韓國政府提出方案解決首爾銀杏果臭味擾民問題

Fallen gingko nuts that stink of vomit have provoked articles and editorials in South Korean newspapers as officials in the country's capital grapple with how to get rid of them, it appears.

最近韓國報紙上出現了不少關注掉落的銀杏果臭氣熏天的文章和社論，貌似韓國首都首爾的政府部門終於打算出手解決銀杏果臭味擾民的問題。

The gingko tree is famous for its spectacular yellow leaves in autumn which become a tourist attraction in some districts. The problem is that while Seoul's thousands of gingko trees produce nutritious nuts that are tasty when cooked, acid in the husks produces a smell that's offensive to the noses of local residents, the Korea JoongAng Daily reports. With over 114,000 gingko trees in the city, one-in-10 being female trees which produce the nuts, the smell can be overpowering in the autumn months. The problem is made worse by the fact that the trees are city property, and picking the fallen fruit is theft, meaning they are left to rot in the streets, the Korea Herald says.

銀杏樹因在秋天身披金黃葉片的景緻而聞名，這成了某些地區吸引遊客的亮麗風景。據韓國《中央日報》（JoongAng Daily）報道，首爾市內有數以千計的銀杏樹，結出的銀杏果營養豐富，煮後食用相當美味。然而，銀杏果的果殼中含有的酸散發的惡臭令市民苦不堪言。鑑於首爾街頭有11.4萬多棵銀杏樹，其中1/10爲能夠結果的雌樹，到了秋天，惡臭難忍。《韓國先驅報》（Korea Herald）稱，首爾的銀杏樹是城市公共財產，撿拾掉落的銀杏果屬於盜竊，因此市民只能任憑掉落的果實爛在街上，這使情況變得更糟。

One solution to the problem is to transplant the female trees elsewhere, and this operation - starting in November - will cost up to 25bn won, and will initially concentrate on bus stops and areas where people congregate. However, the Herald argues, it would be better - and cheaper - for the no-picking law to be lifted so that "the public will appreciate a chance to gather some berries... since they are prized delicacies of the season." As it is, the city employs 446 people to shake the trees and collect the nuts before they start to smell.

解決方案之一是將雌銀杏樹移栽到其他地方。該工程將於11月啓動，耗資達250億韓元（約合1.4億人民幣），並先集中處理公交車站等人羣聚集處的銀杏樹。不過，《韓國先驅報》辯稱，更有效也更經濟的方案是取消嚴禁私自撿拾銀杏果的規定。如此一來，“市民將感激政府給予了撿銀杏果的機會，因爲銀杏果是美味的時饈。”目前，首爾政府聘用了446人負責在果實未散發出臭味前搖動果樹，收集銀杏果。

It's an issue that's not unique to Seoul. Last year, Japanese officials handed out nuts to residents, but admitted that the smell is the price to pay for such a beautiful autumnal display. Kim Bong-ho of the University of Seoul agrees: "Ecologically, nutritious fruits tend to smell bad," Kim said.

銀杏果臭味擾民的問題並非首爾獨有。去年，日本政府官員向市民分發銀杏果，卻也承認，這種臭味是收穫如此美不勝收的秋景所必須付出的代價。首爾大學的金奉鎬（Kim Bong-ho）同意這一說法，金奉鎬表示：“從生態學角度講，營養豐富的果實往往氣味難聞。”