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: Wow, singer Bruno Mars will be visiting Kaohsiung for the first time. B: Really? Where will he be performing? A: He’s going to hold a concert at the National Stadium on Sunday. B: Why do the Taiwanese like to call him the “Martian” in Chinese? A: Because his last name “Mars” is the same word as the planet Mars. A: 哇！火星人布魯諾將首度唱進高雄。 B: 真的嗎？在哪裡？ A: 他將於本週日，在國家體育場開唱唷。 B: 但是為什麼台灣人喜歡叫他火星人呢？ A: 因為他的姓氏「Mars」這個字剛好是「火星」的意思啊。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: Bruno Mars is definitely one of today’s most popular singers. B: He has even won 14 Grammy Awards. A: I love all his megahits, like “Just the Way You Are.” B: And his new song with Lady Gaga “Die with a Smile” has a caused worldwide sensation. A: I wonder if we’ll hear the new song at his Kaohsiung concert? A: 火星人布魯諾是近年來最受歡迎的流行歌手。 B: 對啊他還曾榮獲14座葛萊美獎。 A: 他所有的金曲我都愛，像《Just the Way You Are》。 B: 最近他和女神卡卡合唱《Die with a Smile》更造成大轟動！ A: 不知道在高雄有沒有機會聽他演唱這首新歌呢？ (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
The Lord returned home after a long day of hunting, a deer on his horse and a bow on his back. His apprentice had stayed behind, feeling unwell. He rode slowly through the forest, closed his eyes, and felt the warm sunlight on his face. He opened his eyes to a full moon rising. Time to make offerings and pray for peace, good weather, a bountiful harvest. And a child with his beloved wife. He smiled. As he approached, the house was quiet. Too quiet. He dismounted in the empty courtyard. “Feng Meng?” he called. Silence. He went to his apprentice’s
You can’t help but notice the woman’s blonde hair, blue eyes, and bizarre outfit. She’s in a white dress that reaches below the knee and a Prussian blue jacket highlighted by a brooch on a ribbon at the collar. Together with her leather boots and the brown suitcase in hand, her overall look gives her an air of mystery. This distinctive appearance isn’t merely for style; it’s her way of embracing cosplay. Combining the words “costume” and “play,” cosplay is an art form in which participants dress up as specific characters, usually at anime conventions. It not only involves
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