华裔夫妇将中国美食融入密西西比佳肴

Chinese-American Couple Mixes Chinese Food

with Mississippi Delta¹ Delicacies²

华裔夫妇将中国美食融入密西西比佳肴

 

In the Mississippi Delta, in the southern United States, talk of food conjures⁴ up images of crayfish, bacon and a leafy vegetable called collard greens. At first, these local ingredients posed a challenge for one Chinese-American couple, but they eventually decided⁵ that if you can't beat them, join them.

 

(Music)

 

Come on in my kitchen, sings famous Mississippi bluesman Robert Johnson.

 

(Music)

 

The song's title points to the primary role the kitchen plays in southern life, a truism that is not lost on third generation Chinese-Americans and longtime Mississippi residents, Gilroy and Sally Chow.

 

(Music)

 

Sally Chow: My grandfather came at the turn of the century, and came to Marks, Mississippi, where he started a grocery business.

 

The Chows now live down river, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, which has a population of a little more than 20,000 people. Gilroy and Sally love to cook and eat Chinese food, but they have learned that in order to make traditional Chinese dishes where they live, they have to use some non-traditional ingredients.

 

At a recent cooking demonstration⁶ in Washington, at the Smithsonian Institution's Folklife Festival, Sally Chow told visitors how she and her husband have adapted their Chinese heritage to their Southern environment. The first dish they presented was Stir-fried Collard Greens.

 

Sally Chow: I know you're saying, "stir-fried collards?" Well, that's a little strange. But it is something that we have enjoyed over the years.

 

For another dish, the Chows use small, locally available crayfish, for a dish called Cantonese Crawdad, which gives the crustaceans⁸ their more down home name.

 

Another Chow specialty⁹ is Delta Fried Rice. Their version deviates¹⁰ slightly from more traditional Chinese recipes by including a local delicacy¹¹, bacon.

 

According to Gilroy Chow, one of the benefits of using local foods is that they taste better because they're fresh. One of those foods, a large-mouth bass¹², is found in the rivers near Clarksdale.

 

Gilroy Chow: A whole bass, a large-mouth bass, that's steamed and seasoned with Chinese seasonings¹⁴, it's really good and really healthy.

 

Sally Chow says she and her husband love to entertain. She said they learned very early on that preparing good food was crucial if people were going to have a good time.

 

Sally Chow: Now, when we fix something that, back home [in Mississippi], if something is just wonderful, smells great and you taste it and you go, Mmm, And then it gets the highest rating, and do you know what the highest rating is? [People say,] 'Slap your mama!'

 

Sally Chow says the phrase "slap your mama" is "totally Southern," and is not meant to be disrespectful. What it means, she says, is that you should ask your mama why she didn't introduce you to this wonderful food sooner.

 

(Music)

 

Stephanie Ho, VOA news, Washington.

 

注释：

conjure³ up 用魔法变出

crayfish [5kreifiF] n. 小龙虾

bacon [5beikEn] n. 咸肉，熏肉

collard [5kClEd] n. 羽衣甘蓝叶（作蔬菜用）

bluesman [5blU:zmEn] n. 演奏（或演唱）勃鲁斯舞曲（或歌曲）的人

truism [5tru:iz(E)m] n. 公认的真理，真实性

grocery [5^rEusEri] n.（美）食品杂货店，食品，杂货

ingredient [in5^ri:diEnt] n.（烹调的）配料

demonstration [7demEns5treiFEn] n. 表演，示范

Cantonese [7kAntE5ni:z] n. 广东人，广东话

crawdad [5krC:dAd] n. 喇蛄（一种淡水小龙虾）

crustacean⁷ [krQs5teiFjEn] n. 甲壳类动物

delicacy [5delikEsi] n. 美味，佳肴

seasoning¹³ [5si:zniN] n. 调味品，调料

disrespectful [7disris5pektful] adj. 失礼的，无礼的

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 delicacies   

n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到

参考例句：

• Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗

3 conjure   

v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法

参考例句：

• I conjure you not to betray me.我恳求你不要背弃我。
• I can't simply conjure up the money out of thin air.我是不能像变魔术似的把钱变来。

4 conjures   

用魔术变出( conjure的第三人称单数 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• The word 'birthday' conjures up images of presents and parties. “生日”这个词使人想起礼物和聚会的情景。
• The name Sahara conjures up images of a desert of aridity. "撒哈拉"这个名字使人想起干旱的沙漠情景。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 crustacean   

n.甲壳动物；adj.甲壳纲的

参考例句：

• Seafood is a valuable lobster crustacean section.名贵海珍品龙虾属甲壳科。
• The illustrious Cuvier did not perceive that a barnacle was a crustacean.大名鼎鼎的居维叶也未看出藤壶是一种甲壳动物。

8 crustaceans   

n.甲壳纲动物（如蟹、龙虾）( crustacean的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These crustaceans provide a valuable food source for some fish. 这些甲壳纲动物是某些鱼类重要的食物来源。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When the tide ebbs it's a rock pool inhabited by crustaceans. 退潮时，它便成为甲壳动物居住的岩石区潮水潭。 来自辞典例句

9 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

10 deviates   

v.偏离，越轨( deviate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The boy's behavior deviates from the usual pattern. 这个男孩子的举止与一般人不同。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The limit occurs when the ordinate deviates appreciably from unity. 这个限度发生在纵坐标明显地从单位1偏离的时候。 来自辞典例句

11 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

12 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

13 seasoning   

n.调味；调味料；增添趣味之物

参考例句：

• Salt is the most common seasoning.盐是最常用的调味品。
• This sauce uses mushroom as its seasoning.这酱油用蘑菇作调料。

14 seasonings   

n.调味品，佐料( seasoning的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It emphasizes the use of seasonings, so no two dishes ever taste alike. 它对调味品十分讲究。因此，没有两个菜会有同样的味道。 来自地道口语脱口SHOW 高中超越版
• The food made of flour and various seasonings is called moon cake. 中秋节的食品也是圆圆的，也象征着团圆，这种用面和各种作料做的食品叫月饼。 来自互联网