Taking a taxi often leaves a bad taste in my mouth
2015/07/16 08:41:17
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生活
Have you ever used the Uber app to hire a private car or van? I have never tried it because I mostly use the MTR. I only take taxis when I am in a rush or if the place I want to go to is not served by the MTR or bus. Taking a taxi in Hong Kong often leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I don't understand why so many taxi drivers always look so surly. They get even surlier if passengers travel only a short distance. A few months ago, I described some Hong Kong taxi drivers as the scum of the earth. They put up their "out of service" signs and drive very slowly in nightlife areas such as Lan Kwai Fong to look for passengers. They then demand exorbitant (unreasonably high) fares.
It leaves a bad taste in my mouth whenever I see this in Lan Kwai Fong, which is close to where I live. When something that happened made you feel disgusted or annoyed, you can say it left a bad taste in your mouth. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth when greedy landlords charge exorbitant rents. When people look surly, it means they look bad-tempered and unfriendly. The expression "scum of the earth" means the worst type of people.
I do not feel sorry for taxi drivers who are losing business because of the Uber app. Some taxi drivers held a protest last week to demand that the government take action against the use of Uber in Hong Kong. I demand that the government allows Uber to continue. Why should taxi drivers demand that the government punish Uber for operating without a licence when taxi drivers are breaking the law by refusing to pick up passengers unless they pay exorbitant fares? Instead of stopping Uber, the government should take taxi drivers to court for violating licence rules.
* I'll be at the Book Fair at the Sing Tao booth (Hall 1A D28) on Sunday, July 19 and Tuesday, July 21 from 2-3 pm to sign my latest 又中又英 book. I hope to see you there.
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你可有用過Uber手機程式，去電召私家車或小型客貨車？我就從未試過，因為我通常都搭港鐵。我只會在非常趕急、或是要到沒有港鐵或巴士可到達的目的地，才去搭的士。在香港搭的士，常會令我很不好受（bad taste in my mouth）。我很難理解，為何那麼多的士司機看起來都是那麼粗魯或臭脾氣（surly）。如果乘客只是搭個短程，他們就更不友善（surlier）。幾個月前，我將部份香港的士司機形容為社會人渣（scum of the earth）。他們會掛上「暫停載客」牌，在蘭桂坊這些夜生活地區兜客，然後索取高昂（exorbitant）的車資。
我住在蘭桂坊附近，每當我在那裏見到這種情況，就令我討厭得作嘔（bad taste in my mouth）。若某事情令你感到噁心或惱怒，你就可以說 it left a bad taste in your mouth。當貪心的業主索取高昂（exorbitant）的租金時，亦令我中人欲嘔（bad taste in my mouth）。當人看來surly 時，即是說他們看來脾氣暴躁或不友善。習語scum of the earth 就是指人渣。
我可沒有同情的士司機，因為Uber手機程式而生意大減。有些司機上星期示威抗議，要求政府對香港Uber採取行動。我便要求政府容讓Uber繼續營運了。為何的士司機可以要求政府懲罰Uber 在沒有牌照下營運，但在另一邊廂，的士司機卻公然犯法，非得要乘客支付高昂（exorbitant）的車費才願意接載？政府好應因為的士司機違反牌照規例，將他們送上法庭，而非阻截Uber服務。
＊我將會於七月十九日星期日及七月二十一日星期二下午二至三時，到書展的星島攤位(Hall 1A D28)，為我最新出版的《又中又英》簽名。希望到時見到你！
＊許多讀者提議我在專欄中包含讀音，我的編輯終於找到法子了。由今日開始，我的專欄會加上 QR code，你只須用手機掃描 QR code，就可以聆聽我朗讀專欄的錄音。希望這能幫助大家改善英文字詞的發音。mickchug gmail.com
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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