Hong Kong people, particularly women, have a peculiar habit when they shop in supermarkets or wet markets. This habit is not only peculiar to Hong Kong people. It is peculiar to most Asians. Most Westerners do not have this peculiar habit. The word “peculiar” means unusual or strange but used this way it means belonging to or found only in a particular group of people. A wet market is a market, usually an open-air one, which sells fresh meat, vegetables, and live poultry, such as chicken. Wet markets in Hong Kong are no longer allowed to sell live poultry. The peculiar habit Hong Kong people have is that they don’t just pick up the things they want to buy and put them in their shopping carts.
Most Hong Kong people, particularly women, will look at what they want for a long time, feel the things they want to buy, then pick up another one of the same item and look at it, then pick up yet another one and look at it. If they are buying refrigerated meat, they will look at four or five of the same item before choosing one. If they are buying fruit, such as apples or oranges, they will bounce the fruit in their hands, smell it, and then put it down and pick up another one to do the same thing. Sometimes they will pick up numerous oranges one by one and bounce them in their hands several times before choosing one.
If you bounce something in your hand, it means you throw it up and then catch it again. It really bugs me when I want to buy apples or oranges and the people in front of me are blocking me because they are feeling, smelling, and bouncing the fruit in their hands. If something bugs you, it means it irritates ['ɪrɪ.teɪt] you. Whenever this happens, I just walk away and buy other things I need first. I have noticed that Westerners seldom have this peculiar habit. They just pick up the things they want and put them in their shopping carts.
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香港人，尤其是女士們，在逛超市或街市時，都有個特別的（peculiar）習慣。這個習慣也不是香港人獨有的（peculiar），而是大部份亞洲人所特有的（peculiar）；大部份西方人就沒有此特別的（peculiar）的習慣。Peculiar是指與眾不同的、古怪的，但在這裏則指獨有的，只在特定的人群中找到。A wet market就是街市，多是露天的，賣鮮肉、蔬菜和活家禽，例如雞。不過，香港的街市（wet market）已不可賣活家禽了。香港人獨有的（peculiar）習慣就是，他們不會只拿起他們想買的東西，直接放進購物車中。
大部份的香港人，尤其是女士，都會看着他們想買的東西良久，摸索一下自己想買的東西，然後拿起同一項物品的另一件貨看一看，再拿起另一件又看一看。若他們買冰鮮肉，他們會看四至五樣同類的貨品，然後才會選取其中一件。若他們要買生果如蘋果或橙，他們會拿在手中輕輕拋（bounce）一下，嗅一嗅，放下，復又拿起另一個，再做相同的事。有時候他們會將橙一個一個的拿起來，在手中拋（bounce）幾下，才選到想要買的那個橙。
若你用手bounce something，即是說你用手拋起又接回某物。當我想買蘋果或橙，但前面有人在阻着我，因為他們正在觸摸、嗅着、在手中拋接（bouncing）生果時，就令我很煩擾（bugs）。若某事bugs you，即是說它令你很心煩或惱怒。每當發生這樣的情況，我就會走開，先買其他需要的貨品。我留意到西方人鮮有這般特別的（peculiar）習慣，他們只會拿起想要的東西，直接放進購物車中。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
