又中又英｜Hit-or-miss

Fried rice is not totally healthy, but it is one of my favourite dishes. Restaurant fried rice can be hit-or-miss. My friend and I ordered fried rice in a Taipei restaurant a few weeks ago and we both agreed it was perfect. We went to a different restaurant last week in the same shopping mall. The fried rice this time was a bit oily. That’s why I say fried rice, or other dishes, can be hit-or-miss depending on which restaurant you go to. If something is hit-or-miss, it means it is more likely to be bad but can sometimes be very good.

I read media reports recently about a mainland celebrity chef who got into hot water for posting on social media how to make egg fried rice. He got into hot water because he posted the video on a sensitive date. I have tried to make fried rice, but it always turned out to be a flop (unsuccessful). A celebrity chef is a cook who has become famous. To get into hot water means to get into trouble. I am never sure how much oil to use or how hot the oil should be. I don’t know if it’s better to fry the eggs separately or mix them into the rice first.

Some recipes say fry the eggs first. Others say mix with rice before frying. Recipes are instructions on how to cook dishes. I feel fried rice is not totally healthy because white rice has very little fiber and is mostly carbohydrates. Brown rice is healthier, but I have not seen fried rice made with brown rice in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or mainland China.

炒饭并不完全健康，却是我最喜爱的菜式之一。餐厅的炒饭可以是很碰运气的（hit-or-miss）。几个星期前，我和朋友在一间台北的餐厅点了炒饭，我们都认为那是完美的。上星期，我们去了同一商场的另一间餐厅，这次的炒饭就有点太油了。因此我说，炒饭，又或其他菜式，可以是很没准的（hit-or-miss），视乎你去哪间餐厅。若某事物是 hit-or-miss，意即它时好时坏，更大可能是差的，但有时却可以非常好。

我最近读到一篇报章报道，一个内地的名厨（celebrity chef）因为在社交媒体上载了如何煮蛋炒饭的影片，而惹上麻烦（got into hot water）。他惹出祸来（got into hot water）是因为他在一个敏感的日子上载影片。我曾经尝试自己炒饭，但它总是变得一塌糊涂（a flop）。A celebrity chef就是变得出名的厨师。To get into hot water是指陷入困境、遇到麻烦了。我永远不知道应该用几多油，又或那油应该有几热，又不知道是分开炒蛋和饭，抑或先将蛋和饭混和较好。

一些食谱（recipes）说应该先炒蛋，另一些则说，在炒之前先将蛋和饭混和。Recipes 就是教你如何烹调的食谱。我觉得炒饭并不完全健康，因为白饭只有很少的纤维，而且大部分都是碳水化合物。糙米比较健康，但我在香港、台湾又或中国内地都从未见过用糙米炒的饭。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻