In the coastal areas of Yunlin County’s Dongshi, Sihhu and Taisi townships, white radishes have reached harvest stage. Last year, quite a lot of farmers turned to growing white radishes, because the year before they had seen their other crops become severely damaged by diseases and insects. Yet last year’s weather conditions were surprisingly ideal for white radishes. The result was a crop surplus and a subsequent slump in radish prices, which fell to between NT$2 and NT$3 per kilogram.
This year, white radish prices have increased between sixfold to sevenfold, rising to NT$17 per kilogram. Having lost a great deal of money growing white radishes last year, many farmers switched to a different crop this year. Nonetheless, just when they least expected it, white radish prices have come back, and the chance for making profit has again slipped away.
White radish growers say that although the price has risen, this year’s volume is only half of last year’s. Due to diseases, insect damage and long periods of rain, rotten and chapped white radish can be found everywhere in the radish fields. The profit from radishes is thus still lower than expected.
Photo: Cheng Hsu-kai, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者鄭旭凱
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY Yu-an Tu)
雲林縣東勢、四湖、台西等海線地區正值白蘿蔔採收期。前年因其他作物病蟲害嚴重,不少農民轉而種植較易照顧的白蘿蔔。不料去年因氣候適當,白蘿蔔產量過剩,價格暴跌,每公斤只有二到三元。
今年白蘿蔔價格狂飆六、七倍,漲到每公斤十七元。不少農民在去年種植白蘿蔔慘賠後轉種其他作物,沒想到「抓龜走鱉」,還是沒賺到。
Photo: Cheng Hsu-kai, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者鄭旭凱
菜農表示,白蘿蔔價格雖然大漲,但今年產量只有去年的一半。因病蟲害、連日下雨等因素,田間到處可見腐爛或龜裂的白蘿蔔,利潤並不如想像中高。
(自由時報記者鄭旭凱)
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