Nick Liao

2023 年 5 月，我成為了一名在雪梨的全職電動自行車外送員。Photo Credit：Nick Liao 提供 故事要從那個滿 30 歲，朝八晚六、坐在台北辦公室隔間裡，慣性白日夢的我開始說起。 壓線去澳洲打工度假，開啟一年的人生遊戲「副本」 從大學時期意外參與的一場澳洲打工度假說明會開始，我就渴望自己的人生總得有個澳洲的打工經歷。在那之後，偶爾看相關網路文章，也總是不乏聳動的「賺第一桶金」、「台灣和澳洲是鬼島和天堂的差別」、「在澳洲找到生活節奏」等標題，這些資訊也都正面增強了我這樣的想法。 加上這些年，身邊朋友的經歷也給了我許多刺激：有朋友去澳洲遇到了另一半，就此留了下來；以前上海的某同窗去墨爾本打工，回台後做起了代理燕麥奶的生意；也有朋友努力爭取調到雪梨工作，過著非常開心的生活……。 我不免好奇，澳洲是否真如苦悶人生的一個「出口」，是一個可以安居樂業、生活步調緩慢、有機會非得留下來的地方？ 雖說自己的航空業工作穩定，未來也有一條可預期的道路展開在眼前，但抱著給自己一年、打一場「副本」遊戲的心態，我在滿 31 歲，達到法定年齡上限之際，還是鼓起了勇氣辭職，出發雪梨。...

At various points in director Lulu Wang’s movie "The Farewell," a Chinese family is shown interacting around the dinner table. The family members have gathered for a wedding banquet, though it’s actually a ruse. The real reason for their reunion: the matriarch has cancer and is dying. But the family has chosen to keep the news a secret from her. These events are based on Wang’s life. In 2013, she rushed back to China after learning her grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.

To the average diner, it can often seem like restaurateurs have only recently gotten savvy at using tools like social media to get customers in the door. In truth, restaurants have always used psychology to influence diners. To understand how, look no further than the menu. Chain restaurants and delis often have menus that are physically large, laminated, and easy to read. At more high-end venues, menus tend to be single-paged, with no descriptions or ingredients listed.