★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。
The mango looked perfect. It sat on the fruit stand like a small sunset, red on one side and gold on the other. “I’ll take this one,” said Daniel. The fruit seller shook her head. “Not that one.”
Daniel was surprised. “Why not? It looks beautiful.” “Yes,” she said, “but beautiful is not always ready.”
Photo: AI I 照片：AI
She picked up another mango and held it near his nose. “First, smell here.” Daniel smelled the top of the mango. It was sweet and warm. “Good mangoes have a smell,” she said.
“Next, feel the weight.” The mango felt heavy for its size. “More juicy,” she said. “But don’t press too hard. A ripe mango is a little soft.”
“Is June mango season?” he asked. “Mango season, yes,” she said. “But also lychee season. Pineapple is still good. Watermelon cools you down. Guava is crunchy. Passion fruit is sour and sweet.”
Daniel looked around the fruit stand. June in Taiwan was full of color. He saw red lychees, yellow pineapples, green guavas, dark passion fruit and a huge watermelon on the ground. He also saw some pink bell-shaped fruit he had never seen before. “What are those?” Daniel asked. “Wax apples,” she said. “Crisp and watery. Good for hot days.”
Daniel bought the mango she chose, and some shiny wax apples. That night, he cut open the mango and took a bite. Juice ran down his arm onto the plate. Delicious! He smiled. In Taiwan, even fruit had a teacher.
那顆芒果看起來完美無瑕。它擺在水果攤上，就像是一輪小小的夕陽，一側鮮紅，一側金黃。「我想要這顆。」丹尼爾說道。水果攤販搖了搖頭。「別選這顆。」
丹尼爾感到很驚訝。「為什麼不行？它看起來很漂亮呀！」「沒錯，」她回話道，「但漂亮不一定代表它熟了。」
她拿起了另一顆芒果，湊到他的鼻子旁。「首先，聞聞看這裡。」丹尼爾聞了聞芒果的頂端。聞起來甜甜的，帶著一絲暖意。「好的芒果會有個香味，」她說。
「接下來，感受一下它的重量。」以它的大小來說，這顆芒果拿起來意外地重。「代表更多汁，」她接著說，「但別捏得太大力。成熟的芒果會有點軟。」
「六月是芒果季嗎？」他詢問。「是芒果季沒錯。」她回覆道，「但同時也是荔枝的季節。鳳梨也還很好吃。西瓜可以消暑。芭樂很清脆。百香果酸酸甜甜。」
丹尼爾環視水果攤。台灣的六月五彩繽紛。他看見了紅紅的荔枝、金黃的鳳梨、翠綠的芭樂、深色的百香果，地板上還有一顆巨大的西瓜。他還看到了一些從未見過、粉紅色鐘形的水果。「那些是什麼？」丹尼爾問。「蓮霧，」她說，「又脆水分又多。很適合在大熱天吃。」
丹尼爾買了她挑選的那顆芒果，還有一些亮澤的蓮霧。那天晚上，他切開芒果咬了一口。果汁順著他的手臂流到盤子上。太美味了！他笑了笑。在台灣，連挑水果都有老師。
Epilogue 故事討論
June is one of the best months to enjoy fruit in Taiwan. Mango is the star, especially in southern areas such as Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung. But Taiwan’s fruit culture is not only about warm weather. The island sits near the Tropic of Cancer, and its mountains, hills and plains create many growing areas.
At a fruit stand, choosing fruit is also a skill. A mango should smell sweet near the top and feel heavy for its size. A watermelon can be tapped; many people listen for a deep sound. Pineapple should smell sweet near the bottom. Guava is usually firm and crunchy.
Passion fruit often tastes better when its skin is wrinkled. Wax apples are different: their skin should look smooth, shiny and fresh. Papaya should be deep orange and slightly soft, and it is often used in Taiwan’s famous “papaya milk.”
六月是台灣品嚐水果的最佳時節之一。芒果是主角，尤其是在台南、高雄與屏東等南部地區。不過，台灣的水果文化並不只與炎熱氣候有關。台灣位在北迴歸線附近，山地、丘陵和平原交錯，造就了多樣的栽種環境。
在水果攤前挑水果，也是一門學問。芒果的頂部要聞起來甜香，拿起來則應該比它的大小更沉。西瓜可以輕敲，許多人會聽那聲音是否低沉。鳳梨的底部要帶甜香。芭樂通常要偏硬、口感爽脆。
百香果的外皮皺一些時往往更好吃。蓮霧則相反：外皮要光滑、亮澤，看起來新鮮。木瓜要呈深橘色、帶點柔軟，常被用來製作臺灣著名的「木瓜牛奶」。
Vocabulary 單字片語
1. guava 芭樂
2. lychee 荔枝（或 litchi、lichee）
3. mango 芒果
4. papaya 木瓜（papaya milk 木瓜牛奶）
5. passion fruit 百香果
6. pineapple 鳳梨
7. watermelon 西瓜
8. wax apple 蓮霧（或 bell fruit）
9. ripe 成熟的、年長的、粗俗的
10. crisp 酥脆的（crunchy 鬆脆的）
11. juicy 多汁的
12. shiny 亮澤的
Idioms & Phrases 相關成語
1. full of color 色彩繽紛
2. fruit stand 水果攤
3. cool. . . down 使…降溫、消暑、冷靜
4. Tropic of Cancer 北迴歸線
（Tropic 迴歸線；Cancer「巨蟹座」方位）
Nigel P. Daly is a writer with a language learning newsletter called Chin-glish bilingual lab (https://ndaly.substack.com).
Cynthia Chen is a translator and writer specializing in blogs, scripts and articles.
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