All the appetizing aromas from Big Mama's kitchen greet you at the front door: Plump chicken breasts sizzling in her special batter, fresh collard greens she planted, pulled and plucked from the earth before stewing with a whole pig's foot for flavor, macaroni and cheese that should be called cheese-and-mac because the noodles are drowning in six types of dairy - and you'd better not forget the candy-dripping yams with marshmallows swirling in King Syrup. All of this complemented by Big Mama's sweet and buttery biscuits - you know, the golden, crunchy at the top ones that only she can make? Washed down with an ice cold Diet Pepsi? Sounds amazing, right? Not to me. I hate home cooked meals.
阵阵香味从妈妈厨房中传出，似在欢迎您的到来：涂抹特制面粉的大块鸡胸肉正在烘烤、自家种植的羽衣甘蓝（刚从地里拔出，很新鲜）炖猪脚、用6种乳制品制成的奶酪马克罗尼意面--你知道的，金黄色的表皮又酥又脆，只有她能做出这么美味的意面。再来一杯冰镇健怡可乐，听起来是不是超赞？我并不这么觉得，我讨厌家常菜。
People twist their faces and look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them this, wondering how a black man from Baltimore - a predominately black city - would not be willing to cancel his schedule or trade it all for a hot plate from Big Mama's. And I understand where the confusion comes from. Food has been one - if not the top - of our coping mechanisms for surviving as African Americans.
当我说出这句话，人们一脸不可置信的看着我，好像我疯了一般。他们肯定在想，一个来自巴尔的摩的黑人--一个黑人为主的城市--居然不愿意取消其它安排去妈妈厨房吃顿热菜。我理解他们的困惑。食物一直是我们非洲裔美国人的一种生存应对机制，如果不是首要机制的话。
In many urban areas, we are forced to deal with poor housing, underfunded schools, while living in the middle of food deserts. And still my people can whip up magic - 45 different entrees from one pig alone, turning parts of the animal into delicacies. I remember one of my undergraduate history professors telling us the story of a slave cracking a perfectly healthy pig in the head with a rock until the animal looked defective so that his master would reject it, allowing the slave to keep it for a personal family feast.
在很多城区，我们不得不在恶劣的居住条件下生活、上经费不足的学校、生活在食物沙漠社区。即便如此，我的同胞也能创造奇迹--仅用一头猪，就可以做出45种不同的主食，将猪肉的每一部分都变成人间美味。我记得，一位大学历史教授讲过这样一个故事：一位奴隶用石头击打一头体格强健的猪，直至这头猪看上去不大正常，被它的主人抛弃。这样，这位奴隶就能将这头猪带走，让家人吃顿大餐。
I also understand the role that the soul food dinner plays in black families. They are both competitive - like, who makes the best potato salad? -, giving us time to share our triumphs and hardships over dishes.
我也明白灵魂料理在黑人家庭中扮演的角色。大家都相互竞争--比如，谁做的土豆沙拉最好吃--让我们有时间在餐桌上分享胜利与困难。
As nostalgic as these moments are, and as much as I love my family, I still don't care about home-cooked meals. A home-cooked dinner demands all of the things from me that I don't want to be obligated to give. But if you want to invite me over anyway, I might come, just for the meal. I'm always hungry.
虽然这些时刻令人怀旧，虽然我也很爱我的家人，但我依旧不喜欢家常菜。因为一顿家常晚餐需要给予我没有义务去承担的所有事情。但如果你坚持邀请我，我可能还是会去，只是为了这顿饭。因为我总是吃不饱。
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