介绍:
It’s New Year’s Eve and my dad’s entire family and his friends has come
to visit.
这是除夕夜，爸爸那边的亲朋好友全都来做客了。
The house fills with chatter of an unknown language.
屋子里充斥着叽叽喳喳我听不懂的语言。
I feel alienated ) when surrounded by these people who are my own blood.
I’m different.
被这些和我血脉相连的至亲围绕时我却觉得自己格格不入。我和他们不一样。
My father’s friends ask me questions, but I don’t understand a word.
爸爸的朋友们问了我一些问题，但我一个字也听不懂。
Most of them speak English but choose not to.
他们当中的大部分人都会说英语但却选择不说。
All I can offer is a smile to fill the awkwardness.
我所能做的就是用一个微笑来化解尴尬。
I overhear my father say a word.
我无意中听到爸爸说了一句话。
I’ve heard that so many times that I understand it: she doesn’t speak Punjabi.
这句话我听过太多次了所以能听懂，意思是：她不会说旁遮普语。
“Ahh！” his friends reply, as if it’s some sort of disgrace to be half Indian and not speak their language.
“啊！”他的朋友们回答，似乎有一半印度血统却不会说他们的语言多少有些丢人。
To me, their language sounds like gibberish ).
对我来说，他们的语言听起来好像是胡言乱语。
Most of the time I feel paranoid ), wondering if they’re talking about me.
绝大部分时间我觉得自己是妄想狂，揣测他们是不是在谈论我。
I see friends and family look at me for a second then turn away, continuing
their conversations.
我看见那些朋友和家人看了我一秒钟，然后转过脸去接着聊天。
That’s the look I hate the most. Then again, I think about my mother.
那是我最讨厌的神情。于是，我又想起了妈妈。
Unlike me, she has no Indian blood. I wonder how she feels.
和我不一样，她没有印度血统。我不知道她感觉如何。
Most of my dad’s family judged my mother because she is Mexican.
以前爸爸的大部分家人都爱评判妈妈见，因为她是墨西哥人。
They believed that she didn’t have the skills that an Indian wife should,
such as the ability to cook Indian food.
他们当时并不相信她具备一个印度妻子应有的技能，比如烧印度菜的能力。
My mom was determined to prove them wrong.The smell of spices and curry )
fills the air.
那时我妈妈下定决心要证明他们是错的。此刻空气中弥漫着各种香料和咖喱的味道。
Some spices are so strong that they burn my throat as I inhale ) them.
有些香料的味道很冲，以至于我吸进去后觉得嗓子火辣辣的。
I follow the trail into the kitchen and see my mother preparing food. I help
her set the table.
我顺着那股气味走进了厨房，看见妈妈正在准备饭菜。
There are large bowls of lentils ), vegetables, and curry, each with its own
color and texture.
我帮着她把餐桌摆好。厨房里有几个大碗，里面盛着扁豆、蔬菜和咖喱，每一碗都有各自的颜色和口感。
I bring out the dal–lentils boiled with spices and vegetables.
我端出一碗用各种香料和蔬菜一起煮出来的扁豆汤。
They look like small beans floating among the vegetable and spices.
它们看上去像一颗颗小豆子漂浮在蔬菜和各种香料中间。
I can see green chilies, onions, cilantro ), tomato, all very small but mixing together to create a rainbow.
我可以看见绿辣椒、洋葱、香菜、西红柿，它们都切得很碎，但混合在一起形成了一道彩虹。
The next bowl I bring out is sabji.
下一碗我端出来的是辣味炒拌菜。
The curry drowns out the cooked peas and carrots, giving them a new color.
咖喱浇盖在炖熟了的豌豆和胡萝卜上，给了它们一种新的色彩。
The small cheese cubes are added last. They are easy to see, since they remain white.
那些小方块的干酪是最后才放进去的，很容易看见，因为它们依然是白色的。
I set a dish of sahg on the table.
我把一盘菠菜糊摆上了桌。
At first glance, it looks like the most disgusting food ever—spinach ) and mustard leaves ) boiled for hours until it looks like a dark green paste ).
乍一看，它看上去像世界上最恶心的食物，那是将菠菜和芥菜放在一块儿煮好几个小时，直到看上去像深绿色的糊状物。
Despite this, it’s delicious and especially made for winter.
这道菜虽然卖相不怎么样，但却很美味，尤其适合冬天享用。
The spices and chili drown the bitter spinach taste.
香料和辣椒会盖住菠菜的苦味。
Finally, my mom walks into the dining room with the most special dish of
all, aloo gobi.
最后，妈妈端着所有菜当中最特别的一道菜香辣土豆花椰菜走进饭厅。
She sets it right in the middle, as if it is royalty compared to all the others.
她把这道菜摆在桌子正中间，仿佛和其他所有菜相比它是皇室贵族一般。
I look into the large bowl and see cauliflower ) crowns blooming with steaming potatoes, spices perfectly scattered over the vegetables, making
them glow bright yellow, catching my eye and luring me in.
我朝这个大碗里看了一眼，看见花椰菜的冠绽放在热气腾腾的土豆中，各种香料均匀地散布在蔬菜上，使它们散发出亮黄色的光芒，抓住了我的眼球并成功将我引诱。
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