Delicious barbecues, breath taking mountains, a vibrant film industry, exciting elections and soccer games ... Argentina has it all. Come take a closer look at the country that lives in union and freedom.
美味的BBQ、令人屏息的山脈、蓬勃發展的電影工業、激情的選舉和足球賽事…阿根廷應有盡有。深入了解這個統一自由的國度。
A closer look 說古論今
PHOTO: AP
Argentina is mountainous in the west, leveling off into plains in the east. Wetlands, subtropical forests and semi-arid deserts make for a varied landscape. Both the highest (51°C) and lowest (-32.7°C) temperatures in South America were recorded in Argentina in 2007 and 1907 respectively. The indigenous people of Argentina have lived there for 13,000 years. Their main foods included corn, sweet potatoes and cassava (a potato-like plant). Many Argentines today still have some trace of Mapuche or Incan ancestry. Europeans arrived in 1516, and Spain established a permanent base in the current capital, Buenos Aires, in 1580.
When rumors spread in May 1810 that Napoleon had toppled the Spanish king, the locals fought the May Revolution and formally declared independence in 1816. The political scene in Argentina has remained complicated ever since. Extreme left- and right-wing forces alternated control several times, with leftist presidents overthrown by the military on numerous occasions. Democracy was suspended from 1976-1983. Argentina is a resource-rich and export-oriented economy with a diverse industrial sector and a strong agricultural base, exporting grains, cattle, milk, leather, cheese and wool.
Argentines enjoy soccer, Argentine-made movies (The Motorcycle Diaries is an internationally recognizable example), and a special kind of barbecue, asado, where a rich variety of meats are served. Other popular foods include locra (a stew of corn, beans, meat, onion and gourd), thin sandwiches and blood sausage. The national drink is mate, a highly caffeinated drink made with a variety of holly.
(Jason Cox, staff writer)
阿根廷西邊山脈延綿,地勢往東趨緩成平原。溼地、亞熱帶森林和半乾燥沙漠造就了多樣化景觀。南美洲最高溫(攝氏五十一度)及最低溫(攝氏零下三十二點七度)都曾於二○○七年和一九○七年出現在阿根廷境內。阿根廷原住民在當地居住了一萬三千年,其主食包括玉米、蕃薯和樹薯(一種像馬鈴薯的植物)。許多阿根廷人身上仍有馬普切或印加祖先的血統。一五一六年,歐洲人漂洋渡海來到阿根廷。一五八○年,西班牙在今日首都布宜諾斯艾利斯建立永久據點。
一八一○年五月,拿破崙推翻西班牙皇室的消息一傳來,當地人民掀起五月革命,於一八一六年正式宣布獨立。此後阿根廷政局仍錯綜複雜,極左派和極右派輪流掌權數回,左派總統幾度遭軍人推翻。民主政治在一九七六年到一九八三年間中斷。阿根廷是資源豐富且出口導向的經濟體,有多樣化工業和強勢的農業基礎,出口以榖類、牛肉、牛奶、皮革、起司和羊毛為主。
阿根廷人喜歡踢足球,欣賞阿根廷出產的電影(享譽國際影壇的「摩托車日記」便是一例),大啖有各種肉類的烤肉「asado」。其他廣受歡迎的料理還包括「locra」(一種內含玉米、豆類、肉、洋蔥和瓜類的燉湯)、薄三明治和血腸。全國男女老少都愛喝馬黛茶,這是一種以各種冬青植物混製而成的高咖啡因飲料。
(翻譯:鄭湘儀)
Taiwanese cuisine boasts a rich culture of thick soups, with various options available at street vendors or high-end restaurants. In English, this style of dish is typically called “thick soup.” Western cuisine typically uses flour, cream, or mashed vegetables to create a creamy consistency, while in Taiwan, thick soups are made by simply incorporating food starch into the soup and creating a smooth and silky texture. Tutuo fish in thick soup is such a soup with fried tutuo fish chunks, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and wood ears. 台灣羹品飲食文化豐富,無論是巷口小店或是高檔餐廳,都有提供羹料理。羹在英文稱作「濃湯」,西式濃湯是以麵粉、鮮奶油、蔬菜泥等達到濃稠的口感,台灣的羹湯用太白粉即能做出濃稠絲滑的湯頭。土魠魚羹就是在勾芡的羹湯中加入炸土魠魚塊、香菇、竹筍、木耳等食材的料理。 boast (v.) 擁有(令人驕傲的事物) consistency (n.) 濃稠度 chunk (n.) 厚塊,大塊 wood ear (n. ph.) 木耳 The star of this
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs. WHAT ARE CORALS? Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies. Their calcium carbonate secretions form hard and protective scaffolding that serves as a home to many colorful species of single-celled algae. The two organisms have evolved over millennia to work together, with corals providing shelter to algae,
In Taiwan, a quick stop at a local convenience store allows you to grab a hot dog whenever you want. But have you ever wondered how this popular snack got its unique name and became a leading light of American cuisine? First, the name “hot dog” is actually a combination of different ideas. Vendors called the sausages “red hot” to get customers to buy one fresh off their grills. As for the “dog” part, it’s a playful joke to compare the meat of the sausage to that of a dog—specifically , a dachshund. This small, long dog breed was
A: Also, police seized seven pornographic videos featuring minors that entertainer Mickey Huang purchased in his hard disc. B: That’s just outrageous! A: His ex-girlfriend entertainer Little S and some others are calling for a legal amendment to increase the penalty. B: The buyers and sellers should both be punished heavily. A: But the porn sellers’ Web sites are mostly overseas, so they are hard to catch. A: 此外警方也在黃子佼的硬碟裡,查到7部他買的未成年色情片。 B: 真是令人火大! A: 他的前女友小S等人,還呼籲修法,加重相關的罰則。 B: 購買者和販賣者雙方都該重罰。 A: 不過色情網站大多設在海外要抓也不容易吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)