The first meal I ate in Rome was nothing much. Just some homemade pasta (spaghetti cabonara) with a side order of sautéed spinach and garlic. (The great romantic poet Shelley once wrote a horrified letter to a friend in England about cuisine in Italy: "Young women of rank actually eat—you will never guess what—GARLIC!") Also, I had one artichoke, just to try it; the Romans are awfully proud of their artichokes. Then there was a pop-surprise bonus side order brought over by the waitress for free—a serving of fried zucchini blossoms with a soft dab of cheese in the middle (prepared so delicately that the blossoms probably didn’t even notice they weren't on the vine anymore). After the spaghetti, I tried the veal. Oh, and also I drank a bottle of house red, just for me. And ate some warm bread, with olive oil and salt. Tiramisu for dessert.
我在罗马的第一餐饭很平常。只有自制意大利面(奶油培根鸡蛋面),配上炒菠菜和蒜头。(伟大的浪漫诗人雪莱曾写过一封大感震惊的信给在英国的朋友,说起意大利食物:“有身份的姑娘居然吃——你肯定猜不到 ——蒜头!”)此外,我还吃了洋蓟,罗马人对他们的洋蓟十分自豪。而后女服务生端来一道特别招待的惊喜小点——炸节瓜花,中间一小团起司(烹调得如此精致,甚至花儿们可能都没留意到它们已脱离藤蔓)。吃过意大利面,我试了小牛肉。喔,我还喝了一瓶红餐酒,只我一人喝。还吃了温热的面包,沾橄榄油和盐。甜点是提拉米苏。
Walking home after that meal, around 11:00 PM, I could hear noise coming from one of the buildings on my street, something that sounded like a convention of seven-year-olds—a birthday party, maybe? Laughter and screaming and running around. I climbed the stairs to my apartment, lay down in my new bed and turned off the light. I waited to start crying or worrying, since that's what usually happened to me with the lights off, but I actually felt OK. I felt fine. I felt the early symptoms of contentment.
吃完这一餐,走回家时约摸晚间十一点,我听见从我那条街的某栋建筑中传来的声音,听起来像是聚集了一群七岁孩子——也许是生日派对?笑声、尖叫、跑跳。我爬上楼梯,回到公寓,躺在我的新床上,熄了灯。我等着开始哭泣或发愁,因为这通常是我熄灯后做的事情,却居然没事。我感觉很好,我觉得有心满意足的迹象。
My weary body asked my weary mind: "Was this all you needed, then?"
我疲倦的身体问我疲倦的心:“那么,你需要的就是这个?”
There was no response. I was already fast asleep.
Eat, Pray, Love
没有任何回应。我已呼呼大睡。