A: Why do we call what is basically just a black coffee an “Americano”? Is it because all Americans take their coffee like this?
B: Nobody knows for sure, but one theory goes that it was invented by Italians, as the name Americano is actually Italian.
A: Don’t all Italians drink espresso or cappuccinos? Those names are definitely Italian.
Photo: Pixabay 照片： Pixabay
B: It is said that during World War II, Americans stationed in Italy couldn’t get used to drinking the strong, thick espressos, so they asked the Italians to dilute it with hot water to make a slightly weaker black coffee.
A: So it’s like drinking beer if you can’t stomach Kaoliang?
B: Yeah, that analogy is a bit weird, but it’s something like that.
A: 明明就是黑咖啡，為什麼要叫做「美式咖啡」啊？因為美國人都喝這種咖啡嗎？
B: 它的起源其實不可考，不過有一說認為是義大利人發明的 ，因為美式咖啡的英文「Americano」是義大利文。
A: 義大利人不是都喝espresso，或是卡布奇諾嗎？因為這兩個名詞根本就是義大利文啊。
B: 傳說是二戰時期駐守在義大利的美軍喝不慣濃烈的espresso，所以就要求義大利人在espresso裡加點熱水，變成比較淡的黑咖啡。
A: 所以就是喝不慣高粱，改喝啤酒的意思。
B: 你這個比喻有點怪，可是也好像蠻貼切的。
(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.
Historians are rethinking the way the Holocaust is being presented in museums as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the last Nazi concentration camps this month. Shocking images of the mass killings of Jews were “used massively at the end of World War II to show the violence of the Nazis,” historian Tal Bruttmann, a specialist on the Holocaust, told AFP. But in doing so “we kind of lost sight of the fact that is not normal to show” such graphic scenes of mass murder, of people being humiliated and dehumanized, he said. Up to this
A ‘Dutch angle’ is a classic camera technique that has been used in filmmaking since the 1920s, when it was introduced to Hollywood by German Expressionists. Why is it called the Dutch angle if it’s actually German? In fact, it has no __1__ to the Netherlands. The term “Dutch” is widely believed to be a misinterpretation of “Deutsch,” which means German in the German language. In any event, the name stuck, and the Dutch angle remains a popular cinematic tool to this day. This technique involves tilting the camera on its x-axis, skewing the shot to create a sense of
When people listen to music today, they typically use streaming services like YouTube or Spotify. However, traditional formats like vinyl records have regained popularity in recent times. Vinyl records are circular discs that store music in grooves on their surfaces and are played on a turntable. As the turntable’s needle runs along these grooves, it picks up vibrations and translates them into sound. The history of vinyl records dates back to the late 1800s, but material and technological challenges delayed mass production until the 1950s. Despite early versions having short playtimes and poor sound quality, vinyl records introduced a new era
Dos & Don’ts — 想想看，這句話英語該怎麼說？ 1. 能做的事都做了。 ˇ All that could be done has been done. χ All that could be done have been done. 註︰all 指事情或抽象概念時當作單數。例如： All is well that ends well. （結果好就是好。） All is over with him. （他已經沒希望了。） That’s all for today. （今天到此為止。） all 指人時應當作複數。例如： All of us are interested in his proposal. All of us are doing our best. 2. 我們這麼做有益於我們的健康。 ˇ What we are doing is good for our health. χ What we are doing are good for our health. 註︰以關係代名詞 what 引導的作為主詞的子句，動詞用單數。如： What he said is true. 3. 大家都沿著步道跑。 ˇ Everybody runs along the trail. χ Everybody run along the trail. 註︰everyone 是指一大群人，但在文法上一般用單數。 4. 桌上有一本筆記本和兩支筆。 ˇ There were two
RSS