Mola Molas in Hualien

Chihsingtan Bay, Hualien

Reading:

People in Taiwan enjoy eating mola molas very much, and the fish here are the most expensive in the world. A mola usually costs NT$100 per kilogram. About 90% of molas are caught in Hualien, especially in Chihsingtan, a bay near Hualien City.

Because about 65% of a mola is its thick skin and bones, people used to throw them away after taking out their intestines, the most expensive part of the fish. However, Chuang Wen-deng (莊文登), the owner of Sankokuichi Drink & Foods (三國一休閒餐廳), has a different idea.

Mr. Chuang thinks mola molas are not only amazing fish but also the unique sea creatures of Hualien. No other places in Taiwan have as many molas, and perhaps they can be used to promote Hualien, which is known for its natural beauty.

Mr. Chuang began to try to understand them more. After a period of time of experiment, Mr. Chuang held an event known as “Mola Delicacies” in 2002, which began to catch people’s eyes. Now he has developed over 40 kinds of mola food, including “Manbo sashimi,” “Manbo Drink” and “Manbo Jelly”. Among them, “Manbo Drink” is the first in the world that is made from fruit, vegetables, and molas.

In 2002, the local government changed the amazing fish name into “Manbo Fish” by voting. In 2003, from March 21 to April 26, the government held the first “Manbo Fish Season”, and it attracted a lot of people to come to Hualien. Everyone had a nice impression and deeper understanding of the fish. According to Mr. Chuang, it’s safe to eat the fish because it will smell bad if it isn’t fresh. He says that through the effort of the local government and people, more and more mola stores, restaurants and exhibition places will be opened in the future. People who come here will not only be able to eat the delicious fish but also find some interesting and amazing facts about it. People in Hualien really hope that more and more tourists will come and visit the most beautiful city in eastern Taiwan.

Vocabulary:

(A)

promote

/ 推銷 / local / 當地的

experiment

/ 實驗 / government / 政府

delicacy

/ 美食 / vote / 投票
including / 包括 /

attract

/ 吸引
develop / 開發 / according to / 根據
through / 透過 / exhibition / 展覽

(B) Vocabulary guessing：試著根據Reading 內容，再依下列例句，猜出斜體字的字義。

1. A mola usually costs NT$100 per kilogram. Then a 100kg mola will cost NT$10,000.

per的中文意思是：

  1. We can stand because we have bones.

Shrimps’ bones are outside of their body.

bone的中文意思是：

  1. Unique means “being the only one of its kind”. For example, there are a lot of tall buildings in Taipei, but the 101-floor building is the most unique one. It’s also the tallest building in the world.

unique的中文意思是：

  1. Creature means “living animal”. For example, tigers and pigs are both creatures.

creature的中文意思是：

  1. Event means “fact of a thing happening”. For example, Mr. Wang’s house caught fire last year, and he lost his lovely dog, Lucky, in that event.

event的中文意思是：

  1. At first, I don’t know many about mola molas. But after reading these two lessons, I have deeper understanding about the amazing fish.

deeper的中文意思是：

  1. In Taiwan, Taichung is in western Taiwan, and Hualien and Taitung are in eastern Taiwan.

eastern的中文意思是：

  1. If you take a trip to the US, you will be a tourist there.
    This year, more tourists visit Taroko National Park than before.

tourist的中文意思是：

(C) Vocabulary guessing：根據Reading 內容（含文字及圖片），猜出下列各字的中文意思。

especially / impression
bay / sashimi
intestines / effort

Let’s find some more amazing facts about molas:在讀了Reading之後，對於這種有趣的魚，大家一起來猜猜還有哪些有趣的事？

  1. After being cooked, one part of a mola will be like “konjac”, or “elephant foot”. Do you know what part it is?

(A)Its skin. (B) Its bone. (C) Its intestines. (D) Its meat.

  1. How big is a 100-kilogram mola’s brain?
  2. What part of a mola is “Manbo Jelly” made from?

(A)A. (B) B. (C) C. (D) D.

  1. What part is a mola usually cut first?

(A)A. (B) B. (C) C. (D) D.

Reading comprehension: 請參考Reading 內容，選出正確答案。

( ) 1. When was the first “Manbo Fish Season” held?

(A) 2001. (B) 2002. (C) 2003. (D) 2004.

( ) 2. Where is the place molas like to get together in Taiwan?

(A)Yilan. (B) Hualien. (C) Taitung. (D) Pintung.

( ) 3. Who thought molas could be used to promote Hualien?

(A) Mr. Chuang Wen-deng. (B) Hualien County Government. (C) Someone who came to Hualien for trip.
(D) Nobody knows.

( ) 4. Which is the most expensive part of a mola in Taiwan?

(A) Its skin. (B) Its bone. (C) Its intestines. (D) Its meat.

( ) 5. What percent of a mola is meat and intestines?

(A) 30%. (B) 35%. (C) 40%. (D) 45%.

( ) 6. How can we know whether a mola is fresh or not?

(A)A mola’s skin will get dark if it isn’t fresh.

(B)More and more water will come out of a mola if it isn’t fresh.

(C)A mola will get smaller if it isn’t fresh.

(D)It won’t smell good when it isn’t fresh.

Time to think:

為何花蓮有關單位要將「翻車魚」改名為「曼波魚」？

Write an email to invite your friend to attend “Manbo Fish Season” in Hualien: 用感性、吸引人的詞語，誠摯地邀請你的親友，來花蓮參加「曼波魚季」，信中須提到「曼波魚季」的起迄日期。

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