又中又英——When food is bite-sized...

　　As I said in my previous column, I recently went to an American-style restaurant where I ate too much! The restaurant is called Wolfies Grill in Indianapolis where my elder sister and her husband live. Wolfies has several levels with a scenic (picturesque, beautiful) view of a reservoir. It has an extensive menu, which means the menu has many things to choose from. Wolfies has different types of hamburger, pizza, steak, sandwiches, and fish. We began with drinks to enjoy the view. My sister had red wine, her husband had whiskey, and I chose a gin martini with olives. In the US, drinks are very large, almost like two drinks in Hong Kong.
　　We ordered an interesting appetizer called Boom Boom. An appetizer is a small dish of food before the main dish to stimulate the appetite. The Boom Boom appetizer contained bite-sized pieces of lightly-battered fried cauliflower. It was smothered with a delicious sauce. The word "smother" can be used in many ways but used this way it means to cover food completely with sauce. When food is bite-sized it means it is small enough to eat in one mouthful. The word "batter" has several meanings but used this way it means a semiliquid mixture of eggs, flour, and milk or water to cover the surface of food before frying.
　　If food is lightly-battered, it means very little batter is used. For our main dish, my sister had fish and chips. My brother-in-law and I had grilled salmon. Mine came with rice and broccoli. He preferred a salad instead of rice. My sister's dish was too large and she took some home. I don't normally eat much but finished my dish except for the broccoli. I don't like broccoli. Both my brother-in-law and I ordered another round of drinks to enjoy the night view. Wolfies has good food and a scenic view at an affordable price. It was full the evening we went and we had to wait for a table but it was worth the wait.
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　　正如我在上一篇文章中所说，我最近去了一间美式餐厅，吃得太多！那间名为 「胡菲士烧烤」（Wolfies Grill）的餐厅位于印第安纳波利斯，就是我胞姐跟姐夫住的城市。胡菲士餐厅有几个楼层，可饱览风景秀丽的（scenic）水塘景致。胡菲士有extensive menu，即是说餐单食物种类繁多，提供不同的选择。它有不同种类的汉堡包、薄饼、牛扒、三文治和鱼。我们以饮品开始，边喝边欣赏景致。我姐喝红酒，她丈夫喝威士忌，我则点了加橄榄的毡酒马天尼。在美国，饮品份量都很大，一杯差不多是香港两杯饮料的份量。
　　我们点了一个有趣的前菜（appetizer）叫 Boom Boom。An appetizer就是主菜上枱前用来开胃的小碟食物。那个开胃小吃（appetizer）Boom Boom是一些轻轻裹了炸浆（lightly-battered）、能一口吃下的（bite-sized）小块炸椰菜花，并浸泡（smothered）在非常美味的酱汁里。Smother可以有许多用法，但在这里是指用酱汁完全浸泡着食物。若说那道菜是bite-sized，意即它小块得能一口吃下。Batter也有几个意思，在这里是指在油炸前用来包裹食物表面、以蛋、面粉和奶或水混合而成的面浆。
　　若食物是lightly-battered，意即它只是用上了很少的面浆（batter）。我们的主菜方面，我姐叫了炸鱼薯条，姐夫和我则点了烤三文鱼；我的是配饭和西兰花，他则偏好沙律多于饭。我姐姐的那碟太大份了，不得不打包一点回家。我平常没有吃那么多，但除了西兰花，主菜的食物都吃光了。我不喜欢西兰花。我和我姐夫都点了另一转饮品，边喝边观赏夜景。胡菲士餐厅有美味的食物和风景优美的（scenic）景观，价钱亦相当合宜。我们去的那个晚上，餐厅座无虚席，我们也要等候入座，但也是值得等待的。中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁