A: I think the air conditioner’s on the blink. It doesn’t turn on when I push the button. What are we going to do?
B: We’ve had this air conditioner for years. Let’s just get a new one. We could buy one with a heater function.
A: Heater? Are you pulling my leg?
Photo: Pan Tzu-chiang, Liberty Times 照片:自由時報記者潘自強
B: A lot of people do the same thing: They buy an air conditioner in the summer when it’s scorching hot, and they forget how cold it gets in winter, much to their regret when it gets cold.
A: That’s right. My brother-in-law is from the US, and he says that Taiwan is colder than any other country, because in the winter the temperature drops to under 10 degrees, but there’s no interior heating.
B: It’s not cold in Taiwan for a long time over the year, but for those few days when we have a cold front, having a heater is worth every cent you spent on it.
A: 怎麼辦,冷氣機好像壞了,按開關都沒反應!
B: 這冷氣機也用了好多年了,乾脆換新的好了。買個有暖氣功能的。
A: 暖氣?你在開玩笑嗎?
B: 大部分的人就是跟你一樣,買冷氣機的時候都在夏天,熱得要命,所以都忘記冬天會有多冷,到時才後悔!
A: 啊對,我姐夫從美國來,說台灣是世界上最冷的國家,因為冬天十度以下,室內卻沒有暖氣。
B: 雖然一年當中台灣冷的時間不長,但是寒流來的那幾天有暖氣可以用,就值回票價了。
(Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times/台北時報林俐凱)
English 英文:
Chinese 中文:
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
On Tuesday last week, the flame for this summer’s Paris Olympics was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in southern Greece in a meticulously choreographed ceremony. It will then be carried through Greece for more than 5,000km before being handed over to French organizers at the Athens venue used for the first modern Olympics in 1896. The pageantry at Olympia has been an essential part of every Olympics for nearly 90 years since the Games in Berlin. It’s meant to provide an ineluctable link between the modern event and the ancient Greek original on which it was initially modelled. Once
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too