One year ago, Huang Yu-chen, a student at National Chung Cheng University’s Department of Adult and Continuing Education, together with teacher Chen Yu-ching, went to Wantan Village in Chiayi County’s Jhongpu Township to assist the village in establishing a community canteen for the elderly. On discovering that local volunteers had donated land for elderly members of the community to grow vegetables, Huang helped them to set up an allotment. Huang says they participated so enthusiastically in the project that this yielded a surplus of vegetables, with far too many for villagers to use by themselves. She solved the problem by establishing a Facebook group called Wantan Sungho Grocers, which lists the types of vegetables for sale and the quantity available each time. Word of mouth quickly spread interest in the Facebook group among students and teaching staff at the university, and the group now has over 300 members.
For nearly 10 months now, every weekend Huang rides her scooter, laden with vegetables, the 27km distance from Wantan Village to National Chung Cheng University. Huang sells bunches of leafy greens for just NT$10, barely making a profit. Brushing off any idea of hardship, Huang says she was initially concerned that nobody would want to buy the produce, but now the vegetables usually sell out within 10 minutes after she updates the Facebook group. Huang adds that fellow students even ask about the location of the village and the provenance of the vegetables.
The enthusiastic response from students has greatly encouraged the village’s green fingered senior citizens, some of whom have taught themselves how to use social media in order to interact with their gourmandizing clientele. Income generated from the sale of their vegetables is used to buy plant seeds and organic fertilizer. Huang says the allotment’s elderly volunteers hope that, by growing and selling their healthy vegetables, they can look after the university’s students as if they were their own grandchildren.
Photo: Wang Shan-yen, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者王善嬿
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
一年多前,中正大學成人及繼續教育研究所學生黃語晨跟隨陳毓璟老師到嘉義縣中埔鄉灣潭村輔導社區成立老人共餐據點,因有社區志工捐地讓長輩種菜,黃語晨也協助開闢菜園;長輩參與踴躍,所種的蔬菜供應共餐仍有剩餘,她遂設立「灣潭松鶴菜店仔」臉書社團網頁,公告每次販售的蔬菜種類及數量,獲中正大學師生熱烈回響,社團已有三百多人加入。
近十個月來,黃語晨幾乎每週從灣潭村騎機車約廿七公里到中正大學販售,每把青菜只賣十元,幾乎無利潤可言,她甘之如飴說,原本擔心沒人買,結果每次上網公告不到十分鐘就賣光,同學還會問她「長輩是住哪個社區?」、「蔬菜來自哪裡?」
由於同學反應熱烈,也讓社區長輩對種菜更有信心和興趣,還學會上網與網友互動,把賣菜所得拿來買更好的種子與有機肥料,希望如同對待孫子般照顧中正學生。
(自由時報記者王善嬿)
As the priest Antonius Hambroek stood in the dim chamber of Fort Zeelandia, his eldest daughter clung to him, her voice trembling. “Father, don’t go. They’ll kill you, and what will become of Mother and my sisters?” Outside, the sounds of Koxinga’s relentless canon siege boomed through the fortress. The defenders were on the brink of collapse. Starvation gnawed at their resolve, and the air carried the acrid stench of spent gunpowder and rotting flesh. Dutch reinforcements from Batavia had failed to arrive, leaving the garrison isolated and hopeless. Hambroek’s face was calm, though sorrow weighed heavily on his
As we bundle up in thick coats to stay warm during the winter, there is a population that has already adapted to extremely low temperatures. These people live in the remote city of Yakutsk, the coldest city on Earth. Yakutsk is situated in the heart of Siberia, which is the capital of the Sakha Republic in Russia. This historic mining city began to flourish in the 19th century following the discovery of gold deposits. Given its construction on permafrost, the average temperature in the city remains below 0°C for over half the year, with winter temperatures dropping to an astonishing -50°C.
A: Happy Year of the Snake! Did you do anything special during the Lunar New Year holiday? B: I went to K-pop girl group Apink’s concert. How about you? A: I just stayed at home. But I’m going to girl group 2NE1’s show on Saturday. B: Wow, I really love their megahit “I Am the Best,” better known by its Korean title “Naega jeil jal naga.” A: I’m so glad that 2NE1 reunited last year, eight years after they disbanded in 2016. A: 蛇年快樂!你春節有做什麼特別活動嗎? B: 我去了南韓女團Apink的演唱會,你呢? A: 我都宅在家裡,不過這週六要去韓流天團2NE1的演唱會。 B: 我愛該團神曲《我最紅》,韓文歌名《Naega jeil jal naga》超洗腦。 A: 她們2016年解散8年後,去年終於合體真令人開心。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei
A: Apart from 2NE1, Rain and Maroon 5, Japanese band Yoasobi is set to hold two shows in Taipei this weekend. B: Yoasobi? A: Yoasobi is a J-pop duo formed by Ayase and Ikura in 2019, and it’s loved by young people. Haven’t you heard? B: Oops, I’m feeling a little old. A: It sings the theme songs of “Oshi No Ko” (“My Idol’s Children”) and other TV series, leading it to gain popularity among young people. A: 除了2NE1、Rain、魔力紅,日本熱門樂團Yoasobi本週末也將連唱兩場。 B: Yoasobi樂團? A: 這是由Ayase、Ikura在2019年組成的雙人團體,近年來大受年輕人歡迎!你沒聽過嗎? B: 天啊我覺得自己老了。 A: 他們唱了《我推的孩子》等人氣影視作品主題曲,所以大受年輕人喜愛。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)