The banks of the River Ganges in India, at the city of Varanasi, is known for the ceremonial bathing many Hindus do there. There are sections along the bank, however, bustling with people engaged in all manner of activities.
This photo shows a young man shaving a child’s head. One woman, presumably the child’s mother, holds him in her lap. Another, older lady, perhaps the child’s grandmother, looks on.
For me, this picture is all about the expressions of the four people in the center of the action and the center of the photo.
Photo: Paul Cooper, Taipei Times
照片:台北時報記者古德謙攝
First of all, the child. I assume he is not sleeping, although he appears to be very calm, especially given that a complete stranger is shaving his head. The man looks quite relaxed, too: one can imagine he is quite experienced. He is holding the child’s head in a stable grip, fingers evenly splayed, while his right hand works with the razor.
The two women, though, look anything but relaxed. The mother appears the calmer of the two, and yet she is still keeping a close eye on proceedings. The grandmother looks to be quite tense, her eyes squinting slightly, her mouth locked in an apprehensive grimace, as if she can barely look but knows she needs to watch carefully.
And it’s no wonder: however experienced the young man may be, he’s not using a safety razor. That’s a straight razor he’s holding to the infant’s head.
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
印度恆河畔的瓦拉納西城以眾多印度教徒進行的沐浴儀式聞名。沿岸有許多地方擠滿了人,從事各式各樣的活動。
這張照片中,一個年輕人正在幫小孩剃頭髮。一位女子,或許是這小孩的母親,把小孩抱在她腿上。另一位像是這孩子的(外)祖母的較年長婦女則在一旁看著。
對我來說,這張照片的重點是畫面中心這四個人在活動進行中的表情與姿態。
我猜這小孩不是睡著的,但是他不哭鬧,乖乖地讓一位陌生人幫他剃頭。這年輕人也顯得一派輕鬆:想必他很有經驗。他穩穩抓著小孩的頭,手指平均張開,右手則拿著剃刀工作著。
然而這兩位婦女看來卻絕非一派輕鬆。小孩的母親看來比較沒那麼擔心,但她還是密切注意著一舉一動。而祖母看起來就很緊張了,她微瞇著眼,她的嘴因擔心而扭曲著,好像她不敢看,但還是得小心注意著。
這也難怪:無論這剃頭的人多麼有經驗,他用的不是安全剃刀。他手上拿著用來刮嬰兒頭部的是一把直剃刀。
(台北時報編譯林俐凱譯)
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