South Korea 南韓
In South Korea Lunar New Year is called Soel. Like in Taiwan, no one sleeps on New Year's eve. It is thought that if you do, your eyebrows will turn white. All the lights in the house must be kept on to welcome in the New Year.
Bamboo sticks are burnt in the house on New Year's eve. The cracking when the knots in the bamboo burn scares away the evil spirits of the old year. Just like in Taiwan, people wear new clothes on New Year's day — but they are normally the traditional costumes called han bok.
PHOTO: EPA
Everyone drinks a glass of a special liquor, gui balki sool, that is thought to help you hear clearly all year long. Families enjoy activities such as kite flying and the traditional Korean game yut, which is played with four wooden sticks. The game dates back to the first century.
Say Hay boke-mahn he pah du say oh!
南韓農曆新年叫「soel」。跟台灣一樣,除夕夜每個人都會守夜,據說若睡著眉毛會變白,屋內所有燈都得開著迎接新年。
除夕夜南韓人會在屋內燒竹枝,竹節燃燒時的爆裂聲能嚇走舊年的惡靈。南韓人也像台灣一樣,人人新年穿新衣,不過他們通常穿的是傳統韓服「han bok」。
每個韓國人都會喝一杯特別的烈酒「gui balki sool」,據說能幫助整年聽覺靈敏。家家戶戶都喜歡放風箏,玩一種自一世紀流傳至今,以四根特別木棒進行的傳統遊戲「尤茨」。
(翻譯:鄭湘儀)
A: I want to go to Neihu to see the cherry blossoms. B: Do you want to go by YouBike? A: Well, how much does it cost? B: The Taipei City Government just announced that riders can use the bicycles for free for the first 30 minutes! A: Great! Riding bikes is also more eco-friendly than driving. A: 我想去內湖賞櫻花耶。 B: 那要不要騎YouBike微笑單車去? A: 車費怎麼算? B: 台北市政府最近宣布︰前30分鐘免費! A: 太棒了,而且也比開車更環保。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
One of us is a murderer. The terrifying thought fills your head. There’s a corpse in the next room, and one of your fellow diners put it there. As the evening progresses, you learn disturbing secrets about everyone, and you’re forced to confess to a few yourself. You all have motives for the crime, but who committed it? Fortunately, it’s just a game. Murder mystery games are multiplayer role-playing games designed to be played over the course of an evening. The concept likely originated with “wink murder,” an amusing pastime that became popular in the early 1900s. In this game, a “murderer” kills
A: How does Taipei’s YouBike service charge after the free ride for the first 30 minutes? B: It’s NT$10 every 30 minutes within four hours. A: What a bargain. No wonder Taipei is listed by Britain’s “Time Out” magazine as one of the best 50 cities in the world. B: But I spotted a few English mistakes on YouBike’s Web site. A: I guess that aspect of it still has room for improvement. A: 台北市YouBike前30分鐘免費,之後怎麼算? B: 4小時內每30分鐘10元。 A: 真劃算,難怪台北市會入選英國《Time Out》雜誌全球最佳的50座城市。 B: 不過我在YouBike的網站上看到了好幾個英文錯誤。 A: 看來這個部分還有改善的空間。(By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/ 台北時報張聖恩)
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan-fried mullet roe, soak it in liquor or wine and peel off its membrane. Then, it is browned over a low fire and turned several times. Finally, the fried mullet roe is cut diagonally and is ready to be served. This dish is usually served with garlic scapes and daikon slices, but