台湾奶茶店店主：春节不打烊 续一杯“台湾味”******
(新春见闻)台湾奶茶店店主：春节不打烊 续一杯“台湾味”
中新社成都1月19日电 题：台湾奶茶店店主：春节不打烊 续一杯“台湾味”
中新社记者 王鹏
腊月二十八一大早，台湾青年陈韵如来到位于成都市郫都区的奶茶店，开始准备一天的食材。“今年春节我们不关店，就是要趁这段时间增加曝光。”制作茶冻的间隙，她向记者解释不回台过年的缘由。
今年31岁的陈韵如大学毕业后就来大陆闯荡，先后去过厦门、泉州、深圳、广州、桂林、南宁等多个城市。2019年，她看准大陆西南的发展机会，来成都创业。
“台湾青年要在大陆扎根，先要深度了解一个地方。”笑称“在社会上呛过水”的陈韵如，有着自己的“生意经”。她来成都后首站到访成都市规划馆，了解发展方向，“这是大陆很特别的一个地方，每个城市都有自己的规划馆”。
作为世界美食之都，成都很重视餐饮服务业发展。看到这一点并考察市场后，陈韵如入驻亚台青(成都)海峡青年创业园，开创了台湾奶茶品牌“紫气茶来”。借着成渝地区双城经济圈建设的东风，她还将奶茶店开到了重庆。
进入奶茶行业，陈韵如有自己的底气——台湾奶茶行业发达，自己家在新北经营一家茶园。她将四川元素与台湾奶茶融合，原材料来自台湾，制作纯正的台湾风味手工奶茶，让成都人感受台湾饮食文化。
“他们的奶茶真的跟其他店不一样，在成都能喝到纯正的台湾味道，很开心。”捧着一杯“熊猫duai duai奶茶”，成都市民肖雨说，虽没去过台湾，但有机会一定会去，“到台北夜市尝小吃喝奶茶”。
记者注意到，许多来奶茶店的顾客，都会被这款“熊猫duai duai奶茶”吸引。陈韵如特意解释，“duai”是台湾发音，意为“Q弹”，这款奶茶将黑色茶冻做成大熊猫的模样，配上白色牛奶，“口感丰富，又有趣味”。
近年实体餐饮因新冠疫情受到冲击，陈韵如无奈关闭了重庆的店面，立足成都本地，在坚持中“活了下来”。自2022年12月大陆优化疫情防控政策后，生意越来越好。于是她决定，今年春节不回台湾与家人团聚，利用假期进一步推广品牌。
“台湾有句老话叫‘戏棚下站得久了就有你的位置’，意思是哪怕暂时没位置，但是你站久了，坐在你前面的人总会离开，就会轮到你。”陈韵如说，疫情期间，自己与合作伙伴一起磨合，积累经验，目标就是要“扎根坚持住”。
“虽然过去几年因为疫情没有赚很多钱，但我们能‘活’下来，就是最大的收获。”陈韵如坦言，能坚持下来并非靠一个人的努力，而是靠各方实实在在的帮助，“我们在创业园的办公室只用交水电费、物业费，申办营业执照也有绿色通道，省了不少力”。
在成都开奶茶店这几年，每次回台湾，陈韵如都会向亲朋好友介绍大陆的真实情况。“通过我的奶茶生意，让大家了解真实的大陆。”在她看来，这样才能真正帮助到有想法的台湾年轻人，去找到真正适合发展的市场。
离兔年春节仅剩两天，随着周边饮品店进入“放假模式”，陈韵如的奶茶店生意越来越好，她也越来越忙碌。她开玩笑说，“地球不爆炸，我们不放假，要让更多成都人在春节喝到台湾奶茶。”
“新年我要先把成都的生意‘稳起’，未来也一定会再回重庆。”陈韵如说，兔年她还有新计划，“将农产品跟餐饮结合，把我们的产品带到乡村，利用乡村振兴的机会，做一个农民参与的创业项目”。(完)
中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
