又中又英｜To do a double take

Eggs are bad for you. That was the warning by health experts in the past. They said egg yolks had high cholesterol, which could cause heart attacks or strokes. Newer studies in recent years showed eggs can, in fact, be healthy if eaten in moderation. Experts now say people who don't have diabetes or heart disease can eat up to seven eggs a week. The newer studies found that even though eggs increase the bad cholesterol in your body, they also increase the good cholesterol. This creates a balance between the two types of cholesterol.

You must be wondering why this column is about eggs. Some months ago, I cracked open an egg into a bowl to stir before frying it. The egg had two yolks! I was so surprised that I did a double take. To do a double take means to look again in surprise at something unexpected. I didn't dare eat it and discarded it. It was so unusual that I didn't think it would happen again. I was wrong! I bought a carton with six eggs recently. Four eggs had double yolks! When it rains, it pours.

This expression means when something bad happens, it is quickly followed by other bad things one after another. My internet research showed eggs with two yolks mean good luck, not bad luck. The research showed only one in about a thousand eggs has two yolks. I had four in a carton of six eggs. I ate the eggs this time but am still waiting for my good luck.

鸡蛋于你无益——这是以往健康专家给出的警告。他们说蛋黄有高胆固醇，从而引致心脏病发或中风。近年一些较新的研究却显示，鸡蛋若能适量地吃，实际上是健康的。现在专家们说，没有糖尿病或心脏病的人，一星期可以吃最多七只蛋。更新出的研究发现，即使鸡蛋会为你的身体增加坏胆固醇，它们也能增加好胆固醇。这能达致两种胆固醇的平衡。

你一定在想，为何我在这里写鸡蛋？几个月前，我炒蛋前打了一只蛋进碗内，准备发打。那只蛋有双蛋黄！我很惊讶，于是我 did a double take——to do a double take是因为难以置信而再看一遍。我不敢吃它，把它丢掉了。那是很不寻常的，我不认为会再次发生。但我错了！我最近买了一盒六只鸡蛋，当中有四只都是双黄的！When it rains, it pours.

这句习语的意思是祸不单行，倒霉的事总是接踵而来。我网上的搜寻显示，双蛋黄意味着好运而非厄运。研究指，一千只蛋中只有一只会出现双蛋黄，我一盒六只蛋中却有四只是如此。我今次有吃掉那些蛋，却还在等着我的好运降临。
 
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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻