A young baker in Kaohsiung last month opened a bakery that links its bread prices to the euro, meaning that prices change from day to day accor-ding to the fluctuations of the euro.
The bakery’s owner is Wu Tzu-ching, a 24-year-old apprentice of 2010 Masters de la Boulangerie winner Wu Pao-chun. The younger Wu and his associate Wang Peng-chieh opened the Boulangerie Shakespeare on Sept. 8 on Kaohsiung’s Kuanghua Road. The store sells around 30 baguettes per day at about 1.5 euros, which equates to about NT$54. The price changes from day to day and is quoted according to the value of the euro listed at the neighboring branch of the Taiwan Cooperative Bank.
Wu said that the French government mandates that the price of a baguette mustn’t exceed two euros, and government officials inspect bakeries so the rule is closely observed. After returning to Taiwan he decided to follow the same policy and sell bread in Kaohsiung at the same price as in Paris.
PHOTO: HUANG HSU-LEI
照片：自由時報記者黃旭磊
In 2007 Wu represented Taiwan at an international bakery competition in Shizuoka, Japan. After receiving tutelage from Wu Pao-chun, he managed to see off competition from a Japanese entrant to claim second prize behind the French contingent. Wu has visited Paris three times, where he found a bookstore called Librairie Shakespeare on the banks of the Seine. The store’s relaxing atmosphere inspired him to use its name for his own bakery.
Wu and Wang borrowed over NT$5 million to set up the bakery and they often worry about being able to make the repayments, but he feels much better at 6pm when customers line up along Kuanghua Road to buy their freshly baked bread.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
PHOTO: HUANG HSU-LEI
照片：自由時報記者黃旭磊
高雄市一位年輕麵包師傅上個月開了一家以歐元計價的麵包店，因此香噴噴的麵包每天價格不一，會隨著歐元的匯率而波動。
世界麵包比賽冠軍吳寶春的二十四歲徒弟武子靖，及合夥人王鵬傑，九月八日於高雄市光華路開設莎士比亞烘焙坊。店中法國麵包每天熱賣三十幾條，採歐元計價，約一點五歐元，折合台幣約五十四元，價格每天不同，且匯率依照隔壁合作金庫牌價變動。
武子靖說，法國政府規定條狀麵包不能超過二歐元，官員常上街頭查價，因此店家都守規矩。回國後他決定與當地同步政策，參考巴黎的麵包價在高雄販賣。
武子靖二零零七年代表台灣到日本靜岡參加國際技能競賽，出國前接受吳寶春指導，擊敗日本對手獲得第二，僅次於法國隊。他曾三度到巴黎，喜歡塞納河旁「莎士比亞書店」典雅休閒氣氛，故以此命名自己的麵包店。
新店貸款五百多萬元，他與合夥人王鵬傑擔心還不清。但是晚上六點蜂巢麵包出爐，人潮常排到光華路旁，他說，營業額「放心多了」。
（自由時報記者黃旭磊）
Global coffee prices have soared to their highest in nearly 50 years due to poor weather in Brazil and Vietnam, forcing roasters such as Nestle to raise prices and consumers to hunt for cheaper brews amid the cost of living crisis. Spiking prices will benefit farmers with the crop this year, but challenge traders who face crippling hedging costs on exchanges and a scramble to receive the beans they pre-bought. WHAT DRIVES PRICES? Production problems linked to bad weather in Brazil and Vietnam have seen global supplies lagging demand for three years. That has left stocks depleted and driven benchmark ICE exchange prices
A: I love December. There are always so many concerts to attend at the end of the year. B: I just went to Bigbang member Tae-yang’s Taipei concert last weekend, and it was awesome. A: And I went to the weekend concerts at Christmasland in New Taipei City, featuring Tae-yang’s wife Hyo-lyn and various artists. B: Taiwanese superstars A-mei, Mayday, and Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok will also stage shows starting this week. A: It’s so hard to decide. Which one do you want to go to? A: 我好喜歡12月，因為每到年底總有許多演唱會！ B: 我上週才剛去過BigBang太陽的台北演唱會，超精彩。 A: 我也剛去過新北歡樂耶誕城的演唱會，太陽的老婆孝琳還有來表演唷。 B: 台灣天后阿妹、天團五月天、香港天王郭富城等巨星的演唱會從本週起也將陸續開唱。 A: 真難決定，你想去哪一場？ （By Eddy Chang,
The vast ocean stages countless miracles of life, but none are quite as awe-inspiring as the phenomenon of a “whale fall.” When a giant whale reaches the end of its life, its immense body gently descends and eventually lands in the inky abyss. This moment, which might seem like the end, ignites a burst of new life on the ocean floor. Deep beneath the ocean’s surface, where sunlight is unable to venture and nutrients are scarce, a whale fall is like an oasis in a barren landscape. Over decades, even centuries, the remains of a single whale can sustain thousands of
A: Among all the concerts, I’m in highest anticipation of A-mei’s. B: Me too, as she will become the first female singer to hold concerts at the venue. A: And she will stage five shows total, on Dec. 21, 22, 28 and 29, as well as the 31st, New Year’s Eve. B: We were so lucky to get the tickets for her New Year’s Eve show. A: Yeah! It’ll be super exciting to count down to the New Year with A-mei. A: 在這麼多演唱會中，我最期待阿妹的大巨蛋首唱。 B: 我也是，她可是首位在大巨蛋舉辦演唱會的女歌手呢。 A: 而且她將會嗨唱5場︰12月21、22、28、29日，跨年夜31日。 B: 幸好我們有搶到跨年夜的門票。 A: 對啊，能和阿妹一起倒數太興奮啦！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
RSS