Temple Restoration and Caesar Salad

News Bites

Hi everyone, welcome to a new episode of News Bites! I'm Jacob Ingram. And I'm Nancy Sun. Coming up next in today's news: Lugang Dizangwang Temple is being restored, and Caesar salad turns 100 years old. And in today's Tasty Tidbit: Ice-cream cones were invented by accident! Stay tuned for more on those stories! ______________________________________________________ 鹿港地藏王廟修復 Lugang Dizangwang Temple in Restoration Have you heard about the Dizangwang Temple (地藏王廟) in Lugang? As the name suggests, it is dedicated to Dizangwang Pusa (地藏王菩薩). People go to pray for their deceased (去世) ancestors (祖先). The temple is an important religious center (宗教中心). It holds rituals for the deceased. 它為往生者舉行儀式。 It was originally built in the second year of the Kangxi reign (康熙年間) back in the Qing Dynasty (清朝). In other words, the temple was built back in 1663! In 1985, the government designated it as a historic site (將它列為古蹟). Lots of people visit the temple during Hungry Ghost Month (鬼月), also known as Zhongyuan Festival (中元節), every lunar July (農曆七月). Last year during Zhongyuan Festival, the temple had around 10,000 visitors. The temple is incredibly popular and historically important (很有歷史意義). But over time, many paintings, artifacts and architectural elements have faded and cracked. 然而，隨著時間，許多繪畫、文物和建築元素已經褪色和破裂。 Now, a restoration project has been started. 修復工程已經啟動. Earlier in July this year, the temple held an official ceremony, marking the start of the project. The temple teamed up with local officials (當地政府) and they managed to raise 12 million NT! They explained this project will focus on preservation (保存) and restoration (修復). They wish to display (展示) the beauty of traditional culture (傳統文化) and the craftsmanship (工匠精神) that was put into building these temples. But they say the deteriorating murals (壁畫) were both a cultural risk and a safety hazard for visitors to the temple. The project will be completed by a team of experts, including painters and artists. They expect it will be finished by November next year. ______________________________________________________ 凱撒沙拉誕生100週年 Caesar Salad turns 100 Have you heard of Julius Caesar? He's a famous Roman emperor (羅馬皇帝). Maybe you've also heard of Caesar salads (凱撒沙拉)? It sounds like Julius Caesar invented Caesar salads. They're named after him, right? Well, actually no! The salad was not invented (發明) by him. The first Caesar salad wasn't made until 1924 - that's almost 2,000 years after the famous Roman emperor died. It just so happens that this year marks the 100th anniversary of Caesar salads! The salad was created by an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini in Tijuana, Mexico. Cardini was an Italian immigrant (移民) who opened restaurants in Mexico (墨西哥) and the United States (美國). Being short on ingredients (食材) one day, Cardini put together the salad from leftover ingredients (剩下的食材) in the kitchen. He combined Romaine lettuce, garlic oil, eggs, croutons (麵包丁), and parmesan cheese (帕瑪森起司). He then mixed up all these ingredients with his special dressing (沙拉醬). People dining in Cardini's restaurant enjoyed this dish. So, it became more and more popular. Cardini initially intended this salad to be "finger food". This meant it was meant to be eaten with fingers! The original recipe of the Caesar salad used whole hearts of romaine lettuce. 凱撒沙拉最開始是用整顆羅馬生菜心。 Cardini designed it so that diners could pick up hearts of romaine lettuce and enjoy their crunchy texture. However, many customers complained about not wanting to get their hands covered in the creamy Caesar sauce. So, Cardini adjusted (調整) the recipe. He started using torn pieces of lettuce so guests could easily eat the salad with forks. Cardini would prepare the dish on the table, right in front of the guests. This was his way of showing how fresh his ingredients were. One century later, the dish is still prepared the same way at Cardini's restaurant in Tijuana. Every month, 2,500 Caesar salads are served in the restaurant. Earlier this year in July, Tijuana commemorated the centenary (100週年慶) with a three-day celebration. They held a food and wine festival, and unveiled (揭幕) a statue (雕像) of Cardini. ______________________________________________________ So in today's News Bites: The Dizangwang Temple in Lugang was built in the Qing Dynasty, more than 300 years ago. The temple is popular and historically important, so a restoration project has been started. The restoration will be completed by a team of experts, including painters and restoration artists. They expect the project to be complete by November 2025. ______________________________________________________ And this year marks the 100th anniversary of the invention of Caesar salads. The salad was created by an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini in Tijuana, Mexico. Earlier this year in July, Tijuana marked the centenary, or 100th year anniversary, with a three-day celebration. They held a food and wine festival, and unveiled a statue of Cardini. ______________________________________________________ 趣味小點 Tasty Tidbit Did you know that ice cream cones were invented by accident? During a fair in St. Louis, United States, an ice cream vendor ran out of paper cups to hold his ice cream. A waffle maker next to the vendor noticed this problem, then rolled waffles into cones to hold the ice cream. People at the fair loved this new combination of waffles and ice cream. Ice cream cones then became super popular. _________________________________________ And that's it for today's episode of News Bites! If you have a fun fact, a joke, or interesting news you'd like to share with us, record your message and send us your Tasty Tidbit to us at [e-mail]. And you might hear it at the end of an episode! We'll see you next time for an exciting new episode of News Bites!