又中又英——Took Off In A Big Way

　　Many of you may know fusion cuisine means a style of cooking that combines traditional ingredients and cooking techniques from different cultures into a single dish. Fusion cuisine that combines East Asian and European food took off in a big way in the 1970s and is now common. Fusion restaurants have dishes that combine Thai or Vietnamese food with French or American food. If something “takes off in a big way” it means it becomes very popular on a large scale. In my previous column I wrote briefly about Tex-Mex cuisine. It is a fusion cuisine that blends Texas and Mexican food.
　　As I said, I recently ate Tex-Mex food at an outdoor restaurant called Oasis overlooking a beautiful lake in Austin, Texas. My younger brother, his wife, and I had margaritas while enjoying the sunset over the lake. There are several ways to make a margarita cocktail but we chose the classic margarita which combines tequila, a sweet liqueur such as Cointreau, and lime juice. The combination is shaken in ice. Lime juice is also rubbed on the rim of the glass where some salt is put. We enjoyed our margaritas with nacho chips and salsa. Nachos are fried chips made from corn flour. You dip these chips into salsa, which is a spicy sauce made with chopped tomatoes, onions, and peppers.
　　We then had fish tacos and quesadillas. Tacos originated in Mexico where corn flour is used to make soft flat bread called a tortilla that is filled with meat. Tex-Mex tacos use flour or crispy hard-shelled corn tortillas which are filled with fish or meat. Quesadillas originated in Mexico but have been Americanized in the US southwest. They are made with tortillas filled mostly with cheese but sometimes with meat and then grilled on a stove or hotplate called a griddle. A quesadilla is similar to a grilled cheese sandwich. Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine are not popular in Hong Kong but I think people should try them. Go to Popnews for pronunciation of the dishes.
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　　你们许多人或都知道， fusion cuisine的意思就是将不同国家的传统材料与烹调技巧融合成一道菜式的创意料理。一种结合东亚与欧洲菜的无国界融合菜肴（fusion cuisine）于一九七○年代大受欢迎（took off in a big way），现在已非常普遍。融合菜餐厅会有结合了泰或越南以及法式或美式食物的菜式。若某事“takes off in a big way”意即它获得了空前的成功、大受欢迎。在我上一篇文章中，我约略写到德墨（Tex-Mex）菜——这是糅合了德州跟墨西哥菜的融合菜肴（fusion cuisine）。
　　正如我上次所说，我最近在一间名Oasis 的户外餐厅名吃了德墨（Tex-Mex）菜，那儿可眺望德州奥斯汀一个美丽的湖。我的弟弟、弟妇跟我一边喝着玛格丽塔酒（margaritas），一边欣赏湖上日落。玛格丽塔（margarita）鸡尾酒有几种做法，但我们选取了经典的玛格丽塔（margarita），就是结合了龙舌兰酒、甜酒如君度橙酒，以及一点青柠汁，将它们混在一起并加冰摇晃。杯边也会擦些青柠汁，以及沾上一点点盐。我们享用我们的玛格丽塔，还有蘸上莎莎酱（salsa）的墨西哥粟米片（nacho）。Nachos就是用粟米制成的脆片，你会将这些脆片点上 salsa，就是用切粒的番茄、洋葱和辣椒制成的辣酱。
　　然后我们又吃墨西哥鱼卷（tacos）及墨西哥芝士馅饼（quesadillas）。卷饼（tacos）源自墨西哥，当地又有用粟粉制成的软薄饼名tortilla，会填入肉馅。德墨（Tex-Mex）卷饼（tacos）则是用面粉制的又或脆硬的粟米薄饼（tortillas），填入鱼肉或肉馅。墨西哥芝士馅饼（quesadillas）源自墨西哥，但在美国西南部已美式化，它们是用墨西哥薄饼，内里多是加进芝士，但有时也会加肉，然后在炉上或用名为鏊子（griddle）的加热板烤炙。A quesadilla跟烤芝士三文治有点似。德墨菜（Tex-Mex）跟墨西哥菜在香港也不是很流行，但我认为大家应该试试。你可去头条 Popnews听听这些菜式的发音。
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中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁