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rude and sullen

2018/11/01 04:12:30 網誌分類: 生活
01 Nov
          Many people agree Hong Kong's taxi drivers are often rude and sullen. To be "sullen" means to be unpleasant, silent, and unwilling to talk to people. As I said in my previous column, I am now on a Mediterranean cruise with some of my relatives from the US. When I arrived in Rome from Hong Kong, the taxi driver who took me to the hotel was pleasant and talkative. To be talkative means to talk a lot. On the way to the hotel, we passed some of Rome's famous tourist attractions, including the exact place where the Roman general and politician Julius Caesar was assassinated more than two thousand years ago. The driver explained the ancient history of the famous attractions we saw.

          When I was in Atlanta in the US state of Georgia last month to interview former US president Jimmy Carter for my TV show, the taxi driver who took me to my hotel was also very chatty. If you are chatty, it means you like to talk a lot in a friendly and informal way. My Mediterranean cruise began in Rome, and Naples was the first stop. My relatives and I took a taxi to the ancient city of Pompeii. It is now a huge archaeological site because Pompeii was buried under ash after the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted about two thousand years ago. The driver who took us to Pompeii was so chatty he even let us use the WiFi on his phone. I often wonder why Hong Kong taxi drivers are often sullen.

          The Italian government has done a very good job in preserving the remains of Pompeii. We saw bread that was two thousand years old preserved in glass cases. We even saw human bodies that had been buried in volcano ash preserved in glass cases. I have always said that the Hong Kong government does a lousy job of preserving the city's historical past. Did you know that pizza originated in Naples? Our chatty taxi driver took us to a local pizza restaurant where I had the best pizza I ever tasted for lunch.

        ***

          許多人都會認同,香港的士司機常常無禮又「黑面」(sullen)。To be "sullen"的意思是不友善、沉默寡言、緊繃着臉而不願跟人說話的。我在上一篇文章中提到,我現在身處地中海郵輪上,跟一些美國的親戚在一起。我從香港飛到羅馬,抵埗時那位載我到酒店的的士司機很是友善和健談(talkative)。To be talkative就是健談。在往酒店的路上,我們經過一些羅馬知名的旅遊景點,包括超過二千年前羅馬軍事統帥及政治家尤利烏斯.凱撒遇刺的地點。我們沿途所見的知名景點,那名司機都解說了其背後的遠古歷史。

          上個月我到了美國喬治亞州的亞特蘭大,為我的電視節目訪問前美國總統占美.卡特。那名載我到酒店的的士司機也很愛聊(chatty)。若你是chatty,即是說你很喜歡閒聊。我的地中海郵輪之旅在羅馬開始,第一站是拿坡里。我和親戚們搭乘的士去那古城龐貝。它現在是個巨大的考古遺址,因為大約二千年前維蘇威火山爆發,火山灰掩蓋了整個龐貝城。那位載我們到龐貝的的士司機也很愛聊(chatty),甚至容許我們使用他手機的 WiFi。我不時思忖,為何香港的的士司機總是緊繃着臉(sullen)?

          意大利政府在保存龐貝古城的遺蹟方面做得非常好。我們見到一塊有二千年歷史的麵包,裝在玻璃箱裏。我們甚至見到保存在玻璃箱內、掩埋在火山灰下的人體。我常說,香港在保存城市歷史往昔方面,做得非常糟糕。你們可知道,薄餅來源於拿坡里?我們那位愛聊的(chatty)的士司機帶了我們到一間本地的薄餅店午膳,我在那裏吃的薄餅是我嚐過最好吃的!

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
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dianadavid
dianadavid 2018/11/09 14:13:58 回覆

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