Think kindly of the dragon Smaug. Shed a tear for Gollum, and give an orc a hug.
If only they had tucked into the occasional quiche and salad or a touch of smoked salmon, or had a few sessions on a sunbed, how much kinder history would have been to them.
So suggests an offbeat study which concludes that the evil characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit lost their battle against men, elves and dwarves because they suffered from vitamin deficiency.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
Shunning sunlight, surviving on a sketchy or unbalanced diet based on rotten meat, they lacked vitamin D, a key component for healthy bones and muscle strength.
The idea is proposed by Nicholas Hopkinson, a doctor at Imperial College London and his son Joseph.
They scoured The Hobbit for references to characters’ living conditions, habits and diet. They used these clues to rate each character for levels of vitamin D, produced when the skin is exposed to ultraviolet light or derived from foods such as oily fish, egg yolks and cheese.
Bilbo Baggins, the hero of The Hobbit, had a vitamin D-enriched life, they found. True, Bilbo lived in a hole, but it had windows and he enjoyed sitting in the sun in his garden.
In contrast, the villains spend most of their time in darkness, and their diet is poor or single-sourced.
(AFP)
仁慈地想想巨龍「史矛革」,為「咕嚕」掬一把淚,並給半獸人一個擁抱。
只要他們偶爾痛快吃個法式鹹派與沙拉,或一點煙燻鮭魚,或者來幾次日光浴,或許歷史將對他們仁慈許多。
一份特異的研究提出如此建議;該研究結論說,J.R.R.托爾金《哈比人》中的邪惡角色在與人類、精靈及矮人的戰爭中敗陣,是因他們的維他命攝取不足所致。
缺少陽光、以腐肉為基礎的粗糙、不均衡的飲食維生,導致他們缺乏維他命D,而這是健康的骨骼與肌力所需的關鍵成分。
這個觀點是由倫敦帝國學院的博士霍普金森與其子約瑟夫所提出。
他們詳究《哈比人》有關人物的生活條件、習性與飲食。並利用這些線索去評估每位角色的維他命D程度,當皮膚暴露在紫外線就能產生維他命D,它也來自諸如多油脂的魚、蛋黃與乳酪。
《哈比人》中的英雄比爾博有著豐富維他命D的生活。確實,比爾博雖住在洞穴中,但家有窗,且享受在太陽底下到花園坐坐。
反觀,書中的反派人物在黑暗中度過大半時間,而且飲食粗略、來源單一。
(法新社/翻譯:魏國金)
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