Michael Chugani 褚简宁 - the length and breadth of Taiwan｜又中又英

As I said in a previous column, I am now in Taipei on an Asian holiday. I hope to travel the length and breadth of Taiwan, just like I did in the US. It’s been a wild ride ever since I left Hong Kong in August of 2021. I visited so many cities while travelling the length and breadth of the US that I can’t remember how many I visited. I am sure my trip in Asia will also be a wild ride. When you travel the length and breadth of a place it means you visit every part of it.
  The expression “a wild ride” can be used in different ways but used this way it means an exciting trip. Some friends have asked me to compare Hong Kong with Taipei. Both cities have a majority Chinese population. That’s the only big similarity. Taiwan people speak Mandarin. Hong Kong people speak Cantonese. Unlike Hong Kong, many buildings in Taipei are low-rise and old. Taiwanese dress very casual compared to Hong Kong people. Hong Kong people on average earn more than the Taiwanese but everything is much cheaper in Taiwan.
One very noticeable thing in Taiwan is that the streets are full of scooter riders who drive haphazardly, which means lack of order or plan. Many even drive up to the sidewalk (pavement in British English). But Taiwanese people are very polite, especially restaurant staff, compared to Hong Kong people. A waiter in an Italian restaurant asked if I wanted my pasta to be al dente. It surprised me because I have never been asked that in Hong Kong restaurants. Restaurants in Italy always serve pasta al dente, which means the pasta is firm, not soft and overcooked.
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正如我在之前的文章中说过，我正于亚洲度假，现身处台北。我希望可以踏遍台湾各处（the length and breadth of Taiwan），一如我在美国游历的一样。自我于二○二一年八月离开香港，一路走来实在是一场疯狂刺激的旅程（a wild ride）。我走遍美国各个角落（the length and breadth of the US），游历过的城市多得我已记不清我去过多少个城市了。我相信我的亚洲之行同样会是一场刺激的旅程（a wild ride）。若你 travel the length and breadth of a place，意即你游遍了某地方的每个角落。

习语“a wild ride”可以有许多用法，但在这里是指一场刺激的旅程。一些朋友叫我比较香港和台北。这两个城市的人口主要由华人所组成，这就是唯一一个较大相似之处。台湾人说国语，香港人说广东话。不像香港，台北许多楼宇都是低层而老旧的。跟香港人相比，台湾人穿着得非常轻便随意。香港人平均比台湾人赚得多，但台湾所有物事都比香港便宜。

台湾一件非常明显的事，是满街都是机车司机，驾驶得很 haphazardly，即杂乱无章法、非常随意。他们许多人甚至会将机车驶上行人路（sidewalk，英式英语为pavement）。然而，跟香港人相比，台湾人却是非常有礼，尤其是餐厅员工。在一间意大利餐厅里，侍应问我是否希望我点的意大利面食为 al dente。这令我非常惊讶，因为香港的餐厅从来不曾问过我这个问题。在意大利的餐厅，面食上碟永远都是 al dente的，意即有嚼劲的，不会煮得过软、过熟。
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁