美国国家公共电台 NPR--Onions now cost more than meat in the Philippines

Onions now cost more than meat in the Philippines

Transcript¹

In the Philippines, a surge in the price of onions has left people rationing² the vegetable. The president, the weather and shady business dealings are all being blamed for the shortage.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

In the Philippines, the humble³ onion has been dubbed⁴ the country's new gold. One kilogram, a little over 2 pounds, is selling for almost $11. The global average is around a dollar 50. NPR's Julie McCarthy has been talking to Filipinos about how this daily staple⁵ has reached such dizzying heights.

JULIE MCCARTHY, BYLINE⁶: Eatery owner Armelita Rayos is whipping up an eggplant omelet. Paring knife in hand, she first prepares the ingredient that gives life to much of the Philippine cuisine⁷ - the onion.

ARMELITA RAYOS: (Speaking Filipino).

MCCARTHY: Customers tuck into her counter as she hunches⁸ over a cutting board, explaining how she's economizing⁹ in her cooking because the lowly Philippine onion is now reportedly the most expensive in the world.

RAYOS: (Speaking Filipino).

MCCARTHY: "We used to buy two or three kilos a day," she says. "Now we only use half of one because onions are 9 to $10 a kilo. And even then we just buy the small, cheaper green scallions." Her eatery sits on the perimeter¹⁰ of the cavernous Guadalupe Market in Makati City in metro¹¹ Manila. Inside we pass the meat stalls...

(SOUNDBITE OF POUNDING)

MCCARTHY: ...Where the pork being pounded is about half the price of onions. Forty-five-year-old Leah Navarro has come to shop. This widow with five children tells us it would take her two days' wages in her job as a maid to buy a kilo of onions. She buys only sparingly, she says, and shrugs¹² off the sky-high prices.

LEAH NAVARRO: The Filipina can adapt all the situation that happen, and then they think positive every day. That is the Filipina - they are strong.

MCCARTHY: So how did the price of onions become exorbitant¹³? Well, super typhoons hit the Philippines this past year, destroying crops. Poor planning delayed onion imports. Suspicion has also fallen on alleged¹⁴ bad actors who may have manipulated the market through hoarding¹⁵ and smuggling¹⁶. But vegetable vendor¹⁷ Joel Morasco says whatever the cause of the surge in price, there's a curious twist to the saga¹⁸ of this unassuming bulb. He says no matter the customer, everyone is opting¹⁹ for the cheapest, smallest variety.

JOEL MORASCO: Yeah, poor people and rich people here in the Philippines - level, same level.

MCCARTHY: You're saying everybody's the same.

MORASCO: Yeah, everybody same.

MCCARTHY: Whether everyone is the same or not, the blame game is on. The agriculture portfolio²⁰ is one that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took for himself, having campaigned last year for a stable food supply. Critics, including patrons at the market, who voted for Marcos, say he's too busy as president to be running agriculture and needs to appoint someone else. Leonardo Montemayor chairs the Federation²¹ of Free Farmers.

LEONARDO MONTEMAYOR: People are wondering with all of these declarations about food security and prioritizing agriculture, how come the most basic of commodities are not readily available, or if they can be bought, they're priced beyond reach?

MCCARTHY: Senior economist²² for ING Bank of Manila Nicholas Mapa says that overpriced onions are only the latest in a string of shortages consumers have faced, and more are coming.

NICHOLAS MAPA: It's looking more like it's one commodity after the other. First it was pork, and then it's fish, and then it's sugar. Now it's onions. And now it looks like it's going to be chicken and eggs.

MCCARTHY: Because of expensive feed and the avian flu, he says. Mapa says getting reasonably priced food on the table is an urgent challenge. Philippine families spent a third of their budget for food. As the country's 8% inflation makes times even leaner, the House and Senate are baying to investigate the onion trade, and the national ombudsman says he's looking at price manipulation.

Amid the clamor, the Marcos government announced plans to import 21 metric tons of onions. Economists²³ say it's the right decision, but come smack²⁴ dab²⁵ in the middle of the onion harvest, meaning a surplus of onions will be flooding the market.

Julie McCarthy, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 rationing   

n.定量供应

参考例句：

• Wartime austerities included food rationing and shortage of fuel. 战时的艰苦包括食物配给和燃料短缺。
• Food rationing was abolished in that country long ago. 那个国家早就取消了粮食配给制。

3 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

4 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

8 hunches   

预感，直觉( hunch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A technical sergeant hunches in a cubicle. 一位技术军士在一间小屋里弯腰坐着。
• We often test our hunches on each other. 我们经常互相检验我们的第六感觉。

9 economizing   

v.节省，减少开支( economize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Strengthing Management of Economizing Electricity Enhancing BenefIt'step by Step. 强化节电管理效益逐上台阶。 来自互联网
• We should lose no time in increasing production and economizing. 六、抓紧增产节约。 来自互联网

10 perimeter   

n.周边，周长，周界

参考例句：

• The river marks the eastern perimeter of our land.这条河标示我们的土地东面的边界。
• Drinks in hands,they wandered around the perimeter of the ball field.他们手里拿着饮料在球场周围漫不经心地遛跶。

11 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

12 shrugs   

n.耸肩（以表示冷淡，怀疑等）( shrug的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany shrugs off this criticism. 匈牙利总理久尔恰尼对这个批评不以为然。 来自互联网
• She shrugs expressively and takes a sip of her latte. 她表达地耸肩而且拿她的拿铁的啜饮。 来自互联网

13 exorbitant   

adj.过分的；过度的

参考例句：

• More competition should help to drive down exorbitant phone charges.更多的竞争有助于降低目前畸高的电话收费。
• The price of food here is exorbitant. 这儿的食物价格太高。

14 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

15 hoarding   

n.贮藏；积蓄；临时围墙；囤积v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• After the war, they were shot for hoarding. 战后他们因囤积而被枪决。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Actually he had two unused ones which he was hoarding up. 其实他还藏了两片没有用呢。 来自英汉文学

16 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

17 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

18 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

19 opting   

v.选择，挑选( opt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• What courses are most students opting for? 多数学生选什么课程？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Wells doesn't rule out opting out and then re-signing with Houston. 威尔斯没有排除跳出合同再与火箭重签的可能。 来自互联网

20 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

21 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

22 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

23 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 smack   

vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍

参考例句：

• She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
• I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。

25 dab   

v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂

参考例句：

• She returned wearing a dab of rouge on each cheekbone.她回来时，两边面颊上涂有一点淡淡的胭脂。
• She gave me a dab of potatoes with my supper.她给我晚饭时，还给了一点土豆。