今天早上的 NPR 新聞,中國的出現頻率,在近幾年中,第一次多過了伊拉克。而且幾條報道,都挺有意思,不妨列它們一列。
鄭筱萸被行刑之後, 中國方麵稱,上萬家小型食品加工廠須盡快清理或關閉。質檢總局指出,目前中國四十五萬餘家食品加工廠當中,至少有一半的廠子沒有許可證或者沒有完全的經營許可,可能要在 2009 年之前關掉。去年中國已經關閉了十五萬家此類無證經營的食品廠。
中國官方稱有些美國食品不能接受,不夠衛生( unacceptable and unsanitary )。被拒收的貨品包括保健食品,運動飲料,開心果,葡萄幹。報道的總結是這樣的: The move comes after growing international concern and stepped up inspection of Chinese imports by the U.S.
歐洲國家全都是用經過訓練的動物,比如豬啊狗啊什麽的,去搜索鬆露。但是在中國,是有經驗的人們在四處尋覓,成果顯然更好。碰上運氣好的日子,一個人一天能搜集到四十磅的鬆露。中國的鬆露出口價格,隻有法國等國家鬆露出口價格的十分之一。盡管有說中國的鬆露味道遠不如歐洲,國人卻不見得同意:
"There's no big difference in taste. The smell is slightly different, but the feel of the truffles in the mouth is the same," Wu says.
Wu plans to cultivate truffles, a move bound to ruffle European purists even further. He concedes that Europe's truffle markets are threatened by Chinese products, but insists that European suppliers must learn to adapt.
"In the past they had a monopoly and now they are threatened, so they are trying to undermine our product. Black French truffles used to be a status symbol. Now they're cheaper and more people can afford them. That has to be a good thing," Wu says.
中國號稱是世界最大鱘魚基地,並存有瀕臨滅絕的鱘魚魚種。某家鱘魚場去年首度出口自產的魚子醬,一年出口量高達一千磅。
同時,中國也已經成長為世界第三大鵝肝醬出口國,僅次於法國和以色列。鵝肝醬的出產,靠的是填鴨式的喂養,將鵝的肝髒撐大。這就牽扯到一個永遠存在爭議的話題,對動物的人道主義,嗬嗬。
Critics call the practice cruel, and outside China an anti-foie gras movement is gaining momentum. Chicago banned the sale of foie gras last year, and the delicacy is set to be outlawed in California in five years. The European Union has set a 15-year grace period to phase out the practice.
但是中國的廠商完全不會認同: "It makes no difference whether you force-feed birds or kill them directly, the final result is the same," he says. China has no regulations regarding force-feeding animals. In fact, the local government has a 10 percent stake in Jing's business, and he says he is not worried about the influence of animal rights' campaigners.
"Because they're opposing foie gras, their countries stop producing it. But the citizens of their countries still want to eat foie gras, so it can only mean my prospects are improving," Jing says.
這位農民說的不無道理哈。就像烤鴨,其實從頭到尾也都夠殘忍的,但是我們在吃的時候,基本不去理會它的殘忍。如果是我自己養的鴨和鵝,我不會去填它,甚至不會去吃它。我養過,那種對其肉的排斥有深深的印象。可是別人養好了,填好了,香噴噴端上來了,我吃不吃呢?哈哈哈有意思有意思。
經濟學家 Benn Steil 質疑大多數的國家貨幣,認為它們被各路政客所控製,早已失去其客觀性,對經濟的正常發展起著破壞作用。這條報道裏麵沒有直接提及中國,但是鑒於人民幣到底應該不應該升值的問題一直引起各方關注,我把它當作相關報道聽了一聽。
巨無霸,在英語國家叫 big mac ,在美國一個賣三塊多,在中國一個賣一塊半。我找到了一個最近的價格比較:
在過去二十年當中,“經濟學家”雜誌一直都在公布這樣的價格比較。由於巨無霸在 120 多個國家都有出售,所以它在一定程度上可以起到貨幣價值比較的作用。人民幣價值過低,而挪威的巨無霸賣到七塊多美刀,說明挪威的貨幣價值過高了?
好在巨無霸到目前為止還不是國際通用貨幣。 So the "burger standard" may be useful, but beef probably won't be the next global currency.
列完了,我也總結一下吧。甭管對於這些報道,眾人,包括國人包括外國人,都存著些個什麽心理哈,甚至還有個人恩怨啥的,比如那個誰誰誰他小舅子就是養鵝的丫因此走了鵝屎運發達了靠的就是摧殘動物因此那個誰誰誰對此類報道持絕對負麵態度。。。隨吾們怎麽看怎麽說吧,都阻止不了中國騰飛的國際形象。看看從前那些關於中國的報道,要麽是人權,要麽是貧困。現在中國在世界經濟中的地位和重要作用,好也罷壞也罷,是再也無法被忽視的了。
不知道別人,我反正挺驕傲的。
美國人也好有意思,跑到非洲問別人"中國人真的對你們有利? 他們在掠奪你們的資源...." 非洲人說"他們是商人,我們是和他們做生意"
自己到處殺燒掠奪,還到處挑撥.....可恥!
俺也挺為自己國家驕傲的,花樣最多的國家,別的國家百花齊放,我們國家是億萬朵花齊放。 :)
這位騎山地車的人有意思,幫你數點擊呢,嗬嗬。
I feel the same.
"中國今天挺搶鏡頭"今天挺搶鏡頭, now 33561 hits; that's 6323 in about half an hour!!
it is now 29284 hits! hehehe...
after my last msg it was not 27947 hits, in about 3 min... amazing isn't it?
it got 27238 hits when i read this...