With stocks in Milan in freefall, it is good to be reminded that some values in Italy are shooting up. The price of white truffles has doubled to 3,000 euros (NT$124,000) per kilogram in just a week.
Truffle hunters say the increase is due to low average rainfall in areas where truffle is found, as well as higher demand — particularly from buyers in Asia where truffle tastes have taken off, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The price is now at around 3,000 euros (NT$124,000) for large truffles and some 2,500 euros (NT$103,000) per kilogram for smaller tubers — far higher than last year.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
Italian stock markets are sharply down this year, and last Tuesday they dropped by more than seven percent amid fears over Europe’s debt crisis.
The news came as the town of San Miniato in Tuscany gears up later this month for its white truffle fair — the main marketplace for the delicacy.
The town is famous for being near the spot where the biggest white truffle ever found — weighing in at 2.520kg — was dug up in 1954. The truffle hunter donated it to US President Dwight Eisenhower.
At a charity auction in Italy last year, South Korean wine critic Jeannie Cho Lee bought a giant white truffle weighing 900g for 105,000 euros (NT$4.34 million).
“It’s all for charity so it isn’t logical prices,” she said then.(AFP)
正當米蘭的股市跌跌不休之際，知道在義大利還有一些還在揚升的事，應是多多益善。白松露的價格，在一週內已翻漲兩倍，來到每公斤三千歐元（新台幣十二萬四千元）。
義大利新聞社ANSA報導，採集松露的人表示，價格上漲歸因於松露產地平均降雨量偏低，以及松露需求量上升─特別是松露品嚐風氣正蓄勢待發的亞洲，該地買主需求量大增。
大松露價格目前大約是每公克三千歐元（新台幣十二萬四千元），而小的約兩千五百歐元（新台幣十萬三千元）─較去年貴上許多。
義大利股市今年跌幅甚鉅，上週二就因為歐債危機而跌了超過百分之七。
該新聞發布時，正逢托斯卡尼聖米尼亞托鎮正為即將於本月下旬舉辦的一場白松露展做好準備，此展覽是松露這項美味佳餚的主要市集。
該鎮因鄰近松露採集地而聞名，當地一九五四年挖出史上最大重達二點五二○公斤的白松露。採獲該松露者將此松露，捐贈給當時的美國總統杜懷特‧艾森豪。
南韓酒評家李志延去年在義大利的一場慈善義賣，以十萬五千歐元（新台幣四百三十四萬元）買下一個重達九百公克的巨大白松露。
她就說：「這是慈善義賣，才有這般不合邏輯的價格。」（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
A: Yet another shopping mall has just opened in Taipei. B: Do you mean the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang? A: Yeah, the shopping mall run by Japanese Mitsui & Co. opened last week. B: I hear the mall features about 300 stores, Vieshow Cinemas and Japanese Lopia supermarket. A: With the opening, a war is breaking out between Taipei’s department stores. A: 台北又有新的購物商場可逛啦。 B: 你是說Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport 南港？ A: 對啊這家日本三井集團旗下的商場上週開幕。 B: 聽說商場有威秀影城、樂比亞日系超市，還有多達300家專櫃。 A: 新商場一開幕，看來又要掀起一場百貨大戰啦！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: Hey, didn’t you go to the opening of the Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Nangang last week? B: Yeah, there are about 300 shops, including the first overseas branch of Japan’s Mahou Dokoro — a famous Harry Potter-themed store. A: Wow, I’ve always wanted to get a magic wand. B: There are also a bunch of great restaurants, such as Smart Fish hotpot restaurant. A: I wish I had Harry Potter’s “apparition” and “disapparition” magic, so I could teleport to the mall right now. A: 你上週不是有去LaLaport南港的盛大開幕嗎？有什麼特別的？ B: 那裡有多達300家專櫃，包括魔法之地的海外首店——它可是日本知名的《哈利波特》專賣店。 A: 哇我一直想買根魔杖。 B: 另外還有各式各樣的美食，像是林聰明沙鍋魚頭。 A: 真希望我也有哈利波特的「現影術／消影術」魔法，能瞬間移動到商場去！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
When it comes to movies, some people delight in watching spine-chilling horror films. Surprisingly, apart from containing a few scares, horror movies may also offer an unexpected __1__. According to a study, watching 90 minutes of a scary movie can burn an average of 113 calories, which is roughly __2__ to taking a 30-minute walk. Researchers from the University of Westminster carried out an experiment in which they __3__ participants’ oxygen intake, carbon dioxide output, and heart rates while they were watching horror movies without any distractions. The results revealed that physiological responses to fear play a crucial role
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 你覺得這部電影怎樣？ ˇ What do you think of the movie? χ How do you like the movie? χ How do you think of the movie? 註︰What do you think of ＝ What is your opinion of。 think 的受詞是 what，不能用 how。 2. 你認為哪一個歌星唱得最好？ ˇ Which singer do you think is the best? χ Do you think which singer is the best? 註︰英語中 which singer 似乎是 do you think 的受詞，實則 do you think 是插入語，其他例子如下： 你以為他喜歡誰？ Who do you think he likes? 你以為我住在哪裏？ Where do you think I live? 你想我昨天在公園裏碰到了誰？ Whom/Who do you think I met in the park yesterday? 3. 他不論到什麼地方，總是帶著一把雨傘。 ˇ No matter where he goes, he
RSS