英语听书《白鲸记》第623期

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　　Zogranda, one of their most famous doctors, recommends strips of blubber for infants, as being exceedingly juicy and nourishing. 有一位最著名的爱斯基摩医生叫左格兰达的，他就推荐过婴孩们要吃鲸脂，认为它是最有液汁和最富有营养的东西。

　　And this reminds me that certain Englishmen, who long ago were accidentally left in Greenland by a whaling vessel¹, 说到这里，教我想起一群英国人来，他们在很久之前，偶然被一艘捕鲸船留置在格陵兰，

　　that these men actually lived for several months on the mouldy scraps² of whales which had been left ashore³ after trying out the blubber.  这些人，实际上，有好几个月就是靠那些榨过油后。抛在海边的、发霉的鲸肉碎片过活的。

　　Among the Dutch whalemen these scraps are called "fritters"; 在荷兰的捕鲸人中，管这种碎肉片叫做"鲸油渣"；

　　which, indeed, they greatly resemble, being brown and crisp,  事实上，这倒很是相象，因为它们颜色棕黄，又有点脆，

　　and smelling something like old Amsterdam housewives' dough-nuts or oly-cooks, when fresh.  味道也有点象古代阿姆斯特丹的主妇们所做的新鲜油炸饼或者油煎饼。

　　They have such an eatable look that the most self-denying stranger can hardly keep his hands off. 它们具有那么可口的外表，连最有克制功夫的客人，也不免要食指大动。

　　But what further depreciates⁴ the whale as a civilized⁵ dish, is his exceeding richness.  但是，人们所以更进一步地轻视大鲸，不把它当成文明人的食品，乃是因为它过分肥腻。

　　He is the great prize ox of the sea, too fat to be delicately good. 它本身就是海里的大公牛，十分肥腻，不很可口。

　　Look at his hump, which would be as fine eating as the buffalo's (which is esteemed⁶ a rare dish), were it not such a solid pyramid of fat. 瞧它那隆起的背峰，要不是那里边尽是那样一片结实得象金字塔般的脂肪，那可就象水牛鱼（这是公认的一种珍馐）背那样的可口了。

　　But the spermaceti itself, how bland⁷ and creamy that is;  不过，就抹香鲸油本身说来，尽管它是多么柔滑、浓腻，

　　like the transparent⁸, half jellied, white meat of a cocoanut in the third month of its growth,  象一只长了三个月的椰子肉一般透明。雪白而有点胶粘粘的，

　　yet far too rich to supply a substitute for butter.  然而，要用它来代替黄油，却仍太嫌油腻。

　　Nevertheless, many whalemen have a method of absorbing it into some other substance, and then partaking of it.  话虽如此，有许多捕鲸人都有一种吃法，那就是把它掺和其它的东西一起吃。

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