那一年，我在貝寧為感恩節(jié)做了意大利面煎蛋餅

那一年，我在貝寧為感恩節(jié)做了意大利面煎蛋餅

One of my best Thanksgiving memories was just last year, sharing a feast of spaghetti omelets in a village in the West African nation of Benin.

我最美好的感恩節(jié)回憶之一是去年，在西非國家貝寧的一個村莊里，我們共享了一頓意大利面煎蛋餅大餐。

In 2017. I began my two-year service as an Education Peace Corps Volunteer. I expected to feel lonesome during the holiday season, longing for the traditions and comforts of home – which for me is now Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

2017年，我開始了為期兩年的教育和平隊志愿者服務。我原以為在假期里會感到孤獨，想念家鄉(xiāng)的傳統(tǒng)和舒適——對我來說，現(xiàn)在的家鄉(xiāng)是南卡羅來納州的普萊森特山。

But my fears of holiday loneliness couldn't have been farther from reality.

但我對假期孤獨的恐懼與現(xiàn)實相去甚遠。

From the first Thanksgiving to the last Christmas of my service, I felt more thankful and loved than I remember feeling in a while, mostly due to the people I was surrounded by — and not necessarily what was on the table or gifts given.

從我服務的第一個感恩節(jié)到最后一個圣誕節(jié)，我感受到比我記憶中更多的感激和愛，這主要是由于我周圍的人——不一定是餐桌上的食物或禮物。

Life in Benin was definitely challenging. I was an English teacher at a secondary school in Gouandé, a rural village of some 20.000 people. In addition to teaching three classes on my own and two with my colleagues, I had to adjust to a different living situation. My accommodations were relatively spacious – a three-room concrete house. But there was no electricity or running water.

貝寧的生活充滿了挑戰(zhàn)。我是古安德一所中學的英語老師，古安德是一個有兩萬人口的村莊。除了自己教三節(jié)課，和同事一起教兩節(jié)課，我還得適應不同的生活環(huán)境。我住的地方比較寬敞——有三個房間的混凝土房子。但是沒有電和自來水。

I quickly fell into a rhythm at home: fetching water from the neighborhood pump, doing laundry by hand, sweeping Saharan dust off every surface, attempting to cook nutritious meals on a gas stove with the few ingredients available in a food desert (mainly tomatoes, onions, corn, beans and rice).

我很快就適應了家里的生活節(jié)奏:從附近的水泵取水，用手洗衣服，清掃地面上的撒哈拉沙塵，嘗試在煤氣爐上用食物沙漠里僅有的幾種原料(主要是西紅柿、洋蔥、玉米、豆類和大米)做出營養(yǎng)豐富的飯菜。

As I grew more comfortable with life in Benin, I wanted to share American culture with the community. Those moments of cultural exchange helped me discover that we all had a great deal in common.

當我越來越適應貝寧的生活時，我想與社區(qū)分享美國文化。這些文化交流的時刻幫助我發(fā)現(xiàn)我們都有很多共同之處。

Last year, I decided to invite colleagues, supervisors and friends to my house for a feast of a Beninese favorite: spaghetti omelets, the Italian classic of pasta and tomato sauce served with an oily, spicy omelet on top. It's considered a scrumptious and filling treat, both among Beninese and Peace Corps volunteers.

去年，我決定邀請同事、主管和朋友來我家吃一頓貝寧人最喜歡吃的美食:意大利通心粉煎蛋卷，這是意大利經(jīng)典的通心粉加番茄醬，再在上面撒上一層油膩、辛辣的煎蛋卷。無論是在貝寧還是和平隊志愿者看來，這都是一種美味可口的美食。

Though my American family wasn't able to visit during my time in Benin, I felt as if I had new circle to celebrate with — my host family, whom I lived with for two weeks and stayed in touch with, as well as colleagues and friends I'd made.

雖然我在貝寧期間，我的美國家人沒能來看望我，但我覺得我有了一個新的圈子可以慶祝——我的寄宿家庭，我和他們一起住了兩周，并和他們保持聯(lián)系，還有我結交的同事和朋友。

Since Thanksgiving is just another Thursday in November in Benin, I didn't have lots of time to prepare the meal. I started during my three-hour lunch break between the English classes I taught.

在貝寧，11月的感恩節(jié)不過是另一個星期四，所以我沒有很多時間準備晚餐。我是在我教的英語課之間的三個小時的午休時間開始的。

I recruited some of my host family's brothers and sister to chop onions, tomatoes and peppers for a savory sauce. I was grateful for the assistance, which made the job so much easier. And my host siblings loved being included in the creation of a holiday meal.

我找來寄宿家庭的兄弟姐妹幫我切洋蔥、西紅柿和辣椒，做成美味的醬汁。我很感激你的幫助，這使我的工作容易多了。我的接待兄弟姐妹們喜歡被邀請參與制作節(jié)日大餐。

Two hours flew by, and the tomato sauce was simmering up familiar flavors of both a Beninese "sauce tomate" and my great-grandfather's Italian pasta sauce. After teaching an afternoon class, I rushed back home to set up seating in my living room, make some sweet potato gnocchi (an added treat) and cook the pasta and omelets.

兩個小時過去了，番茄醬慢慢地冒了出來，既有貝寧“番茄醬”的味道，也有我曾祖父的意大利通心粉醬的味道。教完一節(jié)下午的課，我匆匆趕回家，在客廳里安排好座位，做了一些甘薯湯圓(一種額外的食物)，做了意大利面和煎蛋卷。

I took a few moments to say why I had invited them all for a feast for a holiday that was new to them. I explained that every November, Americans gather with their families to enjoy a meal and share gratitude for each other and blessings in their lives. I said that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because you can celebrate with friends as well as family.

我花了一點時間來解釋我為什么要邀請他們來參加一個對他們來說是全新的節(jié)日盛宴。我解釋說，每年11月，美國人都會和家人聚在一起吃頓飯，分享對彼此的感激之情和對生活的祝福。我說感恩節(jié)是我最喜歡的節(jié)日，因為你可以和家人朋友一起慶祝。