Writers and Chefs

By Yu Hua

Many years ago, I had a chat with a chef who asked me, “What makes a good writer?”

I replied, “To be a good writer, you have to be a good reader.”

He asked again, “What makes a good reader then?”

I said, “First of all, you need to read masterpieces, instead of mediocre books.If you keep reading great books, you’ll develop a good taste and understanding, and when you write yourself, you will naturally have a fairly high standard towards your own work.However, if you spent a lot of time reading mediocre writing, your taste and understanding will also become mediocre, and your own writing will be immersed in mediocrity.Secondly, every piece of writing has its own f laws, including those great ones.Hence, don’t care too much about the flaws when you read a book, cast your eyes upon its merits, for the flaws of others have nothing to do with you, but their merits will help you improve.”

He nodded saying, “The same goes for a chef.Those who have tasted masterful cooking are able to make good dishes themselves.I often send my cooks to eat in other restaurants to improve their cookery skills.And I found those who often criticize other restaurants’ dishes stay where they are, while those who appreciate others’ dishes improve quickly.”

(FromI Only Know What a Human Is, Yilin Press.Translation: Jessie White)

作家和厨师

文/余华

很多年前，我和一位厨师长聊天，他问我：“怎样才能成为一个好作家？”

我说：“要想成为一个好作家，先要成为一个好读者。”

他又问：“怎样才能成为一个好读者？”

我说：“第一，要去读伟大的作品，不要去读平庸的作品。长期读伟大作品的人，趣味和修养就会很高，写作的时候自然就会用很高的标准要求自己；长期读平庸作品的人，趣味和修养也会平庸，写作时不知不觉沉浸在平庸里。第二，所有的作品都存在缺点，包括那些伟大的作品，读的时候不要去关心作品中的缺点，应该关心优点，因为别人的缺点和你无关，别人的优点会帮助你提高自己。”

他点点头，对我说：“做厨师也一样，品尝过美味佳肴的能做出好菜。我经常派手下的厨师去其他餐馆吃饭来提高他们的厨艺，我发现总说其他餐馆菜不好的厨师没有进步，总说其他餐馆菜做得好吃的厨师进步很大。”

（摘自《我只知道人是什么》译林出版社）