《米其林情緣》

宋云峰

1. 《米其林指南》與米其林星級餐廳

1900年，汽車工業(yè)正處于襁褓期，汽車是只有富人才買得起、用得起的奢侈品，法國全國的汽車擁有量尚不到3，000輛。然而，法國米其林公司的創(chuàng)辦人米其林兄弟卻看好汽車旅行的發(fā)展前景。他們認(rèn)為汽車旅行越興旺，他們的輪胎就會(huì)賣得越好，因此他們將餐廳、地圖、加油站、旅館、汽車維修廠等等有助于汽車旅行的資訊匯編在一起，出版了隨身手冊大小的《米其林指南》（Michelin Guides）一書，并免費(fèi)發(fā)放。當(dāng)時(shí)的第一版就印制了35，000本，因?yàn)椴皇苤匾暠灰恍┤穗S地亂扔，后來才實(shí)行收費(fèi)式正式出版。由于指南中的餐館部分特別受到歡迎，米其林兄弟專門招募了品鑒團(tuán)隊(duì)每年微服私訪并匿名評價(jià)法國各地的餐館。

1926年，《米其林指南》一書開始用星號來標(biāo)記餐廳的優(yōu)良等級，“米其林星級餐廳”就是從那時(shí)起開始聞名于世的。自1931年起，指南啟用了1到3星的評價(jià)體系，并于1936年公布了評價(jià)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)：

*：同類餐廳中的優(yōu)良品：“A very good restaurant in its category” （Une très bonne table dans sa catégorie）

**：一流的廚藝，值得停車享用：“Excellent cooking， worth a detour” （Table excellente， mérite un détour）

***：登峰造極的美食，值得專程前往：“Exceptional cuisine， worth a special journey”（Une des meilleures tables， vaut le voyage）.

隨后，《米其林指南》先后出了英國/愛爾蘭、德國、意大利、比利時(shí)/盧森堡、荷蘭、西班牙/葡萄牙、瑞士等國家的版本，以及包括倫敦、巴黎、紐約、東京、香港和上海在內(nèi)的十幾個(gè)城市的版本。下表為四個(gè)主要?dú)W洲國家米其林星級餐廳的分布：

盡管《米其林指南》的星級餐廳評價(jià)體系也受到一些人的質(zhì)疑和批評，例如匿名評價(jià)的主觀性、偏向法國飲食、偏愛氛圍和形式、對日本飲食評價(jià)虛高（2010年版的《米其林指南》使日本成為米其林星級餐廳最多的國家，受到人們質(zhì)疑）以及遭到不想被評級餐廳的反對抗議等，米其林星級餐廳體系仍然是當(dāng)今世界最具權(quán)威性的餐飲指南。2014年上映的影片《米其林情緣》（The Hundred-Foot Journey），直譯“一百英尺的旅程”就是以米其林星級餐廳為緣由探討不同飲食文化的沖突與融合，也間接反映了歐洲在全球化時(shí)代的移民問題和族群融合問題。

2. 《米其林情緣》中的飲食文化沖突與族群融合

《米其林情緣》根據(jù)理查德·莫來斯（Richard Morais）2010年出版的同名小說改編，由擅長拍攝清新文藝片的萊塞·霍爾斯道姆（Lasse Hallstrm）導(dǎo)演，著名影星海倫·米倫（Helen Mirren）、歐姆·普瑞（Om Puri）、曼尼什·達(dá)亞爾（Manish Dayal）以及夏洛特·勒邦（Charlotte le Bon）主演。影片講述了一個(gè)法國小鎮(zhèn)上兩個(gè)鄰近餐館之間為爭奪食客而明爭暗斗的故事。兩家餐館位于主街道的兩側(cè)，相距只有一百英尺，一家是高大上的米其林星級餐廳，另一家則是剛剛移民到此的印度家庭開設(shè)的地道印度餐館。

影片因其美食、文化、移民等歐洲話題受到電影界的關(guān)注。例如，斯皮爾伯格和歐普拉·溫弗瑞（Oprah Winfrey）的公司聯(lián)合為這部電影投資并擔(dān)任監(jiān)制，擅長拍攝文藝片的瑞典著名導(dǎo)演霍爾斯道姆（曾因拍攝瑞典著名流行樂團(tuán)ABBA的MTV而成名，并執(zhí)導(dǎo)過1999年上映的《總有驕陽》和2000年上映的《濃情巧克力》等著名文藝片）受邀擔(dān)任導(dǎo)演，著名英國明星海倫·米倫（出演過2006年上映的《女王》和2009年上映的《最后一站》等名人傳記片）、著名印度演員歐姆·普瑞（出演過反映英國南亞移民生活的《西方就是西方》和《東方就是東方》）分別出演兩家餐廳的主人。

影片涉及飲食文化差異、歐洲移民和種族歧視等主題，但影片的主線在于發(fā)掘和展示前者，而對后者則做了族群融合、文化互鑒的理想化處理。影片的敘事采取了兩代人雙層線索發(fā)展的結(jié)構(gòu)，展示了不同種族的兩代人在對待飲食文化、種族關(guān)系和跨族裔戀愛等全球化時(shí)代問題上的差異，具有較強(qiáng)的戲劇性和喜劇性。影片對法國與印度飲食的制作也進(jìn)行了極為細(xì)致和精美的展示，既吊足了觀眾的胃口又使他們了解了兩國特色鮮明的飲食文化。《米其林情緣》以清新文藝片的主題和風(fēng)格展示了不同飲食文化的特點(diǎn)，在滿足觀眾視覺盛宴的基礎(chǔ)上揭示了不同族群相處時(shí)文化互鑒、包容和諧、共同發(fā)展的正確態(tài)度和方向，在票房與評論方面均取得了較大的成功。影片投資為2，200萬美元，票房收入則接近9，000萬美元，四倍于投資額。

《米其林情緣》上映后受到正面的評價(jià)，盡管影片有些老套的溫馨。爛番茄電影網(wǎng)站基于124篇評論給予該片百分制的68分，綜合評語為：“Director Lasse Hallstr？m does lovely work and Helen Mirren is always worth watching， but The Hundred-Foot Journey travels predictable ground already covered by countless feel-good dramedies（劇情類喜劇）.”另一家電影網(wǎng)站Metacritic則基于36篇影評給影片打了百分制的55分，評語為“mixed or average reviews”。下面是兩篇具體影評的摘要：

“Winfrey chose the book（指同名原著）as a“favorite summer read” in 2010. “Its about human beings coming to understand other human beings and more importantly， after you get to experience or step into somebody elses shoes（設(shè)身處地）or see them for a real human being， how you understand that youre really more alike than you are different，” she said at the time. It also doesnt hurt that all the food scenes will leave you famished（胃口大開）.（Jessica Goodman， Entertainment Editor， The Huffington Post）

The culture war examined in The Hundred-Foot Journey is a bit less one-sided： It contrasts the heat and intensity of Indian cooking with the elegance and refinement of French haute cuisine（高級烹飪）， then balances the two with a feel-good lesson in ethnic harmony. Knight（該片制片人）and Hallstr？m gently milk（利用）all the expected stereotypes for humor and conflict： The French are snobs（自命不凡的人）with their hoity-toity（傲慢的）manners and expensive food， and theyre deeply affronted（被冒犯）by the thrifty（節(jié)儉的）， tacky（俗氣的）Indians with their colorful clothes and loud music. Frances ugly history of racial aggression and unrest， particularly relevant at the present moment， briefly punctures（刺穿）the films placid（平靜的）surface when local thugs（暴徒）attack and nearly burn down Maison Mumbai（影片中印度餐館的名字）. But rather than lighting a fuse（導(dǎo)火索）， this trauma（創(chuàng)傷）is what begins to unite the Kadams and Madame Mallory（兩家餐館的主人）， who soon realizes that Hassan（片中男主人公/印度餐館的主廚，是Kadam的兒子） is not only an exceptional（杰出的）cook， especially when armed with his familys prized spice box， but possibly the missing ingredient that could earn Le Saule Pleureur（影片中法國餐館的名字）its second Michelin star. The Hundred-Foot Journey becomes a story in which cultural opposites not only learn to coexist， but are in fact triumphantly and even romantically reconciled（和解）. It may be set in France， but really， it could be taking place in any moviemanufactured fantasyland（幻想世界）where enemies become the best of friends， and an embittered（怨恨的）old shrew（悍婦）turns out to have a heart of gold （Justin Chang， Variety.com）.

3. 《米其林情緣》故事情節(jié)

The Kadam family ran a restaurant in Mumbai（孟買）. The second-oldest son， Hassan （Manish Dayal）， was being groomed（受訓(xùn)）to replace his mother as the restaurants main cook. However， a mob attacks and firebombs（用燃燒彈攻擊）the restaurant over an election dispute. Papa Kadam （Om Puri） and his family evacuate（疏散）the guests， but Mama is killed. Seeking asylum（避難）in Europe， the family first settles in London， where their residence proves ill-suited（不合適的）for a restaurant. So they depart for mainland Europe.

Shortly after entering France， the brakes on Papas van（大篷車）fail near Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the Midi-Pyrénées（南部比利牛斯地區(qū)）. Marguerite（Charlotte Le Bon）， a sous chef（副廚師長）at an upscale（質(zhì)優(yōu)價(jià)高的）French restaurant named “Le Saule Pleureur” （“The Weeping Willow”，意為：垂柳）， passes by and offers to help the Kadams find an auto repair shop and a guest house. She brings the Kadams to her apartment and treats them to cold food. Papa is amazed at the quality of the food in the village and its availability and discovers that Marguerite made the food herself.

Papa learns of（獲悉）an abandoned restaurant building available for purchase. It is located directly across the street—only 100 feet—from Le Saule Pleureur. Madame Mallory （Helen Mirren）， caretaker（看管者）for the owners， asks the Kadams to leave because it is “private property”. Papa buys the property， even though the rest of his family is against it，and names the restaurant “Maison Mumbai”（意為：孟買私房菜）.

Mallory comes over to Maison Mumbai to ask for a menu and then buys all the locally available ingredients needed to cook their dishes on opening night. A cold war erupts between Papa and Mallory. The war peaks on Bastille Day（巴士底日，即7月14日的法國國慶日）when one of Mallorys chefs， Jean-Pierre， and two others vandalize（肆意毀壞）the Kadams restaurant by spraypainting（噴涂）words which translate to “France for the French”（法國是法國人的法國）on the outer wall and firebombing the interior. Hassan catches the arsonists（縱火犯）in the act and scares them off， but his hands and legs are burned. The following morning Mallory， who knew nothing of the arson（縱火）and vandalism， dismisses Jean-Pierre and personally cleans the graffiti（涂鴉）from Maison Mumbai.

Hassan， having heard from Marguerite that Mallory hires potential chefs by taste-testing an omelette（煎蛋卷）and deciding whether the person is indeed a great chef， asks if he may cook an omelette for her to his recipe. Due to his injured hands， Mallory helps under Hassans supervision. After tasting the omelette， Mallory recognizes Hassans potential and invites him to work for her. Papa is initially against the move（舉動(dòng)）， but ultimately strikes a deal with her as to Hassans pay.

Hassans cooking， which gradually evolves into a fusion（融合）of Indian cuisine and French cuisine， results in Mallorys restaurant receiving its second Michelin star. The award draws national attention to Hassans cooking， and he is offered and accepts a job in Paris. Papa and Mallory make amends（道歉）and begin seeing each other.

Hassans cooking in Paris quickly receives critical acclaim（稱贊）， fueling speculation（加劇了推測）of a third Michelin Star for the Paris restaurant， but his work is increasingly bogged down（陷入困境）by thoughts of his family and Marguerite （with whom he had an ongoing romance）. Eventually， Hassan returns home and reunites with Marguerite. He invites Marguerite to join him in a business venture—buying a stake（股份）in Mallorys restaurant， along with operational control. Hassan believes this will help the restaurant earn its third star. That evening， Hassan and Marguerite prepare dinner at Mallorys restaurant and bring the dishes across the road to the courtyard of Maison Mumbai for all to enjoy.

4. 精彩對白

Coming to Europe to Open a Restaurant

Officer （at the French border）： Your name？

Hassan： Hassan Iqbal Kadam.

Officer： Date of birth？

Hassan： July 5th， 1990.

Officer： Place of birth？

Hassan： I was born in Mumbai（孟買）， India.

Officer： Your occupation？

Hassan： Im a cook.

Officer： You mean kitchen porter（服務(wù)員，勤雜工）？

Hassan： No， cook. My family has run restaurants in India for many years. My great-grandfather fed soldiers during the time of the British Raj（英國殖民統(tǒng)治時(shí)期）. But now we have come to try our luck in Europe， me and my family.

Officer： And youre planning to stay in Europe， as a cook？

Hassan： Oh， yes.

Officer： You have qualifications（資質(zhì)）？

Hassan： Yes. My mother taught me.

Officer： But no proof on paper？

Hassan： Only grease-proof paper（防油紙，牛油紙），（presenting the food）Samosa（咖喱角）？

Officer： No， thank you.

Hassan： My school was our family restaurant in Mumbai， and my mother was my instructor. It was an education for all of the senses. But mostly， I was taught how to taste. One night my schooling ended. There was an election of some kind， and there was a winner， and there was a loser. We lost everything. Everything. After my mother was killed， Papa decided to bring the family to London. I attempted to continue my education on my own. We found a home quite near to Heathrow（希思羅機(jī)場）.

Papa： Yes， we are the Kadam family. When we fled from Mumbai， we were given asylum（避難權(quán)）in London. Uh， we were there for one year. And， uh， its too cold， so we decided to open a restaurant in Europe.

Officer： Where in Europe？

Papa： Somewhere in Europe.

Officer： And why exactly are you leaving London？

Hassan： I found in England that vegetables， they had no…h(huán)ad no soul. No life. You see？

Officer： Alright. （Stamps Hassans passport）

Hassan： Maybe well find it here.

Officer： Maybe.