The Kingdom of Belgium is world-renowned for its beers, chocolates, waffles and gothic cathedrals. Read on to find out more about the country which is home to the European Union and NATO and is sometimes referred to as the cockpit of Europe.
比利時王國以啤酒、巧克力、鬆餅與哥德式大教堂享譽全球。讓我們一起來發掘這個歐洲聯盟與北大西洋公約組織總部所在、有時更被冠上「歐洲戰場」的國家之更多風貌。
A closer look 說古論今
PHOTO: AP
The region which currently forms Belgium has been home to many famous artists from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. There is a gothic cathedral or church in every one of its major cities and towns. It is also famed for its examples of Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. The inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax also hails from Belgium. Another famous export is "The Adventures of TinTin," a cartoon which was first published in the French Language newspaper Le Vingtieme Siecle in 1929.
However what draws most tourists to Belgium is its beer. A quirk in its licensing laws forbade the selling of spirits in pubs until as recently as the 1980's. The result was lovingly crafted beers which have become world famous for their taste, fermentation methods and strength. Belgium boasts the largest locally-produced variety of beers in the world with over 500 regulars and another 500 one-offs. Each of these has its own special glass, selected carefully so that the shape brings out the best in taste and aromas. Especially famous are the Trappist beers which are brewed from scratch in one of only seven authorized monastaries.
No trip to Belgium would be complete without visiting a local cafe on a winding street, sitting at table on the pavement sipping on a local beer and perhaps indulging in the national dish of mussels or steak with French fries (which the Belgians lay claim to the invention of) and lettuce.
現今比利時境內的這個地區孕育了許多文藝復興與巴洛克時期的知名藝術家。每一個重要城市與鄉鎮都擁有一座哥德式大教堂。比利時也以羅馬式、文藝復興與巴洛克時期的建築典範聞名。發明薩克斯風的阿道夫.薩克斯也是比利時人。另一個風靡全球的外銷品是連環漫畫《丁丁歷險記》,它於一九二九年首度刊登在法文報紙《小二十世紀報》。
不過,最吸引遊客來到比利時的就是啤酒。早在一九八○年代以前,販酒法規竟然禁止酒吧販售烈酒。結果是,釀造精良的啤酒因其口感、發酵方式與濃度享譽國際。比利時以生產全球種類最繁多的國產啤酒自豪,有五百多種一般啤酒與五百多種特殊啤酒。每一種啤酒都有精心挑選的專屬杯子,如此一來,杯子形狀才能將啤酒的口感與風味發揮到淋漓盡致。其中,尤其以在全國僅有七家獲得釀酒牌照的修道院之一所釀造的「修道院啤酒」最聞名遐邇。
到比利時旅遊,若未造訪當地蜿蜒巷弄中的咖啡館、坐在路邊桌旁品嚐當地啤酒,或是來道貽貝或佐以薯條(比利時人宣稱是薯條始祖)與萵苣的牛排等當地菜餚,就不能說是盡興而歸了。 (翻譯︰賴美君)
South Korea’s famous kimchi is falling victim to climate change, with scientists, farmers and manufacturers saying the quality and quantity of the napa cabbage that is pickled to make the ubiquitous dish is suffering due to rising temperatures. Napa cabbage thrives in cooler climates, and is usually planted in mountainous regions where temperatures during the key growing summer season once rarely rose above 25 degrees Celsius. Studies show that warmer weather brought about by climate change is now threatening these crops, so much so that South Korea might not be able to grow napa cabbage one day due to the intensifying heat. “We
It’s widely recognized that there are far more right-handed people than left-handed people in the world. Being right-handed simply means preferring to use one’s right hand for tasks that involve only one hand, such as writing and eating. But have you ever wondered about the possible reasons behind the global dominance of the right hand over the left? As with many complex biological questions, multiple factors appear to be at play. First, one reason seems to be genetics. __1__ Therefore, the global dominance of right-handedness is something that has been passed down through many generations of humans. Next,
A: What’s even more horrible is that the five suspects who purposely supplied ketamine to actor Matthew Perry were all his “friends.” B: Who exactly are the five suspects? A: They include Matthew’s two doctors, a broker, a drug dealer, and even his live-in assistant. B: Those scumbags should go to jail. A: Yeah, one of the doctors may be sentenced to up to 120 years in prison. A: 更可怕的是,提供男星馬修派瑞「K他命」的5人全是他的「朋友」。 B: 嫌犯是誰啊? A: 其中包括他的2位醫生、1位仲介、1位毒販、甚至他的同居助理! B: 那些人渣真該去坐牢。 A: 對啊,其中1位醫生可能面臨120年徒刑。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Finally, cultural influence also plays a role in which hand people prefer. Historically, items that require physical manipulation have been designed for right-handed use. For example, tools like scissors and musical instruments are often constructed with right-handers in mind, making it difficult for left-handers to use them. __4__ While these factors offer some explanation, they remain speculative. The precise reasons for the global prevalence of right-handed people continue to be debated. Nevertheless, left-handedness will remain a phenomenon of great curiosity among scientists and researchers for many years to come. 最後,文化影響也在人們偏好哪一隻手上扮演一角。歷史上,需要用到肢體操作的物品都被設計來供右手使用。舉例來說,像是剪刀、樂器等工具常常就是考慮到右撇子而打造的,造成左撇子難以使用這些工具。因此,許多天生就是左撇子的人可能就必須透過學習使用右手來適應。 雖然這些因素都提供了一些解釋,但它們仍是推測而已。全球右撇子如此普及,確切的原因仍持續被爭論著。不過,在未來的許多年裡,左撇子依然會是科學家和研究人員相當好奇的一個現象。 What Did You Learn? (A) Specifically, different areas of