A: With egg fried rice, do you stir-fry the egg first or the rice? Or do you stir-fry them together?
B: First stir-fry the egg, I think. My mother would first put the beaten egg into the wok, fry it quickly until half done, and then put in the rice, like that.
A: Wow, when you stir-fry the rice, you wield that spatula like a real pro! I never expected you were this good.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Liberty Times 照片:自由時報記者花孟璟
B: Ha, and now we can throw in the fried onion and garlic, and then add the leftover shredded pork and prawns from yesterday.
A: Mmm…, that smells great!
B: Finally, add the chopped green onion, sprinkle over a bit of soy sauce, mix it all together, and voila!
A: 蛋炒飯是要先炒蛋,還是先炒飯?還是一起炒?
B: 先炒蛋吧,我看我媽都是先把打好的蛋放進鍋裡,快速炒到半熟,然後再把飯放進去,像這樣。
A: 哇,你用鍋鏟翻炒的手勢看起來好專業喔!沒想到你這麼厲害!
B: 哈哈,我們現在可以把剛剛爆香的洋蔥和蒜一起放進去,再加上昨天吃剩的肉絲和蝦仁。
A: 嗯,好香喔!
B: 最後加上蔥花,再淋點醬油拌炒,就大功告成了!
(Translated by Paul Cooper, Taipei Times/台北時報林俐凱)
Audio recordings for Speak Up! dialogues will be suspended until further notice due to the pandemic.
Rice is essential to Japanese culture, tradition and politics. People take pride in the oval-shaped sticky Japonica grain, which is still a staple even though total consumption has fallen over the decades. But since last summer, prices have soared as supplies have fallen short of demand. The government has long paid farmers to cut back on rice acreage, and change to other crops to keep rice prices relatively high. To cope with shortfalls this year, the government has released rice reserves. But the grain has been slow to reach supermarket shelves. Anger over that was part of the reason the Agriculture Minister
Step into any corner of Turkiye, and you’ll likely encounter the iconic “Evil Eye,” known as “nazar boncu?u” in Turkish. This striking blue glass ornament is shaped like an eye with concentric circles of dark blue, white, and light blue. While its name in English suggests something threatening, it’s actually a charm designed to ward off misfortune. The origins of the nazar boncu?u can be traced back to ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions. The word nazar comes from Arabic, meaning “gaze,” while boncu?u translates to “bead” in Turkish. Central to the nazar boncu?u’s mythology is the idea that
A: Wow, Les Miserables Staged Concert Spectacular is visiting Taiwan for the first time. B: Isn’t Les Miserables often praised as one of the world’s four greatest musicals? A: Yup. Its concert is touring Taipei from tonight to July 6, and Kaohsiung between July 10 and 27. B: The English version of the French musical, based on writer Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, has been a huge success throughout the four decades since its debut in 1985. A: The musical has never toured Taiwan, but going to the concert sounds like fun, too. A: 哇,音樂劇《悲慘世界》紀念版音樂會首度來台巡演! B: 《悲慘世界》……它不是常被譽為全球四大名劇之一嗎? A: 對啊音樂會將從今晚到7月6日在台北演出,從7月10日到27日在高雄演出。 B: 這部法文音樂劇的英文版,改編自維克多雨果的同名小說,自1985年首演以來,在過去40年造成轟動。 A:
A: While hit musical Les Miserables’ concert tour kicks off, South Korean drama Squid Game 3 will be back at the end of this month. B: New Taiwanese dramas The World Between Us 2 and Zero Day Attack have also gained attention. A: I heard that Zero Day Attack is a story about the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army trying to attack Taiwan by force. B: The drama’s subject is so sensitive that it has sparked a lot of controversy in society. A: I just hope that such a horrible story will never happen in