2015-02-21

【Aiden in English】

        The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) wasn’t just a learning opportunity but also a daily exercise. Walking and standing for three hours really get you tired, you know. So prior to our grand finale of a concert in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, we decided to have a delicious dinner to refill my batteries.

        Chinese cuisine gives a ton of energy to those who seek it and carve for food. The Chinese restaurants in NYC are large and small, delicious, and…… not-so-good.  They spread absolutely everywhere, even outside of Chinatown. Out of the entire city of Chinese restaurants, mom was able to strategically pick one. I always trust mom’s judgment unless it comes to school and learning related stuff. 

        We took a taxi for thirty minutes or so, passing enormous skyscrapers slowly turning on their lights as night crept closer. It was snowing mixed with icy rain, and the huge gusts of wind blew the snow so hard that it seemed almost as if they were flying horizontally. The tax pulled over to the side of 65^th Street in Midtown Manhattan, and there it was the Shun Lee. The entrance looked small, but stood out like a sore thumb. The restaurant unlike the dull buildings that surrounded had a dark, colorful hue to its windows, doors, and decorations. Inside was similar, with dark red and purple colors dominantly on the walls, chairs, and furniture. Even the light seemed to have and posses a darker variation. The narrow path led to a large hall with booths lining the walls, and there seemed to be a slope towards the center of the hall where more tables were located. On the outer wall, multiple dragons were suspended, glowing brightly yellow and creating a contrast of dark light. 

        The four of us were seated in a booth, and menus were passed out. Now we preferred a Szechuan style to other cuisines. The kind contained the fiery spicy food, just like Lai Lai Gardens in Blue Bell, PA. So I felt pretty comfortable eating here already. The menu also proved to pass our expectation levels by quite a bit, giving over a hundred dishes. All I wanted was some Dan Dan Noodles, and I was set. I handed the menu over to mom, and my friend Kevin and I plopped ourselves into the world of gaming. A few hours or what seemed like hours on my iPad, my noodles arrived and were all steamy and hot, accompanied by other luscious dishes. I recognized a familiar entrée of Hunan Country Lamb with Fresh Peppers, green disgusting veggies of Buddha’s Delight (as usual), some Shanghai Steamed Juicy Buns, Tangy and Spicy Jellyfish, and a huge bowl of Steamed Seafood with Tofu. By the looks of all, I wouldn’t need a mid-night snack. 

        Since the Dan Dan Noodles were the most favorite to me, I served myself a big helping. Now I don’t know about you, but I like my noodles without three table spoons of peanut butter (PB). This plate of noodles probably even used four or five table spoons. The noodles were covered with PB and had an ugly taste. The noodles also weren’t the same type as Lai Lai Garden’s. The remaining noodles were laid in the bowl, untouched. 

        The lamb reignited my appetite with explosions of pepper and salt. The spice numbed the edge of my tongue, only making it taste better. Mom then scoped out servings of the veggies, which I didn’t touch except for the water chestnuts. Jellyfish were slowly plucked from the plate, spicy and piquant but not brittle at all. As Shirley, Kevin’s mom said, it should be pre-treated with hot water before served on the table. Everyone also received a stuffed bun with juicy pork inside. My first bite ended me up with an explosion of flavor and juice all over the table. The bun had contained so much juice that it could be considered soup, and it drowned out the flavor of the pork. Finally, we tried to finish a seafood stew with a slice of tofu. The stew was refreshing and really cleared up all the oil and grease. I drank bowl after bowl, spoonful after spoonful. Boy, tonight mom’s gonna hear a lot of flushing toilet sounds.

        The Shun Lee boosted my enthusiasm and satisfied our night in NYC. It also gave a memory that would last a while. 

【红霞译文】

        纽约大都会艺术博物馆参观不只为你开拓视野，同时还逼你锻炼筋骨。试想三个钟头内，你要么来回走动，要么连续罚站，撑到最后非累得腰酸腿痛不可。鉴于这种状况，我们迅速落实下一步计划，在进行最后一项活动即前往林肯表演艺术中心听音乐会之前先用美食佳肴好好犒劳一下自己。

        对于追求刺激享受生活的人来说，中式名馔传统小吃不仅能满足味觉搞定肠胃，而且还可重新焕发青春的活力。纽约城上下唐人街内外大大小小好的差的中餐馆遍及各处，无不慷慨地为我们敞开海选之门，妈妈慧眼识珠，一向拿捏得八九不离十。除了校内课业外，我从来不为吃喝拉撒操心费神。

        我们出门打的，慢慢穿梭在高楼大厦之间，随着夜幕降临，街上寒风呼啸冰雪交加，不管三七二十一径直地朝我们横飞过来。大约卅左右，出租车悄然停在曼哈顿中城六十五街，“顺利园”到了。“顺利园”的门脸很小且突出楼外，不像周围建筑物死气沉沉，其外部门窗主调黑色，极易博人眼球；而内部红色墙壁与紫色家具遥相呼应，彰显富丽堂皇的气势；餐厅里光线暗淡柔和，狭窄的走道两旁大的餐桌居中小的隔间把边，由外向内阶梯式一层一层地朝大厅中心方向下降；外层墙壁上，几条巨龙当空高挂金光闪亮，把整个餐厅衬托得耀眼辉煌。

        我们一行四人被带进隔间，接过食谱单过目之后，毫无疑问地，川菜料理将主打今晚盛宴，甜酸麻辣苦香咸醇浓并重，堪与宾州蓝铃镇备受本人称赞的“来来花园”酒家相媲美，吃在“顺利园” 我举双手赞成，虽然味道如何尚无发言权，但仅仅从数以百计的花哨名称上来说，我们没有虚度此行，况且只要来一碗“担担面”，我便心满意足。于是，我把食谱单递给妈妈，与身边的艺博全心投入到苹果牌袖珍电脑电子游戏世界中去。感觉过了很长时间，粘巴巴热乎乎的面条被端了上来，其它几道菜肴也陆续与我们见面，有熟悉的“湖南羊”、令人倒胃口的“素什锦” （一直如此）、几个“上海小笼汤包”、一盘“凉拌川式海蜇”和大碗“海鲜豆腐煲”。猫着眼前沪川湘席，我马上意识到今晚用不着再吃宵夜。

        既然我是冲担担面而来，那么咱正好近水楼台顺手夹上一大筷子先吃为快。不知你口味如何，反正我喜欢吃未加三大汤匙花生酱的担担面，而眼前这盘大概足有四、五勺，被花生酱裹得里三层外三层的担担面要多难吃有多难吃，这可不是我在“来来花园”吃的那口，难怪剩下的担担面没人愿意再多碰一下。

        “湖南羊”的辣椒与咸度叫我重新找回了失而复得的味觉，麻辣鲜香大大提高了肉质本身细腻滑嫩的口感。接着，妈妈不失时机地给我送来“素什锦”，要不是因为偏爱其中的荸荠，我对蔬菜一向金口难开。“凉拌川式海蜇”略带麻辣味道，吃起来一点不脆，根据晓丽阿姨的经验之谈，海蜇皮应该事先用热水处理一下，只有这样才会保持脆爽的口感。“上海小笼汤包”含有大量猪肉汁液，我第一口刚咬下去，灌汤四处外溢，溅满了整个桌面，真是名副其实的汤包，这下子，猪肉馅反倒失去了惯有的风味。最后面对“海鲜豆腐煲”，大家只能尽力而为，这道菜味道清香，可用来清洗方才吃下的油腻食物，我一口气喝了好些汤汤水水。天呀，今晚妈妈不知得听见多少次冲马桶的声音。

        “顺利园”中餐馆激发了我满腔热情，令人充分感受到纽约之夜的欢乐气息，这种美好的瞬间将铭刻在我的记忆中。