Ninjin – The Vegetable Assassin, is a phantom-like, elusive figure that some only speak of in whispers. Some have not heard of him, perhaps because the people were whispering in the first place.
Some maintain he is an illusion, a modern myth. But he is more than real.
After long negotiations we were able to secure an interview with the man who became a vegetable warrior, who became a legend…
GREEN THING: So, Ninjin, The Vegetable Assassin…Mr. Ninjin….where have you been in the last 12 months?
NINJIN: I have travelled the world on my mission, hiking from city to village to forest, restoring balance wherever people eat unseasonably.
GREEN THING: Do you ever have moments of doubt?
NINJIN: One time, I nearly assassinated a seasonal asparagus. I realised my error. And balance was restored.
GREEN THING: What do you say to critics that say your methods are a little extreme?
NINJIN: Does the heron hesitate as it strikes at the salmon? Does the raindrop rise upwards from the leaf? No, there is only The Way.
GREEN THING: Who taught you about the importance of seasonality in food?
NINJIN: My teacher was Kabu Sensei [Gives short bow]. I journeyed far into the mountains, seeking truth. I found the path was not easy. It was long, and bumpy, and spikey, sometimes. She taught me that every vegetable has its season in Nature’s balance.
GREEN THING: This month in our country is the time for Harvest Festival. If you were taking something to church to celebrate what would you take? A tin of beans, perhaps?
NINJIN: NO! That is not in season. And it is dead food incarcerated in a metal sarcophagus. I would take some freshly harvested courgettes. Perhaps some blackberries.
GREEN THING: If a friend persists in eating unseasonably, how would you deal with them?
NINJIN: I would show them the true way. The way of enlightenment. If necessary, I’d shoot their vegetable too.
GREEN THING: Will you ever stop?
NINJIN: My road is long. It is winding. It has many side roads. And not many places to stop and picnic. But it is my Way. I strive towards a day when we can ensure all on the planet eat only seasonal vegetables. Until then, I will go on, with the last fibre of my being.
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Katherine Hui is currently the Social site editor at Green Thing, a web-based public service in London that inspires people to lead greener lives through creative content.
Before this, she worked as the Development Manager at Social Innovation Camp, an organization that encourages people to use web and mobile-based technology to mobilise social change. She oversaw 300 ideas submission and helped build 20 prototypes – five of which have gone on to get further funding or investment.
Katherine’s came over to the UK form Canada in 2007 for an MSc program at the London School of Economics. Before arriving in London, she managed a small environmental start-up in Vancouver called the Canadian Climate Change Alliance.
Katherine is football mad. She is a loyal supporter of Arsenal FC, plays for Islington Borough Ladies FC and coaches for Gunners in Islington in her spare time. Her second favourite hobby is kite surfing and she can sometimes be found chasing the wind.
