Last Monday was Feb. 29, a leap day that crops up only once every four years and hospital delivery rooms were a hubbub of noise. The delivery rooms at each of Taoyuan’s main hospitals were full of many happy newborn babies. A new father jokingly said, “Feb. 29 is a great birth date! You can save on cakes and presents!”
At Saint Paul’s Hospital in Taoyuan, seven newborn babies “checked in.” Six were natural births and one was a Cesarean section birth. At Linkou’s Chang Gung Memorial Hospital there were also six newborns, all of which were natural births. Medical staff, rushed off their feet, congratulated the babies born on such a special day.
Many parents, smiling, said of their little bundles of joy: “There’s no real difference! People these days don’t have to celebrate their birthday on the actual day they were born. Celebrating a day earlier on Feb. 28 would be just as good, and Feb 28. is a national holiday too.”
Photo: Cheng Shu-ting, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者鄭淑婷
(Liberty Times, translated by Edward Jones)
上週一是四年一次的閏年二月廿九日,醫院產房很熱鬧,桃園市各大醫院產房有多名新生兒歡喜誕生。有新手爸爸打趣說:「二二九生日很好啊!蛋糕、生日禮物都省!」
聖保祿醫院有七名「二二九」新生兒報到,六人是自然產、一人是剖腹產;林口長庚醫院也有六名新生兒,全是自然產。醫護人員忙得不可開交,也祝福在特別日子出生的寶寶們。
對於心肝寶貝在四年一次的二二九誕生,許多爸媽都笑說,沒差啦!現代人過生日也不一定要選在當天,提前一天、二二八慶生也很好,而且又放假。
(自由時報記者鄭淑婷、邱奕統、周敏鴻)
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