by Karen Zhang

Do you like Jazz？ Do you like seafood？ Do you like French culture？ Do you want to experience a unique 1）facet of American culture？ New Orleans has it all.

In early summer， guided by Professor St. Germain， who is a New Orleans native， I joined a group of classmates to visit this colorful American city down south. This was a summer course for travel writers. Over the following two weeks， we had to travel to a 2）designated location abroad or at home and experience the local culture. As a requirement of the course， we had to keep a 3）journal for our everyday adventure. And at the end of the trip we had to complete a long travel piece—that was the biggest project for this writing course.

你喜歡爵士樂(lè)嗎？海鮮和法國(guó)文化呢？你希望領(lǐng)略美國(guó)文化的獨(dú)特一面嗎？這些你都可以在新奧爾良找到。

初夏時(shí)節(jié)，在圣日耳曼教授（她是新奧爾良本地人）的帶領(lǐng)下，我和同班同學(xué)造訪(fǎng)了這個(gè)位于美國(guó)南部的繽紛城市。這趟旅程是針對(duì)游記作者的一項(xiàng)暑期課程。在接下來(lái)的兩個(gè)星期里，我們要到海外或（美國(guó)）國(guó)內(nèi)的指定地點(diǎn)體驗(yàn)當(dāng)?shù)匚幕?。課程要求我們必須以日記記錄每天的旅程。行程將要結(jié)束時(shí)，我們要完成一篇長(zhǎng)游記，也是這次寫(xiě)作課最主要的一個(gè)項(xiàng)目。

So I would say this 4）field trip to New Orleans was not totally for fun since we were on 5）assignment. I 6）initially chose the 7）destination because I had heard so much about the food in New Orleans. To name a few， jambalaya （a mixed dish of meats， veggies and rice）， gumbo （a soupy dish 8）consisting of 9）stock， shellfish， veggies and spices）， étouffée（a dish with shellfish over rice）， Poboy （a long 10）submarine sandwich filled with fried seafood or roast beef）， beignets （a 11）pastry dessert served with powdered sugar on top） and more.

Dont let these strange words stop you from ordering the dishes. They are surprisingly delicious！ Located on the banks of the famous Mississippi River， about 170 kilometers upriver from the Gulf of Mexico， New Orleans shares a 12）significant geographical location. French 13）colonists once 14）occupied the city in the 18th century， until the British came along. New Orleans came to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase注1 of $15 million from France in 1803.

However， if you are 15）observant， you will still find French 16）influences in New Orleans. The names of foods are just the start. Just like French 17）cuisine， New Orleans 18）delicacies are 19）diverse and creative. If you are afraid to say it wrong—believe it or not， some food names look French but they have lost their French pronunciation in New Orleans—just point at something on the menu that you crave most.

由于我們有作業(yè)在身，我會(huì)說(shuō)這次到新奧爾良的實(shí)地考察不只是游山玩水。我當(dāng)初選擇這個(gè)目的地，是因?yàn)槲衣?tīng)過(guò)不少關(guān)于新奧爾良美食的事情，舉幾個(gè)來(lái)說(shuō)：什錦飯（肉、蔬菜和米飯一起煮的一道菜）、秋葵湯飯（由肉湯、貝類(lèi)、蔬菜和香料組成的一道湯菜）、蔬菜海鮮辣燉湯（飯上面澆上貝類(lèi)的一道菜）、“窮小子”三明治（一種內(nèi)夾煎海鮮或烤牛肉的長(zhǎng)型潛艇三明治）、貝奈特餅（一種油酥甜點(diǎn)，端上來(lái)的時(shí)候在上面撒上糖粉），多不勝數(shù)。

點(diǎn)餐時(shí)，不要因?yàn)檫@些奇怪的名字而感到不知所措哦。它們意外地好吃！新奧爾良坐落在著名的密西西比河河岸上，處于墨西哥灣上游約170公里處，地理位置十分重要。法國(guó)殖民者曾在18世紀(jì)占領(lǐng)過(guò)這座城市，直到英國(guó)人來(lái)到后才離開(kāi)。1803年，美國(guó)以1500萬(wàn)美元從法國(guó)手中購(gòu)買(mǎi)土地，作為路易斯安那購(gòu)地交易的一部分，新奧爾良?xì)w入美國(guó)。

然而，如果觀(guān)察入微，你仍能在新奧爾良找到法國(guó)的影子。剛才那些食物的名字只是開(kāi)始呢。新奧爾良的佳肴和法國(guó)菜同樣充滿(mǎn)變化，富有創(chuàng)意。如果你怕說(shuō)錯(cuò)名字，那就隨便指著餐牌上最吸引你的東西吧——信不信由你，一些食物的名字看起來(lái)像法文，但它們?cè)谛聤W爾良早就失去了法語(yǔ)發(fā)音。

On this trip I tasted three different styles of 20）oysters—raw， fried and baked. At first I thought I would not like raw oysters as Chinese always say seafood should be cooked before eaten. But 21）apparently， the raw oysters were prepared cleaner than I thought. They were served on a tin plate filled with ice cubes.

“Oysters must be 22）chilled so their original taste will stand out，” Professor St. Germain said. As she said， she 23）demonstrated how New Orleanians ate raw oysters. She took one half-shelled raw oyster in one hand， and added 24）mustard and cocktail sauce with the other. She then 25）forked out the 26）slippery oyster and 27）sandwiched it with 28）saltine 29）crackers. With one bite， she had the cracker with oyster in her 30）palate. Mmm…even an observer like me could not 31）resist the 32）temptation.

I 33）followed suit and made my own raw oysters with crackers. But I preferred the naked oyster in my mouth. So the next few tries， I gave up the crackers. With the help of a fork， I 34）slurped a half-shelled oyster. I still remember its icy， slippery feel in my mouth， its juices 35）triggering my every 36）taste bud.

在這次旅行中，我嘗試了三種不同口味的蠔——生的、煎的和烤的。我最初認(rèn)為自己不會(huì)喜歡生蠔，因?yàn)橹袊?guó)人總是說(shuō)海鮮要煮熟才能吃。但顯然，這里的生蠔比我想象中要干凈。生蠔端上來(lái)的時(shí)候被放在裝滿(mǎn)冰塊的錫盤(pán)上。

“蠔一定要冰凍，這樣才能帶出它們的鮮味，”圣日耳曼教授說(shuō)。她一邊說(shuō)，一邊示范新奧爾良人吃生蠔的方法。她用一只手拿起一只半殼的生蠔，用另一只手加上芥末和雞尾汁，然后用叉子將滑溜溜的生蠔夾在蘇打餅中間。一口下去，餅干和生蠔就落入她嘴里。嗯……即使是我這樣的旁觀(guān)者都抵擋不住誘惑。

我學(xué)著她的樣子制作起自己的生蠔餅干。但我更喜歡單純生蠔的口感，于是在接下來(lái)的嘗試中，我放棄了餅干。借助叉子，我大聲地嚼著一只半殼生蠔。我依然記得它那冰凍滑溜的口感，蠔汁觸發(fā)了我的每一處味蕾。

After comparing the three kinds of oysters， I had more votes for the raw oysters—a new way to explore seafood. Because New Orleans is 37）adjacent to several waterways， it is impossible not to mention its other seafood cuisine. For example， 38）crawfish is well known in this city. The freshwater 39）crustacean looks like a small lobster but not many tourists like it. Many think its too small to be worth the trouble of eating it or its simply too 40）filthy inside. But the local people eat everything on the crawfish， including its yellowish brain. Professor St. Germain showed us how New Orleanians sucked the head with a real skill of 41）disassembling the little crawfish. I lacked the courage to follow the professor this time. Instead， I ordered 42）broiled catfish which was meaty and sweet.

在對(duì)比了三種蠔之后，我更傾向生吃，也是嘗試海鮮的新方式。由于新奧爾良毗鄰數(shù)條水道，所以不得不提那里出產(chǎn)的其他海鮮。例如小龍蝦在新奧爾良就很出名。這種淡水甲殼動(dòng)物的樣子很像小型龍蝦，但不是很多游客喜歡它。很多游客覺(jué)得它個(gè)頭太小，不值得費(fèi)一番工夫去吃，或者純粹覺(jué)得里面的東西太惡心。但當(dāng)?shù)厝藭?huì)食用小龍蝦的每一個(gè)部分，包括黃色的腦袋。圣日耳曼教授向我們展示了新奧爾良人是怎樣吸食蝦頭的，她拆解小龍蝦的技術(shù)實(shí)在了得。這一次，我沒(méi)有勇氣跟著教授做，而是點(diǎn)了多肉鮮甜的烤小龍蝦。

New Orleans cooking is greatly influenced by the Cajuns and Creoles—the local 43）ethnic groups consisting of French speakers from Acadia注2 and people of Spanish 44）descent. African Americans also 45）contribute to the local 46）culinary arts. If you say the United States is a salad of races， New Orleans is the 47）condensed version of the salad. For example， every family has its own gumbo 48）recipe. I tried the family gumbo prepared by Professor St. Germain. It was in a meat 49）broth. When I ordered a gumbo in a restaurant， it was a seafood broth. Even another restaurant where I ordered the seafood gumbo， its taste was spicier and thicker.

So I guess I could not be a food critic in New Orleans on this trip yet—simply because its worldfamous food had too many uncertainties and surprises. But one thing I was sure of， when I was in New Orleans， I could proudly quote Scarlett OHara注3 in Gone with the Wind， “Ill never be hungry again.”

新奧爾良的烹調(diào)方式深受卡真人和克利奧爾人（來(lái)自阿卡迪亞的法語(yǔ)者和西班牙人后裔組成的當(dāng)?shù)厣贁?shù)民族）的影響。非洲裔美國(guó)人也對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)氐呐腼兯囆g(shù)貢獻(xiàn)良多。如果說(shuō)美國(guó)是由各個(gè)種族組成的一碗“沙拉”，那么新奧爾良就是這碗“沙拉”的濃縮版。比如說(shuō)，各家各戶(hù)都有自己的一套秋葵湯飯做法。我嘗過(guò)圣日耳曼教授家做的秋葵湯飯，里面是肉羹；我在一家飯店點(diǎn)的秋葵湯飯，里面卻是海鮮湯；甚至當(dāng)我在另一家飯店點(diǎn)了同一道菜，它的味道則更辣、更濃。

看來(lái)在這次旅行結(jié)束后，我還成不了新奧爾良的食評(píng)家——因?yàn)樗窍碜u(yù)世界的美食變化多端，充滿(mǎn)驚喜。但有一樣?xùn)|西我可以確定——當(dāng)我身在新奧爾良，我可以自豪地引用斯佳麗·奧哈拉在《飄》里的話(huà)：“我再也不會(huì)挨餓了?！?img src="https://cimg.fx361.com/images/2018/07/08/qkimagesfkyzfkyz201307fkyz20130713-5-l.jpg"/>