the first couple of days back in Taiwan leading up to Su Beng’s cremation have been quite emotional.

I had hoped that Su Beng would make it to his 101st birthday (on November 9, 2019) and had planned to be back in Taipei for that. But my plans changed when I learned how much his health had deteriorated by September. By then, Su Beng was unable to speak or to eat by himself. He was being fed and was eating mostly soft, liquified or pureed foods.

I immediately booked a flight back to Taiwan hoping to see him again. Unfortunately, the day after I booked my flight, I found out from Su Beng’s assistant Bin Hong that the doctors were saying that his state was touch and go. I was beside myself when I realized that I might not make it back in time to see him. But I told her if it’s his time to go, he must go and that I hoped that he wouldn’t have to go through any prolonged pain and suffering. Then I prepared myself for the worst, in case I wouldn’t be able to make it back in time before he passed. Nothing ever fully prepares you for someone’s death, until something really makes you feel the finality of it, or brings certain memories to surface.

Su Beng passed away on September 20th and my flight out to Taipei had been set for September 22nd.

When I saw Bin Hong in Taipei she told me that before Su Beng passed away at the Taipei Medical University Hospital, he was surrounded by twenty-something close friends and associates who wanted to be at his bedside in his hospital room, to be there with him in his last moments to “send him off.” She said that right before he passed, he opened his eyes wide, looked around at everyone in the room, then closed his eyes and left.

At Su Beng’s cremation his two assistants, several old friends and relatives first took turns bowing at an altar with offerings in order pay their respects to Su Beng.

Several close friends and associates eulogized him. They all wore jeans in homage to Su Beng who always wore a denim shirt and jeans- that was his uniform.

Dr. Lai Chi-Wan (Photo courtesy of: 林啟生) — Dr. Lai Chi-Wan (Photo courtesy of: **林啟生**)

葉治平 Yeh Chin-Ping, former director of NATPA (Photo courtesy of: 林啟生) — 葉治平 Yeh Chin-Ping, former director of NATPA (Photo courtesy of: **林啟生**)

藍士博 (Lan Shi-bo, one of the co-authors of The Oral History of Su Beng) — 藍士博 (Lan Shi-bo, one of the co-authors of *The Oral History of Su Beng*)

Jiho Chang (one of the co-authors of The Oral History of Su Beng) — **Jiho Chang** (one of the co-authors of *The Oral History of Su Beng*)

敏紅 Bin Hong/Huang Min-hung, director of the Su Beng Education Foundation (Photo courtesy of: 林啟生) — 敏紅 Bin Hong/Huang Min-hung, director of the Su Beng Education Foundation (Photo courtesy of: **林啟生**)

Then all of the guests in attendance were given a chance to walk up to the altar to bow and pay respects to Su Beng. The service concluded with guests being invited to place a flower in Su Beng’s open casket before he was actually cremated. I was told that much of the “ceremony” that happened at Su Beng’s cremation was not traditional, which is not entirely surprising. Su Beng was anything but traditional. He was also an atheist, so one might wonder what he would think of all the “fuss” made over his death at his cremation. Since he had no immediate surviving family, many of the guests, who consisted of close friends, associates and distant relatives were allowed to watch his casket go into the cremator. That’s when I lost it. I suppose seeing his casket being put in to the cremator made everything seem so final.

Su Beng’s casket with a flag he designed for his group, the Taiwan Independence Association (Photo courtesy of Jessie Chen) — Su Beng’s casket with a flag he designed for his group, the Taiwan Independence Association (Photo courtesy of **Jessie Chen**)

(Photo courtesy of: 林啟生) — (Photo courtesy of: **林啟生**)

A-diong and Bin Hong with Su Beng’s ashes (Photo courtesy of: 林啟生) — A-diong and Bin Hong with Su Beng’s ashes (Photo courtesy of: **林啟生**)

Next Stop: Su Beng’s Noodle Shop

While in Taiwan, I managed to make a side trip to Japan, and of course the first place I visited was Su Beng’s noodle shop, the New Gourmet (新珍味) in Ikebukuro. Once I stepped out of the Ikebukuro train station, I quickly realized that it would be a bit harder to find the noodle shop than anticipated. The last time I’d been there with Su Beng was in 2005!

I ended up asking a local, an older gentleman if he knew of Su Beng’s noodle shop and if he could show me where it was. Fortunately, he did, but as he led the way, he had to stop into a few local shops along the way to get directions. Thanks to his persistence and kindness, we finally did find it.

After the flight from Taipei, which was followed by a long, train ride out to Ikebukuro from Narita airport, I was hungry and of course I had to have the gyoza.