這種草莓150元一顆，一定很好吃……吧？
你在尋覓獨特的情人節(jié)禮物嗎?一顆包在特制禮品盒里的精選日本科托卡草莓怎么樣?據說草莓味道不錯，而且售價“僅為”168港幣。
City'super, a supermarket chain in Hong Kong, has come under fire recently for selling what many have called "the most expensive strawberry in the world". Priced at HKD168 a piece, these Kotoka strawberries are apparently hand-picked to ensure that only the finest specimens hit the market, and flown in from Japan. They come individually packaged in plastic-covered paper boxes, complete with a straw nest and Styrofoam "sock", to emphasize their exclusivity. Photos of the ridiculously expensive "designer fruits" have been doing the rounds on social media in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, with most people declaring themselves appalled by the display of decadence.
近日，香港連鎖超市超生活因出售被許多人稱為“世界上最貴的草莓”而遭到指責。這種日本進口的科托卡草莓一顆售價168港幣，據說為了保證供應品相最優(yōu)的草莓，它們都是經過精挑細選的。為了彰顯它們的尊貴，這些套著泡沫網的草莓被單獨放在裹著塑料的紙盒子里，盒子里面還鋪著稻草。這種貴得離譜的“名牌水果”的照片在香港和大陸的社交媒體上流傳，很多人對這樣奢侈腐化的產品感到震驚。
The supermarket, which advertises itself as a "mega lifestyle specialty store", has responded to the negative feedback by saying that the retail prices of its products are based on a number of factors, including purchase price, transport costs, market conditions and product exclusivity. City'super representatives also added that the supermarket was merely trying to offer "more choices of premium fresh produce to Hong Kong customers", and that the Kotoka strawberries were intended as special Valentine's Day Gifts. After all, who doesn't find a HKD168 strawberry romantic.
超生活超市自我標榜是“品質生活專賣店”，該超市對負面反響做出了回應，稱其產品的零售定價基于采購價格、運輸成本、市場情況以及產品專營權等多項因素。超生活的代表們還稱，他們僅僅是想要“為香港的顧客提供更多優(yōu)質新鮮的產品”，而科托卡草莓是一種獨特的情人節(jié)禮物。畢竟，有誰不覺得168港幣一顆的草莓很浪漫。
"The strawberry gift box was imported from Japan with its original packaging given its premium grade, rarity and fragility for quality protection," the statement read. "From Kotoka, the strawberries are considered as delicacies of limited quantity and they are handpicked to ensure only the highest quality ones are harvested."
超生活的聲明稱：“考慮到草莓優(yōu)質珍貴且品質易受損，禮盒是從日本原裝進口的。在科托卡，這種草莓被視為稀有的美味佳肴，人們精挑細選以保證只采摘最優(yōu)質的草莓。”
Grown in the Japanese city of Nara, near Osaka, Kotoka strawberries are considered rare fruit, and are famous for their "good acidity and rich sweetness". However, for the thousands of people who have declared themselves shocked by the bizarre product, these qualities aren't enough to justify the price tag.
珍稀的科托卡草莓產自日本大阪附近的奈良市，以“酸甜可口”著稱。然而，許多人對這一奇葩產品感到詫異，認為完全是價過其實。
"City'super is ridiculously expensive!! Jeeez! HKD168 for ONE strawberry! Bloody hell!!" one person wrote.
有人稱：“超生活簡直貴得離譜!天啊!一個草莓要168港幣!什么鬼!!”
"City super need public shaming… I don't shop there anyway… mostly since prices are criminal and so is their packaging," another commented.
還有人評論：“應該公開羞辱超生活……我不在那兒購物……主要是因為那里價格貴得可恥，產品包裝也是。”
To be fair, if these photos had been taken in Japan, no one would have said anything. The "designer fruit" culture is still very strong there, with people spending hundreds of dollars on a rare apple, so they can offer it as a gift to someone they respect. Although, to be honest, I haven't seen individually-sold strawberries there, either. Even the rare ones usually come in a set of at least half a dozen.
公平地說，如果這些照片是在日本拍的，那么沒有人會說什么。“名牌水果”文化在日本仍然很流行，人們會花費數百美元購買一個珍貴的蘋果然后將其作為禮物送給所尊敬的人。但是，實話實說，我還沒有在日本看到論顆賣的草莓。通常就算是極好的草莓至少也是一組6個出售。
