英語故事:咖啡與人生 (上)

grandmother didn't just like her coffee, and it wouldn't reAlly do her justice to say she loved her coffee. Grandmother was to coffee what a sommelier is to wine. She knew the intricacies of coffee, the different tastes and even the textures. And only the best would do for her. No instant coffee, or coffee bought at the grocery store. She had to have fresh coffee, from a respectable coffee shop. "The morning cup of coffee sets the tone for the whole day," she used to say.

奶奶不止是喜歡咖啡這麼簡單，說句公道話，咖啡是她的摯愛。咖啡對於奶奶而言，就如同美酒對於斟酒侍者一般重要。她對於咖啡的紛繁學問，其不同的口味，甚至其結構特徵都瞭如指掌。而她只喝最好的咖啡，既不要速溶的，也不喜歡從雜貨店買的。她一定要喝有名望的咖啡店出售的新鮮咖啡。“清晨的一杯咖啡決定了一整天的基調。”她常這麼說。

I used to go to Grandmother's every Sunday morning. Her routine was always the same. She would kiss me once on each cheek, hang up my coat and lead me into the kitchen, slice a piece of banana bread right out of the oven (sometimes cranberry)， and pour a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

以前每個星期天的早上，我都會去奶奶家，而她也總會用同樣的程序來迎接我。她會在我的兩邊臉頰上各親一下，掛起我的外套，然後把我帶進廚房，切一片剛出爐的香蕉麪包(有時候是蔓越橘口味的)，並倒一杯新煮的咖啡給我。

"Alexa," she said to me one day. "Did you know that every person's personality is like a flavor of coffee?"

“阿麗夏，”一天，她對我說，“你知道嗎，每個人的性格就像是一種口味的咖啡。”

"Really?" I said, amused at how Grandmotherrelished her coffee so much that she related everything to it.

“是嗎？”我說。見到奶奶如此鍾愛她的咖啡，以致於將每一件事物都與之扯上關係，覺得挺逗的。

"Ye" she said. "You, my dear, are French vanilla. You are sweet, almost sickeningly so at times to the discerning coffee drinker." I slightly recoiled at Grandmother's assessment of me. You expect your grandmother to call you sweet, but never sickeningly sweet.

“是的，”她說。“你，我親愛的，是法國香草味的。你很甜美，對於那些有品味的咖啡客來說，有時甜得都有些發膩了。”聽了奶奶對我的評價後，我覺得有點不爽。你當然會希望奶奶說你很甜美，但絕對不希望是甜得發膩。

"Your father is espresso," she continued. "He comes on strong. There are many people who don't like him, but others can't live without that high feeling that he gives them. He has an addictive personality that many people can't let go of."

“你爸爸是杯濃縮咖啡，”她接着說，“他能給人以強烈的印象。有很多人不喜歡他，但也有人離開了他帶來的那種興奮感就活不下去。他有一種讓許多人無法放手的致命的吸引力。”

"Let me gues Grandmother. You're hazelnut."

“讓我猜猜，奶奶，那您就是榛子口味的。”

"Hazelnut? Why on earth would you say that?"

“榛子口味？你到底爲什麼會這麼說？”

"Because I find your coffee talk a bit nutty."

“因爲我發現您的咖啡論挺狂熱的。”(雙關語，nutty既指帶堅果口味，也指對某事狂熱。)

I smiled at Grandmother, but I could tell she was not amused. "Alexa dear, I am trying to teach you a lesson about life here. I do not need you poking fun at me."

我衝着奶奶笑了起來，不過我能看得出她並不覺得這很好笑。“親愛的阿麗夏，我是想在這裏教你一個人生的道理，而不是讓你拿我開玩笑的。”

A lesson about life? Is she kidding? "Grandmother, you can't dissect a person's personality by comparing them to a cup of coffee. People are more complex than that. Everyone has nuance personality quirk things that make them different. You just can't go around saying, 'She's a dark roast, he's an instant, he's a mocha almond.'"

一個人生的道理？她在開玩笑吧？“奶奶，你不可以用一杯咖啡去分析一個人的性格。人要比咖啡複雜得多。每個人都有差別，性格癖好相異，方方面面各不相同。你不可能四處晃晃，然後說：‘她是杯深焙咖啡，他是杯速溶咖啡，他是杯摩卡杏仁咖啡……’”

Grandmother looked at me, almost a blank, dull stare. "Then you just don't understand coffee," she snapped, clearing my plate and coffee cup from the table. "I guess not," I sighed, exasperated at my hazelnut grandmother.

奶奶用一種幾乎是茫然而沮喪的眼神看着我。“這麼說，你根本就不懂咖啡，”她厲聲說，從桌上清走了我的盤子和咖啡杯。“我想是的，”我嘆了口氣，對我這個“榛子口味”的奶奶感到有些惱火。