读者文摘:一只猪的独白(2)

I’m nonetheless considered red meat by nutritionists and the USDA —and always have been.

尽管如此，营养学家和美国农业部仍然认定我是红肉——而且一直都是。

Here’s the truth: Sometimes I’m healthful; sometimes I’m not.

事实是：有时候我很健康；有时我不健康。

The Other White Meat campaign focused on my loin and tenderloin,

另类白肉运动的重点是腰肉和里脊肉，

those swaths of flesh along my spine¹ that are quite low in fat and good sources of protein and minerals.

我脊椎上的那些肉脂肪含量很低，蛋白质和矿物质很丰富。

But other parts of me, not so much. You’ll find the fattiest slabs² of fat on my belly³, back (right on top of those lean loins), and jowls.

我身上其他地方的肉就不那么丰富了。你会发现我的肚子上、后背上(就在我瘦削的腰上面)和下巴上都是肥肉。

Falling in between, fat-wise, are my shoulders and legs.

脂肪含量处于中间的，就是肩上和腿上的肉。

Think of them as my dark meat, with fat interspersed⁴ with muscle as well as lots of connective tissue.

把它们看作是我的黑肉，脂肪和肌肉交织在一起，还有大量的结缔组织。

That tissue—actually collagen that forms when a muscle is well exercised—may start off tough when it’s raw or briefly⁵ cooked.

那些组织-实际上是肌肉经过充分锻炼时形成的胶原质-在未加工或者简短烹饪时可能会很坚硬。

But roast a pork shoulder for eight hours, and that muscly tissue will melt into succulent gelatin

但是猪肩肉烤8小时后，肌肉组织就会融化成多汁的明胶，

to produce a fall-off-the-bone pork juiciness that makes you humans fall off your chairs.

产生一种让你从椅子上掉下来的脱骨猪肉汁。

One thing everyone knows about me is that I am an insatiable omnivore,

大家都知道我是一个贪得无厌的杂食者，

which means that those who raise me have the power to vary how fatty I am and how I taste simply by feeding me differently.

这意味着那些养育我的人可以仅仅通过不同的喂养方式，就能改变我的脂肪含量，改变我的口味。

Take the pata negra pigs in Spain and Portugal that spend their lives grazing on acorns⁶.

以西班牙和葡萄牙的黑脚猪为例，它们一生都在吃橡子。

Their famous funky⁷, translucent-pink jamon iberico (Iberian ham) is so rich in healthy monounsaturated fats—up to 55 percent,

他们著名的时髦的半透明的伊比利亚火腿富含高达55%的健康的单一不饱和脂肪，

a higher ratio than in any other meat—that farmers call their hogs⁹ “four-legged olive trees.”

这一比例比任何其他肉类都高，农民们称他们的猪为“四条腿的橄榄树”。

Such a privileged lifestyle and meals don’t come cheap.

这种特级的生活方式和食物可不便宜。

These days, a 15-pound bone-in ham from the elite¹⁰ Spanish brand Cinco Jotas will stop your heart at $1,200—or $80 a pound.

这些天，一个15磅的西班牙辛科霍塔斯牌精品带骨火腿价格是吓人的1200磅，即80美元一磅。

Meanwhile, a conventionally farmed American pig fattened¹¹ on run-of-the-mill grains and meal made from meat and bone

同时，一种以传统方式饲养的美国猪，以普通的谷物和由肉和骨头制成的粉喂养的猪，

produces pork that’s higher in saturated⁸ fat but costs a mere¹² $4 per pound.

生产出的猪肉饱和脂肪含量更高，但每磅仅4美元。

There are few easier weeknight meals than a pork chop roasted in a cast-iron pan.

在工作日夜晚做饭，没有什么比在铸铁锅里烤猪排更容易的了。

But boy, do you Americans overcook me. Chops, lacking in fat as they are, dry out when they get too hot.

但是伙计，你们美国人是不是把我烤过头了。排骨缺乏脂肪，当它们太热时就会变干。

For decades, the USDA made it worse by recommending an internal temperature of 165°F for pork, which delivers a very dry puck indeed.

几十年来，美国农业部让情况变得更糟，他们建议猪肉的烹饪温度为165华氏度，这让猪肉变得非常干。

In recent years, they dropped it to 145°F, which is medium-well and a real improvement:

近年来，他们将温度降到了145华氏度，这会烹饪出七至八分熟的猪肉，是很大的改善：

juicy and just having lost its pink. Sink your teeth in and enjoy the magic.

多汁，刚刚失去了粉红色。尽情享受这神奇的时刻吧。

1 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

2 slabs   

n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片

参考例句：

• The patio was made of stone slabs. 这天井是用石板铺砌而成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slabs of standing stone point roughly toward the invisible notch. 这些矗立的石块，大致指向那个看不见的缺口。 来自辞典例句

3 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

4 interspersed   

adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The grass was interspersed with beds of flowers. 草地上点缀着许多花坛。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

6 acorns   

n.橡子，栎实( acorn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Great oaks from little acorns grow. 万丈高楼平地起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Welcome to my new website!It may not look much at the moment, but great oaks from little acorns grow! 欢迎来到我的新网站。它现在可能微不足道，不过万丈高楼平地起嘛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 funky   

adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的

参考例句：

• The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。
• It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。

8 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液

9 hogs   

n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人

参考例句：

• 'sounds like -- like hogs grunting. “像——像是猪发出的声音。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• I hate the way he hogs down his food. 我讨厌他那副狼吞虎咽的吃相。 来自辞典例句

10 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

11 fattened   

v.喂肥( fatten的过去式和过去分词 )；养肥（牲畜）；使（钱）增多；使（公司）升值

参考例句：

• The piglets are taken from the sow to be fattened for market. 这些小猪被从母猪身边带走，好育肥上市。
• Those corrupt officials fattened themselves by drinking the people's life-blood. 那些贪官污吏用民脂民膏养肥了自己。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。