记忆中的食物

“Mom， thanks for making barbecued meatballs and rice before I left，”saidBetsy with misty1 eyes. She hugged me goodbye while her dad finished loading2the car with packed boxes. My daughter was moving from our home in Florida toher apartment in Washington， D.C. to begin her new job. “I’m really going to missyour cooking，”she added.

“妈妈，谢谢你在我离开之前做了烤肉丸子和米饭。”贝齐泪眼朦胧地说。她和我拥抱道别，而她的父亲正在往车里装打包好的箱子。我女儿要从我们在佛罗里达的家搬到她在华盛顿特区的公寓以便开始她的新工作。“我真的会想念你做的饭菜的。”她补充道。

Betsy’s comment about home-cooked meals gave me an idea. I decided tomake special gifts for my three grown children， who were in various stages ofleaving home for college and careers.

贝齐关于家常菜的评论给了我一个想法。我决定为我的三个成年子女做一些特别的礼物，他们正处于离家去上大学和工作的不同阶段。

After Betsy waved goodbye， I drove to the store and bought three yellow recipeboxes and decorated3 index4 cards. For several days I copied family recipes，including Betsy’s meatballs， the traditional bunny cake Lori requested each Easter，Steven’s special lasagna5， and the family’s favorite， fresh apple cake.

贝齐挥手告别后，我开车去了商店，买了三个黄色的菜谱盒和有装饰的索引卡。几天来，我抄写了家庭菜谱，包括贝齐的肉丸、洛丽每年复活节请求制作的传统兔子蛋糕、史蒂文的特色千层面，以及家人最喜欢的新鲜苹果蛋糕。

I included precious recipes I had gathered from country neighborswhen our family spent summers on our farm in Missouri， knowing theywould rekindle6 fond memories. I chose Cousin Donna’s recipe for thebeets7 she pickled8， after she harvested them from her garden. I madenote that Pat’s instructions for making her outstanding homemade rollsincluded driving thirty miles for fresh yeast9.

我把我们一家人在密苏里州的农场度过夏天时从乡下邻居那里收集到的珍贵食谱收录其中，我知道这些食谱会重燃美好的回忆。我选择了唐娜表姐腌制甜菜的食谱，那些甜菜是她从自己的花园里收获的。我注意到，帕特制作她出色的自制面包卷的说明，包括开车30 英里去买新鲜的酵母。

When the handwritten cards stood alphabetized10 in their boxes， I closed thelids and set them aside until I would be with my children again. When the timecame， I presented each one with the recipes and enjoyed their wide grins11 andshrieks12 of delight as they thumbed through the cards.

当手写卡片被按字母顺序放在盒子里时，我合上盖子，把它们放在一边，直到我将再次和孩子们相聚的时候。当那个时候到来，我把食谱发给每一个人，当他们翻阅卡片时，我享受着他们灿烂的笑容和喜悦的尖叫。

“I remember making this bread in my second grade class，”remarked Steven.

“我记得在二年级的时候做过这种面包。”史蒂文说。

“Oh， this is the best macaroni13 and cheese ever！”recalled Lori.

“哦，这是有史以来最棒的通心粉和奶酪！”洛丽回忆道。

“Look！ Here’s one for the homemade ice -cream we tasted on the farm each summer！ ”squealed Betsy.

“看！这是我们每年夏天在农场品尝的自制冰淇淋！”贝齐尖叫道。

Over the years the boxes of recipes continued to be popularresources in their kitchens， reminders of the food and love they wereserved during their childhoods. Now， with children of their own， theyexplained the stories behind the recipes to my nine grandchildren， andinspired them to become young cooks.

多年来，这些盒子里的食谱仍然是他们厨房里的热门资源，是让他们想起小时候吃过的食物和爱的回忆的事物。现在，他们有了自己的孩子，向我的九个孙子孙女解释食谱背后的故事，并激励他们成为年轻的厨师。

One day， a video arrived on my computer. I watched my animated14， elevenyear-old granddaughter， Amy， as she pretended to be Julia Child and showed howto make a pancake. When she finished， she held it up to the camera and imitated15the famous，“Bon appetite！

一天，我的电脑收到了一段视频。我看着我活泼的11 岁孙女艾米假扮成朱莉娅·蔡尔德（美国知名的厨师、作家和电视节目主持人）演示如何做煎饼。当她完成后，她把它举到镜头前，模仿这位名人说：“祝你好胃口！”

I think it’s time to give Amy her own small box filled with handwritten familyrecipes.

我想是时候给艾米一个装满手写家庭菜谱的小盒子了。