Michael Chugani 褚简宁 - al fresco dining｜又中又英

As I have said in previous columns, I love al fresco dining, which means to eat in the outside part of a restaurant. There is a dearth of al fresco dining in Hong Kong even though it has a picture-perfect harbour. If there is a dearth of something it means there is not enough of it. If something is picture-perfect, it means it is perfect in appearance. Hong Kong’s harbour is so beautiful that it makes a perfect picture. I can’t understand why there is not enough, or a dearth of, al fresco dining near the harbour where diners can enjoy eating and drinking outside.
Al fresco dining always lifts my spirits, especially when the weather is pleasant. If something lifts your spirits, it means it makes you cheerful or happy. Al fresco dining is out of the question during winters in the US. If something is out of the question, it means it is not possible. It is not possible to dine outside when it is too cold. But many restaurants in US states where the winters are cold, such as New York, have sheltered tables outside with heating. This makes it possible to have al fresco dining in cold weather but it is, of course, out of the question to eat outside when it’s snowing.

As I have said in a previous column, I am now at my elder sister’s house in Indianapolis. The weather in the past few days has been sunny and cool, which is perfect for al fresco dining. My brother-in-law and I went to an Italian restaurant for al fresco dining. I drank martinis and he drank whiskey. We decided to eat only appetizers for our dinner while enjoying the pleasant sunset. We started with bread which we dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Then we had calamari, which means pieces of fried squid. After that we had bruschetta, which means toasted bread covered with olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes. Then we had prawns. Everything was so delicious it lifted my spirits.

正如我在以前的文章说过，我爱 al fresco dining，即在餐厅的露天雅座进膳。即使香港有风光如画（picture-perfect）的海港，露天用餐（al fresco dining）却甚为匮乏（dearth of）。若是有 a dearth of something，即是说缺乏某事物。若某事物是 picture-perfect，那么它就是如画般十全十美的。香港的海港美丽得像一幅完美的画作。我不明白为何维港附近会那么缺少（dearth of）露天进膳（al fresco dining）的地方，让食客可以在户外欢宴畅饮。

露天进膳（al fresco dining）总是能 lifts my spirits，尤其是在天气舒适宜人之时。若某事物 lifts your spirits，意即它令你精神为之一振、心旷神怡。露天进膳（al fresco dining）在美国的寒冬是 out of the question——若某事物是 out of the question，即指那是不可能的。若外面天气太冷，户外用餐是不可能的。但在美国那些冬天很冷的州份，例如纽约，许多餐厅都会在有盖的户外用餐区设置暖气，这样即使天气寒冷，仍然可以在露天座位用餐（al fresco dining）；但当然，要是下雪的话，在户外进食就不可能（out of the question）了。

正如我在之前的文章中提及，我现在于印第安纳坡里斯我姊姊的家里居住。过去几天天气晴朗凉爽，最适合户外用餐（al fresco dining）。我和姐夫到了一间意大利餐厅的露天雅座进膳（al fresco dining）。我喝了马天尼，他则喝威士忌。我们决定晚餐只吃前菜小吃，同时欣赏醉人的日落。我们以面包开始，蘸着橄榄油和意大利香醋来吃。然后吃了 calamari，就是炸鱿鱼圈。在那之后，我们吃了 bruschetta，就是铺满橄榄油、蒜蓉和番茄的多士。接着我们又吃了虾。这一切一切都甚美味，令我神清气爽（lifted my spirits）。
Michael Chugani 褚简宁