After EI Bulli, a Sweet Taste of Life(3.28)
吃过这个西班牙餐厅,此生无憾
[1] ROSES, Spain — Stepping out of a helicopter that was ferrying guests to a special dinner at El Bulli, the British fashion designer Ozwald Boateng wore an emerald-green suit and the smile of a person who had just won the lottery.
[2] “I still can’t believe this invitation because I’ve heard there’s almost zero chance of
booking a table here,” he said.
[3] At the end of July, El Bulli’s celebrity chef, Ferran Adrià, will close a restaurant that has repeatedly been voted the world’s best and that receives about two million booking requests a year.
But the wooden-beamed establishment, which overlooks a cove along Spain’s Costa Brava, struggles to fit more than 50 people for dinner.
[4] El Bulli’s closing, announced in January 2010, stunned the world of high cuisine that Mr. Adrià has helped to reshape. It also
fueled speculation about whether legal, financial or even health problems had
led to his decision, rather than what the Catalan chef professed to be an urge
to spend two years out of the kitchen before starting afresh. He has also, since September, been helping to teach a Harvard class on the science of cooking that he largely designed.
[5] “I’m not a multimillionaire, but I don’t have
to work anymore, and I knew that it was time to take a break and then do something different,” Mr. Adriàsaid before the dinner, given last Friday by Dom Pérignon.
[6] His plan is to reopen El Bulli as a culinary
research foundation that will publish its findings online at no charge. Rather than inventing more recipes, Mr. Adrià— known as the father of “molecular gastronomy,” a term he dislikes — wants to explore broader ideas on food and cooking techniques that
might be of use to cooks and restaurant owners worldwide, who “often just don’t have the time to think about creation,” he said.
[7] Such altruism will also help erase any aura of elitism that El Bulli may have generated, which Mr. Adrià said was “something that was perhaps inevitable but that I haven’t sought.”
[8] The recent speculation over why El Bulli had remained unprofitable, he said, was proof that outsiders had misunderstood
goals that stretch well beyond business rationale. Mr. Adrià said that he had always intended to use El Bulli as his showcase and offset its costs through other culinary
ventures. For instance, with his brother Albert, Mr. Adrià opened a tapas restaurant and cocktail bar this year in Barcelona,
the Catalan capital about 150 kilometers, or 90 miles, south of El Bulli.
[9] “Some of what I’ve been doing is for business reasons, but El Bulli itself has never been about making money, because if it had been, I could have charged €1,000 and we would still have been full,” he said. The restaurant’s set menu costs €285, or about $400.
[10] Mr. Adrià is squeezing more revenue out of El Bulli by allowing some corporations to hold private dinners, at a cost of €125,000, which he said would be channeled into the research foundation.
[11] Mr. Boateng was among the guests at the first of such dinners given by Dom Pérignon, which also offered Mr. Adrià a chance to work alongside its veteran chef de cave, Richard Geoffroy. “Champagne is the only thing that can accompany a meal of more than 45 courses,” Mr. Adrià said. “With
other drinks, you would go mad.”
[12] In the end, six Dom Pérignon vintages accompanied a 47-course menu that featured many of the dishes that helped place Mr. Adrià at the vanguard of modern high cuisine, thanks to his pioneering
use of chemical emulsifiers and additives like liquid nitrogen, to achieve instant freezing, and methyl cellulose, a gelling agent.
[13] Dom Pérignon’s guest list was cosmopolitan — but not as diverse the restaurant staff of unpaid apprentices
representing 17 different nationalities.Some of that staff will become Mr. Adrià’s assistants at his foundation. The rest have been busy looking for alternative employment, like Marie-Paule Herman, a 24-year old Dutch, an assistant sommelier at El Bulli who will start another trainee position in September at Noma in Copenhagen. “It’s been about hard work and discipline here, but every minute of it has been worth it,” she said.René Redzepi, the chef of Noma, was himself a kitchen apprentice to Mr. Adrià. Noma was recently named — for the second year running — the best restaurant in the world in the San Pellegrino rankings compiled by Restaurant, a British publication.
[14] While El Bulli will close soon, Rafael Ansón, the president of the Royal Spanish
Academy of Gastronomy, which helps promote the country’s cuisine, noted that “we now have 15 or even 20 restaurants in Spain that are just as good, but that all owe at least some of that to Ferran Adrià — and probably the same applies to restaurants outside of Spain.”
[15] However far Mr. Adrià’s culinary vision has spread, most guests at the Dom Pérignon dinner were unfamiliar with
his approach to cooking.
[16] “This is the ultimate experience in design that food can offer and this is what must make this place so special,” said
Marc Newson, a leading London-based industrial designer. “The food is deconstructed and then reconstructed, challenging each one of us to think about food in an intellectual way that is very far removed from food as something that is needed to stay alive.”
[17] Sampling his 25th dish, made of frozen parmesan sprinkled with muesli nuts, Mr. Boateng was still delighted. “This meal is pure theater and genius,” he said, “ even if it’s hard to keep up.”
[18] Indeed, dining at El Bulli can feel somewhat relentless, both because of the number of dishes and the need to grasp much of the food with one’s hands and eat it before it starts to melt or crumble. Dinner conversation is regularly interrupted by waiters delivering information in stern tones that can sometimes be purposefully misleading. Heather Graham, a Hollywood actress, winced after swallowing half of a glass of what had been described as hare’s blood. “I would much rather pace myself
for the chocolate,” she said. (The drink was beetroot juice.)
[19] The menu emphasizes the visual as much as the tasting experience of food, and reflects Mr. Adrià’s fascination with kaiseki, the traditional Japanese multicourse
meal. One of the highlights was a paper-thin slice of candy floss that came encrusted
with colorful flowers.
[20] During his sabbatical, Mr. Adrià is planning to travel to study culinary traditions, starting with a visit to China in August.
[21] Having begun in the restaurant world as a plate washer, Mr. Adrià is amazed to find
himself at such a pinnacle. “I didn’t even go to university, so how could I imagine teaching one day at Harvard?” he said. “Everything that has happened in my life has been unthinkable.”
详解:
ferry /ˈfer.i/verb[T usually + adv/prep ] 渡船
to transport people or goods in a vehicle, especially regularly and often
emerald greena bright greencolour
emerald ['ɛmərəld] n. 绿宝石；[宝] 祖母绿；翠绿色adj. 翠绿色的
lottery /ˈlɒt. ər.i/noun彩票
helicopter 直升机
wear/weər /verbwore , worn
[ T ] to have clothing, jewellery, etc. on your body
He wears glasses for reading.
他戴了眼镜。
She wears very little makeup.
她没有化妆。
[ T ] to show a particular emotion on your face
The minister wore a confident smile throughout the interview.
这位部长在会见过程的始终都面带自信的笑容。
wooden-beamed [bimd] 木梁
cove/kəʊv/noun[ C ]小海湾
stun/stʌn/verb[ T ] -nn- vt.使震惊；打昏；给以深刻的印象 n. 昏迷；打昏；惊倒；令人惊叹的事物to shock or surprise someone very much
fuel /fjʊəl/verb[ T ] Something that fuels a feeling or a type of behaviourincreases or strengthens it. vi.得到燃料vt. 供以燃料，加燃料n.燃料；刺激因素
The rapid promotion of the director's son has itself fuelled resentment withinthe company.
The prime minister's speech fuelled speculation that she is about toresign. speculation/ˌspek.jʊˈleɪ.ʃ ən/noun[ C or U ] whenyou guess possible answers to a question without having enough information to
be certain n. 投机；推测；思索；投机买卖
profess/prəˈfes/verb[ T ] to state something,sometimes in a way which is not sincere vt. 自称；公开表示；宣称信奉；正式准予加入vi. 声称；承认；当教授
urge/ɜːdʒ/noun[ C ] a strong wish, especially one which is difficult or impossible to control vt. 力劝，催促；驱策，推进n. 强烈的欲望，迫切要求；推动力vi. 强烈要求
start afresh phrasal verb 重新起跑
to begin to do something again, sometimes in a different way
The agreement allows old expectations to be forgotten and everyone can startafresh.
altruism /ˈæl.tru.ɪ.z əm/noun[ U ]n. 利他；利他主义
willingness to do things which bring advantages to other people, even if itresults in disadvantage for yourself
aura/ˈɔː.rə/noun[ C ] n. 光环；气氛
a feeling or character that a person or place seems to have
elitism/ɪˈliː.tɪ.z əm/noun[ U ] mainly disapprovingn. 精英主义；杰出人物统治论
the quality of being elitist
rationale/ˌræʃ.əˈnɑːl/noun[ C or U ] formal the reasons or intentions for a particularset of thoughts or actionsn. 基本原理；原理的阐述
showcase/'ʃəʊ.keɪs/noun[ C ] a situation or event whichmakes it possible for the best features of something to be seen n. 陈列橱，[家具] 陈列柜；显示优点的东西vt.使展现；在玻璃橱窗陈列
The Venice Film Festival has always been the showcase of Italian cinema.
威尼斯电影节始终是意大利电影的集中展映。
The exhibition is an annual showcase for British design andinnovation.
对于英国的设计和创新，这个展览是一年一度的展示。
offset /ˌɒfˈset/verb[ T]offsetting , offset ,offset 抵消，补偿to balance one influence against anopposing influence, so that there is no great difference as a result
venture/ˈven.tʃər /noun[C ]vi. 冒险；投机
a new activity, usually in business, which involves risk or uncertainty
squeeze/skwiːz/verb
[ T ] to press something firmly, especially from all sides in order to changeits shape, reduce its size or remove liquid from it
revenue/ˈrev. ə n.juː/noun[ U ] ( also revenues) theincome that a government or company receives regularlyn. 税收收入；财政收入
channel /'tʃæn. əl/verb[T ] to direct something into a particular place or situationvt. 引导，开导；形成河道n. 通道；频道；海峡
veteran/ˈvet. ə r. ən/noun[ C ]n. 老兵；老手；富有经验的人；老运动员
a person who has had a lot of experience of a particular activity
the vanguard/ðəˈvæŋ.gɑːd/noun[ S ]先锋
a group of people who lead the development of new ideas, or a leading positionin the development of something
thanks to sb/sth because ofsomeone or something
It's thanks to Sandy that I heard about the job.
The baby is awake thanks to your shouting.
pioneering/ˌpaɪəˈnɪə.rɪŋ/adj开创性的
using ideas and methods that have never been used before
emulsifier/ɪˈmʌl.sɪ.faɪ.ər /noun[ C ]乳化剂
a substance which forms or preserves an emulsion and is often added toprocessed foods to prevent particular parts separating
nitrogen/ˈnaɪ.trə.dʒən/noun[ U ]氮
methyl cellulose甲基纤维素
gel/dʒel/verb-ll-胶化( US also jell ) [ I ] tochange from a liquid into a thick soft solid
cosmopolitan ['kɑzmə'pɑlətn]adjusually approving containing orhaving experience of people and things from many different parts of the worldadj. 世界性的；世界主义的，四海一家的n. 四海为家者；世界主义者；世界各地都有的东西
New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.
diverse/daɪˈvɜːs/adjvaried or different
New York is a veryculturally/ethnically
（['ɛθnɪkli]adv. 人种上；民族上）diversecity.
apprentice/əˈpren.tɪs/noun[C ]someone who has agreed to work for a skilled person for a particular periodof time and often for low payment, in order to learn that person's skills n. 学徒；生手
ultimate /'ʌl.tɪ.mət/adj[ before noun ] most extreme orimportant because either the original or final, or the best or worst 极致的；终极的；
leading /ˈliː.dɪŋ/adj[before noun ] very important or most important
a leading expert on the country's ecology
the world's leading manufacturer of audio equipment
relentless /rɪˈlent.ləs/adj continuing in a severe or extreme way adj. 无情的；残酷的；不间断的
stern/stɜːn/adjective severe [səˈvɪr]（严厉的）,.or showing disapproval（n. 不赞成；不喜欢）adj. 严厉的；坚定的
wince/wɪnt s/verb[I ]to show pain suddenly and for a short time in the face, often moving thehead back at the same time vi. 畏缩，退避 n.畏缩；脸部肌肉的抽搐
hare/heər /noun[ C ]pluralhares or hare an animal like a large rabbit that can runvery fast and has long ears n. 野兔
pace yourself to be careful not to do something tooquickly so that you do not get too tired to finish it 自我调节、控制节奏
No more soup, thank you. I'm pacing myself so that I have room for a dessert.
visual/ˈvɪʒ.u.əl/adjrelatingto seeingadj. 视觉的，视力的；栩栩如生的
fascination/ˌfæs.ɪˈneɪ.ʃ ən/noun[ S or U ]when you find someone or somethingfascinatingn. 魅力；魔力；入迷
Miller's fascination with medieval art dates from her childhood.
highlight/ˈhaɪ.laɪt/noun[C ] the best or most exciting, entertaining or interesting part of something n. 最精彩的部分；最重要的事情；
Highlights of the match will be shown after the news.
candyfloss/ˈkæn.di.flɒs/noun[U ]棉花糖
encrusted/ɪnˈkrʌs.tɪd/adjcovered with something hard or decorativeadj. 带有外壳的；无伸缩性的
sabbatical/səˈbæt.ɪ.kəl/noun[ C or U ] a period of time when college or university teachers are allowed to stop their usual work in order to study or travel, usually while
continuing to be paid n. 休假（美国某些大学给大学教师每七年一次的）
pinnacle/ˈpɪn.ə.kl ̩/noun [ C usually singular ] the most successful or admired part of a system or achievement n.高峰；小尖塔；尖峰；极点