Eat and be merry
填滿美味與歡樂的感恩節(jié)
Thanksgiving is almost here! It’s celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year (Nov 27 this year). Thanksgiving is about being thankful for the things you have, family reunion and lavish feasts. 21st Century’s Darnell Gardner Jr penned this tribute to the holiday.感恩節(jié)快到啦!在每年11月的第四個星期四(今年是11月27日),西方的小伙伴們都會和家人團聚,一起享用大餐,感激自己所擁有的一切。今天,就讓我們跟隨世紀君的同事Darnell Gardner Jr一起來看他家的感恩節(jié)是怎么過的!
This Thursday, my family (minus one) will celebrate one of the US’ biggest holidays — Thanksgiving. For me, more than anything, Thanksgiving is about warmth.
今天,我們?nèi)胰擞忠黄疬^(唯獨缺了我)美國最大的節(jié)日之一——感恩節(jié),對我而言,感恩節(jié)所帶來的更多的是溫馨。
It’s about the warm feelings that are stirred up in your spirit when you see your extended family. It’s about the warmth of the holiday season, which serves as a buffer against the bitter cold weather that envelopes much of the US this time of year. It’s about the warmth of the burning logs flickering in the fireplace, and the warmth of that first bite of Thanksgiving dinner.
它是你見到一大家子人之后心中蕩漾出來的溫暖感覺,它是整個假日季的一抹溫存,它讓每年這個時候侵襲美國許多地區(qū)的寒冷天氣變得沒那么冰冷;它也是壁爐里火光搖曳的溫暖炭火,它是吃到第一口節(jié)日大餐時的陣陣暖意。
The holiday, which has similar equivalents in countries and cultures across the globe, has been celebrated since the early days of the American colonies. According to lore, the first settlers celebrated Thanksgiving after a successful fall harvest. The cornerstone of their celebration was a giant feast, a tradition that continues to this day.
全世界許多國家與文化都有與感恩節(jié)類似的節(jié)日。感恩節(jié)發(fā)源于早期的北美殖民地。據(jù)說,第一批來到美國的殖民者在一次豐碩的秋收之后開始慶祝感恩節(jié)。一頓豐盛的大餐是他們慶祝感恩節(jié)的重頭戲,這一傳統(tǒng)也延續(xù)至今。
My mom prepares all of my favorite foods on Thanksgiving. The dinner table sits heavy under the weight of pans of moist turkey, gooey macaroni and cheese, savory dressing (similar to stuffing), tender candied yams, expertly spiced greens, and hot cornbread. She spends all day cooking the meal, and sometimes the preparations even begin the day before the holiday. It’s a lot of work, and it’s a lot of food, and each year I’m amazed at how she manages to put everything together.
每年的感恩節(jié),我的媽媽都會準備我最愛吃的菜肴:桌子上滿滿當當?shù)財[著多汁的火雞,黏黏的通心粉和奶酪;可口的餡料,甜甜的山藥入口即化;還有精心調(diào)制的蔬菜,以及熱騰騰的玉米面包。媽媽一般要用一整天來制作這些佳肴,有時候甚至需要提前一天就開始準備。因為要做出這么多的菜肴工作量巨大。每年我都驚嘆,難以想象她是如何完成這一切的。
The first, most formal meal begins once all of the food is ready. Everyone sits around the table, a prayer is offered, our glasses are filled with wine, and we dig in. While we eat, we go around the table and take turns saying what we’re thankful for this year. Talking is quite a challenge when your mouth is full of delicious food.
所有的菜都上桌之后,正餐就要開始了:大家圍桌而坐,杯中盛滿了葡萄酒,祈禱之后就可以開吃。在吃飯的間隙,我們依次起身和家人分享自己今年應(yīng)該感恩的事情。當你的嘴里塞滿了食物時,說話確實是個不小的挑戰(zhàn)。
Once everyone has eaten their first meal, seconds, thirds and even fourths are offered on a first-come-first-served basis.
當每個人吃完第一餐后,還可以加第二餐、第三餐甚至第四餐,誰需要就給先給誰上菜
After we finish eating at our home, believe it or not, we sometimes go to my aunt’s house to continue eating and meeting with family. Football is another key element of Thanksgiving, and my aunt’s family loves the sport. After eating, the family crowds around the television to watch football players throw around the old pigskin. Usually at this point I retire to the basement to gorge myself on videogames and sweets with the younger members of the family.
不管你信不信,我們在家里吃過飯之后,有時還會去我姑姑/姨媽家接著吃飯,見一見家里的親戚。美式足球也是我們家感恩節(jié)的關(guān)鍵元素,因為我姑姑/姨媽一家都喜歡美式足球。吃過飯后,我們一大家子人就會擠在電視機前看球賽。這時候,我一般都會和家里的小輩們一起去地下室大打電子游戲。
By the end of the day, everyone is fat and happy. We’ve all eaten so much that we can hardly move. The smells of the holiday begin to fade, and our minds and hearts begin to set on Christmas, the next time we’ll have a chance to celebrate each other.
在這一天快要結(jié)束之時,我們每個人都酒足飯飽,興高采烈,撐得動也動不了。感恩節(jié)的氣氛漸漸散去,而我們的思緒已經(jīng)飄向了圣誕節(jié)——下一個又能與家人歡慶的節(jié)日。