安迪·沙劳:我不是被迫来这里,我是选择来这里

Andy Shallal: 'I Didn't Have to Come Here, I Chose to Come Here' 安迪·沙劳:我不是被迫来这里,我是选择来这里

There is a saying that laughter is good for the soul.

When we interviewed Iraqi-American Andy Shallal at his Washington, D.C. restaurant, we did more laughing than talking.

Until the conversation turned to freedom of expression.

Shallal, 60, was born in Iraq. In 1966, his father, a diplomat¹, was assigned to the United States. Two years later, when Saddam Hussein seized power in Iraq, Shallal's father was out of political favor.

The family could no longer return to their homeland.

Shallal attended Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and medical school at Howard University. He worked awhile as a researcher in medical immunology at the National Institute of Health.

His passions -- food, friends and expression -- led him to open his restaurant called Busboys and Poets, in 2005. There, customers can eat, read, watch performances and express their political views freely. At Busboys and Poets, his customers include activists² against the Iraqi War, as well as visiting celebrities³.

Shallal expresses himself artistically⁴ in many way. At Busboys and Poets hangs a civil rights mural called Peace in the Struggle Wall. Shallal is the painter. He holds leadership positions in numerous peace movement organizations. Among them are Iraqi-Americans for Peaceful Alternatives, created prior to the 2003 invasion, and the Peace Cafe, which seeks to promote Arab-Jewish dialogue.

As you listen to his story, you might find your thoughts and struggles echoed in his words.

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

4 artistically   

adv.艺术性地

参考例句：

• The book is beautifully printed and artistically bound. 这本书印刷精美，装帧高雅。
• The room is artistically decorated. 房间布置得很美观。