中英對照讀新聞》Do your bit for farmers and eat more fries, Belgians urged 比利時人被敦促為農夫分憂解勞並多吃薯條

2019冠狀病毒全球大流行導致各國紛紛祭出行動限制禁令下，原本大量供應咖啡廳、餐館的比利時薯條等馬鈴薯製品嚴重滯銷。圖為比利時工廠加工中的冷凍薯條。（路透）

◎周虹汶

With potato farmers and processors struggling, Belgians are being urged to eat more fries to offset a slump in demand during the coronavirus pandemic.

隨著馬鈴薯農人和加工者努力求生存，比利時人正被敦促要多吃一點薯條，來彌補這波冠狀病毒全球大流行期間暴跌的需求。

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Belgium is the world’s largest exporter of fries and other frozen potato products, its processors converting 5.3 million tonnes of potatoes into fries, mash and crisps per year and sending them to customers in more than 160 countries.

比利時是薯條和其他馬鈴薯冷凍製品的世界最大出口國，加工人員每年把530萬公噸的馬鈴薯變成薯條、薯泥和洋芋片，送到逾160國顧客手中。

Restrictions to halt the spread of the coronavirus have forced the closure of cafes and restaurants, the industry’s prime customers for fries, and processing firms have seen demand fall by as much as 80%.

制止冠狀病毒傳播的禁令，迫使身為該產業薯條主要顧客的咖啡廳和餐廳關閉，加工企業的需求量下降多達8成。

“We know Belgians like their fries, it’s intangible heritage our frying culture, so we ask Belgians to consume an extra portion of fries to allow us to process more potatoes and to avoid food waste,” Romain Cools, secretary-general of industry group Belgapom, told Reuters TV.（Reuters）

產業團體貝勒哈彭（譯按：比利時馬鈴薯貿易和加工業協會）秘書長羅曼．庫斯告訴路透電視，「我們知道比利時人喜歡薯條，那是我們油炸文化的無形遺產，所以我們要求比利時人多吃一份薯條，讓我們得以加工更多馬鈴薯及避免食物浪費。」（路透）

新聞辭典

do your bite：片語，指盡己之力、盡本分。例句：Do your bit for the environment!（為環境做些貢獻吧！）

offset：動詞，指補償、抵銷。例句：The extra cost of travelling to work is offset by the lower price of houses there.（遠途通勤工作的額外成本被那裡的低房價抵消了。）

intangible：形容詞，指感覺或性質難以捉摸的、無法形容的、難以確定的、難以理解的；名詞，指無形的事物、無形資產。例句：She has an intangible temperament.（她有種難以言喻的氣質。）

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