2014-06-01

【Aiden in English】

        It is time to celebrate a well deserved party for surviving another Chinese School Year, especially on International Children's Day 2014.

        I love Szechuan cuisine and its food is very attempting like Fresh All the Way Soup, Slice Fish in Hot Chili Oil, Beef & Tripe in Chili Oil, Cold Spicy Noodles, Wonton Soup in Szechuan Style, Ma Po Tofu, Cumin Lamb, Shredded Beef with Green Peppers, Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce, etc. It's as simple as that.

        When I galloped with my schoolmates to the Bamboo, a Szechuan restaurant on Germantown Pike, PA where I had dined for several rounds before, I had no idea about what we ate this time. However, there were a few of dishes I wasn't crazy about. In fact, I didn't know if "Red Revolution Fish Fillet" was edible. And something told me that the other kids didn't like it either.

        The least favorite about the food here would probably be the oil. Everything looked so oily that it was glistening. The texture of food and healthy diet appeared to be less important than they should be. The Salt and Pepper Fish Fillet had a ton of bones. The plate of "Blow-You-Mind Spicy Chicken" was covered with a blanket of red dry peppers and kept completely untouched.

        A huge surprise to our parents was that we loved the Dry Sautéed Green Beans. They were tasty and crunchy, but most of all, weren't greasy. We asked for it again and, well, the second plate of green beans disappeared in seconds. It was absolutely delicious. The other food was not comparable at all. We even allowed the adults to steal ours like Tea Smoked Duck, Dongpo Pork Shoulder, and many more. I really wonder how they eat it without throwing it all up later.

        Sometimes, when facing hunger, kids go to extreme measures to eat their fill.

【红霞译文】

        终于熬过中文学校全学年结束，特别值得大块朵颐好生庆祝一番，更何况又适逢2014年“六·一”国际儿童节这么欢天喜地的日子。

        我喜爱四川菜系，原因非常简单，一罐香汤、水煮鱼、夫妻肺片、担担面、龙抄手、麻婆豆腐、孜然羊肉、青椒牛肉片、鱼香肉丝……，美味佳肴色香诱人。

        当与同伴们一路小跑汇聚“蜀苑”时，我搞不清到底要吃些啥玩艺，尽管之前来过几回位于宾州日耳曼大道上的川菜小馆。说来有几道菜我确实不敢恭维，天晓得“新派鱼片”能否入口，看得出其他孩子也有同感。

        这里最大的问题就是油腻，每样食物油光闪闪，不太讲究材料质地和控制健康饮食。椒盐鱼片里骨头剔得很不彻底，辣子鸡上覆盖厚厚一层红彤彤的干辣椒块，吓得大家敬而远之，无人敢碰。

        完全出乎爹娘意料之外，我们偏爱香脆可口的干煸四季豆，最关键的是这道菜油花不多。我们吃完之后又叫上一盘，眨眼功夫，第二盘干煸四季豆很快就被一扫而光，真的好吃极了，其它拼盘根本无法与之相比。我们洋洋得意，任各位家长大人明抢豪夺桌上摆放的樟茶鸭、东坡肘子等等，他们咽下去并无恶心之感，令我百思不得其解。

        有时咱哥们姐儿往往饥不择食，为了填饱胃口塞满肚皮，平常毫不感冒的东西吃起来也会津津有味。