又中又英｜Two-dish Rice

又中又英｜Two-dish Rice

There were many things I wanted to eat when I visited Hong Kong a few months ago. Top on my list were fish ball noodles, pineapple buns, dim sum, and steamed fish with rice. I also wanted to try the two-dish rice. I had not seen two-dish rice take-out restaurants when I left Hong Kong two years ago. But during my recent visit I noticed they had sprouted up everywhere. To sprout up means to suddenly appear. My friends told me two-dish rice take-out restaurants sprouted up during the pandemic when the government restricted the opening hours of dine-in restaurants.

Every time I passed by a two-dish rice place I looked at the large selection of dishes, which looked yummy (delicious) but I was put off by the price. To put off means to postpone doing something, but if you are put off by something it means you don’t want to do it. I was put off by the two-dish rice because the price was too cheap. I worried the food would not be clean. Friends told me they sometimes eat two-dish rice, and I should try it. I will take the plunge when I return to Hong Kong in a few months.

To take the plunge means to decide to do something after thinking about it for a long time. During my recent visit I ate pineapple buns and steamed fish but didn’t have time to eat fish ball noodles, which I love. It’s a typical Hong Kong dish which is hard to find in Taiwan and the US. I will surely eat fish ball noodles when I return, and hope readers can suggest good restaurants.

我幾個月前遊港，有許多東西我想去吃。名單頭幾位是魚蛋麵、菠蘿包、點心和蒸魚配飯。我也想試試兩餸飯。兩年前我離港之時，並沒有見到兩餸飯的外賣餐廳，但最近我回港，就留意到它們已經四處sprouted up。To sprout up是指突然出現、冒起。我的朋友們告訴我，兩餸飯外賣店是在疫情期間，政府限制食肆開放堂食時間之時湧現（sprouted up）的。

每次我經過賣兩餸飯的地方，我都見到非常多的餸菜選擇，看起來都很美味（yummy），但我就被價錢 put off——to put off是指延遲做某事，但若你是put off by something意即它令你卻步，不想去做。我被兩餸飯嚇跑（put off）了，因為價錢實在太便宜了。我擔心食物並不衞生。朋友們告訴我，他們有時也會吃兩餸飯，而我應該試一試。過幾個月我再回到香港時，便會冒險一試（take the plunge）。

To take the plunge是指經過長時間的考慮後，終於下定決心去做某事。我最近一次遊港，有吃到菠蘿包和蒸魚，但就不夠時間去吃我喜愛的魚蛋麵。這是香港特有的菜式，在台灣和美國都很難找到。我回港時一定會吃魚蛋麵，希望各位讀者可以提議一些好的餐廳給我試試。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻