A: It’s funny how old objects carry certain meanings. I passed a junk store in Tainan some time ago. There was a lot of old, random stuff stacked outside.
B: Were they selling it? Are you sure somebody hadn’t just dumped a lot of unwanted possessions on the sidewalk?
A: It was difficult to tell. I remember there was a portrait of an elderly gentleman. That might have meant something to somebody, but it was hardly a work of art. Why would anyone buy a portrait of a stranger?
Photo: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times 照片:台北時報古德謙
B: I think I guessed right. It must have been somebody’s discarded belongings.
A: And there was an old bicycle with flat tires and the chain hanging off. I suppose you could buy that and repair it as a kind of personal project.
A: 老東西有某種特定意義,這好奇妙。我前陣子在台南經過一家舊貨店,裡面堆了好多老舊的、各式各樣的東西。
B: 這是要賣的嗎?你確定不是有人把一大堆不要的東西丟在人行道上?
A: 這很難說。我記得其中有一張老人的畫像。這畫像可能對某人來說有意義,但是幾乎稱不上是藝術。不會有人要買一張陌生人的畫像吧?
B: 我想我猜得沒錯,這一定是人家要丟掉的東西。
A: 那邊還有一輛輪胎沒氣、鉸鏈掉下來的腳踏車。我想你可以把它買下來、修理一下,把它當做 自己的一項工程。
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times/台北時報林俐凱譯)
English 英文:
Chinese 中文:
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You