Friday, May 27, 2011

The Seoul Elements I Adore (我所想念的首爾)

CNNGo released a report on Wednesday - 50 Reasons Why Seoul is the World's Greatest City. Whether you think Seoul the greatest city in the world or NOT (like me, haha), this is an interesting read you sohuldn't miss.
CNNGo 周三刊登了一篇文章 - 為什麼首爾是世界最讚的城市的50個理由. 不管你同不同意,這是篇值得一讀的文章。對我來講,首爾不是我最愛的城市,畢竟在那度過那麼痛苦的被歧視經歷我難道會爽這個城市嗎,但是住了那麼些時候,它總是有許許多多讓我想念的理由。這篇文章裡也提到了幾個,我在後面加上我的個人腳註(原文的腳註,請移駕該文閱讀)。

Let me single out some highlights (more specifically the ones I myself appreciate), with my personal opinions
#50 From bomb shelters to bull markets (從廢墟到繁華) - Salute to the post Korean War years, and the generations that bring us what we enjoy today 向後韓戰時期的苦難歲月、以及胼手胝足創造這個城市的今日的那兩代人致敬。偉大的不是城市,是你們
#49 More side dishes than main dishes (比主餐還豐盛的小菜) - Hospitality and generosity are what I like about Korean the most. It's also embodied in their food culture 韓國人的大器是我欣賞的一點,這點也體現在飲食文化。
#48 World's most wired city (世界第一的網路覆蓋率)  - Pampered by Seoul's high-tech convenience,  you will suffer when you move to any other city in the world 習慣了首爾的便利,當你甫移至其他城市時,多少會因不習慣而痛苦一陣子
#47 Best airport in the world (世界第一的機場) - Agree with it or not (my answer is not, coz Hong Kong International Airport is my No. 1 forever!), it is awesome 同意與否,這個機場真的、真的很棒
#43 Beautiful women (正妹) - I do not think Korean girls are pretty, but they do possess better skin and fairer figure than girls of probably the rest of the world. Plus, they are pretty stylish (though in a pretty universal fashion, haha!) 我不覺得韓妹有多美,但她們膚質佳,身型好,而且很會打扮(僅管風格都差不多) 
#42 Beautiful men (美男) - "Who cares if they wear BB Cream, we'll keep staring." Ewe, the BB Cream comment is quite true, like the Korean guy sitting behind me in office (but I don't stare at him at all, he's very annoying) 原文說,"韓國男人臉上擦BB霜又怎樣,我們還是愛看",這個BB霜評價是真(畢竟我後面的走man路線的韓國男同事也光明正大的把自己的BB霜擺在桌上,有圖有真相) ,不過我才不想看他,因為他很煩
#40 Green tiramisu (綠茶提拉米蘇) - I've never been to the tart café Duex Cremes it recommended, however, Seoul is indeed a city of Western delicacies - and a lot of them are actually local brands, who are able to produce as good tastes as Western famous brands 聽起來就有夠讚。我沒嚐過文中推薦的那家店,不過我是去過不少很讚的首爾咖啡館,他們供應的點心不輸給西方的知名蛋糕店
#28 Excellence in flights (傑出的機艙服務) - Best evidence - I am going on Asiana Gold Member soon! 最好的證據是...我馬上就要升到韓亞航空的黃金貴賓啦!
#27 Heated floors (暖炕) - If you've ever lived in a cold place besides Korea, you'll just miss how close-to-your-heart(揪感心) it is. Well, of course it's not an invention that represents Korean's genius, but rather a cultural embodiment indicating Korean's "floor culture" ( on the contrary, the Chinese adopted the "chair culture" around a thousand years ago) 當你搬到寒冷地區居住時,肯定會懷念在韓國時腳下總是暖暖的那種感覺。與其說"暖炕是韓國人的偉大發明"(典型韓國人措詞),我倒覺得這是體現了韓國的地板文化,有別於中國或西方國家的椅子文化(中國在宋朝前後就從地板文化轉型成椅子文化,好險,此舉有益於美腿的養成)
#26 Bibimbap (拌飯) - It's my top 1 favorite Korean food! 我最愛的韓國食物!
#24 Superb service; random freebies, no tipping (優質服務,免費產品,無小費) - Yes, a reason I adore Korean for their generosity. I hate stingy people (but I am not sorry!). Therefore you find me so reluctant to go to places in Singapore where it's marked $XX ++ ( first + is 10% service charge, the second + is 7% GST, and it's not 17% more but 17.7%, as they add 10% first and another 7% on top of it. Leave a comment if you dun get me), I just don't understand why they don't reflect the real price I am gonna pay but instead doing so many tricks 韓國人一堆劣根性,大器則是我最欣賞他們的一點,體現在他們不吝於提供免費產品(試吃品、試用品),而且一般不加收服務費。不像某個小氣巴拉的國家,招牌上的價錢外還常要有兩個++,第一個+指的是10%的服務費(僅管他不服務你,照收咧!),第2個+則是7%的消費稅。不過總金額不是外加17%,而是17.7%,因為算法是先加10%之後,再用該金額加上7%,所以總價是外加17.7%
# 17 Palaces of Morning Calm (曙光中的寧靜宮殿) - Though mostly rebuilt, these palaces are making this city great. Unlike Beijing's palaces which seem borderless, Korean palaces are comparatively mini, therefore looking cute 僅管大都是戰後重建的,這些宮殿讓這個城市顯得深沉不浮躁。和北京堪稱浩瀚無邊的雄偉宮殿不同,韓國宮殿小得多,也顯得可愛得多
# 8 'Well-being' mania (健康飲食的風潮) - I find it hard to comment as I used to live in Sweden, which also has healthy diets. But anyway, for Asian standard, especially I am now living in a very anti-well-being country where people consume a whole lot of deep fried food 24-7, Seoul has quite a good awareness in healthy diet 韓國飲食比起日本或其他西方國家也不一定有多養生,但比起我現在住的地方實在是好太多了(嘆)
# 4 World’s most spectacular bridge-fountain (世上最令人嘆為觀止的吊橋噴泉) - I am not so much into those "spectacular" things nowadays, but Han River, and the bridges over it, are indeed spectacular. No matter where I am, I always miss the feeling when I travel across the Han River 我對那些號稱嘆為觀止的事物沒有多大憧憬,可是我確實很愛漢江,以及漢江上的那些大橋。我很懷念每次過橋時,從車窗向外所能見到的那些情景
# 2 Drama queens (電視劇女王) - Whether it be historical, comical, profound, melancholic, or simple idol-selling, the Korean dramas do demonstrate a wide range of genres. My favorite drama queens are Lee Na-Yeong (이나영, 李娜英) and Kong Hyo Jin (공효진, 孔孝真) 好笑的歷史的偶像的灑狗血的悲傷的點點點,韓劇種類相當多元。我最喜歡的韓劇女王是李娜英和孔孝貞
# 1 Galbi (갈비, 烤排骨) - I am not a big fan of meat, but how can I pass this! 我沒多愛吃肉,但絕不會錯過韓國烤肉!

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