又中又英 | Give me the ick | 褚簡寧
In the past two months, I flew Cathay’s business class several times from Taipei to do media projects in Hong Kong. It's a short flight, so it's understandable there were only two meal choices. Pork neck was one of the two almost every time during my recent flights between Taipei and Hong Kong. On three flights, the flight attendant who came to take my meal choice told me pork neck was the only choice left. I don't like eating pork and always choose the other meal. Even thinking of pork neck gives me the ick.
The expression "gives you the ick" is used to describe a feeling of dislike or shock that makes you feel sick. Chicken feet give me the ick too. I told the flight attendants all three times that I can’t stomach pork neck. If you can’t stomach certain types of food, it means you can’t tolerate or accept it or you find it unappetizing. All three times, the flight attendants miraculously managed to get my choice even though they had told me there was none left!
Cathay has a priority system, taking orders first from passengers depending on their Marco Polo club status. My status used to be Gold, the second highest, giving me priority. It was unfair to other passengers. My status is now Green, the lowest, because I don’t fly much. That’s why when it’s my turn to choose, there is often none left of what I want even though I paid the same business class fare as passengers with higher club status. Cathay should serve passengers starting from the front row like other airlines.
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在過去兩個月，我搭了幾次國泰航空的商務艙位，從台北飛往香港，做一些傳媒項目的工作。那只是短途機，因此只有兩款餐食選項是可以理解的。而幾乎每一次，兩個選項中總會有一個是豬頸肉。在三次航班上，過來為我點單的空中服務員都告訴我，只餘下豬頸肉可以選。我不喜歡豬肉，總會選另一款餐食。單單想到豬頸肉便gives me the ick。
習語gives you the ick是用來形容令你噁心的厭惡或震驚。雞腳也會叫我反胃（give me the ick）。我三次都跟空服員說，我can’t stomach豬頸肉。若你can’t stomach某種食物，意即你不能忍受或接受它，又或它提不起你的食欲、令你倒胃。而那三次，空服員最終都奇蹟地給我我選的另一款餐食，即使他們告訴過我那已經沒有了！
國泰有一個優先服務系統，根據乘客的馬可孛羅會級別去為他們點餐。我曾經是金卡會員，就是第二高的級別，令我有優先選擇權。這對其他乘客並不公平。現在，我是最低的綠卡，因為我不常搭飛機。因此，到我選餐的時候，我想要的總沒有了，即使我跟其他搭商務艙更高級的乘客付一樣的價錢。國泰理應像其他航空公司般，由第一行開始提供服務。
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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
