沙漠中的饭店（1）

我的先生很可惜是一个外国人。

My husband is unfortunately a foreigner.

这样来称呼自己的先生不免有排外的味道，但是因为语文和风俗在各国之间确有大不相同之处，我们的婚姻生活也实在有许多无法共通的地方。

Addressing my husband this way inevitably carries a hint of exclusivity, but there are indeed significant differences in language and customs across countries, making many aspects of our married life challenging to reconcile.

当初决定下嫁给荷西时，我明白地告诉他，我们不但国籍不同，个性也不相同，将来婚后可能会吵架甚至于打架。

When I initially decided to marry José, I made it clear to him that not only did we come from different nationalities, but our personalities also diverged, which might lead to arguments, or even fights, after marriage.

他回答我：“我知道你性情不好，心地却是很好的，吵架打架都可能发生，不过我们还是要结婚。”

He replied, "I know you have a bad temper, but your heart is good. Arguments may happen, but we still need to get married."

于是我们认识七年之后终于结婚了。

Thus, after seven years of acquaintance, we finally tied the knot.

我不是妇女解放运动的支持者，但是我极不愿在婚后失去独立的人格和内心的自由自在化，所以我一再强调，婚后我还是“我行我素”，要不然不结婚。

I am not an advocate of the women's liberation movement, but I am extremely unwilling to lose my independence and inner freedom after marriage, so I repeatedly emphasized that I would continue to live life on my own terms; otherwise, I would not marry.

荷西当时对我说：“我就是要你‘你行你素’，失去了你的个性和作风，我何必娶你呢！”好，大丈夫的论调，我十分安慰。

José then said to me, "I want you to live on your own terms. If I were to lose your individuality and style, why would I marry you?" Ah, such a manly assertion soothed me greatly.

做荷西的太太，语文将就他。

As José's wife, I communicate in a way that accommodates him.

可怜的外国人，“人”和“入”这两个字教了他那么多遍，他还是分不清，我只有讲他的话，这件事总算放他一马了。

Poor foreigner, despite having taught him the difference between the characters for "person" and "enter" countless times, he still couldn’t tell them apart. I had to speak his words, and at least he got a pass on that.

（但是将来孩子来了，打死也要学中文，这点他相当赞成。）

(But when our child arrives, I will insist they learn Chinese, and he wholeheartedly agrees with this.)

闲话不说，做家庭主妇，第一便是下厨房。

Let’s not digress; as a housewife, my first duty is to cook.

我一向对做家事十分痛恨，但对煮菜却是十分有兴趣，几只洋葱，几片肉，一炒变出一个菜来，我很欣赏这种艺术。

I have always despised household chores, but I find great interest in cooking. A few onions, a slice of meat, and with a stir, a dish comes to life; I truly admire this art.

母亲在台湾，知道我婚姻后因为荷西工作的关系，要到大荒漠地区的非洲去，十二分的心痛，但是因为钱是荷西赚，我只有跟了饭票走，毫无选择的余地。

My mother, back in Taiwan, felt deep pain upon learning that due to José's job, we would be relocating to a desolate region in Africa. However, since José is the breadwinner, I had no choice but to follow him for the sake of the meal ticket.

婚后开厨不久，我们吃的全部是西菜。

Not long after getting married, we only ate Western food.

后来家中航空包裹飞来接济，我收到大批粉丝、紫菜、冬菇、生力面、猪肉干等珍贵食品，我乐得爱不释手。

Later, when a care package arrived from home, I received a large supply of precious food items like vermicelli, seaweed, dried shiitake mushrooms, instant noodles, and dried pork. I was overjoyed.

加上欧洲女友寄来罐头酱油，我的家庭“中国饭店”马上开张，可惜食客只有一个不付钱的。（后来上门来要吃的朋友可是排长龙啊！）

Along with canned soy sauce from my European friends, I promptly opened my own "Chinese restaurant" at home, but unfortunately, there was only one customer who didn’t pay. (Later, friends came knocking for food in long lines!)

第一道菜是“粉丝煮鸡汤”。荷西下班回来总是大叫：“快开饭啊，要饿死啦！”

The first dish was "vermicelli chicken soup." Whenever José came home from work, he would shout, "Hurry up and serve the food; I’m starving!"

白白被他爱了那么多年，回来只知道叫开饭，对太太却是正眼也不瞧一下。

After being loved by him for so many years, upon his return, he only knew to shout for food and wouldn’t even glance at his wife.

我这“黄脸婆”倒是做得放心。话说第一道菜是粉丝煮鸡汤，他喝了一口问我：“咦，什么东西？中国细面吗？”

I, this "yellow-faced woman," was quite at ease. Speaking of the first dish, he took a sip and asked, "Huh, what’s this? Chinese fine noodles?"

“你岳母万里迢迢替你寄细面来？不是的。”

"Did your mother-in-law send fine noodles from miles away for you? Not at all."

“是什么嘛？再给我一点，很好吃。”

"What is it then? Give me more; it’s delicious."

我用筷子挑起一根粉丝：“这个啊，叫做‘雨’。”

I picked up a strand of vermicelli with chopsticks and said, "This? It's called ‘rain.’"

“雨？”他一呆。

"Rain?" He paused in surprise.

我说过，我是婚姻自由自在化，说话自然心血来潮随我高兴。

I have mentioned that I embrace freedom in marriage, and I speak whimsically as it pleases me.

“这个啊，是春天下的第一场雨，下在高山上，被一根一根冻住了，山胞札好了背到山下来一束一束卖了米酒喝，不容易买到哦！”

"This? It’s the first rain of spring, falls on the mountains, and gets frozen strand by strand. The mountain folks gather it up and sell it in bundles to drink with rice wine; it's not easy to come by!"

荷西还是呆呆的，研究性地看看我。

José still looked dazed, examining me with curiosity.

又去看看盆内的“雨”，然后说：“你当我是白痴？”我不置可否。

Then he glanced back at the bowl of "rain" and said, "Do you think I’m an idiot?" I chose not to reply.

“你还要不要？”回答我：“吹牛大王，我还要。”

"Do you want more?" he answered, "You braggart, I want more."

以后他常吃“春雨”，到现在不知道是什么东西做的。

From then on, he often ate "spring rain," and to this day does not know what it is made from.

有时想想荷西很笨，所以心里有点悲伤。

Sometimes I think José is quite foolish, which makes me a bit sad.

第二次吃粉丝是做“蚂蚁上树”，将粉丝在平底锅内一炸，再洒上绞碎的肉和汁。

The second time we had vermicelli, I made "ants climbing a tree," frying the vermicelli in a flat pan, then sprinkling it with minced meat and sauce.