Taste3 2008
Benjamin Wallace: The price of happiness
班傑明‧華勒斯 (Benjamin Wallace) 談快樂的價值
Filmed:
Readability: 3.9
2,178,942 views
快樂能不能用買的？為了得到答案，作家班傑明‧華勒斯親身體驗了世界最貴的幾項產品，包括 1947 年的白馬堡美酒、 8 盎斯神戶牛肉以及傳說中 (臭名遠佈) 的麝香咖啡。他的評論可能出乎您的意料。
Benjamin Wallace - Author
Benjamin Wallace is a journalist and author of The Billionaire's Vinegar, the true story of the world's most expensive bottle of (possibly phony?) wine. He's been a contributor to GQ, Details, Salon and The Washington Post. Full bio
Benjamin Wallace is a journalist and author of The Billionaire's Vinegar, the true story of the world's most expensive bottle of (possibly phony?) wine. He's been a contributor to GQ, Details, Salon and The Washington Post. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
I'm just going to play a brief video clip.
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我想先為大家播放一段短片
00:22
Video:
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5 萬英鎊
00:23
On the fifth of December 1985, a bottle of 1787 Lafitte was sold
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1985 年 12 月 5 日，一瓶 1787 年拉斐特紅酒
00:29
for 105,000 pounds -- nine times the previous world record.
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以 10 萬 5 千英鎊，高出先前世界記錄 9 倍的高價售出
00:34
The buyer
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富比士先生
00:36
was Kip Forbes,
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買主是奇普‧富比士
00:38
son of one of the most flamboyant millionaires of the 20th century.
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他的父親是 20 世紀最豪奢的百萬富翁之一
00:41
The original owner of the bottle turned out to be
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這瓶酒的原主竟然是
00:43
one of the most enthusiastic wine buffs of the 18th century.
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18 世紀最活躍的品酒大師
00:47
Château Lafitte is one of the greatest wines in the world,
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拉斐特堡是全世界最頂級的佳釀
00:51
the prince of any wine cellar.
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公認的酒中王子
00:53
Benjamin Wallace: Now, that's about all the videotape that remains of an event
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好了，這大概是這個事件現存的全部影像資料
00:55
that set off the longest-running mystery in the modern wine world.
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從此開啟了當代酒界歷史最悠久的懸案
00:59
And the mystery existed because of a gentleman named Hardy Rodenstock.
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懸案的始作俑者名叫哈迪‧羅斯塔克
01:04
In 1985, he announced to his friends in the wine world
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他在 1985 年告訴他的酒界友人
01:07
that he had made this incredible discovery.
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自己發現了一件大事
01:09
Some workmen in Paris had broken through a brick wall,
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幾個巴黎工人在拆牆的時候
01:13
and happened upon this hidden cache of wines --
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恰巧挖出藏在牆內的酒
01:16
apparently the property of Thomas Jefferson. 1787, 1784.
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正是湯瑪士‧傑佛遜的藏酒，年份 1787、1784
01:21
He wouldn't reveal the exact number of bottles,
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他不願公開到底有幾瓶
01:23
he would not reveal
exactly where the building was
exactly where the building was
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也不說出建築物的位置
01:26
and he would not reveal exactly who owned the building.
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甚至不願透露建築物的所有人
01:29
The mystery persisted for about 20 years.
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就這樣保密了 20 年
01:32
It finally began to get resolved in 2005 because of this guy.
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直到 2005 年，終於因為這個人有了一線曙光
01:37
Bill Koch is a Florida billionaire who owns four of the Jefferson bottles,
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擁有 4 瓶傑佛遜藏酒的佛州億萬富翁比爾‧寇克
01:40
and he became suspicious.
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起了疑心
01:42
And he ended up spending over a million dollars and hiring ex-FBI
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最後他花了超過 100 萬美元雇用前 FBI
01:46
and ex-Scotland Yard agents to try to get to the bottom of this.
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和前蘇格蘭警場探員找出真相
01:50
There's now ample evidence that Hardy Rodenstock is a con man,
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現在已經有足夠的證據證明羅斯塔克是個騙子
01:53
and that the Jefferson bottles were fakes.
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所謂的傑佛遜藏酒根本就是假的
01:55
But for those 20 years,
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但是在這 20 年間
01:57
an unbelievable number of really eminent and accomplished figures
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有好些聲譽卓著的酒界人士
02:03
in the wine world were sort of drawn into the orbit of these bottles.
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被這些酒吸引，為之癡迷
02:05
I think they wanted to believe that the most expensive bottle of wine
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我想，他們想相信世上最貴的酒
02:10
in the world must be the best bottle of wine in the world,
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必然就是世上最好的酒
02:13
must be the rarest bottle of wine in the world.
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一定是世上最稀有的酒
02:16
I became increasingly, kind of voyeuristically interested in the question of
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我對此越來越有興趣，甚至抱著些窺視的心態
02:21
you know, why do people spend these crazy amounts of money,
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我想知道，為什麼有人花這樣驚人的金錢
02:24
not only on wine but on lots of things,
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不只在買酒，還有其他許多事物上？
02:27
and are they living a better life than me?
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另外，這些人的人生是不是比我還美好？
02:29
So, I decided to embark on a quest.
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因此我踏上尋找答案的旅程
02:31
With the generous backing of a magazine I write for sometimes,
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和我合作了一段時間的雜誌社則給我慷慨的支持
02:34
I decided to sample the very best, or most expensive, or most coveted item
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我決定體驗最頂級、昂貴、最令人渴望的事物
02:41
in about a dozen categories,
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這些事物廣及 10 幾大類
02:43
which was a very grueling quest,
as you can imagine.
as you can imagine.
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正如大家所想的，這個旅程真累人
02:45
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
02:46
This was the first one.
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這就是第一項
02:48
A lot of the Kobe beef that you see in the U.S. is not the real thing.
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大家在美國看到的許多神戶牛肉都不是真的
02:51
It may come from Wagyu cattle,
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可能是和牛肉沒錯
02:53
but it's not from the original, Appalachian Hyogo Prefecture in Japan.
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但產地卻不是日本兵庫縣和歌山脈
02:56
There are very few places in the U.S. where you can try real Kobe,
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美國很少有地方可以吃到真的神戶牛肉
02:59
and one of them is Wolfgang Puck's restaurant, Cut, in Los Angeles.
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其中之一就在洛杉磯，渥夫康‧帕克的餐廳 CUT
03:03
I went there, and I ordered the eight-ounce rib eye for 160 dollars.
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我在那點了 160 美元的肋眼牛排
03:07
And it arrived, and it was tiny.
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送上來的時候，肉好小
03:09
And I was outraged.
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我太生氣了
03:11
It was like, 160 dollars for this?
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拜託，160 美元才這一點？
03:13
And then I took a bite,
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然後我吃了一口
03:15
and I wished that it was tinier, because Kobe beef is so rich.
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真恨不得它能再小一點，神戶牛排實在是太肥膩了
03:19
It's like foie gras -- it's not even like steak.
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就像鵝肝醬，根本就不像牛排
03:22
I almost couldn't finish it.
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我幾乎吃不完
03:24
I was really happy when I was done.
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終於吃完時我真的很快樂
03:26
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
03:27
Now, the photographer who took the pictures for this project
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這個計畫的攝影師
03:31
for some reason posed his dog in a lot of them,
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不知道為什麼在很多照片上放了他的狗
03:33
so that's why you're going to see this recurring character.
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所以，你們會一直看到牠
03:36
Which, I guess, you know, communicates to you
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我想這也傳達了
03:38
that I did not think that one was really worth the price.
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我並不覺得物有所值
03:42
White truffles.
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白松露
03:44
One of the most expensive luxury foods by weight in the world.
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世界上以重量計最奢華的珍饈
03:46
To try this, I went to a Mario Batali restaurant
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為了體驗，我到 Mario Batali 餐廳
03:48
in Manhattan -- Del Posto.
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餐廳在曼哈頓 Del Posto
03:50
The waiter, you know, came out with the white truffle knob
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服務生拿著白松露和削刀走到面前，
03:53
and his shaver, and he shaved it onto my pasta and he said, you know,
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削了一些到我的義大利麵，然後問
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"Would Signore like the truffles?"
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先生要一些松露嗎？
03:59
And the charm of white truffles is in their aroma.
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白松露迷人之處就是香味
04:01
It's not in their taste, really. It's not in their texture.
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其實不是口味、也不是口感
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It's in the smell.
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迷人之處在氣味
04:05
These white pearlescent flakes hit the noodles,
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那些白色珍珠光澤的薄片落到麵上
04:07
this haunting, wonderful, nutty, mushroomy smell wafted up.
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一股吸引人、美妙、帶點堅果、蘑菇香的氣味飄上來
04:12
10 seconds passed and it was gone.
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10 秒後，就沒了
04:14
And then I was left with these little ugly flakes on my pasta that,
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只剩下那些醜醜的小碎片在意大利麵上
04:18
you know, their purpose had been served,
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它們就這樣功成身退
04:21
and so I'm afraid to say that this was also a disappointment to me.
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而我，恐怕得承認自己滿失望的
04:24
There were several -- several of these items were disappointments.
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令人失望的東西還多著呢！
04:28
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
04:32
Yeah.
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對…
04:33
The magazine wouldn't pay for me to go there.
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這個雜誌社不願意幫我買單
04:35
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
04:37
They did give me a tour, though.
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不過他們還是帶我逛了一圈
04:39
And this hotel suite is 4,300 square feet.
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這個房間面積 4,300 平方英呎
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It has 360-degree views.
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有 360 度的環繞景觀
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It has four balconies.
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4 個陽台
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It was designed by the architect I.M. Pei.
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由貝聿銘設計
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It comes with its own Rolls Royce and driver.
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附帶專屬勞斯萊斯跟司機
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It comes with its own wine cellar that you can draw freely from.
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還有隨你喝的免費專屬酒窖
04:53
When I took the tour, it actually included some Opus One, I was glad to see.
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逛的時候我還真看到裡面有一些美國名酒 Opus One，不錯！
04:57
30,000 dollars for a night in a hotel.
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住一晚要價 3 萬美元
05:01
This is soap that's made from silver nanoparticles,
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這是塊奈米銀粒子做成的肥皂
05:05
which have antibacterial properties.
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有抗菌功效
05:08
I washed my face with this this morning in preparation for this.
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今天早上準備到這裡的時候，我就是用它洗臉
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And it, you know, tickled a little bit and it smelled good,
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感覺就有些癢癢的，而且很香
05:15
but I have to say that nobody here
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不過，我倒是要說
05:17
has complimented me on the cleanliness of my face today.
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目前為止還沒人讚美我的臉好乾淨
05:19
(Laughter)
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(大笑)
05:20
But then again, nobody has complimented me on the jeans I'm wearing.
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但是，也沒有人讚美我的牛仔褲
05:26
These ones GQ did spring for -- I own these -- but I will tell you,
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這可是條上過 GQ 春季號雜誌的牛仔褲，而且是我「自己買的」
05:30
not only did I not get a compliment from any of you,
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不但沒有得到在座任何一個人的讚美
05:32
I have not gotten a compliment from anybody
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還從來沒有人讚美過
05:34
in the months that I have owned and worn these.
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我都已經買來而且穿了好幾個月了
05:36
I don't think that whether or not you're getting a compliment
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我不覺得別人的讚美與否
05:38
should be the test of something's value,
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足以定義事物的價值
05:40
but I think in the case of a fashion item, an article of clothing,
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不過，我想至少在時尚產物或衣著上
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that's a reasonable benchmark.
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那是一個合理的判別基準吧
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That said, a lot of work goes into these.
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而且，它可是很費工的
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They are made from handpicked organic Zimbabwean cotton
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使用手摘的有機辛巴威棉花
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that has been shuttle loomed
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在織布機上織成
05:54
and then hand-dipped in natural indigo 24 times.
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然後使用天然靛藍染料經 24 道手染程序染成
05:58
But no compliments.
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不過，沒人稱讚
05:59
(Laughter)
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(大笑，觀眾有人大叫「好看喔！」)
06:00
Thank you.
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謝謝！
06:04
Armando Manni is a former filmmaker who makes this olive oil
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阿曼度‧曼尼不當製片之後開始做橄欖油
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from an olive that grows on a single slope in Tuscany.
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他做的油只用托斯卡尼某片山坡上的橄欖
06:10
And he goes to great lengths to protect the olive oil from oxygen and light.
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而且費心不讓橄欖油受光和氧氣損害
06:15
He uses tiny bottles, the glass is tinted,
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他用小瓶子、瓶身還塗黑
06:18
he tops the olive oil off with an inert gas.
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最後在剩餘空間裝入鈍氣
06:22
And he actually -- once he releases a batch of it,
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而且竟然每產出一批
06:25
he regularly conducts molecular analyses and posts the results online,
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就定期做分子檢測，在網路上公布結果
06:30
so you can go online and look at your batch number
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你可以上網搜尋自己的批號
06:32
and see how the phenolics are developing,
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看看油酚的形成狀況
06:34
and, you know, gauge its freshness.
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靠這樣判別新鮮度
06:36
I did a blind taste test of this with 20 people and five other olive oils.
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我混入其他 5 種橄欖油，請 20 個人蒙眼品嚐
06:40
It tasted fine. It tasted interesting.
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這種橄欖油味道還好，滿有趣的味道
06:42
It was very green, it was very peppery.
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非常青澀、非常辛辣
06:44
But in the blind taste test, it came in last.
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不過，在蒙眼品嚐中，卻是最後一名
06:48
The olive oil that came in first was actually a bottle of
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第一名的橄欖油
06:51
Whole Foods 365 olive oil which had been oxidizing next to my stove
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竟然是一直放在我爐子邊氧化的 Whole Foods 365
06:57
for six months.
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都放 6 個月了
06:58
(Laughter)
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(大笑)
07:08
A recurring theme is that a lot of these things are from Japan --
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很多類似的奢華事物都來自日本
07:10
you'll start to notice.
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大家慢慢開始注意到
07:11
I don't play golf, so I couldn't actually road test these,
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我不打高爾夫，所以不能實際體驗
07:14
but I did interview a guy who owns them.
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不過，我採訪了擁有這套球具的人
07:16
Even the people who market these clubs -- I mean, they'll say
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即使是行銷這套球具的人都說
07:19
these have four axis shafts which minimize loss of club speed
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它的 4 軸桿身可將揮桿速度損失降到最低
07:23
and thereby drive the ball farther -- but they'll say, look, you know,
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因此球會飛得更遠，不過他們也會坦白說
07:27
you're not getting 57,000 dollars worth of performance from these clubs.
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用它不一定打得出 57,000 美元的等值表現
07:30
You're paying for the bling,
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花錢買的是閃亮的外表
07:32
that they're encrusted with gold and platinum.
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而那可是由純金和白金貼製成的
07:34
The guy who I interviewed who owns them did say
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我訪問的球具主人倒是說了
07:36
that he's gotten a lot of pleasure out of them, so ...
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自己很享受用它們打球，所以啦…
07:40
Oh, yeah, you know this one?
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喔，對，你們知道這是什麼？
07:42
This is a coffee made from a very unusual process.
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只是一種經過奇特處理的咖啡
07:48
The luwak is an Asian Palm Civet.
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Luwak 是一種亞洲麝香貓
07:50
It's a cat that lives in trees,
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這種貓住在樹上
07:52
and at night it comes down and it prowls the coffee plantations.
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晚上爬下來吃咖啡樹上的果實
07:56
And apparently it's a very picky eater and it, you know,
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很顯然，牠們很挑
07:58
hones in on only the ripest coffee cherries.
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只吃最熟的咖啡果
08:02
And then an enzyme in its digestive tract leeches into the beans,
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然後牠們消化道中的酵素附著在咖啡果上
08:06
and people with the unenviable job of collecting these cats' leavings
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由擔任最不令人羨慕工作的「扒糞者」
08:11
then go through the forest collecting the, you know, results
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到樹林裡收集成果
08:16
and processing it into coffee -- although you actually can buy it
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然後加工處理成咖啡
08:20
in the unprocessed form.
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要買未經加工的也行
08:24
That's right.
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對，就是這樣
08:26
Unrelatedly --
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換個話題…
08:28
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
08:30
Japan is doing crazy things with toilets.
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日本人對馬桶做了一些瘋狂的事
08:33
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
08:40
There is now a toilet that has an MP3 player in it.
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現在馬桶可以內建 MP3 播放器
08:43
There's one with a fragrance dispenser.
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有的則有芳香機
08:45
There's one that actually analyzes the contents of the bowl
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有的可以檢驗馬桶內容物
08:49
and transmits the results via email to your doctor.
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然後用電子郵件把報告傳給你的醫生
08:53
It's almost like a home medical center --
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簡直就是個家用醫學中心
08:55
and that is the direction that Japanese toilet technology is heading in.
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這就是日本衛浴科技目前的走向
08:59
This one does not have those bells and whistles,
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這是不玩那些花招
09:01
but for pure functionality it's pretty much the best -- the Neorest 600.
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不過在功能上無與倫比的 Neorest 600
09:05
And to try this -- I couldn't get a loaner,
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為了體驗這個，因為沒有人願意借我馬桶
09:08
but I did go into the Manhattan showroom of the manufacturer, Toto,
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只好跑一趟製造商 Toto
09:13
and they have a bathroom off of the showroom that you can use, which I used.
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展場旁就有這樣的廁所，所以我去試了
09:17
It's fully automated -- you walk towards it, and the seat lifts.
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馬桶全自動，一靠近就升起座墊
09:20
The seat is preheated.
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座墊預熱就緒
09:22
There's a water jet that cleans you.
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還有幫你清潔的水柱
09:24
There's an air jet that dries you.
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幫你烘乾的氣流
09:26
You get up, it flushes by itself.
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一起身，就會自動沖水
09:28
The lid closes, it self-cleans.
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蓋上馬桶蓋，自動清潔
09:30
Not only is it a technological leap forward,
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這不只是科技的一大步
09:32
but I really do believe it's a bit of a cultural leap forward.
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我真的認為這還是文化的一大步
09:34
I mean, a no hands, no toilet paper toilet.
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我指的是，不用動手也不用衛生紙的廁所
09:37
And I want to get one of these.
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我想要一組！
09:39
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
09:43
This was another one I could not get a loaner of.
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這個也沒人肯借我試用
09:48
Tom Cruise supposedly owns this bed.
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湯姆克魯斯據說就有一套這種床
09:50
There's a little plaque on the end that, you know,
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床尾有個徽章
09:52
each buyer gets their name engraved on it.
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買家可以把名字刻在上面
09:55
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
10:01
To try this one, the maker of it let me and my wife
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為了體驗，製造商讓我跟我老婆
10:03
spend the night in the Manhattan showroom.
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在曼哈頓的展場過了一夜
10:05
Lights glaring in off the street,
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街燈從窗戶透進來
10:07
and we had to hire a security guard and all these things.
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我們則必須請保全，做一堆安全措施
10:10
But anyway, we had a great night's sleep.
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不過，當晚真的睡得不錯
10:12
And you spend a third of your life in bed.
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既然一生 3 分之 1 的時間都在床上
10:14
I don't think it's that bad of a deal.
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我想還滿值得的
10:17
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
10:18
This was a fun one.
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這個很好玩
10:20
This is the fastest street-legal car in the world
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這是世上最快的公路用汽車
10:24
and the most expensive production car.
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也是最貴的量產車
10:26
I got to drive this with a chaperone from the company,
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我在車商的試車員陪同下體驗
10:28
a professional race car driver,
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他是職業賽車手
10:30
and we drove around the canyons outside of Los Angeles
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我們在洛杉磯外的峽谷中穿梭
10:33
and down on the Pacific Coast Highway.
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一直開到太平洋海岸高速公路
10:35
And, you know, when we pulled up to a stoplight
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就像大家所想的，每次停紅燈
10:38
the people in the adjacent cars kind of gave us respectful nods.
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隔壁車駕駛似乎都對我們佩服的點一下頭
10:42
And it was really amazing.
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真是太妙了！
10:44
It was such a smooth ride.
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一路開起來超順
10:46
Most of the cars that I drive, if I get up to 80 they start to rattle.
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我開過的大部分車子只要加速到 80 就開始喘氣
10:48
I switched lanes on the highway and the driver, this chaperone, said,
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我在高速公路上切換了車道，旁邊的賽車手駕駛說
10:51
"You know, you were just going 110 miles an hour."
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知道嗎？你剛飆到時速 110 英哩
10:53
And I had no idea that I was one of those obnoxious people
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我從來不知道自己竟然是那種大家不時遇到的討厭鬼
10:56
you occasionally see weaving in and out of traffic,
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在車陣裡鑽進鑽出
10:58
because it was just that smooth.
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因為實在開得太順了
11:00
And if I was a billionaire, I would get one.
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要是我是億萬富翁，我一定買一台
11:02
(Laughter)
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(笑聲)
11:07
This is a completely gratuitous video I'm just going to show
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接下來這段附帶影片
11:10
of one of the pitfalls of advanced technology.
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顯示尖端科技的缺點
11:12
This is Tom Cruise arriving at the "Mission: Impossible III" premiere.
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湯姆克魯斯抵達不可能的任務 3 首映會現場
11:25
When he tries to open the door,
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走過去開車門
11:27
you could call it "Mission: Impossible IV."
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我們叫這個「不可能的任務 4」
11:32
There was one object that I could not get my hands on,
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這個我一直找不到
11:34
and that was the 1947 Cheval Blanc.
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1947 年的白馬
11:36
The '47 Cheval Blanc is probably the most mythologized wine of the 20th century.
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47 年的白馬大概是 20 世紀最傳奇的美酒
11:40
And Cheval Blanc is kind of an unusual wine for Bordeaux
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白馬是波爾多的稀有美酒
11:43
in having a significant percentage of the Cabernet Franc grape.
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因為使用大量卡本內．弗朗葡萄
11:47
And 1947 was a legendary vintage,
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1947 更是傳奇的年份
11:50
especially in the right bank of Bordeaux.
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尤其對波爾多右岸的酒莊來說
11:52
And just together, that vintage and that chateau took on this aura
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年份和酒莊為這支酒憑添光環
11:56
that eventually kind of gave it this cultish following.
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甚至到了最後有些膜拜的意味
12:00
But it's 60 years old.
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不過這支酒已經 60 年了
12:02
There's not much of it left.
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所剩不多
12:04
What there is of it left you don't know if it's real --
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真的留下來的，也無法辨別真假
12:06
it's considered to be the most faked wine in the world.
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因此成了公認的世上造假率最高的酒
12:08
Not that many people are looking to pop open
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沒有多少人願意為一個記者
12:10
their one remaining bottle for a journalist.
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打開自己珍藏的所剩無幾的美酒
12:14
So, I'd about given up trying to get my hands on one of these.
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就這樣，在我快要放棄這瓶酒時
12:18
I'd put out feelers to retailers, to auctioneers,
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零售商、拍賣商都試過了
12:20
and it was coming up empty.
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全部落空
12:22
And then I got an email from a guy named Bipin Desai.
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就在這時，我竟然收到 Bipin Desai 的電子郵件
12:24
Bipin Desai is a U.C. Riverside theoretical physicist
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他是加州大學河岸分校的理論物理學家
12:28
who also happens to be the preeminent organizer of rare wine tastings,
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恰好也是著名的稀有美酒品酒會主辦人
12:32
and he said, "I've got a tasting coming up
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他告訴我近期有個品酒會
12:34
where we're going to serve the '47 Cheval Blanc."
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會中供應 47 年的白馬
12:36
And it was going to be a double vertical --
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而且可以品嚐兩個酒莊
12:38
it was going to be 30 vintages of Cheval Blanc,
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會有 30 個不同年份的白馬
12:41
and 30 vintages of Yquem.
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和 30 個年份的伊剛
12:43
And it was an invitation you do not refuse.
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這真是個傻子才會拒絕的邀請
12:46
I went.
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所以我去了
12:48
It was three days, four meals.
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品酒會歷時 3 天、供應 4 餐
12:50
And at lunch on Saturday, we opened the '47.
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我們在星期六的午餐開了 47 年白馬
12:53
And you know, it had this fragrant softness,
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就這樣，聞到它溫和的醇香
12:57
and it smelled a little bit of linseed oil.
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帶點亞麻籽油的味道
13:00
And then I tasted it, and it,
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然後我嚐了一些
13:02
you know, had this kind of unctuous, porty richness,
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有些溫潤、波特酒般的豐潤甜美
13:06
which is characteristic of that wine --
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這就是這支酒的特色
13:08
that it sort of resembles port in a lot of ways.
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喝起來真的很像波特酒
13:10
There were people at my table who thought it was, you know, fantastic.
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跟我同桌的一些人認為太好喝了
13:12
There were some people who were a little less impressed.
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當然也有人覺得沒那麼好喝
13:16
And I wasn't that impressed.
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我則覺得沒那麼好喝
13:19
And I don't -- call my palate a philistine palate --
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而且我不...因為我覺得自己嘴挑
13:23
so it doesn't necessarily mean something that I wasn't impressed,
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所以我的「差強人意」評價可能不準
13:27
but I was not the only one there who had that reaction.
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不過，還有其他人和我有同感
13:30
And it wasn't just to that wine.
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不只是對這支酒
13:32
Any one of the wines served at this tasting,
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對品酒會所有的酒都是如此
13:34
if I'd been served it at a dinner party, it would have been, you know,
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要是在晚餐派對中喝到它
13:37
the wine experience of my lifetime, and incredibly memorable.
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那就會是我一生難忘的品酒經驗
13:40
But drinking 60 great wines over three days,
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不過在 3 天內喝遍 60 種好酒
13:43
they all just blurred together,
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那些酒最後喝起來都一樣了
13:45
and it became almost a grueling experience.
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最後都快喝膩了
13:49
And I just wanted to finish by mentioning a very interesting study
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最後我想提一個非常有趣的研究
13:53
which came out earlier this year from some researchers at Stanford and Caltech.
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今年年初剛由史丹佛和加州理工的研究人員發表
13:57
And they gave subjects the same wine,
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他們讓受試者喝相同的酒
14:01
labeled with different price tags.
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不過貼的標價不同
14:03
A lot of people, you know,
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就這樣，很多人覺得
14:05
said that they liked the more expensive wine more --
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比較愛喝標價較高的酒
14:08
it was the same wine, but they thought it was a different one
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實際上酒是一樣的，不過受試者覺得
14:10
that was more expensive.
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貴的那瓶是不同的酒
14:12
But what was unexpected was that these researchers did
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出乎意料的是這些研究人員
14:14
MRI brain imaging while the people were drinking the wine,
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竟然在受試者喝酒的當下做 MRI 腦部造影
14:17
and not only did they say they enjoyed the more expensively labeled wine more --
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發現他們不只是嘴上說比較享受標價高的酒
14:21
their brain actually registered as experiencing more pleasure
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他們的大腦還真的反映出較高的歡愉感受
14:25
from the same wine when it was labeled with a higher price tag.
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對那瓶其實完全相同只是標價較高的酒
14:28
Thank you.
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謝謝各位
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Benjamin Wallace - AuthorBenjamin Wallace is a journalist and author of The Billionaire's Vinegar, the true story of the world's most expensive bottle of (possibly phony?) wine. He's been a contributor to GQ, Details, Salon and The Washington Post.
Why you should listen
A Washington D.C. native and a current Brooklynite, Benjamin Wallace is fast establishing himself a master of the brainy nonfiction thriller, rooting up feuds and controversies in pop and less-than-pop culture while buddying up with their embattled and larger-than-life personalities (whom he sometimes meets on their way down). He profiled conserative mouthpiece Glenn Beck for GQ in 2007 shortly after the pundit landed a controversial slot on CNN, and in 2002 looked at chef Georges Perrier of Philidelphia's then-five-star restaurant, Le Bec-Fin.
Wallace's orderly, deadpan writing style hints at one of his secrets: his love (and talent) for playing the straight man to the once-mighty in downfall, right as they go aflame in tragicomic hubris. (The Billionaire's Vinegar is simply a pleasure, not least to schadenfreude junkies.) It's easy to imagine him, the bespectacled wallflower, watching as brouhaha over a wine bottle once valued at $165,000 -- the highest price fetched for a bottle, ever -- culimates in a court trial that reveals at least two of its main characters, a wine collector and a wine expert, to be frauds. Or at least emperors with no clothes.
Benjamin Wallace | Speaker | TED.com