After a magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook the nation on Thursday, fisherman Chang Wen-tien went out fishing on Shihmen Reservoir in Taoyuan. He unexpectedly netted a “golden bighead carp” measuring 75cm from head to tail and weighing 6kg. Chang, over the moon with his catch, says it is the first time he has seen such a large golden-colored fish in all of his 30 years fishing at the reservoir. He believed it had been frightened by the earthquake.
The silver carp is a freshwater fish. As their head is proportionately large compared to the body, they are commonly known as “bighead carp” in Taiwan. Silver carp, a common sight at the reservoir, are also known as the “garbage collectors” as they hoover up algae and plankton as food. Due to their rapid rate of growth, silver carp are also known colloquially as “Big Mac.” Most are a mottled black color.
Chang says this particular bighead carp is not especially large but its golden color is quite unique. Chang consulted a fish specialist who said its special color was probably caused by albinism. The colorful carp caused a sensation with fellow fishermen and tourists who crowded round for selfies, giving Chang his 15 minutes of fame. Several days later, Chang is still floating on cloud nine.
“Elders believe catching a rare fish is a good omen,” says Chang. He speculates that the golden bighead carp, frightened by the earthquake, surfaced from the bottom of the reservoir to a shallower depth and then swam straight into his fixed net.
Chang says that because the carp sustained multiple injuries while being caught, it would only have been able to survive two or three days in a fish tank, so he brought the fish home on the same day it was caught and cooked it for supper. Chang says its flesh was firm but tender and suitable for battering and deep frying or, alternatively, braising in soy sauce. Chang recommends the live fish restaurants within the Shihmen Reservoir for their delicious food.
(Translated by Edward Jones)
上週四發生規模六點零地震,漁民張文田當日在桃園石門水庫捕魚,收網時意外捕獲一尾長約七十五公分、重達六公斤的黃金大頭鰱,張文田樂不可支,笑說在水庫捕釣三十載,首見金黃巨魚,「牠肯定是被地震嚇出來的」。
鳙魚屬於淡水魚類,因其頭部比例特大,俗稱「大頭鰱」,是水庫常見的清道夫,以藻類及浮游生物為食,因生長迅速,常成為水庫內的巨無霸,顏色多是花斑、黑色。
張文田說,其實這尾大頭鰱體型不算特別龐大,但顏色實在很特別,詢問魚類專家,專家表示應是白化所致,讓漁友們、遊客都很驚豔,競相與牠合影留念,也讓張文田當了一日名人,迄今心情仍相當高昂。
「老一輩說捕獲珍貴魚種,代表好兆頭!」張文田說,推測黃金大頭鰱應是受地震影響,驚嚇游出水庫上層、跑進了他的定置箱內。
張文昌說,因捕獲時魚體有多處受傷,在魚缸內只能存活兩到三天,當日帶回家後便烹煮下肚,張說,大頭鰱的肉質扎實有彈性,不論酥炸或紅燒都很適合,石門地區的活魚餐廳都能吃得到好料。
(自由時報記者許倬勛)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
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)
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into