2016-02-21

【Aiden in English】

        Chinese Lunar New Year is absolutely awesome because it’s a holiday that is around 23 days long. You know what it means.  More food, fun, and videogames. This particular night was a combination of grandma’s, mom’s, my birthday, plus the Lantern Festival. Although the night is super special, I sort of wish all these occasions were spread out more to enjoy every one separately.

        Bamboo Szechuan Restaurant is extremely popular in the community of the Greater Philadelphia Area. It isn’t because it is so good that everyone needs to eat there, but that it is one of the few nice Chinese restaurants around. To face it, there aren’t any amazing Chinese restaurants within mom’s driving skills, which basically eliminates all possibilities of the city. Anyway, we’re stuck with “Chinese” food. Bamboo, in all honesty, was actually really good. To me, anything that is spicy is good. Literally, mom ordered stir-fried lotus root, a plate of beef and tripe in chili oil, a mixed pot of fried stuff with hot peppers, stir-fried flounder filet with distilled grains sauce, and a tofu-pig-ox intestine mix in a gallon-ish of chili oil. In all, there was a ton of spices inside the foods, and I thought it was bad for your health.

        You know that the day was special when mom touched a piece of food that was over fifty calories. In fact, she ate her fill tonight, and so did I. Actually, I went a little overboard. I love Chinese food before you get stuffed, but it’s the experience that matters.  I rather experience hunger and the satisfaction of eating than not needing to eat at all. The feeling of the tingling on the tongue from spicy Chinese food really just can’t be beaten. Especially when it’s at this kind of level, where everything is so good that you don’t know what to eat. I mean, the fried pot of chili stuff is awesome and provided a tiny bit of the famous Schezuan numbing spice. The pot of oil and stuff was also awesome, lighting my mouth on fire like braces. 

        Well, I am turning thirteen now, and as they all say, 13 begins the teenage years. They also say 13 is an unlucky number, but I’ll try not to think of it that way. What I am thinking about is what life is going to be like, now that mom as officially gotten permission to give out as much work as she can and always say that I’m a “grown-up” and should be “more mature”. I’ll work it out somehow, and really, it feels good to be 13.

【红霞译文】

        中国农历新年实在叫绝，人们欢天喜地庆祝春节前后长达廿三天之久，你知道这意味着不光是无休无止的吃喝玩乐，还有拿得起放不下的电子游戏。今晚非同寻常，外婆、妈妈以及我个人生日庆典适逢正月十五元宵节，真是无巧不成书，假如一年一度的大喜日子分开来逐个消受该有多好。

        “蜀苑”可谓宾州大费城地区遐迩闻名的川菜餐厅，并非因为其烹饪技术高明到叫人流连忘返的地步，而是因为附近难得一见正宗道地的中餐馆。在这里，咱不得不提及一下单凭妈妈驾车水平，费城的饮食业基本上被打入冷宫。既然注重“中式”美味，蜀苑堪称货真价实。其实对我来说，但凡麻辣的东西全都可口好吃，难怪妈妈点的夫妻肺片、素炒莲藕、麻辣香锅、滑熘鱼片、猪牛下水毛血旺等不是麻就是辣，殊不知这些佐料对身体健康危害不轻。

        要知道正因为今天是个特殊日子，妈妈才对五十热卡以上的食物网开一面。事实上，今晚不但她茶足饭饱，我也大快朵颐，最后有点撑得够呛。我偏爱中餐，并且常常吃得肚歪，应该完全归咎于个人喜好，说到底我宁愿饿着肚子去吃自己想吃的东西，而非对吃毫无食欲。中餐麻在舌尖辣到舌根那种别有滋味的感觉简直无以伦比，尤其美食当前诱惑难挡，麻辣香锅可真是一锅香气，将巴蜀川菜土家风味中的麻味表现得淋漓尽致，表面厚厚悬浮的油层又大大提升了这道佳肴质感效果，宛如我口中配制的矫形牙套，无不叫人狮子大开口，难掩贪吃的馋瘾。

        没错，现在我快要十三岁了，如世人所说，十三岁青少年时期是走向成年的开始。同时大家也觉得“13”并非是个吉利的数字，但我尽量不这么看。当务之急我要考虑的是今后的道路该怎么走，妈妈有言在先，现在我长大了，应该努力向上，像个大孩子那样。我会积极面对未来，话说回来，十三岁豆蔻之年确实令人神往。