A few days ago, Andy Lu, who was born in Taiwan but migrated to the US, came back to Taiwan with his Hong Kong-born girlfriend Carmen Ng to tie the knot at the West Kuan Yu Temple in Yilan City. Lu’s father Lu Chin-tsung says “Catholics and Protestants can get married in churches, so we can get married in temples.” Andy says he was blown over by the arrangements his family made. A spokesperson for the West Kuan Yu Temple says the temple was consecrated 170 years ago, but this is the first time the deity Lord Kuan has been witness to a wedding there. It is a very joyous occasion, he adds.
30-year old Lu, who went to study in the US after finishing elementary school, now works for the international courier firm UPS. His 31-year-old bride Carmen Ng moved to the US with her family when she was little, and now works as a lawyer. The two have known each other for 18 years.
In order to prepare for the wedding, the groom’s father went to the temple early in the morning to do a practice run. He arranged for six pairs of men and women to present the couple with flowers and wish them good fortune. The participants went through the moves in a dress rehearsal, and details of the ceremony were worked out with Lu Chin-tsung as director. He was even busier and more conscientious than the couple themselves. The father of the groom said “Our old home was next to the West Kuan Yu Temple, and Lord Kuan is venerated as a deity by our whole family.” Lu hopes his son will cherish his marriage in the loyal and solemn spirit exemplified by Lord Kuan, never leaving or abandoning his family.
Using an unexpected turn of phrase, Lu Chin-tsung says he hopes his son and daughter-in-law will “make love” forever. People standing nearby are somewhat taken aback by this expression, but he goes on to explain that he means they should always love their parents, family members and other relatives. The wedding ceremony follows ancient traditions with offerings of incense, prayers for happiness and gifts of flowers. Under the watchful gaze of Lord Kuan, those present wish that the couple will live in conjugal bliss to a ripe old age, that they will soon be blessed with children, and that they will do well in their professions in America and enjoy good health.
Andy Lu says he is overjoyed by the arrangements his family has made. Everyone is happy and it was very lively. It was a great feeling, he says. When asked whether maybe it was too traditional and unromantic, he says, “It’s not unromantic. The main thing is to be together with our families.” Carmen, for her part, says “I am very happy and it has been great fun.” (LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY JULIAN CLEGG)
移居美國的呂志謙,日前帶著香港女友吳嘉汶回台,在宜蘭市西關廟完成終身大事;呂父呂進聰說:「天主教、基督教可以在禮堂結婚,我們也可以在廟裡結婚。」呂志謙說,家人的安排讓他驚喜;西關廟表示,開廟一百七十年,關聖帝君首次替人證婚,很有喜氣。
三十歲的呂志謙國小畢業就到美國讀書,目前在國際快遞公司(UPS)服務;三十一歲新娘吳嘉汶從小與家人就移居美國,目前擔任律師,兩人認識十八年。
為了這場喜事,父親呂進聰一早就到宜蘭市西關廟預演,安排六對男女獻花祝福,走位彩排、儀式設計,呂進聰當起導演,忙得比新人更認真。
呂進聰說:「我們老家住在西關廟旁邊,關聖帝君是全家敬仰的神明。」他希望兒子能用關公的忠貞重義精神對待婚姻,對家人不離不棄。
呂進聰還語出驚人地說,希望兒子與媳婦永遠「作愛」,嚇到了旁邊的人。他說,是要永遠愛父母、愛家人、愛親友;結婚儀式循古禮上香祈福、獻花致意,在關聖帝君證婚下,祈求新人白頭偕老、早生貴子,在美國事業順利,身體健康。
呂志謙說,家人的安排讓他充滿驚喜,很開心也很熱鬧,感覺很棒;被問到會不會太傳統不夠浪漫,他說:「不會不浪漫,與家人在一起最重要。」新娘吳嘉汶說:「很開心也很好玩。」
(自由時報記者游明金)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too