2015/11/23

一個關於香港酒樓的小故事



在我住的城鎮裡,陰暗的市中心角落有一棟冷清清的空樓。樓裡有許多老舊商店的招牌仍懸掛在那,可是一整排看過去幾乎都是歇業狀態,黑抹抹一片,少有人來往,和一旁走路只有五分鐘遠的熱鬧市區比起來,像是幾乎存在於完全不同的國度裡。
在這片幾近廢墟的樓裡,有一家香港大酒樓。朋友們說,自從他們有記憶以來,這家餐廳不管周圍環境如何事過境遷,人去樓空,它都一直默默的屹立不搖,不覺不察的融入了城市的背景,已存在了數十年之久。
夏天的時候,這家酒樓雖然有一整片落地窗,可是店裡總是光線不足,讓人搞不清楚到底有沒有在營業。十次經過,有九次店裡面一個客人都沒有,只有一桌又一桌鋪著老舊樣式桌巾的圓餐桌,像牆上掛著的過時中國老相片一樣,靜靜得沉陷在廣大的時間裡。
當地的義大利人口耳相傳,說這裡是中國黑幫的大本營,更有人說,每次經過時,裡面要不是一個人都沒有,要不然就是坐了一整桌穿黑衣的中國人,在裡面從容的用筷子夾菜吃飯喝茶,神神祕祕的不知道在討論些什麼。也因為有這個謠言,所以再也沒幾個人敢來大駕光臨了。
我常常在這家餐廳吃飯,因為價格便宜,也因為這是附近唯一一家中餐廳。偌大的飯廳裡只有一對年老夫妻在顧店,一個是香港人,一個是上海人。每次進去,都看 見老先生腳放在櫃檯上翹得老高,正用 YouTube 看著傳統京劇,尖銳流轉的歌聲混著雜訊從喇叭輕輕流瀉出來。在櫃檯點好菜後,他便把單子交給老婆,老太太便轉身進去做飯。
有一次結賬時,老先生才突然說起以前當這裡大理石貿易還一片欣欣向榮的時候,他便是趕著這股風潮來義大利做了幾年買賣。不過除了這個,我沒有多問,他也沒多說什麼。
前幾天吃完飯,要離開時,老先生突然叫住我說,“這個妳拿去。”然後在我手裡塞了一個東西。張開手看才發現是一個中國結,上面繫著一個小鼓,寫著 “平安”。我道了謝後便走了。
以前在台灣時,我是當地人,外國人是外國人。社會上難免會用刻板印象將外國人歸類:東南亞模樣的人很容易被想成勞工或是看護,非裔人士都很會跑短跑打籃 球,歐美人士都很喜歡招惹女性,等等等等。這些想法在生活裡有種心照不宣的默認,很少人真的提出質疑,就算表面稍微討論了,日常生活中實際作為卻又陽奉陰 違。
當我自己變別人眼中的外國人時,才發現在別人的社會,我也下意識的被刻板印象歸類:長著一個亞洲女人臉,如果不是觀光客的話,感覺不是在中國餐廳打工,不 然就是在 Happy Ending 按摩店工作。關於香港大酒樓的傳言,我不知是真是假,可是像這樣空蕩蕩的餐廳在歐洲到處都是,歐洲餐廳沒人,可能是菜不好吃或太貴,中國餐廳沒人,就是因 為那是黑幫本營。從來也沒人提出任何證據,大家茶餘飯後將就說說笑笑,替社會上已存在的刻板印象更加加強加深。

2015/11/21

Five Afternoon Snacks to satisfy your belly in Taipei

A dilemma many people encounter living in Taipei: Just finished lunch not long ago, and dinner time is still hours away, but our bellies are already craving for some delicious comfort food to eat.

Another scenario: Have a meeting for chit chatting with some friends, but nobody is up for a complete and full meal. Other than regular restaurants, where can you go?

In this article I'll suggest five wonderful afternoon snacks in Taipei City, which you can take into consideration when next time you confront the similar dilemmas and scenarios mentioned above.

1. Omelet on the Iron Pan

Omelet with varied kinds of fillings is one of the essential foods of Taiwanese breakfast. It's cheap and fast and tasty, thus its popularity lasts as long as legends.
But who says we can only have omelets in the morning?
The breakfast shop LoCo Food provides yummy omelets everyday from 6am to 2pm. Instead of simply placing the omelets on whatever plates, LoCo Food serves omelets on smoking hot iron pans, this featured container not only looks cute, but also keeps the food warm until your last bite.


Menu from LoCo Food:
( Omelets with fried potatoes / bacon / corns, tuna and cheese / grilled meat / vegetable, etc. )


LoCo Food 樂口福

Address: 104台灣台北市中山區南京東路三段89巷5-4號
Phone: +886 2 2506 8917
Opening Hours: 6am - 2pm

2. Apricot Mania

UZNA OMOM is a famous cafe specialized in apricot related dishes.
The most recommended food is their ultra thick pan cakes. The cakes are still hot and humid when served, and its gentle butter taste matched perfectly with the fragrant honey. You can't imagine how delicious it is until you try for yourself!
 

Another dish I recommend from Uzna Omom is shaved ice with apricots.
The ice only has a slightly sour and sweet taste, mixing with juicy apricots, it completely refreshes you up from the sultry and lazy afternoon.




UZNA OMOM 杏桃鬆餅屋

Address: 106台灣台北市大安區忠孝東路四段216巷19弄16號
Phone: +886 2 2771 2977
Opening Hours: 11am-11pm

* Strongly advice to call UZNA OMOM beforehand to book seats. Sometimes it's unreasonably full of people.

3. Back to old times: Wheel Pies

Every culture has certain food that symbolizes childhood and nostalgia. In Taiwan, the wheel pie that is usually sold from wheeled carts is one of these traditional snacks.
The wheel pies shop "Sometimes" ( 有時候 ) is located in a hidden corner of the city. It provides only three simple but yummy flavors: Cream, red beans, cheese and potatoes (salty). Other than wheel pies, you can also buy a bottle of traditional black tea to match with your afternoon snacks.



Sometimes 有時候紅豆餅

Address: 105台灣台北市松山區民生東路五段36巷4弄9號
Phone: +886 2 2761 0558
Opening Hours: 12pm-6:30pm ( Doesn't open on Monday )


4. Simple and fresh: Salmon Salad


Just want something light and fresh to gobble down your demanding stomach? A bowl of assorted fresh vegetables and smoky salmon could be one of the best choices!
Moreover, this shop is conveniently close to the Shi Da Night Market area ( 師大商圈 ), after your afternoon food trial, you can naturally drift to the night market beside to continue the adventure of gastronomes.

Light House Cafe 路燈咖啡

Address: 台北市大安區浦城街4號
Phone: +886 2 2365-5000
Opening Hours: 11am-11pm

* Minimum charge is one beverage

5. Honey Comb Ice Cream

Honey Creme is a Korean brand that invaded Taipei not long ago. This shop featured many fancy dessert combinations based on milk ice cream: Ice cream with two chunks of honey cakes, with chocolate cookie balls, with marshmallows, with caramelized popcorn, etc. But most popular of all is ice cream with honey comb. The silky milk ice cream is indeed a good companion of a piece of raw honey, if you want to experience this heavenly taste, remember to pass by this shop on your shopping tour around Xin Yi District ( 信義商圈 )!



Honey Creme 蜂巢冰淇淋

Address: 台北市大安區敦化南路一段169巷8號
Phone: +886 2 2740 7070
Opening Hours: 11:30am-9:30pm / Weekends: 11:30am-10:30pm





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2015/11/18

在義大利賣胰島素有沒有搞頭? Gonna be rich selling insulin in Italy? ( About Italian breakfast )


在台灣早餐有鹹有甜,不過似乎如蛋餅蘿蔔糕之類的鹹點較受青睞。然而在義大利,早餐幾乎清一色甜食,有種早上就在吃下午茶的感覺。
每一個地區的食物種類都略有不同,但其實都大同小異,本文會以托斯卡尼區為主來做介紹!

In Taiwan, you can find both sweet or salty breakfast, but the salty ones such as fried carrot cakes and omelets are more favored. Italian breakfast culture is instead dominated by sweet tastes. I always feel like I'm having afternoon tea sessions even though it's in the early morning.
Each regions in Italy has slightly different kinds of pastries, in this article I'll introduce the most common kinds of breakfast food you can find in Tuscany region.




很多早餐吧一走進去,就是以上這等光景,讓人目瞪口呆喘息不止。
在義大利這類早餐吧隨處可見,營業時間也很長,除了販賣一整櫃小點外,當然也有賣咖啡,茶,果汁,水等。
另外,如果招牌上寫著 Pasticceria 代表他們店裡東西是自己店裡做的,可能烘焙廚房就在裡面或在樓上,每天現做十分新鮮。若只是一般的 Bar,那賣的東西可能就是從附近別的地方買來賣的。(口味是沒什麼差,價錢也一樣,單看個人心情比較偏好去 Pasticceria 或 Bar )

Be prepared to see all these extravaganza pastry collections every time you walk in a breakfast shop.
In Italy, you can find breakfast bar everywhere, with comparatively longer opening hours than other kinds of shops or restaurants. Other than selling pastries, these bars also provide coffee, tea, juice and water.
An interesting thing to know, if the word "Pasticceria" is written in front of the shop, that usually means that the pastries they sell are directly made from their baking kitchen, which is possibly just one floor up or inside of the shop. However, if you see only the sign "Bar", that means that the food they sell here are bought from elsewhere. ( The tastes of food and prices are the same though, so it depends on your personal preferences to chose whether to go to Pasticceria or to Bars )



1和3螺旋狀的東西統稱 Cannolo,任何裡面塞奶油或巧克利等餡的管狀麵食都被歸類在這名字底下,外面通常是用酥皮或麵包製成。

Number one and three are called Cannolo. The members of this category all look tunnel-like, with cream or chocolate stuffed inside.

另外,有一種 Cannolo 叫 Sicilian Cannolo,是西西里島非常有名的甜點。一般 Cannolo 外面是麵包,這種則是用一層有厚度的,脆脆的餅皮包起來。

There's a kind of Cannolo called Sicilian Cannolo, very famous in Sicily. Usually the outside part of cannolo is made of bread, but the Sicilian ones are made by layers of crispy cookie-like stuff.



2和5泡芙類的食物都叫Bigne,裡面通常會擠奶油,開心果醬,巧克力醬等。上面再鋪上一層糖霜或一層焦糖。
而4號叫Occhio di bue(公牛之眼的意思),是一種裡面塗果醬或nutella的扁扁甜餅,看起來還真的滿像一隻血紅眼睛的。

Number two and five are called Bigne, usually stuffed with cream, pistachio jam or chocolate. On top of the bigne are some icing decorations or sugar glazing.
Number four is called Occhio di bue (The eye of bull). Two thin layers of sweet pastries with jam or Nutella in the middle and an extreme amount of sugar powder on top. It indeed looks like a bloody eye.





接下來是水果塔。
這邊水果塔都弄得很漂亮,看了馬上有種幾近不健康的購買欲望。

Next, the fruit tarts. Cream-based with fresh and juicy fruits on top.
Italians really know how to decorate fruit tarts. I have an unhealthy urge to buy this stuff every time I go to a breakfast shop.
 

Next,  可愛的蛋白霜 Meringhe!
蛋白霜一咬下去馬上酥酥化開,口中瞬間充滿甜水與蛋微微的清香。

Next, the cute Meringhe!
Meringhe melts almost immediately when you put it in the mouth. The tastes of sweetness and egg white blossomed pleasantly on top of the tongue.

Meringhe 當然也有進化版!如下圖中在兩片蛋白霜裡夾奶油和草莓,或是直接把蛋白霜做成水果塔基座也可以!

Of course there are evolutions of Meringhe. As the following pictures show, people here put cream and strawberries in between two petals of meringhe, or simply use the meringhe as a foundation of a fruit tart.




早上來一片小蛋糕,一整天大概都得強迫自己做些小運動來消耗熱量與罪惡感。
 
A piece of cake in the morning. Probably need to force yourself to do some little exercises all the day to consume the calories and guiltiness.






除了一般大小的甜食外,還有賣一口大小的小點。
這類小點一個約20幾塊台幣,而一般甜點則在約 50 台幣上下,一些比較精緻的蛋糕可能會貴到一片 100 多塊。
吃這種小點的好處是可以自己拼一盤,嘗試不同口味,又不會吃飽,一個點心配一口 Espresso 滿剛好。

Other than normal size desserts, the breakfast bar also sells mini pastries.
These minis are around 0.8 euros each, the normal size ones are around 1.5 euros. Some cakes that are more refined can cost around 3 euros a piece.
The benefit of taking these minis is that it allows you to make a combination by yourself, trying different tastes without feeling full. One mouthful of dessert + Espresso is a well-matched combo.






冬天的時候還有賣浸在酒精裡的小海綿蛋糕。

In winter you can even find little sponge cakes soaked in alcohol.


米布丁  Budino di Riso
顧名思義就是米做的布丁。吃起來軟中帶著 Q 勁,有種微甜粗獷的米香。

Rice pudding ( Budino di Riso )
As the name suggests, rice pudding is made of rice. It's soft but a bit chewy, with slight sweetness and natural taste of rice.


酥皮餅。
這種酥皮餅裡面常包果醬,有時候甚至還會包米布丁內部那種軟爛的米漿。

Puff pastry.
Usually with fruit jams inside.
 
 
 
通常早餐會配咖啡,有趣的一點是,義大利人幾乎只會在早上喝卡布奇諾。其他時段雖然店家還是有供應,但一般人都只選擇其他又苦又濃烈的咖啡來提神。

Italians don't really drink Cappuccino outside breakfast time. I asked my Italian friend why is that, he said because they prefer to have some bitter and strong caffeine shots for energy, Cappuccino only makes them feel heavy.

看完這篇介紹,應該有不少人覺得在這裡賣治糖尿病的胰島素會賺錢。
不過,飲食習慣還是因人而異,雖然早餐吧裡各類甜點琳琅滿目,還是有人早餐只吃水果或簡單一個雞肉可頌的。

After reading this article, you probably think selling insulin for diabetes is a profitable business here. However, eating habits still differ largely among people. Although there are so many temptations in breakfast shops, still you can find people simply have fresh fruits or a chicken croissant for breakfast.



2015/11/9

義大利深秋 In the end of autumn



義大利已經是深秋時分。電視裡傳來播報員冷冷的聲音,說著十天後氣溫即將降至零度。

趁著還未天寒地凍到無法出門的地步,我和朋友結伴到義大利北部 Massa-Carrara 附近的 Campocecina風景區,體驗了秋天最後一抹光景。
陽光亮晃晃地照在光禿的松樹林裡,白光斜斜打在樹幹一側,閃爍著金屬般的光澤,讓人以為身在超現實的鐵樹林裡。霧氣在林中漂浮,像過往雲煙般,抓得住又抓不住,讓人覺得虛無縹緲,漫無邊際。

我們上山前忘記加油,已經騎了四十分鐘的車才發現這件事,於是開始劇烈爭吵著到底要繼續前進還是打道回府。最後雖然負氣決定不顧一切直接給他開上山去,但心情早已低落到谷底,眼淚模糊了視線,心中燃著熊熊怒火。

奇妙的是,原本慍怒陰鬱的心情,卻在抵達山頂後,瞬間煙消雲散。

空曠廣袤的美景,的確有安撫人心的能量。古今許多作家都曾討論過有靈氣的地方能夠帶給人力量,雖然人理智上不察,可是身體卻能深切感受到。我們雖然習慣了紛紛擾擾、五彩紛呈的城市生活,但追根究底,我們仍然是屬於大自然的。

從山頂望下去,可以見到環繞的山被切割成一方一方的,乳白色的大理石從綠色植被裡露了出來,像是一個皮膚白皙的女人衣裳被人一片片撕去。山再往前瞭望,是海天一線的海洋。海平線、清藍雲層與淡黃光霧層層層疊疊而上,澎湃敞亮,讓人看了不禁屏氣凝神,久久無法言語。

樹葉像雪花般,片片飛落在地。踩在上面感覺非常舒服,厚篤篤的,像是大地深棕帶紅的迷人地毯。乾枯的葉片質地像脆紙一樣,踩在上面一片嘎吱作響,十分痛快。

我們在這裡流連忘返,盡情呼吸著高山清冷提神的空氣,感到靈魂被洗刷乾淨。
直到太陽快下山時我們才啟程下山。摩托車油表已經顯示為零了。我們借著下坡山勢,一路往下滑,就這樣就著殘餘的日光,滑行了好幾公里遠。

抵達山裡第一個村子時,天已經完全暗了。我們被寒冷黑夜籠罩,燦亮星星在空中閃閃發光。向山下平原望去,城市燈火像複雜精細的花紋般爬滿了黑暗的大地。只有身在大自然中,才能如此將自己置身事外,細細從第三者角度品察人類文明的美麗與哀愁。在黑暗的宇宙中,有關人類的事物看起來 就像是這樣吧!

此時此刻,我感到一股異常的寂寥,卻也感到一股超脫的溫馨。

回到平地時,我們拽著機車去加油,並在加油站旁的販賣機裡買了一杯熱巧克力。

那杯裝著巧克力的白色塑膠杯,握在手裡,非常溫暖。

Italy is in late autumn now. The cold voice of the news reporter could be heard from TV, saying that in ten days it will be zero degree.

In case the weather becomes too cold and unbearable to go out, my friend and I decided to visit Campocecina, in order to catch the last glimpse of autumn.
The sunlight shone in between the bald pine trees. The light that reflected on the tree trunks was so solid and white, in one moment I thought I was inside a forest made of iron trees. Light fog floated in the air, forming up and dissolving, like memories, can not grab at them, but they still exist right in front of you. I felt empty.

We forgot to put gasoline in the motor bike before we drive up to the mountain. We realized the situation when we have already been driving for 40 mins, in the middle of nowhere. We had a huge and vicious fight arguing whether we should risk to go up to our destination or not. In the end we chose to drive up under a desperate and furious mood. I was so angry that I started to cry, I thought my day is ruined.

However, once we arrived on top of the mountain, all the negative moods disappeared.

The massive and beautiful nature indeed has a very strong power to heal people. From ancient to modern times there are always great authors talking about how "spiritual places" can bring energy to people, although we can't recognize this fact consciously, but our bodies react naturally to it. We are used to the hustle and bustle city life, but in the end we still belong to nature.

Looking down from the cliff, we saw the mountains in front of us were cut in sharp angles. Those places are the marble mines of Carrara. The milky white marbles bared out from the green plantations, looked like a white skin woman's clothes being peeled off pieces by pieces. In front of those mountains are the ocean. Horizon, azure clouds and gentle yellow lights piled up layer by layer in the the of the world, the scene was so marvelous and fresh, that watching it, I couldn't speak for a long time.

Leaves fell on the ground like snow flakes. It felt very comfortable to walk on top of those leaves, liked walking on top of a thick, brown carpet. The dried leaves crunched like paper when I trampled on them, I felt very satisfactory.

We lingered here all the afternoon, inhaling and exhaling the cold fresh air, feeling our souls being washed clean. It was not until the sun was already going down that we decided to go back home. We slide all the way down for many miles, with the last smear of sunlight.

When we arrived the first village, the sky already turned dark completely. We were surrounded by cold darkness, brilliant starts shone in the night sky. Looking down to the plain in front of us, the city lights were like intricate patterns, climbing and stretching on the earth. It's only when we are in nature that we can get out of the box, that we can see the loneliness and beauty of human civilization from an outsider view. I guess every human-related things simply look like this from the universe!

At the moment, I suddenly felt an eccentric loneliness, and a nirvana-liked warmth.

When we finally arrived Carrara, we dragged our motorbike to the gas station nearby to charge the gasoline, and bought some hot chocolate from the vending machine nearby.

I held the white plastic cup that contained the hot chocolate in my hands, and I felt very warm.


















2015/11/5

義大利的宅男與腐女 Comics & Games in Lucca!!




在北部城鎮盧卡 (Lucca),每年都會舉辦 Comics and Games 這個連續四天狂歡慶祝的動漫節。
整個古老的城市街道上瞬間塞滿了千奇百怪的 Cosplay 動漫人物,有活脫脫從海賊王,進擊的巨人,宮崎駿,日本可愛咖啡館女傭,初音,銀魂等作品裡走出來的角色,傳統教堂裡也架起了投影機,銀幕上投射著萌女的臉,講師也帶著貓耳朵,向教堂裡的聽眾帶動跳般講解著日本動漫的社會學之類學問。
對我來說這一切實在是太好笑了,看著義大利人非常用心的穿著誇張動漫裝,有人要照相時便假鬼假怪擺出一堆宅味十足的專業 pose, 光是在路上邊走邊看就開心到不行。
現場也有許多特地來崇拜女神的攝影師軍團,服裝氣質和行為完全和在台灣動漫展看到的攝影師類型一模一樣,瞬間有種時空錯置的感覺。
除此之外,這個活動大力主打 "日本拉麵",我又期待又害怕受傷害的去攤位看看義大利人說的日本拉麵是怎麼回事,沒想到事情仍然不出我所料,日本拉麵攤賣的根本就是杯麵,雖然還幫你加熱水泡軟,還是覺得無法領這個情。
在大舞台上,義大利搖滾樂團聲嘶力竭的用日文唱著一首又一首動漫歌,雖然我不懂日文聽不出來有沒有在魚目混珠,可是他們的氣勢和技巧是真的一絕,讓全場的人忍不住跟著跳動。
雖然客觀來看,在亞洲見過的動漫節厲害程度超過盧卡 Comics and Games,可是歐洲古城配上日本動漫這個組合,實在是非常新鮮有趣!
最後我和朋友們去一個攤位玩遊戲王卡,玩了一兩個小時才走。沒經過這天,還真的察覺不到原來我那些義大利人朋友內心中其實都住著宅男腐女靈魂。

以下是當日拍的照片: