BY HARVARD WANG
The restaurant was dark.
I looked at the menu, and thought it felt more like a work of cryptography.
The chef just gave a speech.
“I hope you will enjoy our journey tonight,” he concluded.
The audience cheered and applauded.
I think I saw one of them on TV the other night.
My dining partner, who invited me along because his wife cancelled last minute, started talking about the Fat Duck in London.
I had zero contribution to the topic, so I asked him to tell me more about other three star restaurants in Europe.
He took notes on his tasting log book while we ate.
We had conversations with the couple next table too.
The wife complained about getting a table in restaurants nowadays.
“This one particular restaurant, they originally wanted us out in 60 minute. But once we ordered the $200 wine, they said we could stay as long as possible. It’s appalling service, but you can’t blame them. Because these foodies, they just want to turn up, order one dish, with one glass of water, just to say they’ve ‘eaten’ at a fancy restaurant. This makes it difficult for people like us, you know, who are willing to dine and enjoy the night.”
I smiled and nodded.
I need to memorise this for my diary, I thought.
This event, this restaurant, was only 30 minutes drive away from my home, but I never felt more like a visitor.
A tourist.
Maybe travelling isn’t a verb; it’s a state of mind.
餐厅是昏暗的。
餐谱与其说是餐谱，不如说是拼图。
主厨出来致词：希望你们旅程愉快。
观众鼓掌欢呼。
前排坐者一个貌似我前天在电视上看见的明星。
我的饮食伴侣（也多亏他太太临时取消，我才有机会在这）开始描述他在伦敦Fat Duck的经验。
在欧洲三星级餐厅进餐，我的经验是零，所以只能不停地向他发问。
进餐时，他时不时作笔记。
我们也和邻桌的夫妇打交道。
太太抱怨最近预约餐厅很困难。
“就是那间餐馆嘛，说什么六十分钟内得结帐。不过点了他们一瓶两百元的波尔多，就说我们可以无限久留，态度多可悲。不过也不能怪呀！现在的年轻人就只想露面，点个小菜，喝杯开水，就炫耀自己在哪里哪里进过餐，让我们多难做！ 我们可是真心诚意肯花钱欣赏美食的呀！”
我微笑点头。
心想日记可少不了这一段。
这晚宴离我家也不过三十分钟车程，不过我觉得陌生至极。
感觉就像个旅客。
可能旅行两个字，并不是动词；而是一种心境。
