Roasted German trotter is a popular dish known for its crispy outer layer. In contrast, Taiwanese prefer to braise trotters, especially front trotters, as they are used more by a pig to walk and thus are leaner and have more tendons. This results in a gelatinous texture with a less greasy taste. After removing hair, quick-boiling, and cooling, they are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, crystal sugar, and a spice pouch of Chinese herbs for a long period to achieve a bright amber appearance. The dish can be enjoyed hot or cold, and it is usually served with a dipping sauce that varies from restaurant to restaurant.
德國豬腳外皮酥脆聞名,然而台灣人更偏好用滷的,特別選用豬前蹄來滷,豬平時走路多用前腳,肉瘦多筋,富有膠質,吃起來不油膩。將豬腳去毛、汆燙、冷卻後,再以醬油、冰糖和中藥滷包長時間燉滷,滷好的豬腳呈琥珀色,既可以熱食也可以冷食,沾著各家獨門調製的沾醬享用。
lean (adj.)(肉)脂肪少的,精瘦的
Photo: Flickr l 圖片:Flickr
tendon (n.) 肌腱,筋
remove (v.) 去除
marinate (v.) 醃
Chinese herb (n. phr.) 中藥
amber (n.) 琥珀; (adj.) 琥珀色的
dipping sauce (n.) 沾醬
Braised trotter is a popular dish in Taiwanese cuisine, and Wanluan’s version is particularly well-known. Originally an agricultural community, Wanluan was home to many Hakka villagers. The farms there mainly produce betel nuts. In 1981, then president Chiang Ching-kuo visited Wanluan Township and tasted braised trotters at the Haihong Restaurant, helping to spread the dish’s reputation throughout the island. The popularity inspired other villagers to start their businesses selling braised trotters, leading to the establishment of Wanluan Pig Trotter Street in 2004 by the Pingtung County Government. The street has attracted many visitors to enjoy this local signature dish.
台灣以萬巒豬腳最為有名,萬巒鄉民早年務農,大多為客家人,主要種植檳榔。1981年,先總統蔣經國先生下鄉視察,途經萬巒的海鴻飯店品嘗豬腳,讓萬巒豬腳的名聲大燥。屏東縣政府於2004年順勢推出萬巒豬腳街,吸引許多遊客前來大啖豬腳。
betel nut (n.) 檳榔
signature dish (n phr.) 招牌菜
Taiwanese people eat trotters not only because they are delicious, but because they are customarily eaten to get rid of back luck. Braised trotters misua are consumed after overcoming a challenging time, such as recovering from illness or being released from jail. This is reflected in the Taiwanese Hokkien proverb: “It’s the most unfortunate who step in pig manure.” Pigs living in a pigsty always step in their manure, so they are considered the most unfortunate creatures. Eating the trotters symbolizes that people have already overcome difficult times in life, hoping that only good luck will continue to come their way.
吃豬腳可不僅是為了享口福,也有吃豬腳去霉運的習俗。台灣人在經歷過康復和出獄等重大關卡後,會吃豬腳麵線。有句台語諺語這麼說:「衰到踏到豬屎。」豬養在豬圈中,每天都在踩豬屎,十分倒楣。吃豬腳象徵著已經跨過了人生最壞的境地,之後將否極泰來,好運連連。
manure (n.) 糞便,糞肥
pigsty (n.) 豬舍
Taiwanese people, besides having a birthday cake, will also serve braised trotters misua to celebrate at an elder’s birthday banquet. People in ancient times believed that the longer one’s face is, the longer one can live. “Face” sounds like the word for “noodles” in Chinese, so long thin noodles are also called “longevity noodles.” Therefore, braised trotters misua can also be enjoyed as wishes for good luck and longevity.
除此之外,台灣人會在長輩生日時,除了吃蛋糕、吹蠟燭,也會吃豬腳麵線,祝福長輩事事順心、長命百歲。因為古人認為臉越長,壽命就越長,而「面」與「麵」同音,所以又細又長的麵線又稱為「長壽麵」,自古以來視為長壽的象徵。因此,吃豬腳麵線也祝福長輩事事順心、長命百歲的含意。
banquet (n.) 宴會
longevity (n.) 長壽
文章由書林出版公司提供:
www.bookman.com.tw
A: The Taipei Dome Sogo has started partial operation. B: And it’s officially named the “Far Eastern Garden City.” A: At 36,000 ping, it will be the largest shopping mall in Taipei. B: Which part of the shopping mall is in operation? A: Area D of the four areas, including 14 restaurants. A: 大巨蛋Sogo部分區域開始營運了。 B: 聽說大巨蛋Sogo命名為「遠東Garden City」。 A: 對啊,而且面積達3.6萬坪,是台北市最大購物商場! B: 哪些區域開始營業啦? A: 是四大區域中的D區,其中還包括14家美食餐廳。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
A: Apart from the Taipei Dome Sogo, six other shopping malls are set to open soon. B: Among them, the two in Taipei are set to open by the end of the year. A: I know one of them is the Uni-President Group’s “Dream Plaza,” which will house the world’s largest Starbucks Coffee, measuring over 1,000 ping. B: Yup, and the other is the “Nankang Lalaport.” A: The world’s largest Starbucks Coffee sounds cool. Let’s have coffee there when it opens. A: 除了大巨蛋Sogo,聽說還有6家百貨商場將開幕。 B: 其中2家位在台北市,預計年底前就會開幕。 A: 我知道一家是統一集團的「Dream Plaza」,包括佔地千坪全球最大星巴克! B: 沒錯,另一家則是「南港Lalaport」。 A: 全球最大星巴克聽起來好酷,到時候去喝咖啡吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
In a thrilling basketball match, LeBron James attempts a shot, but it’s blocked by Stephen Curry, prompting gasps from the crowd. Moments later, Curry dribbles past the Lakers defense and sinks an incredible three-pointer, igniting cheers throughout the arena. The game is filled with heart-pounding moments, leaving fans in awe of the outstanding performances by these basketball superstars. There’s no denying that basketball is an intense and energetic game, but have you ever wondered how it came to be? Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith, a gym teacher at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, US.
The New York Times has launched a legal fight against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing their AI chatbots, ChatGPT and Copilot, of unfairly benefiting from the newspaper’s work. The lawsuit claims that millions of New York Times’ articles were used to train the AI tools without permission. This allowed the chatbots to imitate the newspaper’s voice and style. The lawsuit argues that this unauthorized training poses several threats to the New York Times’ business model. Chatbots trained on their news stories can potentially create articles in the newspaper’s style. Readers might turn to AI for news summaries instead of subscribing