填滿美味與歡樂的感恩節
Thanksgiving is almost here! It’s celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November every year (Nov 27 this year). Thanksgiving is about being thankful for the things you have, family reunion and lavish feasts. 21st Century’s Darnell Gardner Jr penned this tribute to the holiday.
感恩節快到啦！在每年11月的第四個星期四（今年是11月27日），西方的小夥伴們都會和家人團聚，一起享用大餐，感激自己所擁有的一切。今天，就讓我們跟隨世紀君的同事Darnell Gardner Jr一起來看他家的感恩節是怎麼過的！
This Thursday, my family (minus one) will celebrate one of the US’ biggest holidays — Thanksgiving. For me, more than anything, Thanksgiving is about warmth.
今天，我們全家人又要一起過（唯獨缺了我）美國最大的節日之一——感恩節，對我而言，感恩節所帶來的更多的是溫馨。It’s about the warm feelings that are stirred up in your spirit when you see your extended family. It’s about the warmth of the holiday season, which serves as a buffer against the bitter cold weather that envelopes much of the US this time of year. It’s about the warmth of the burning logs flickering in the fireplace, and the warmth of that first bite of Thanksgiving dinner.
它是你見到一大家子人之後心中盪漾出來的溫暖感覺，它是整個假日季的一抹溫存，它讓每年這個時候侵襲美國許多地區的寒冷天氣變得沒那麼冰冷；它也是壁爐裏火光搖曳的溫暖炭火，它是吃到第一口節日大餐時的陣陣暖意。
The holiday, which has similar equivalents in countries and cultures across the globe, has been celebrated since the early days of the American colonies. According to lore, the first settlers celebrated Thanksgiving after a successful fall harvest. The cornerstone of their celebration was a giant feast, a tradition that continues to this day.
全世界許多國家與文化都有與感恩節類似的節日。感恩節發源於早期的北美殖民地。據說，第一批來到美國的殖民者在一次豐碩的秋收之後開始慶祝感恩節。一頓豐盛的大餐是他們慶祝感恩節的重頭戲，這一傳統也延續至今。My mom prepares all of my favorite foods on Thanksgiving. The dinner table sits heavy under the weight of pans of moist turkey, gooey macaroni and cheese, savory dressing (similar to stuffing), tender candied yams, expertly spiced greens, and hot cornbread. She spends all day cooking the meal, and sometimes the preparations even begin the day before the holiday. It’s a lot of work, and it’s a lot of food, and each year I’m amazed at how she manages to put everything together.
每年的感恩節，我的媽媽都會準備我最愛吃的菜餚：桌子上滿滿當當地擺着多汁的火雞，黏黏的通心粉和奶酪；可口的餡料，甜甜的山藥入口即化；還有精心調製的蔬菜，以及熱騰騰的玉米麪包。媽媽一般要用一整天來製作這些佳餚，有時候甚至需要提前一天就開始準備。因爲要做出這麼多的菜餚工作量巨大。每年我都驚歎，難以想象她是如何完成這一切的。The first, most formal meal begins once all of the food is ready. Everyone sits around the table, a prayer is offered, our glasses are filled with wine, and we dig in. While we eat, we go around the table and take turns saying what we’re thankful for this year. Talking is quite a challenge when your mouth is full of delicious food.
所有的菜都上桌之後，正餐就要開始了：大家圍桌而坐，杯中盛滿了葡萄酒，祈禱之後就可以開吃。在吃飯的間隙，我們依次起身和家人分享自己今年應該感恩的事情。當你的嘴裏塞滿了食物時，說話確實是個不小的挑戰。Once everyone has eaten their first meal, seconds, thirds and even fourths are offered on a first-come-first-served basis.
當每個人吃完第一餐後，還可以加第二餐、第三餐甚至第四餐，誰需要就給先給誰上菜After we finish eating at our home, believe it or not, we sometimes go to my aunt’s house to continue eating and meeting with family. Football is another key element of Thanksgiving, and my aunt’s family loves the sport. After eating, the family crowds around the television to watch football players throw around the old pigskin. Usually at this point I retire to the basement to gorge myself on videogames and sweets with the younger members of the family.
不管你信不信，我們在家裏吃過飯之後，有時還會去我姑姑/姨媽家接着吃飯，見一見家裏的親戚。美式足球也是我們家感恩節的關鍵元素，因爲我姑姑/姨媽一家都喜歡美式足球。吃過飯後，我們一大家子人就會擠在電視機前看球賽。這時候，我一般都會和家裏的小輩們一起去地下室大打電子遊戲。By the end of the day, everyone is fat and happy. We’ve all eaten so much that we can hardly move. The smells of the holiday begin to fade, and our minds and hearts begin to set on Christmas, the next time we’ll have a chance to celebrate each other.
美好的一天總是要過去的，當夜幕降臨，興高采烈的我們通常撐得動也動不了。感恩節的氣氛漸漸散去，而我們的思緒已經飄向了聖誕節——下一個又能與家人歡慶的節日。
