Malaysia 馬來西亞
Malaysia celebrates Lunar New Year, or Tahun Baru with a two day holiday and many traditional Chinese customs. Offerings of sweets are made to the Kitchen God, children get ang pow, or red packets with money, and people spend time with family. Many pilgrims make a visit to the Kek Lok Si on Penang island to pray for good luck.
Meals on the first day of the New Year are often vegetarian since eating meat can be considered bad luck. People avoid scissors, brooms or white things on this day for the same reason.
PHOTO: AP
On the fifteenth day, Chap Goh Meh, the Hokkien community in Penang celebrates by gathering at the beach. Unmarried women throw orange peels into the sea to wish for good husbands.
Sin-ni khoai-lok!
馬來西亞以兩天假期和許多中國傳統禮俗,慶祝農曆新年「Tahun Baru」。民眾會向灶神供奉甜點;小孩會拿到裡頭裝錢的紅包袋「ang pow」;大家都會跟家人團聚。很多香客會拜訪檳城島上的極樂寺求好運氣。
新年第一天的餐點通常是蔬菜,因為吃肉會被認為是厄運,所以一般人在這天也會避免用剪刀、掃帚或白色器具。
在第十五天「Chap Goh Meh」(十五尾),檳城的福建社群會聚集在海邊慶祝,未婚女子會把橘子皮丟進海裡,以祈求好丈夫。
(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