紐約范兒之邊走邊吃

邊走邊吃聽起來多少有些不雅，是對自身需求的潦草應付，似乎還有幾分對美食的不尊重。然而在紐約，人們對邊走邊吃卻司空見慣，甚至頗為鼓勵與喜愛。不是紐約人只求效率、不懂生活，相反，這是紐約餐飲傳統的延續與回歸，是對城市自由與效率的完美禮贊。邊吃邊走邊欣賞沿途的風景，誰又能說這不是一件愜意的事兒呢？

It started with a hot dog and a pair of rollerblades1）. At thirteen years old my version of being a reckless adolescent involved skidding down Broadway on a Saturday afternoon with my best friend， dodging2） pedestrians while munching3） on a Gray’s Papaya hot dog.

The rollerblades have long since been abandoned—as has my taste for Gray’s Papaya， along with other mystery meats—but what remains is my love of eating and walking at the same time. Like many favored pastimes， it is difficult to pinpoint its exact appeal. All I know is that it brings together two of my favorite diversions4）： food and mindless urban wandering. This is not an activity to be undertaken in just any city. It requires a place where you can order any meal to-go， a place where food is shoved into mouths absolutely anywhere and at any time， a place where public eating knows no bounds. On the crowded streets， eating while walking becomes a kind of sidewalk ballet. And no city is more conducive to this dance than New York， where eat-walking is not only normal， but encouraged. And I am a high achiever.

I have always felt that walking while eating is one of the highest forms of respect you can pay to a food and to a city， and to my city in particular. Tuck5） into that tub of chicken wings with hot sauce， bite into that impossibly juicy burger， devour that fully-loaded pizza as you walk down the street like it’s your last meal—nobody cares. Some call this bad manners. I call this freedom. But historically， it was not always a matter of choice.

In the suffocating6） tenements7） that were home to New York’s immigrants for much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries， multiple families were crammed into a single apartment and dozens would share one kitchen. In such close quarters there was effectively8） no room to eat. Meals were far better enjoyed outside， and often on the go. Andrew F. Smith， author of New York： A Food Biography， says that when we eat while walking， we are engaging in a historic New York pastime going back hundreds of years.

The current popularity of street food—Smith estimates that New Yorkers enjoy about 3，000 street food vendors these days—is in many ways a return to the city’s culinary past and a natural response to limited money and space. People across the world have used the street as a public dining room for as long as there have been streets. But in New York， where fast food is considered too slow， eating and walking are co-activities that perfectly compliment9） the mathematical equation that fuels the city： time = money. Not everyone practices this kind of arithmetic10）.

When I was nine years old， my mother towed me around Paris for two weeks on a budget that left room for Rodin11） sculpture viewing， a fair amount of onion soup eating and not much else. All my mother and I wanted come lunchtime was a sandwich to go. The French were not very obliging12）. Lunch was to be eaten at a table over the course of an hour or so with fixed attention and proper cutlery13）. A decade later I returned as a college student for a year that was largely spent traveling， in between which I would attend classes and attempt to write papers on the French Surrealists with the crutch14） of a heavily worn dictionary.

Mostly though， I stomped around the great cities of Europe， specializing in getting lost. I would start in the morning and walk all day， stumbling across a famous church here， an impressive monument there and untangling15） how one neighborhood flowed into the next. But getting food to go was a challenge. Currywurst in Vienna， gelato16） in Florence， kebabs in London—the options were limited and I was only vaguely aware of how gauche17） it was to walk down the street while snacking on oily chunks of meat. By this time Paris was experiencing the devastating arrival of le sandwich. They were sold everywhere. They were even thoughtfully wrapped for your portable gastronomic18） needs. Still， I did not see Parisians walking down the street eating sandwiches like I did. If you had to eat outside you were to sit yourself down on the steps of some great cathedral and nosh19） away.

The Gallic20） reverence for food is a bit shattering to the efficiency-minded. Put simply： “Food is good. Eating is not a matter of ingesting calories.” So says André Gayot21）， a food critic， president of Gayot.com and publisher of the Gayot guidebooks. He was one of the French critics who attempted to breathe new life into the country’s cuisine in the 1960s through coining and promoting nouvelle cuisine22）， a lighter， stripped-down23） approach to classic cooking. Despite modern influences on culinary traditions， there remains a sense of celebration at French meals. “We don’t like to eat and run，” says Gayot. “Work is one thing， and eating is another. It is a moment of reflection and socializing， and a moment of pleasure， like reading a good book or listening to music you like. Even with a busy life， people want to keep this tradition.”

The essential French culinary equation is one in which respect for food equals respect for yourself. Like so many things French， it is a product of the Revolution. Factory workers demanded a one-hour lunch break so they would not have to eat by their machines. “Eating in a civilized way sets us apart from animals. It’s something the French take seriously， no matter what it is—even a crappy sandwich，” says Clotilde Dusoulier， the food writer behind Chocolate amp; Zucchini. French workers are still untethered24） to their machines. People seldom eat at their desks and French companies above a certain size are required to provide an office fridge， microwave， and a designated space for eating.

Gastronomical reverence aside， animalistic habits are making some inroads25） in Paris. On my most recent visit earlier this year， I discovered that Parisians had discovered the bagel26）. I did not attempt to try one， mostly out of deference to the French. The sandwich has so deeply infiltrated27） lunchtime cuisine in Paris that bagels are this very moment being subjected to supporting multiple kinds of jambon28） and leafy greens， to the horror of Nova lox29） everywhere. Back in New York we have been paying equal respect to tradition for years by giving croissants30） the same treatment. Despite our culinary differences， it seems that American and French lunch-goers share a common desperation for new sandwich bread. And it’s having an effect. I spied a few efficient Parisian souls eating sandwiches while marching down cobblestoned streets.

For most New Yorkers， eat-walking is an irresistible trifecta31） of efficiency： nourishment， exercise and transportation. But for me， it has an opposite appeal. I don’t strive for French gastronomic serenity32）， but rather for a certain clarity that comes with engaging multiple senses at once. I begin to notice things when I slow my gait33） so as not to choke on a steaming samosa34）. Sheathed35） in the act of eating， the city both washes over36） me and flows through me. With the privilege of distance， scents become sharper， overheard conversations somehow become more profound， people’s outfits more interesting， the shiny new glass monolith37） more elegant and the stew of pedestrians more harmonious. As is the New York way， no one notices the trail of peas and potatoes in my wake38）. The streets of New York have always been bastions39） of eccentric indulgences. I weave through a thin crowd wearing a curried40） smile. I am home.

事情得從一個熱狗和一雙輪滑鞋講起。13歲時，我還是個冒冒失失的小丫頭，經常在周六下午跟我最要好的朋友一起沿著百老匯大街一路滑行，一邊躲閃著路上的行人，一邊大嚼著從格雷木瓜店里買來的熱狗。

如今那雙輪滑鞋早就被扔了——對格雷木瓜店里的熱狗和其他搞不清成分的肉類食品我也早沒了興趣——但我對邊走邊吃依然熱情不減。跟人們喜歡的很多消遣一樣，我很難準確說出它的吸引力到底在哪兒。我只知道它融合了我的兩大樂趣：吃東西和漫無目的地在城里閑逛。不是在哪個城市都能這么做的，能這么做的地方需要滿足以下條件：在那里，買任何吃的都能帶走，無論何時何地都能往嘴里塞東西吃，在公共場合吃東西絲毫不受限制。在擁擠的街頭，邊走邊吃成了在人行道上上演的芭蕾。沒有哪個城市比紐約更利于進行這種舞蹈了，在這里，邊走邊吃的行為不但正常，而且受到鼓勵。我就是這方面的高手。

我一向認為邊走邊吃是向食物和城市表達敬意的最高形式之一，對我所在的城市來說尤其如此。你走在街上，拿著一桶蘸了辣醬的雞翅大快朵頤，或是咬一口味美多汁到不可思議的漢堡，或是舉著塊餡料豐富的比薩狼吞虎咽，仿佛這是你的最后一餐—沒有人會在乎。有人管這叫沒規矩，我管這叫自由。不過在歷史上，邊走邊吃并非一直是人們主動的選擇。

在19到20世紀的大部分時間里，紐約的外來移民住的都是憋悶的出租屋，好幾家人擠在一套公寓里，許多戶人家共用一間廚房。在如此狹小的居所中，實際上就沒有用餐的空間。在戶外用餐反而要舒服得多，而且常常是邊走邊吃。《紐約食品發展史》的作者安德魯·F·史密斯說，當我們邊走邊吃東西時，我們是在進行幾百年前紐約歷史上的日常消遣。

據史密斯估計，紐約現在大約有3000名街頭小吃攤販。街邊小吃如今的流行在很大程度上是對這座城市餐飲歷史的回歸和針對有限的金錢和空間采取的自然應對之計。自街道產生之日起，世界各地的人們就把街道當成了公共餐廳。但是在紐約這個連快餐都嫌太慢的地方，邊走邊吃的組合正是對為這座城市提供動力的數學等式“時間=金錢”的完美禮贊。并不是所有人都會這樣演算。

在我九歲時，媽媽拉著我在巴黎轉了兩個星期。我們的預算有限，除了參觀羅丹的雕塑作品和吃好多頓洋蔥湯的錢之外所剩無幾。到了午飯時間，我和媽媽只想買個三明治在路上吃。法國人在這方面卻不怎么與人方便。吃頓午飯得在餐桌邊坐上一個來鐘頭，專心致志地吃，還得恰當地使用餐具。十年后，我以大學生的身份重返巴黎留學一年，我把這一年的大部分時間都花在了旅游上，在旅游的間隙會去上課，然后借助一本被翻爛的字典努力寫與法國超現實主義作家有關的論文。

不過，大多數時間我都是在歐洲各大城市暴走，迷路成了我的“專長”。我會從早上出發，走上一整天，一會兒在這兒發現一座著名教堂，一會兒在那兒看見一座雄偉的紀念碑，一路上研究著一個街區如何與下一個街區匯合。但是買外賣食物卻是一項挑戰。維也納的咖喱香腸、佛羅倫薩的冰淇淋、倫敦的烤肉串——可供選擇的種類有限，而我也只是隱約感到一邊吃著油汪汪的大肉塊一邊走在街上是多么不雅。此時，巴黎正在遭受三明治的大舉入侵。到處都有賣三明治的，店家甚至還會貼心地將它包好，方便你拿在路上享用美食。不過，我還是沒看到巴黎人像我那樣一邊在路上走一邊吃三明治。如果你不得不在外邊吃東西，你得找個大教堂的臺階坐下，然后再開吃。

在效率至上的人看來，法國人對食物的敬畏有些令人詫異。簡而言之：“食物是好東西。吃東西不是為了攝取卡路里。”說這話的是美食評論家、加約網站總裁、“加約指南”系列圖書的出版商安德烈·加約。20世紀60年代，一批法國評論家開始創造和推廣比傳統烹飪更加清淡和樸素的新式烹飪，試圖以此為法餐注入新的活力，加約便是其中的一員。盡管烹飪傳統受到現代社會的影響，但法國人在就餐時依然保持著一種儀式感。“我們不喜歡邊吃邊走，”加約說，“工作是一碼事，吃飯是另一碼事。吃飯是進行思考和與別人交流的時刻，是享受快樂的時刻，就像是讀一本好書或是聽自己喜歡的音樂一樣。即使生活忙碌，人們也想保持這個傳統。”

法國美食的基本公式：尊重食物就等于尊重自己。和法國的眾多事物一樣，這也是大革命的產物。工廠的工人要求獲得一小時的午餐休息時間，這樣他們就可以不必在機器旁邊進餐。“文明地進餐使我們有別于動物。法國人對這一點很重視，無論吃的是什么—即使是個糟糕的三明治也是如此。”“巧克力和西葫蘆”博客的作者、美食作家克洛蒂爾德·迪蘇利埃如此說道。法國的勞動者如今依然沒有被束縛在機器旁就餐。人們很少在辦公桌前用餐，達到一定規模的法國企業必須在辦公場所提供冰箱、微波爐和專門供職員用餐的地方。

撇開對美食的尊重不談，動物那般的飲食習慣開始侵蝕巴黎。今年早些時候，我最近一次造訪巴黎時，發現巴黎人已開始吃貝果了。我沒嘗試去買，這主要是為了表示對法國人的尊重。在巴黎，午餐吃三明治已經深入人心，眼下連貝果也到處被拿來夾上各種火腿和綠葉蔬菜，甚至夸張到用它夾著煙熏鮭魚吃。而在紐約，多年來我們也給予了羊角面包相同的待遇，以此向（吃三明治的）傳統表達同等的敬意。盡管飲食方面存在差異，但似乎美國人和法國人對于解決午餐抱有共同的渴望——開發新的三明治面包。而這已在產生效果。我就看見幾個講求效率的巴黎人一邊在鵝卵石鋪成的街道上大步行走，一邊吃三明治。

對于大多數紐約人而言，邊走邊吃從效率上看一舉三得，令人無法抗拒：補充了營養，鍛煉了身體，滿足了交通需求。但對我而言，它的吸引力剛好與之相反。我并不力求像法國人那樣從容地用餐，而是想要獲得同時運用多種感官所帶來的某種清晰的認知。在我放慢腳步以免被熱氣騰騰的油炸三角餃噎著時，我開始留意到周邊的事物。這座被吃的行為所包圍的城市既讓我無動于衷，又讓我深受觸動。有了距離這個優勢，氣味變得更加強烈，無意中聽到的對話也不知不覺變得更加深刻，人們的穿著顯得更有意思，嶄新閃亮的玻璃幕墻顯得更加優雅，街上擁擠的人流也變得更加和諧。正如紐約一貫的做派，沒人注意到我身后灑落的豌豆和土豆屑。紐約的街道向來是容納古怪嗜好的堡壘。我面帶微笑，嘴里散發著咖喱的氣息，穿行在稀落的人群中。我到家了。

1. rollerblade [?r??l?（r）?ble?d] n. 滾軸溜冰鞋，直排（輪）旱冰鞋

2. dodge [d?d?] vt. 閃身躲開，閃避

3. munch [m?nt?] vi. 用力嚼，出聲地嚼

4. diversion [da??v??（r）?（?）n] n. 消遣，娛樂

5. tuck [t?k] vi. 大口地吃（或喝）

6. suffocate [?s?f?ke?t] vt. 使窒息，使呼吸困難

7. tenement [?ten?m?nt] n. （尤指供出租的）住宅，住房

8. effectively [??fekt?v（?）li] adv. 其實，實際上

9. compliment [?k?mpl?m?nt] vt. 贊美;恭維

10. arithmetic [??r?θm?t?k] n. 算術知識，演算

11. Rodin：即奧古斯特.羅丹（Auguste Rodin，1840～1917），19世紀法國最有影響力的現實主義雕塑藝術家，代表作有《思想者》《手》《吻》等。

12. obliging [??bla?d???] adj. 與人方便的

13. cutlery [?k?tl?ri] n. （刀、叉、匙等）餐具

14. crutch [kr?t?] n. 支撐，依靠

15. untangle [?n?t??ɡ（?）l] vt. 理順，理清

16. gelato：意大利傳統冰淇淋

17. gauche [ɡ???] adj. 不雅致的;笨拙的

18. gastronomic [?ɡ?str??n?m?k] adj. 烹飪法的，美食的

19. nosh [n??] vi. 〈美〉吃（快餐）

20. Gallic [?ɡ?l?k] adj. 法國（人）的

21. André Gayot：安德烈·加約（1929～），法國美食評論家，自1969年開始在法國推廣新式烹飪，并自1980年以來出版了一系列餐廳指導手冊（即后文提到的Gayot guidebooks），對各個地區的頂級餐廳進行評級和特色點評，2005年被授予法國榮譽軍團勛章。后文提到的Gayot網站也是其團隊創辦的餐廳點評網站。

22. nouvelle cuisine：新式烹飪，一種源自法國的烹飪法，它強調食物簡單健康，外觀精美，而且量少。

23. stripped-down：樸素的，不加裝飾的

24. untether [?n?tee?（r）] vt. 不受……束縛（或限制、限定）

25. inroad [??n?r??d] n. [常作復數]侵襲;侵犯

26. bagel：貝果，美國紐約流行的硬面包圈，是健康早餐的代表。

27. infiltrate [??nf?ltre?t] vt. 滲透，滲入

28. jambon [?d??mb?n] n. 火腿

29. Nova lox：煙熏鮭魚

30. croissant [?kw?s??] n. 羊角面包，法國人的傳統早點

31. trifecta [tra??fekt?（r）] n. 三連勝式

32. serenity [s??ren?ti] n. 平靜;寧靜

33. gait [ɡe?t] n. 步伐

34. samosa [s??m??s?] n. 油炸三角餃（印度的一種肉餡或菜餡餃）

35. sheathe [?i?e] vt. 用……覆蓋

36. wash over：對……幾乎沒有影響

37. monolith [?m?n?l?θ] n. 獨石柱（或雕像、碑等）

38. in one’s wake：在……之后

39. bastion [?b?sti?n] n. 〈喻〉堡壘

40. curried [?k?rid] adj. 用咖喱烹煮的