At 91, Lo Mao-hsiang is still out in his fields every day, faithfully tending the rice he has grown for decades -- especially his favorite variety, “Ugly Beauty.”
高齡91歲的羅茂祥依然堅持每天到田裡工作，細心照料他耕種數十年的稻米──尤其是他最鍾愛的品種「醜美人」。
Being the oldest member of the Taitung Chishang Farmers’ Association, Lo still heads out to the fields, rain or shine.
身為台東池上農會年紀最長的成員，無論晴雨，他始終親力親為下田耕作。
For years, Lo was the last farmer in Taitung Valley still planting and harvesting rice the old way -- by hand, with water buffalo by his side. That changed 13 years ago, when he reluctantly replaced them with machines.
多年來，羅茂祥一直都是台東縱谷最後一位堅持以傳統方式種稻以及收割的農夫──人力耕作、收割，身旁還有水牛相伴。直到13年前，他才不情願地用機械取代了傳統的耕作方式。
On the day he sold his two water buffalo, Lo stood at the edge of his nearly one-hectare field and thought he was bidding farewell to a way of life. But the fields pulled him back -- and to this day, he still cares for them, morning, noon and night.
把兩頭水牛賣掉的那天，羅茂祥站在將近一公頃的田邊，心想自己正在向一種生活方式道別。然而，田地還是將他喚了回來，且直到今日，他仍日日夜夜照顧著這片稻田。
In recent days, temperatures in Taitung County have soared above 36 degrees Celsius. Yet Lo, with a weed trimmer slung over his shoulder, kept clearing the edges of his fields with practiced ease. At 91, Lo still moves with purpose through the summer heat, tidying the fields that helped raise his family.
近日，台東縣氣溫屢屢飆破攝氏36度，但羅茂祥仍肩扛除草機，熟練地清理田埂。
即使夏日炎炎，高齡91歲的他依然步伐堅定，整理著這片養育他一家人的土地。
Old hands, new machines
老經驗，新設備
Lo began helping his parents in the rice paddies when he was 16. After finishing his military service, his father put him in charge of the family’s one-hectare plot.
羅茂祥從16歲開始就幫父母下田種稻。服完兵役後，父親便把家裡一公頃的田地交給他打理。
He told CNA that the land he inherited was a patchwork of uneven plots. To preserve its natural shape, Lo stuck with traditional methods -- planting seedlings by hand and using water buffalo to plow and level the fields.
羅茂祥告訴中央社，他繼承的這片田地是由好幾塊形狀不規則的田所組成的。為了不破壞土地的原始樣貌，他堅持採用傳統耕作方式──親手插秧、用水牛耕田整地。
Water buffalo may be slow, Lo said, but they’re strong and ideal for muddy work. Even so, he sold his last pair 13 years ago, shortly before turning 80. “It’s time to retire, to leave the water-filled fields,” he remembered thinking.
羅茂祥說，水牛雖然動作比較慢，但力氣大，適合在泥濘裡工作。儘管如此，他仍在13年前年近八旬時賣掉了他的兩頭水牛。他當時心想：「是時候退休，離開水田了。」
But that plan never materialized. When his children returned from the cities to help, they brought machines to level the land and transplant rice seedlings, allowing him to keep farming.
但這個退休計畫從未實現。當他的子女從都市返鄉幫忙時，他們帶來了協助整地、插秧的機械，讓羅茂祥能夠繼續耕作。
“Times have changed,” he said. “Taiwan even had a female president, and the women in the Legislative Yuan are all eloquent speakers. Farming has to keep up with the times, too.”
「時代變了，」他說。「台灣都已經有女總統了，立法院的女立委們也都口才很好。務農也是要跟上時代啊。」
Lo said his children now use machines to assist with fieldwork, while he manages the farm. His son, present at the interview, said, “He simply can’t stop working.”
羅茂祥說，現在是由孩子們操作機械幫忙耕田，而他則負責管理。受訪時在場的兒子說：「爸爸根本閒不下來。」
Steadfast love for ‘Ugly Beauty’
對「醜美人」的堅定熱愛
Although he replaced his water buffalo with machines, the elderly farmer has never changed his preference for Ugly Beauty, a rice variety developed by the government-run Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station.
儘管已用機械取代水牛，老農對「醜美人」──由農業部高雄區農改場所研發的稻米品種──的偏愛始終如一。
More than 30 years ago, Lo started growing Ugly Beauty, officially known as Kaohsiung No. 139. He’s never stopped, attracted to its chewy and sticky texture, he said.
「醜美人」的正式名稱是高雄139號，羅茂祥在30多年前就已經開始種植此品種。因其軟Q、香黏的口感深得他喜愛，羅茂祥自種植以來從未間斷。
Since its debut in 1975, the rice variety has struggled in competitions because its grains lack the spotless whiteness and translucency often favored by judges.
從1975年首次亮相以來，醜美人在各類稻米比賽中一直舉步維艱，因為其米粒缺乏評審通常青睞的潔白和半透明狀態。
However, its bouncy, springy texture helped Ugly Beauty become one of the first Taiwanese rice varieties exported to Japan in 2004, after a 33-year hiatus.
然而，歸功於其Q彈的口感，醜美人於2004年外銷至日本，成為台灣稻米在睽違33年後，首批重新進軍日本市場的品種。
Ugly Beauty’s unattractive look has led to fewer farmers growing it over time. Lo, one of the last contract farmers for the variety in Taiwan, said he has never considered entering his rice in competitions.
由於醜美人外觀不討喜，種植的農民逐漸減少。羅茂祥是台灣僅存少數的契作農之一，他表示自己從未考慮讓醜美人參加稻米比賽。
“Even if I entered, it wouldn’t win,” Lo said humbly. “What’s really important is that everyone can enjoy a good meal.”
羅茂祥謙虛地說：「就算去參加了，也不會得獎啦。讓大家都能吃到好飯才真的重要。」END
〈字詞解釋〉
reluctantly（副詞）→不情願地。例句：He reluctantly handed his phone to his mom and started studying for the mid-term exam. 他不情願地把手機交給媽媽，開始準備期中考。
preserve（動詞）→保護；維護；保存。例句：A good way to preserve the environment is to plant trees. 種樹是保護環境的好方法。
materialize（動詞）→實現；成為現實。例句： His hopes of becoming a writer never materialized. 他想成為作家的願望一直沒有實現。
eloquent（形容詞）→口才流利的；有說服力 的。例句：She is an eloquent speaker. 她是一位 口才流利的演說家。
texture（名詞）→質地；質感；手感。例句：The steak had a juicy, tender texture. 這份牛排口感 多汁軟嫩。
hiatus（名詞）→間斷；間隙。例句：After a five-year hiatus, the singer finally released a new album. 五年的空白期後，這位歌手終於推出新專輯。
＊看單篇不過癮？《全球中央》紙本雜誌、電子雜誌全面特價中。
＊訂閱紙本雜誌《全球中央訂購單》
＊實體雜誌銷售：7-ELEVEn. 、誠品書店
＊電子雜誌銷售平台：中央社電子書城、亞馬遜書城、Google Play圖書、凌網電子書、華藝電子書、Hami書城、KOBO、博客來電子書、讀墨電子書、讀冊生活電子書城、BOOK☆WALKER、聯合讀書吧、Kono電子雜誌、momo購物網等
