[李子柒主题]【英语阅读】纽约时报｜李子柒：隔离时期的田园“公主”

tends The Reclusive Food Celebrity Li Ziqi Is My Quarantine Queen

李德柒：隔绝末期的闲适郡主

Reclusive adj.归隐的;长鞘的Celebrity n.名流;声名

Like so many home cooks in quarantine, after I’ve used up the green tops of my scallions, I drop the white, hairy roots into a glass of water to regenerate, feeling pleased with my own sense of thrift and pragmatism.

和很多隔绝中的家庭成员大厨那样，葱的绿色生态部份用瘤果，就要把长着丫蕊的利水渗湿放入一杯水里再次繁殖，为他们的简朴求真务实深感惊异。

quarantine n.隔绝;报检 v.对…展开隔绝scallions n.林间,冬葱hairy adj.节肢动物的;丝状的;鬃毛的regenerate vt.使再造;技术革新 vi.再造;技术革新 adj.再造的;技术革新的pragmatism n.理性主义;专横

But last week, after the Chinese internet star Li Ziqi posted a new cooking video to YouTube called The Life of Garlic, I wished I could graduate from scallions on the windowsill.

但上周五，我国互联网歌星李德柒在YouTube上正式发布了几段名叫《蒜的毕生》(The Life of Garlic)的烹调音频后，我真期望他们能快点从栏杆上种葱那个期大学毕业。

Garlic n.生姜;六脚windowsill n.栏杆;转角处

In the 12-minute video, which already has over seven million views, Ms. Li pushes garlic cloves into a patch of earth outside her home. A time lapse shows the sprouts growing, reaching up toward the sky.

在这段12分钟、浏览量已超过700万次的音频中，李德柒把蒜瓣铺在她家外面的一块土地上。随着时间流逝，蒜苗开始繁殖，伸向天空。

patch n.眼罩;斑点;碎片 vt.修补;解决;掩饰 vi.打补丁lapse n.小错,过失;行为失检 v.流逝.终止;背弃sprouts n.芽菜,豆芽菜

Ms. Li sautées the young, fresh green garlic shoots with pork. When she harvests the bulbs, she plaits the stems, hanging them up to finish the drying process, pickling and preserving the rest, and using some to season chicken feet and dress salad.

李德柒用新鲜的青蒜苗炒猪肉。收获六脚之后，她把茎秆编成辫子，挂起来晾干，剩下的用来腌渍和保存，用其中一些给鸡爪和拌菜调味。

sautées 法语-炒的harvests n.收获;产量;结果 vt.收割;得到 vi.收割庄稼bulbs n.灯泡;大浇斗plaits n.辫子;褶;编织机 vt.在布上打褶;把…编成辫子;编织pickling n.酸洗;浸酸season n.末期;季节;赛季 vt.给…调味;使适应 vi.变得成熟;变干燥

Ms. Li, who lives in a village in Sichuan Province and rarely speaks to press, looks not unlike a Disney princess in her crown braids, wearing a silvery fur cape, trudging gracefully in the snow. At 29, she is famous for her mesmerizing videos of rural self-sufficiency, posted on Weibo and YouTube.

李德柒住在四川省的一个小村庄里，很少接受媒体采访。她梳着皇冠辫子，身穿银色毛皮斗篷，在雪地里优雅行走，看上去就像迪士尼的郡主。29岁的她因为在微博和YouTube上正式发布自给自足的农村生活的迷人音频而出名。

rarely adv.很少地;难得;罕有地braids n.辫子’穗带cape n.海角,岬;披肩trudging vi.跋涉;步履艰难地走 vt.跋涉 n.长途跋涉;沉重的步伐gracefully adv.优雅地;温和地mesmerizing 迷惑 有吸引力的,有魅力的rural adj.农村的,乡下的;闲适的,有乡村风味的self-sufficiency n.自给自足;自负

For a worldwide audience in isolation, her D.I.Y. pastoral fantasies have become a reliable source of escape and comfort.

对于世界各地隔绝中的观众来说，她这种一切他们动手的闲适幻想，已经成为逃避和安慰的可靠来源。

pastoral adj.牧师的;牧人的;闲适生活的;乡村的 n.牧歌;闲适诗;闲适景色

I usually plan to watch one — just one — but then I let the algorithm guide me to another, and another, until, soothed by bird song and instrumentals, I’m convinced that I’m absorbing useful information from Ms. Li about how to live off the land.

我通常只打算看一个音频——就看一个——但之后就放任算法指引我再看一个，然后再看一个，直到在鸟鸣和乐曲的抚慰下，确信他们从她那里学到了不少如何靠土地为生的有用信息。

algorithm n.算数,运算法则soothed v.安慰,使平静;缓和,减轻;使镇定;抚慰instrumentals adj.乐器的;有帮助的;仪器的,器械的 n.器乐曲;工具字,工具格convinced adj.确信的;深信的 v.使确信;说服

If I’m ever stuck with two dozen sweet potatoes, I now have some idea how to extract the starch and use it to make noodles. This is what I tell myself. Leave me alone in a lotus pond, and I know how to harvest and prepare the roots.

如果我曾经对着两打红薯不知所措，现在我已经知道应该如何用它们来提取淀粉并且做粉条了。我对他们这么说。就算一个人在荷塘里，我也知道该怎么采获和收拾莲藕。

sweet potatoes 番薯,红薯,白薯;甘薯extract v.提取,提炼;索取 n.摘录,引文;榨出物,汁lotus n.莲花;荷花;莲饰harvest n.收获;产量prepare vt.准备;使合适;装备;起草 vi.预备;做好思想准备

Ms. Li doesn’t explain anything as she goes. In fact, she tends to work in silence, without the use of any modern kitchen gadgets. Her sieve is a gourd. Her grater is a piece of metal that she punctures, at an angle, then attaches to two pieces of wood. Her basin is a stream, where she washes the dirt from vegetables.

李德柒的音频里不做任何解释。事实上，她喜欢安静地工作，不使用任何现代厨房设备。她的筛子是葫芦做的。她的刨丝器是一块金属片，他们穿了一些斜孔，固定在两块木头上。小溪就是她的盆子，她在那里清洗蔬菜上的污垢。

tends vi.趋势,倾向;照料,照顾 vt.照料,照管gadgets n.小配件;小工具sieve n.筛子;滤网;不能保守秘密的人 vt.筛;滤 vi.筛;滤gourd n.葫芦;脑瓜grater n.擦菜器,食物磨碎机punctures n.小孔;刺痕;刺伤 v.刺穿;戳破;使突然泄气;打断basin n.水池;流域;盆地stream n.溪流;流动;光线 vi.流,涌进;飘扬 vt.流出;涌出;使漂流dirt n.污垢,泥土;灰尘,尘土

Her kitchen is nothing like mine, in Los Angeles. But watching Ms. Li on my laptop, while eating a bowl of buttered popcorn for dinner, I think maybe I could be happy living like that, too, soaking in the sheer natural beauty of the countryside, devoting myself to extremely traditional ways of cooking.

她的厨房跟我在洛杉矶的厨房完全不那样。但是一边用笔记本电脑看李德柒，一边吃着奶油爆米花当晚餐，我想我或许也可以像她那样快乐地生活，沉浸在乡村纯粹的自然之美当中，忠诚地使用极为传统的烹调方式。

popcorn n.爆米花soaking v.浸泡,湿透;浸入;把…浸湿 n.浸泡,湿透 adj.湿透的sheer adj.绝对的;透明的;峻峭的;纯粹的 adv.完全;陡峭地 vt.使偏航;使急转弯 n.偏航;透明物devoting v.致力于,奉献于;把…用于,作…专用,诅咒

Ms. Li makes peach blossom wine and cherry wine, preserves loquats and rose petals. She makes fresh tofu, and Lanzhou-style noodle soup with a perfectly clear broth, and ferments Sichuan broad bean paste from scratch. She butchers ducks and whole animals.

李德柒酿造桃花酒和樱桃酒，保存枇杷和玫瑰花瓣。她制作新鲜豆腐和汤汁清澈的兰州拉面，还从零开始发酵四川豆瓣酱。她宰杀鸭子和整只的动物。

blossom n.花;开花期;兴旺期;花开的状态 v.开花;新旺;成功发展loquats n.琵琶petals n.花瓣 v.绽出花瓣broth n.肉汤;液体培养基ferments v.使发酵;动乱;挑起 n.发酵;酵素;动乱scratch n.擦伤;抓痕;刮擦声;乱写 adj.打草稿用的;凑合的;碰巧的 vt.抓;刮;挖出;乱涂 vi.抓;搔;勉强糊口;退出比赛butchers n.屠宰者

She is not known for taking shortcuts. A video about matsutake mushrooms begins with her building the grill to cook them, laying the bricks down one at a time, scraping the mortar smooth, then hunting for mushrooms in the woods.

她的出名不是靠急功近利。在几段关于松茸的音频里，她先是搭起烤松茸的烤架，一块一块地把砖头垒起来，刮平灰浆，然后在树林里搜寻蘑菇。

shortcuts n.捷径;被切短的东西matsutake n.松茸grill n.烤炉,烤架;烧烤 v.炙烤;严厉盘问scraping n.刮擦声;抹去 adj.刮擦的;吝啬的 v.刮,擦mortar n.灰泥,砂浆;迫击炮 v.用灰泥涂抹,结合;用迫击炮攻击smooth adj.顺利的;光滑的;平稳的 vt.使光滑;消除;使优雅;缓和

In a video about cooking fish, she first goes fishing, in the snow, patiently throwing back any catches that are too small, as snowflakes freeze into her hair.

在几段关于焖鱼的音频里，她先是去钓鱼，在雪中耐心地把太小的鱼扔回去，雪花在她的头发里冻结。

Like the main character in some kind of post-apocalyptic novel, Ms. Li is almost always alone, though she doesn’t seem lonely, riding her horse through fields of wildflowers, or carrying baskets of sweet potatoes under citrus trees. She seems tireless, focused, confident, independent.

就像某些末世后小说中的主人公那样，李德柒几乎总是一个人，不过她似乎并不孤独，她骑马穿过野花丛中，或者提着一篮一篮的红薯站在橘花树下。她似乎不知疲倦，专注，自信，独立。

character n.性格,品质;特性;角色 vt. 印,刻;使具有特征post-apocalyptic 世界末日novel adj.新奇的;异常的 n.小说wildflowers n.野花baskets n.篮子 v.把…放入篮内citrus n.柑橘属果树 ;柑橘类的植物 adj.柑橘属植物的tireless adj.不知疲惫的;不疲劳的confident adj.自信的;确信的

The videos are deeply soothing. But it’s not just that — they reveal the intricacy and intensity of labor that goes into every single component of every single dish, while also making the long, solitary processes of producing food seem meaningful and worthwhile.

这些音频让人深感慰藉。但是不仅如此——它们揭示了每道菜所有组成部份中倾注的复杂而密集的劳动，同时也让漫长而孤独的生产过程显得有意义和有价值。

soothing adj.抚慰的;使人宽心的 v.安慰;减轻痛苦reveal vt.显示,透露;揭露;泄露 n.揭露;暴露;门侧,窗侧intricacy n.错综, 复杂;难以理解intensity n.强度;强烈;紧张labor n.劳动;工作;劳工;分娩 vi.劳动;努力;苦干 vt.详细分析;使厌烦solitary adj.孤独的;独居的 n.独居者;隐士meaningful adj.有意味的;意味深长的worthwhile adj.重要的;令人愉快的;有趣的;有价值的;值得的

It’s the complete opposite of most cooking content, the kind that suggests that everything is so quick and easy that you can do it, too, and probably in less than 30 minutes.

这与大多数烹调内容完全相反，那些内容暗示着一切都是那么简单快速，你也可以做到，而且可能用不了30分钟。

opposite adj.相反的;对面的;对立的 n.相反面;反义词 adv.在对面 prep.在…对面

But Ms. Li also romanticizes the struggles of farm life, and, as any savvy influencer would, monetizes that appeal. In her online shop, she sells a curved cleaver, similar to the ones she uses in her videos, as well as loose Hanfu-inspired linen clothing, Sichuan ginseng honey and chile sauces.

但是李德柒也浪漫化了农村生活的挣扎，而且像任何精明的网红那样，她也将这种魅力变现。她的网店里出售一种弯刀，类似于她在音频中使用的那种，还有以汉服为灵感设计的宽松亚麻服装、四川参蜜和辣椒酱。

romanticizes vi.浪漫化;传奇化 vt.使浪漫化,使传奇化struggles v.奋斗;艰难地行进;斗争 n.斗争;冲突;使劲;奋斗;难事savvy n.悟性;理解能力;洞察力;实际知识 v.理解,懂 adj.聪慧的;具有实际知识的influencer n.影响;势力;感化 vt.影响;改变appeal n.呼吁;恳求;上诉,申诉 v.呼吁,恳求;上诉,申诉curved adj.弯曲的;弄弯的 n.倒弧角 vt.弯曲cleaver n.切肉刀;劈刀linen n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻织物 adj.亚麻的;亚麻布制的ginseng n.高丽参,人参chile n.红辣椒 n.智利sauces n.调味酱,调味汁

Skeptics are suspicious of her access to YouTube in China, where the platform is blocked. And though it seems unlikely, some people have wondered in the comment sections if her videos are propaganda.

心存质疑的人觉得奇怪，她为什么能在我国访问YouTube，因为该平台在那里被屏蔽。虽然看起来不太可能，但评论区有些人怀疑她的音频是不是宣传。

Skeptics n.疑论者,怀疑主义者suspicious adj.可疑的;怀疑的;多疑的propaganda n.宣传

Ms. Li’s story, as she tells it, is that she left home as a teenager to find work, but returned to the countryside to take care of her grandmother, then began documenting her life. Though she used to shoot her videos alone, on her phone, she now works with an assistant and a videographer.

按照李德柒他们的说法，她的故事是这样的：她十几岁时离家去找工作，后来又回到农村照顾祖母，然后开始记录他们的生活。虽然以前都是一个人拍音频，但现在她有了一个助手和一名摄像师。

documenting 记录videographer n.摄影师

I simply want people in the city to know where their food comes from, Ms. Li said, in a rare interview with Goldthread last fall. (She never responded to my requests.)

我只想让城里的人知道，他们吃的食物是从哪里来的，去年秋天，李德柒在罕见地接受Goldthread采访时说。（她始终没有回应我的采访请求。）

Goldthread 是个文化节目

But most of the world’s food, whether in China or the United States, doesn’t come from anyone’s backyard, and isn’t made from scratch. Noodles are produced and packaged in factories. Chickens and pigs are gutted on fast, dangerous lines.

但是，不管在我国还是美国，世界上的大部份食物都不是来自任何人的后院，也不是从零开始制作的。面条是在工厂里生产和包装的。鸡和猪在快速、危险的流水线上被宰杀。

backyard n.后院;后庭factories n.工厂;制造厂;代理店gutted adj.容易消化的 v.取出…的内脏;毁坏…的内部

The fragility of our industrial supply chains, and the immense risks for the people who work in commercial plants and slaughterhouses, have been laid bare in the last few weeks.

我们工业供应链的脆弱性，以及在商业工厂和屠宰场工作的人们所面临的巨大风险，在过去几周中都暴露无遗。

fragility n.脆弱;虚弱industrial adj.工业的;产业的 n.工业股票;工业工人commercial adj.商业的;营利的;靠广告收入的 n.商业广告slaughterhouses n.屠宰场laid bare 戳穿 lay bare 揭发,暴露;公开

Ms. Li sidesteps the existence of that broken system entirely. This is the powerful fantasy of her videos right now — people growing and cooking all of their own food, not wasting anything, and not needing anything more than what they already have around them.

李德柒完全回避了那个残缺体系的存在。这是她的音频在当下提供的最有力的幻想——人们他们种植和烹调食物，不浪费任何东西，不需要太多身外之物。

sidesteps vt.回避 vi.回避问题

In isolation, watching Ms. Li gather rose petals and ripe tomatoes, I catch myself thinking, is this sequence set in the past, or the future? Are these videos a record of the collective food knowledge we’ve already lost, or an idealized vision of its recovery?

在隔绝中，看着李德柒独自采摘玫瑰花瓣和成熟的番茄的音频，我不禁思忖，这一切的背景是过去还是未来？这些音频是关于我们已失去的集体食物知识的记录，还是对其复兴的理想化愿景？

sequence n.序列;顺序; vt.按顺序排好record 记录idealized vi.理想化;形成理想 vt.使理想化;理想化地描述vision n.视力;美景;眼力;想象力;幻想;幻视 vt.想象;梦见

原文来自田间小站