“車釐子自由”已經out了,你實現“香椿自由”了嗎?
First it was cherries. Now, the young red leaves of the Chinese mahogany tree are being talked about as a gauge of financial health among the middle class.
早先，人們崇尚“車釐子自由”，而現在，香椿樹的紅色嫩葉被認爲是衡量中產階級財務健康水平的指標。The spring vegetable, which tastes a bit like onion and is used in a variety of dishes, is not cheap. And in some places in the north of the country, like Beijing, its popularity has been driving up prices. It has been selling for 80 yuan to 200 yuan ($12 to $30) for 500g at markets in Beijing in recent weeks, China News Service reported.
這種春季蔬菜味道有些像洋蔥，可以做成各種菜餚，但售價不菲。在北方的一些城市，比如北京，香椿的流行已推動其價格直線上升。中新社報道稱，近幾周，香椿在北京市場上的零售價爲每斤80元至200元。That has led some consumers to take to social media, complaining they can no longer afford to buy the vegetable, which is known as xiangchun in Chinese.
這導致一些消費者在社交媒體上抱怨稱，他們已經買不起這種蔬菜了。
One post on microblogging site Weibo, which has drawn more than 10,000 comments, claimed a bunch of the leaves could now cost as much as a lobster, 10 abalone, or 39 crayfish.
微博上一篇評論過萬的文章稱，一把香椿的價格相當於一隻龍蝦、10只鮑魚或39只小龍蝦。“You can buy this [vegetable] to show off your wealth,” one person commented.
“你可以買香椿炫富”，一位微博用戶評論道。Another said: “There’s plenty of xiangchun trees at my grandmother’s house. I feel like I’ve just found the path to riches.”
另一位用戶說：“我奶奶家有很多香椿樹，我彷彿發現了致富之路。”
The first spring leaves of the tree are traditionally used in Chinese cooking, especially in the north where it is fried with eggs, mixed with tofu, or used in stuffing for dumplings.
初春的香椿嫩葉在中國一直都用於烹製菜餚，特別是在北方，香椿炒蛋、香椿炒豆腐和香椿餡餃子都很常見。But the price in Beijing makes it more expensive than pork, which costs an average 8 to 10 yuan for 500g there, according to the report.
但在北京，香椿的價格高於豬肉，據報道，豬肉的售價一般爲每斤8到10元。In other cities, it is cheaper – the leaves are being sold for 40 yuan for 500g in Qingdao, Shandong province, Xiaogan in Hubei and Xi'an in Shaanxi, the report said.
報道稱，在其他城市，香椿的價格要低一些，如山東青島、湖北孝感、陝西西安，香椿的售價爲每斤40元。And in Zhengzhou, Henan province, the price is much lower, at 18 yuan for 500g.
在河南鄭州則更低，僅爲每斤18元。Social media users complaining about the cost of the vegetable refer to people who can afford to buy it with the term “xiangchun freedom” – the same word used earlier in the year to describe those who could buy expensive imported cherries.
抱怨香椿價高的社交媒體用戶戲稱那些能夠買得起的人實現了“香椿自由”。早些時候，那些能夠買得起昂貴進口車釐子的人曾被形容爲實現了“車釐子自由”。The fruit has become a popular choice for gifts during festivals and strong demand has driven up the price. At the end of January, ahead of the Lunar New Year, imported cherries were selling for 60 yuan for 500g in Beijing.
車釐子已經成爲節日禮品的流行選擇，強勁的需求推高了價格。今年1月底，正值農曆新年前夕，進口車釐子在北京的售價爲每斤60元。Around that time, an article titled “Twenty-six years old, monthly income of 10,000 yuan but can’t afford cherries” was widely circulated on social network WeChat, reflecting a sentiment shared by many who said they did not have the “freedom” to buy the fruit.
當時，一篇題爲“26歲月薪過萬，卻買不起車釐子”的文章在微信朋友圈熱傳，反映出很多人抱怨買不起車釐子的情緒。
