2022年12月21日 VOA慢速英语：巴基斯坦小餐馆供应美味、昂贵的食物

 

Baking Virsa, an eatery in Lahore, Pakistan, is sometimes described as the country's costliest place for what it serves: flatbreads and meats.
Baking Virsa 是巴基斯坦拉合尔的一家餐馆，有时被描述为该国服务成本最高的地方：扁面包和肉类。
 
The eatery is a small space without windows. Dinners come on plastic plates and diners sit on plastic stools. But Baking Virsa gets visitors from across Pakistan and beyond. Visitors want to learn about the limited offerings, the owner, and the dining experience that sets it apart from other restaurants in the area.
餐厅是一个没有窗户的小空间。晚餐是用塑料盘子来的，用餐者坐在塑料凳子上。但是 Baking Virsa 吸引了来自巴基斯坦各地及其他地区的游客。访客想了解有限的产品、所有者以及使其与该地区其他餐厅区分开来的用餐体验。
 
Background
背景
 
The eatery opens out onto Railway Road in Gawalmandi, an area filled with people, vehicles, animals, and food shops.
餐厅通向加瓦尔曼迪 (Gawalmandi) 的铁路路，那里到处都是人、车辆、动物和食品店。
 
Many of Gawalmandi's original communities came from Kashmir and the eastern Punjab area before 1947. That was the year India and Pakistan became independent from the former British Empire. The mix of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims gave diversity to Gawalmandi's businesses, culture and food.
1947 年之前，加瓦尔曼迪的许多原始社区来自克什米尔和旁遮普东部地区。那一年，印度和巴基斯坦从前大英帝国中独立出来。印度教徒、锡克教徒和穆斯林的混合为加瓦尔曼迪的商业、文化和食品带来了多样性。
 
Some in Lahore used to see Gawalmandi as "virtually a no-go area," said Kamran Lashari, the director-general of the Lahore Walled City Authority. But a makeover more than 20 years ago helped bring in more visitors.
拉合尔寨城管理局局长卡姆兰·拉沙里 (Kamran Lashari) 说，拉合尔的一些人过去常常将加瓦尔曼迪 (Gawalmandi) 视为“实际上是禁区”。但 20 多年前的改造帮助吸引了更多游客。
 
"We had street performers. President Pervez Musharraf sat in the street with people all around him. The prince of Jordan also visited. Indian newspapers reported on Gawalmandi," Lashari said.
“我们有街头表演者。佩尔韦兹·穆沙拉夫总统坐在街上，周围都是他的人。约旦王子也来了。印度报纸报道了加瓦尔曼迪，”拉沙里说。
 
Costly food
昂贵的食物

Eateries in Gawalmandi are generally not costly.
Gawalmandi 的餐馆一般都不贵。
 
But then there is Baking Virsa, where dinner for two can quickly come to $60 without drinks because drinks, even water, are not served.
但还有 Baking Virsa，两人晚餐不含饮料的价格很快就会达到 60 美元，因为不提供饮料，甚至不提供水。
 
By comparison, a basket of naan at the five-star Serena Hotel in the capital, Islamabad, sells for a dollar and a serving of kebabs is $8. In Gawalmandi, one naan usually costs as little as 10 cents.
相比之下，在首都伊斯兰堡的五星级塞雷纳酒店，一篮印度馕售价 1 美元，一份烤肉串售价 8 美元。在 Gawalmandi，一份 naan 通常只需 10 美分。
 
Baking Virsa makes five items: chicken, chops, two kinds of naan, and kebabs. Owner Bilal Sufi also sells bakarkhani – a pastry best enjoyed with a cup of pink Kashmiri chai. But diners must order everything days before arrival.
Baking Virsa 制作五种食物：鸡肉、排骨、两种烤饼和烤肉串。店主 Bilal Sufi 还出售 bakarkhani——一种糕点，搭配一杯粉红色的 Kashmiri 柴最美味。但用餐者必须在抵达前几天订购所有东西。
 
The 34-year-old Sufi tells people that his eatery has been in the same place for 75 years. And he has been serving the same items for many years.
34岁的苏菲告诉人们，他的餐馆已经在同一个地方75年了。而且他多年来一直服务于相同的项目。
 
Sufi has run Baking Virsa for more than three years, taking over from his father Sufi Masood Saeed, who ran it before him and his grandfather Sufi Ahmed Saeed before that.
Sufi 经营 Baking Virsa 已经三年多了，接替了他的父亲 Sufi Masood Saeed 和他的祖父 Sufi Ahmed Saeed。
 
He says he is only doing what his father and grandfather have done. He describes his ingredients, cooking methods, and where and how his meat is raised. His sheep are fed special food such as saffron milk, dates and green bananas.
他说他只是在做他父亲和祖父做过的事情。他描述了他的原料、烹饪方法，以及他的肉是在哪里和如何饲养的。他的羊被喂以特殊食物，如藏红花奶、红枣和青香蕉。
 
He also tells people how to eat their food. "Pick it up with your hands! Take a big bite! Eat like a beast!" he tells them. A beast is a wild animal that is large or dangerous.
他还告诉人们如何吃他们的食物。“用手捡起来！咬一大口！像野兽一样吃！” 他告诉他们。野兽是一种大型或危险的野生动物。
 
There is no salad, no yogurt, and no chutney, he tells a possible diner on the phone. "And if you ask for these you won't get them," he said.
没有沙拉，没有酸奶，也没有酸辣酱，他在电话中告诉一个可能的用餐者。“如果你要这些，你就得不到，”他说。
 
The meal arrives in a special order. First, Sufi presents a whole chicken, for $30, followed by mutton chops at $12.50, then a kebab, which costs $8. Sufi says one kebab is enough for two people.
这顿饭是按特殊顺序送达的。首先，Sufi 提供了一整只鸡，30 美元，然后是 12.50 美元的羊排，然后是 8 美元的烤肉串。Sufi 说一份烤肉串足够两个人吃。
 
Sufi insists on his diners knowing what they eat, where it comes from, how it is made — and "why it tastes so different." And he has no plan to change anything.
苏菲坚持让他的食客知道他们吃的是什么、来自哪里、是如何制作的——以及“为什么味道如此不同”。而且他没有改变任何事情的计划。
 
"Baking Virsa is a legacy," he says. "I'm doing this out of love ... for my father."
苏菲坚持让他的食客知道他们吃的是什么、来自哪里、是如何制作的——以及“为什么味道如此不同”。而且他没有改变任何事情的计划。