又中又英 | Cheese afficionados | 褚簡寧

　　Many people prefer something sweet, such as chocolate cake, for dessert. People who eat healthy meals often choose fruit for dessert. Some skip dessert, which means to avoid or do without it. Culinary afficionados often have a cheeseboard to share for dessert after a Western dinner. An afficionado is a person who knows a lot about or is very interested in a particular subject. A culinary afficionado is a person who knows a lot about different types of cuisine. A cheeseboard is a wooden tray or large wooden plate for different types of cheese.

　　Some people believe eating cheese after dinner causes vivid dreams, which are intense dreams that seem almost real. Such dreams are often remembered long after waking up. But experts say eating cheese before bedtime doesn't cause vivid dreams. I love eating cheese. It is healthy if eaten in moderation because it contains protein, calcium, and vitamins. But some types of cheese are very stinky! Only cheese afficionados like this type of cheese. I don't mind stinky cheese but prefer ordinary kinds such as cheddar. Raclette is a very stinky Swiss cheese popular during the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

　　It is served melted and hot on boiled potatoes or baguette (French bread). Some people compare the smell of raclette to the sweaty socks of athletes after a competition! I tried raclette some years ago during a cocktail reception at a high-end private club in Central. A friend at the reception asked me to try it. It was delicious but my sensitive stomach could only handle a very small serving. Raclette has protein and calcium but is also very high in fat and sodium.

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　　許多人喜愛吃甜的食物作為甜品，例如朱古力蛋糕。吃得比較健康的人，則會選擇水果作為甜品。一些人則會skip dessert，意即避開甜品類，又或進餐不點甜品。在西方晚餐後，culinary afficionados常會準備一盤cheeseboard 分享，當作甜品。Afficionado就是精通某一範疇，或某事物的愛好者；culinary afficionado便是熟悉不同菜餚的美食家。A cheeseboard則是在一塊木盤或一大塊木碟上，放上各種芝士的芝士拼盤。

　　有些人相信，餐後吃芝士會有vivid dreams，即非常生動鮮活的夢。這些夢即便起床久了以後，仍會記得。然而專家們說，睡前吃芝士並不會帶來生動的夢（vivid dreams）。我喜愛吃芝士，如能適量地吃它是有益健康的，因為它含蛋白質、鈣質和各種維他命。但有些種類的芝士卻是非常臭的！只有芝士愛好者（cheese afficionados）會喜歡這一類芝士。我不介意吃臭的芝士，但較喜愛一般的芝士，例如車打芝士。Raclette就是非常臭的瑞士芝士，在聖誕節和新年假期間很受歡迎。

　　它的吃法主要是熱融後趁熱放在煮熟的薯仔或長法包（baguette）之上。有些人會將拉克萊特芝士（raclette）的氣味比擬為運動員比賽後滿是汗的臭襪！好些年前我在一個高級私人會所的酒會上，也嘗過拉克萊特芝士（raclette），是酒會的一個朋友叫我嘗的。它很美味，但我敏感的腸胃只能承受小小的一份。拉克萊特芝士（raclette）含蛋白質和鈣質，但也非常高脂和高鈉。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻