八月的某天早上，發現陽台的鐵欄杆竟然長出有點詩意的藤蔓，
倒三角形的葉子有點像地瓜葉，不知是否會長出好吃的地瓜。

立刻拍照用app查詢植物名，一查完整個毛骨悚然，
竟然是一種有害的外來種叫做「微甘菊」，又稱「小花蔓澤蘭」。
生命力極旺盛，會害死其他植物，號稱世界上最具危險性的有害外來種之一，
這麼毒的東西竟然擁有這麼人畜無害的名字，並且花語是「侵略」(！)

嫉惡如仇的我馬上戴起工作手套拿著剪刀，咬著牙充滿恨意地把這些藤蔓扯掉。
那感覺像是要把所有蘇打綠(魚丁系)的音樂或張震主演過的電影都摧毀掉的那種恨意。
網路上說絕對要斬草除根，因為連斷掉的枝葉都能讓他們繼續生長，
光是聽起來就很像恐怖片裡面無性生殖，能夠不斷繁殖的惡魔。

我扯完自家陽台的藤蔓之後，發現陽台外面社區花圃也有，
一小塊清完之後，發現遠方又一大片都是。
於是馬上變成社區的免費園丁，很雞婆地開始清這些毒藤蔓。

感覺我好像藉由拔除這些藤蔓，在跟我自己的過往心魔和創傷記憶對抗。
星期一的早上在陽光下做這些事情讓我有勞動的感覺。

小花蔓澤蘭的根莖長得紮實又可怕，很像某種我痛恨的爬蟲類。
越拔越覺得我想要對它們抄家滅族的恨意完全被他們知道了，
身上慢慢累積了很多這些藤蔓回報給我的負能量。

裝滿兩大袋塑膠袋準備拿去倒，途中又發現花園另外一角還有！
正當我奮力拔除時不知為何夾腳拖竟然斷掉了，我當下覺得一定是這些藤蔓想報復我。

拔完這些藤蔓之後，赫然發現林務局正在推廣本月是「小花蔓澤蘭防治月」，
參加這活動分享照片之後有機會得到有點諷刺的獎品：小花蔓澤蘭炭皂！
真的不想要用這種充滿負能量的肥皂洗澡。

（歡迎林務局找我拔草）

★

好久沒來台中，非常掛念中央公園的鴨子們。
上次來是冬天，看到河上五隻鴨子形影相隨，
種類不同的鴨子竟然可以變成好朋友讓我好感動。

夏天的中央公園，發現鴨子們已經分裂成三個小團體。
白鴨找到伴侶，和昔日褐鴨好友分道揚鑣，
眼神冷靜淡定，完全不懷念過去或因逝去的友情傷感。
世界上果然沒有永遠的朋友。

坐在可以觀察鴨群的椅子上，
耳機裡正播放非常適合夕陽時分的King’s of Convenience，
鴨子們跟我一樣望著夕陽彷彿正在進行某種哲學性思考。

正當我沈浸在夕陽餘暉時，
發現白鴨（突然拋下老婆）又再度加入褐鴨家庭，而且還一起游水。
我破涕為笑，完全推翻我剛才消極悲慘的世界觀，原來你們還是好朋友。

但也許以上劇情純屬我自己腦補。

★

回程經過東協廣場旁邊的台中市成功路，驚覺這條路根本越南。
路邊攤賣的青菜雖然是台灣生產，但擺設方式和種類簡直胡志明市的路邊攤。

隔日歡天喜地跑回去找以前在河內吃的豬肉米線，
隨便選了一間坐下來，才發現整間店所有店員的國語都不太通，
店員唯一會講的中文是「聽不懂」，
那種語言障礙和挫折讓我有一秒來到北越背包旅行的既世感（明明是台中）。

語言不通彷彿暗示著食物應該會很道地，
果然味道也是未經稀釋的生猛越南味，
豬肉味道跟台灣豬肉不太一樣，有點腥味。
生吃完幾片紫蘇葉和一些越南人才會吃的路邊野草之後，
讓我有活在荒野亂摘食物的魯賓遜錯覺。

而我就在「好越南喔不用出國就有旅行感覺」以及「味道太越南了恐怕無法消化」的矛盾情緒下吃完。

（然後過幾天就看到越南豬肉可能有毒的報導）

★

夏天就這麼過了，今年夏天就在自我封閉和居家隔離中度過，極端空虛。
每當傍晚我就想要沒有目的地騎車尋找可以看夕陽的好地方，
在頂樓眺望遠方時總是很在意遠方山上到底是什麼工廠，
那天騎上去才發現是南亞塑膠公司，地址是泰山。

又有一個星期天騎到八里一個很隱密的海邊，
正好是飛機降落桃園機場前必定會經過的路線，
看著飛機想著以前出團的美好日子有點惆悵。
雖然當時每天詛咒自己的工作，
現在才發現那是一個美好到我可能不值得擁有的工作。

夕陽很美，但八里的海岸石頭上一堆超不浪漫的海蟑螂。
心滿意足地踩一下海水假裝有跟夏天打過交道，
海邊有一些被惡意遺棄的寶特瓶垃圾，回程發現有人跟我一樣在海邊撿垃圾。

一個高中左右的男孩我猜磁場很乾淨還沒被社會污染，
一個熱血大學生撿了滿手垃圾到隨時要掉下來的程度，
還有一個快要變成40歲多愁善感想到小時候的事情隨時會哭出來的大叔。

雖然台灣越來越沒救，很多地方還是很醜，
可是我們盡力撿垃圾拔毒藤蔓忍耐一切不爽，
我們一起活過一個史上最無聊的夏天了。

照片：八里海蟑螂秘境

早安，你今天 Q 了嗎？
一起來認識台灣美食的獨特口感

🇹🇼 In Italy, ‘Al Dente’ Is Prized. In Taiwan, It’s All About Food That’s ‘Q.’
台灣美食為什麼那麼「Q」？

🍭 NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan — As dusk falls at Lehua Night Market, the fluorescent lights flicker on and the hungry customers start trickling in, anxious for a taste of the local delicacies that give this island its reputation as one of Asia’s finest culinary capitals. Neatly arranged pyramids of plump fish balls. Bowls brimming with tapioca balls bathed in lightly sweetened syrup. Sizzling oyster omelets, hot off the griddle. Deep-fried sweet potato puffs, still dripping with oil.
台灣新北市——隨著夜幕降臨樂華夜市，燈光亮起，飢腸轆轆的客人們三三兩兩來到這裡，急於品嚐讓這個島嶼享有亞洲最佳美食之城的當地美食。整齊排成小山的飽滿魚丸。一碗碗涼圓，淋著略帶甜味的糖漿。剛從鐵板上下來，滋滋作響的蚵仔煎。還滴著熱油的炸地瓜球。

-fluorescent: 發出螢光的
-trickle in: 三三兩兩地抵達
-reputation: 名聲
-culinary: 烹飪的
-griddle: 鐵板、煎鍋
-deep-fried: 油炸的

🍡 Take a bite of any of these dishes and you’ll discover a unique texture. But how exactly do you describe that perfectly calibrated “mouth feel” so sought after by local cooks and eaters alike?
Slippery? Chewy? Globby? Not exactly the most flattering adjectives in the culinary world.
Luckily, the Taiwanese have a word for this texture. Well, actually, it’s not a word, it’s a letter — one that even non-Chinese speakers can pronounce.
It’s “Q.”

隨便嘗一口這些小吃，你都會發現它們別具風味。但你該如何形容那種經過精心調配，令當地廚師和食客們趨之若鶩的「口感」呢？
滑溜？有嚼勁？黏稠？這些可算不上是美食界最好聽的形容。
幸運的是，台灣人有一個詞來形容這種口感。其實，這稱不上是個詞語，而是一個字母——就連不講中文的人也能說出它。
那就是「Q」。

-texture: 口感、質地、韻味
-calibrate: 校準、調整、調配
-be sought after: 趨之若鶩
-chewy: 有嚼勁的

🥤 “It’s difficult to explain what Q means exactly,” said Liu Yen-ling, a manager at Chun Shui Tang, a popular teahouse chain that claims to have invented tapioca milk tea in Taiwan. “Basically it means springy, soft, elastic.”
Q texture is to Taiwanese what umami is to Japanese and al dente is to Italians — that is, cherished and essential. Around Taiwan, the letter Q can often be glimpsed amid a jumble of Chinese characters on shop signs and food packages and in convenience stores and advertisements.

「很難解釋Q到底是什麼意思，」人氣連鎖茶飲品牌、號稱台灣珍珠奶茶發明者的春水堂的經理劉葉玲說。「基本上，它是彈牙、軟糯的意思。」
「Q」的口感之於台灣人，就等於「umami」（鮮）之於日本人，「al dente」（有嚼勁）之於義大利人——備受珍視，也必不可少。在台灣各地，可以在店鋪招牌和便利店、廣告的食物包裝中的一堆中文字裡瞥見「Q」這個字母。

-tapioca milk tea: 珍珠奶茶
-springy: 有彈性的、彈牙的
-umami: 鮮味
-al dente: 彈牙、有嚼勁
-glimpse: 瞥見

你知道用「Q」形容食物是台灣獨創嗎？
加入每日國際選讀計畫，發揚台灣 QQ 美食
https://events.storm.mg/member/HOWSJ/

——
原文連結請看留言
——


互動問句區

#告訴我✍🏻 「你覺得哪家珍珠最 Q？ 」
就送你【QQ美食單字包】！

#50嵐COCO清新福全
#麻古可不可珍煮丹
#小孩子才做選擇 #我全都要

【英文 e-mail 開頭不該這樣寫】
晚安，你今天有用英文寫信嗎？
大家放心，這次不是 #罵罵浩
而是溫柔的 Sonny老師的翻譯&教學札記 登場

最近 Sonny 老師教學有感
跟我分享了台灣同學寫e-mail的常用錯誤
寫錯請自首繼續讀下去

Sonny老師整理了幾項
大家一起面對學習

—

雖然用中文寫 e-mail 時
我們開頭都習慣先說
冒昧來信打擾、抱歉打擾、若有打擾請見諒

但在英文 e-mail 裡
#一開頭就道歉 其實是件很奇怪的事
所以
Sorry to bother you
Sorry for disturbing
Sorry for any inconvenience
都是母語人士讀來會一頭霧水的用法

如果要表達 #客氣禮貌
建議大家使用 allow me to… 這個片語
例如：Allow me to begin by first wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year.
（請容我先祝您新年快樂、鴻運昌隆。）

此外
有些同學希望快點得到對方的答覆
就在結尾處寫了
Please reply as soon as possible.
以為加上 please 就會比較客氣
但這樣的寫法還是有些逼迫感
建議改成
Please reply at your earliest convenience.
（煩請您儘早回覆）
或
Please kindly advise.（敬請告知）

在寫正式 e-mail 的時候
用詞謹慎小心、步步為營
考慮對方閱讀的感受
才能留下好的第一印象
開啟後續的合作哦！

—

3/17 即將募資上架的《Sonny 老師全方位情境寫作術》
第三章就會教你把職場 e-mail 寫得精彩又到位
把握機會，填問卷拿早鳥 8 折 coupon：
https://bit.ly/3i4j0td

#每週Sonny老師專欄
#其實我們兩個都是暖男啦XD

請大家多注意自己的健康！我算一算每天喝的糖分比醫生建議的多很多倍才發現真的不是應該拿出來開玩笑的。還有，因為我不是醫生所以不要學我或覺得我提供的數字是可靠的，希望你飲食習慣改變之前可以跟醫生討論並且做自己的研究！
@黃氏兄弟 跟再睡5分鐘的飲料真的很好喝喔！你有機會就應該去喝喝看～

記得在下面留言跟我分享你最喜歡的飲料！不管是飲料店的或便利商店的，都好！我個人現在愛喝優多綠、黑松沙士、西瓜牛奶、木瓜牛奶，還有很多吧！

Please stay healthy! After calculating the amount of sugar I've ingested each day I realized how much more it is than the doctors' recommendation. I realize that I probably shouldn't be joking about this. Also, because I'm not a doctor please don't imitate my poor habits or rely on the numbers provided in the video. If you're going to make any dietary changes please consult a doctor and do your own research!
The drinks released in collaboration with 黃氏兄弟 the Huang Brothers are truly tasty! If you get the chance you ought to go try them out:)

Remember to share in the comments your own favorite drink! Whether it's a drink from a drink shop or a drink from the convenience store, I want to know! Right now I'm really into yogurt green tea, HeySong Sarsaparilla, watermelon milk, papaya milk, and many others!

--------------------------------------
⭐合作信箱聯繫➔tristan@capsuleinc.cc⭐

--------------------------------------
每週三更新影片 New videos every Wednesday!

更多影片：
🔍️【TOPICS💡 一起坐下談】
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLca1AlwOy10qKDW41YTdovvEFUPGyOGwd

🔍️【VLOGS！✈️ 生活跟我玩】
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLca1AlwOy10ofPUY3Iu7VQRh_HJL_mQUE

🔍️【MUSIC ♫ 音樂館 ♬】
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLca1AlwOy10o-paLGvYApojmyLtusmPCw

-----------------------------------
【崔璀璨 Tristan H.】
YouTube頻道➔ http://www.youtube.com/yakitorisutan
Facebook粉專➔ https://www.facebook.com/yakitorisutan
Instagram主頁➔ https://www.instagram.com/yakitorisutan/

You can find Sesame Oil Chicken Mee Sua practically anywhere in Taiwan. Can't travel now? No worries. You can make sesame oil chicken mee sua easily at home too. Just follow Roland's recipe to enjoy a nice comforting bowl of sesame oil chicken mee sua for lunch or dinner. Happy cooking!

See the ingredient list below for your easy reference.

中文版 https://youtu.be/Xiby2KpRAac

Hope you can recreate this yummy dish in the comfort of your home. Thanks for dropping by our channel.

Please subscribe to stay tuned to our home cooking videos.

Follow us on:
Youtube: www.youtube.com/spicenpans
Facebook www.facebook.com/spicenpans/
Instagram www.instagram/spicenpans
Blog: www.spicenpans.com

Chat with us! info@spicenpans.com

Thanks for watching! See you soon.

xoxo
Jamie
on behalf of Spice N’ Pans

Taiwanese Sesame Oil Chicken Mee Sua ingredients
Serve 4 pax
————
700g of chicken leg - marinate chicken with 1.5 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
50g of sliced old ginger
500ml of Chinese rice wine
1.5L of chicken stock (How to make: https://youtu.be/2SbCwnn4TWA)
1 can of button mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 stalk of spring onion

Other ingredients
----------
Mee sua
Some wolfberries
Some salt to taste (if needed)

===
Don't know where to get the ingredients or don't know how they look like? See the links below.

Sesame oil https://amzn.to/3hRmqQj
Chinese white rice wine https://amzn.to/3fbXmC1
Chicken stock https://amzn.to/3jZzuou
Button mushrooms https://amzn.to/30fUC1W
Mee sua (Flour vermicelli) https://amzn.to/3hS3wbZ
Dried wolfberries https://amzn.to/2BI9DQK

----------
Looking for similar cooking equipment like the one we used in the video? These might interest you:
Cast iron wok https://amzn.to/2DncvD0
Greenpan Saucepan https://amzn.to/2D5MmJ9
-------------
Filming equipment:

iPhone 11 Pro Max (Get from Amazon https://amzn.to/3eA24tz)

Microphone: Sennheiser AVX digital wireless microphone system
Get in Singapore: https://singapore.sennheiser.com/products/avx-mke2-set-3-uk?_pos=2&_sid=adb86a9d8&_ss=r
Get from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2NILqMR

Fujifilm X-T200 Mirrorless Digital Camera:
https://amzn.to/2D5mLju
-------------
If you like this recipe, you might like these too:

Grandma's Mee Sua Soup 阿嫲面线
https://youtu.be/iyJOVza-f4k

Taiwanese Oyster Mee Sua Recipe 台湾蚵仔面线 Orh Ah Misua
https://youtu.be/C90-QTq7tio

Stir Fried Mee Sua 干炒面线
https://youtu.be/4yCED1l9u6c

-------------
Disclaimer:
Spice N' Pans is not related to these products and cannot guarantee the quality of the products in the links provided. Links are provided here for your convenience. We can only stand by the brands of the products we used in the video and we highly recommend you to buy them. Even then, preference can be subjective. Please buy at your own risk. Some of the links provided here may be affiliated. These links are important as they help to fund this channel so that we can continue to give you more recipes. Cheers!

Cooking fried rice in a rice cooker is a game-changer for many because this means you neither have to cook rice way in advance nor wash multiple pots. Super awesome and convenient in my opinion.
You can also use multi cooker or instant pot to make this dish too. Try it.

See the ingredient list below for your easy reference.

中文版 https://youtu.be/us_z1WuWfVg

Hope you can recreate this yummy dish in the comfort of your home. Thanks for dropping by our channel.

Please subscribe to stay tuned to our home cooking videos.

Follow us on:
Youtube: www.youtube.com/spicenpans
Facebook www.facebook.com/spicenpans/
Instagram www.instagram/spicenpans
Blog: www.spicenpans.com

Chat with us! info@spicenpans.com

Thanks for watching! See you soon.

xoxo
Jamie
on behalf of Spice N’ Pans

Ingredients:
Serves 3 - 4 pax
-------
5 cloves of chopped garlic
2 cups of uncooked rice
2 cups of chicken stock
150g of prawns
3 small eggs
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
A few dashes of white pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
4 stalks of chopped spring onion
-------
FYI
-------
If you don't have a rice cup, 1 rice cup has 142ml of water and 1 rice cup has 150g of rice.
If you don't have chicken stock on hand, use 1 chicken bouillon cube with 284ml (2 rice cups) of water.
If you are using concentrated chicken stock, use 2 teaspoons of it with 284ml (2 rice cups) of water.
===

Don't know where to get the ingredients or don't know how they look like? See the links below.

Chicken stock https://amzn.to/304p0LM
Chicken bullion https://amzn.to/3247Znh
Concentrated chicken stock https://amzn.to/2W8tC27
Light soy sauce https://amzn.to/3dBZuBY
----------

If you like this recipe, you might like these too:

One Pot Chicken & Mushroom Rice 香菇鸡饭 Stove Top Cast Iron One Pot Chinese Meal
https://youtu.be/GdFc-4UqPWg

Rice Cooker Fragrant Cabbage Rice Recipe 咸饭 Kiam Pung • Chinese Rice Recipe
https://youtu.be/sbQKydkSVKA

Super Easy (Rice Cooker) Yam Rice w/ Chicken & Mushrooms 香菇鸡肉芋头饭
https://youtu.be/gNo1MrMVNjQ
-------------

Filming equipment:
iPhone 11 Pro Max (Get from Amazon https://amzn.to/3eA24tz)
Microphone: Sennheiser AVX digital wireless microphone system

Get Sennheiser microphone in Singapore:
https://singapore.sennheiser.com/products/avx-mke2-set-3-uk?_pos=2&_sid=adb86a9d8&_ss=r

Get Sennheiser microphone from Amazon:
https://amzn.to/2NILqMR

-------------
Disclaimer:
Spice N' Pans is not related to these products and cannot guarantee the quality of the products in the links provided. Links are provided here for your convenience. We can only stand by the brands of the products we used in the video and we highly recommend you to buy them. Even then, preference can be subjective. Please buy at your own risk. Some of the links provided here may be affiliated. These links are important as they help to fund this channel so that we can continue to give you more recipes. Cheers!