Struggles Any Good Cook Would Understand

所有好厨师都会理解的挣扎

1. You have to adjust the menu because…..

你必须调整菜单,因为……

You telephone your guests well in advance and ask if they have any dietary restrictions¹. You can cope with vegetarian², vegan, lactose intolerant and even gluten free. The only problem is that when somebody adds a last minute guest who just happens to be lactose intolerant and you have ordered mozzarella cheese from your local dairy. You bang the saucepan on the counter top and feel perfectly³ justified⁴ in never inviting⁵ them again.

你提前打电话你的客人,询问他们是否有饮食限制。你可以应付素食者,严格素食主义者,乳糖不耐症,甚至无谷蛋白。唯一的问题是,当有人最后一分钟说恰好是乳糖不耐症,你已经从你当地的奶制品店定了马苏里拉奶酪。你暴跳如雷和感觉不会再邀请他们。

2. You cannot find that spice.

你找不到适合的香料。

Guess what? The turmeric spice which is an essential spice in your curry⁶ just happens to be behind all the other things in the spice cupboard. You are also running out of time and growling⁷ while tempted⁸ to throw everything on the floor.

你猜怎么着?咖喱中必不可少的姜黄香料恰好是在所有其他东西背后的香料橱柜里。你也没有时间和咆哮着想把一切都扔在地板上。

3. You hate guests who arrive early.

你讨厌客人提前到达。

The final countdown. Quite frankly⁹, it is sometimes scary. These are the moments when everything has to mesh¹⁰ together for that perfect dinner party and then the doorbell rings. They hope you don’t mind they are half an hour early and they will not disturb you! You can cope with late guests up to a certain point but the early ones can ruin everything.

最后的倒计时。坦白地说,它有时是可怕的。这些都是交织在一起的时候一切都完美的晚宴准备好后,门铃响了。他们希望你不介意提前半小时到达,他们不会打扰你!你在一定程度上可以应付后期到的客人,但早期到的客人可以毁掉一切。

4. You love perfection but it is not easy.

你爱完美但这并不容易。

Can you remember a dinner that went perfectly? The starters were gobbled up and there were enthusiastic¹¹ murmurs¹². The pasta dish was perfectly done in a delicious sauce which was just right. Not too salty, not too bland¹³, the pasta not too much ‘al dente’. The roast was perfectly cooked and not too dry and the syllabub was perfectly smooth and the ginger¹⁴ spice was not too strong. Dream on! There will always be something that just did not quite make the grade. Well, 90% is not so bad and you think that your friends’ cooking is pretty mediocre¹⁵ anyway. You remember when you had to eat those miserable¹⁶, shrivelled up quails¹⁷ the last time you were invited to their place!

你还记得去完美的晚餐吗?头盘被狼吞虎咽和有杂音。意大利面是配上美味的酱汁刚刚做好。不咸不淡,又不硬。烤肉完美烤好,不会太干 ,奶油葡萄酒是软滑的和姜汁不会太辣。做梦!总是会有一些没有完全达到标准。嗯,90%是没有那么差,你认为你的朋友的烹饪是很一般的。你还记得上次被邀请去他们家你不得不吃那些痛苦,皱缩的鹌鹑!

5. You wait for the compliments that never come.

你等待永远不会到来的赞美。

We all crave¹⁸ praise. It is human. But sometimes your dinner guests get caught up in some awful political discussion while you hope they will be distracted enough to give you a little praise. If only they knew the effort you made in ordering the right cut of meat, the detours¹⁹ you made to get the fresh vegetables, not to mention the problems in finding the fresh cream at the dairy because your normal shop had run out. Yes, it was Sunday and you should have known but you would never mention all that!

我们都渴望赞美。这就是人类。但有时你的晚餐客人陷入一些可怕的政治讨论,而你希望他们会分心给你一点赞美。如果只有他们知道你在努力订购合口味的肉,弯路去买新鲜的蔬菜,更不用说找到乳制品鲜奶油,因为附近的商店已经卖完了。是的,今天是星期天,你应该知道,但你永远不会提到这一切!

6. You dare not to experiment with a new dish.

你不敢尝试新菜。

It is just not worth the stress. I have decided²⁰ never again to try out something new on my guests as it is far too risky²¹. You have studied all the guru chefs and crawled the Internet for the perfect recipe. But it is much better to try it out on your own. Yes, it is a waste of food, energy, blood, sweat, and tears. But you know, it is worth it because there are times when you think ‘Thank goodness I did not try that on my guests.’ You also console yourself with the fact that cooking is a science and it is not about throwing some ingredients in a crockpot.

压力是不值得的。我已经决定再也不让我的客人尝试新菜,因为这太危险。你研究过所有的专家厨师和浏览互联网完美的配方。但更好的是自己试一试。是的,这是浪费食物,能源、热血、汗水和眼泪的。但你知道,这是值得的,因为有些时候你认为“谢天谢地我没有让尝试我的客人。“你还安慰自己,烹饪是一门科学,它不只是要扔一些食材在克罗克电锅里。