家的味蕾

Sometimes， it seems like this magazine is following my life. For example， back in May， I had to make a big choice about what to do with my future. Then， when I went to the office the next morning， I found my desk covered with articles about making choices! That was crazy enough， but this time it’s even spookier: last night I decided to become a vegetarian， and when I showed up this morning， what did I find? That’s right! A desk full of articles about food!

But I guess that’s not so surprising. If you think about it， food is at the center of human life. It can teach us wonderful things about the lifestyle and history of a culture (Everyday Chinese Cooking: Alchemy on a Plate). This power of food is demonstrated in this quote from Lin Yutang: “What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child?” Truly， when people think of the food they like， they always think of the flavors of their hometown， the smell of their mother’s cooking， and the taste of their favorite family dish. Food nourishes our bodies， but it also nourishes our hearts!

And that’s just what the TASTE of food can do. Cooking is almost as fascinating as eating—some people even see cooking as a practice that can lead to a better life (The Joy of Feeding My Family). And after the food is cooked， a family usually must come together to eat it. This togetherness， especially in our modern world， may be more powerful than the food itself (Bond with your Family: Eat Together). Not only does it help a family save money， it makes the family stronger and closer!

So whether your favorite part of food is enjoying it， cooking it， or sharing it with loved ones， take a second to think about the incredible importance of such a simple， everyday thing. And as you read this month’s issue， I hope you can feel a little bit of the flavor of home.

有時候，CR似乎緊跟著我的生活步伐。譬如說，五月份的時候，我正考慮要為自己的未來作出一個重大抉擇；第二天我走進編輯部時，發(fā)現(xiàn)辦公桌上擺滿了關(guān)于如何做選擇的文章！那次已經(jīng)夠瘋狂了，但這次更神奇：昨晚，我才決定成為一名素食者，而今天早上我上班時，猜猜我看到了什么？沒錯！滿桌子關(guān)于美食的文章！

不過我想，其實這也沒啥可驚訝的。只要你細心地想一想，食物本來就是人類生活的中心。它教會我們一種文化的生活方式和歷史（詳見《“盤子戲法”：挑動你的味蕾》一文）。林語堂的這句話很好地說明了食物的這一力量：“愛國主義只不過是熱愛童時所吃食物而已，豈有他哉？”誠然，當人們想起自己喜歡的食物時，總會想及家鄉(xiāng)的風味、媽媽煮的飯菜的香味，以及自己最愛的家常菜的味道。食物在給我們的身體提供營養(yǎng)之余，也滋養(yǎng)著我們的心靈！

而這僅僅是食物的味覺力量。烹飪有著與享用美食幾乎一樣的醉人魅力——有些人甚至將烹飪視作能通往更美好生活的實踐（詳見《回家的誘惑》一文）。飯菜做好之后，一家人通常都會回家享用。這種團聚的力量，也許比美食本身更加強大，尤其是在現(xiàn)代社會（詳見《家庭圍餐的力量》一文），這不僅能節(jié)省開支，還能讓家庭變得更加堅不可摧、親密無間。

因此，無論你最愛享受美食、烹飪美食，還是與心愛的人分享美食，稍微想一想，這簡單又平凡的東西有著何等不可思議的重要性。在你閱讀本期雜志時，我希望你能感受到家的“味蕾”。……