美国国家公共电台 NPR Willy Wonka-Inspired 'Candy Alchemist' Spins Sugar Into Pure Imagination

 

LYNN NEARY, HOST:

As Roald Dahl's "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" comes to Broadway this spring, across town, a real-life Willy Wonka is whipping up his own new confections. Allyson McCabe takes us inside the darkly, whimsical world of a mysterious Brooklyn candy alchemist.

ALLYSON MCCABE, BYLINE¹: This tiny storefront lab isn't easy to find. The facade² is black. The signage is practically nonexistent. Inside, behind a purple satin curtain, a scientist toils³ away on his latest invention.

EUGENE J.: There's so many variables - temperature, the humidity. You look at solubility⁵ charts. When you add certain ingredients...

MCCABE: Not much is known about this man in black who calls himself Eugene J.

EUGENE J.: Since it's a seven-hour process, you get kind of taken away. Pretty much have to put in earplugs and enter a state of Zen, I suppose (laughter).

MCCABE: As hundreds of Day-Glo pellets tumble hypnotically inside a revolving⁶ silver sphere, he recalls some of his earliest prototypes.

EUGENE J.: Everyone else had an Easy-Bake Oven. And I had this, like, candy making kit⁷, which - with like a little double boiler⁸ and little gizmos to cast gummies into little molds.

MCCABE: Eugene j. studied chemical engineering in college, then took a job in manufacturing. But he continued his experiments after hours. He moved to Berlin not far from a popular nightclub.

EUGENE J.: I would bike out at 2 a.m. in the morning and out of a briefcase⁹, sell my double-sided lollipops¹⁰.

MCCABE: Returning to New York, he quit his day job to apprentice¹¹ at Dylan's Candy Bar, stocking shelves at what's billed as the world's largest confectionery emporium. What he lost in salary, he gained in inspiration.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY")

GENE⁴ WILDER: (As Willy Wonka) (Singing) Come with me, and you'll be in a world of pure imagination.

EUGENE J.: Stocking Wonka Nerds and Wonka Runts or Wonka SweeTARTS, you know, Wonka was fully¹² in my head.

MCCABE: He opened the Eugene J. Candy Company a year ago - stocking wax fangs¹³, gummy brains and scads of other offbeat¹⁴ novelties. He also makes his own candy called FG. Freaks - a playful nod to Willy Wonka's rival, Fickelgruber.

EUGENE J.: So we're just going to take a ladle over here and add some of this sugar syrup¹⁵ to the batch¹⁶.

MCCABE: But when pushed for details, he's not entirely¹⁷ forthcoming.

EUGENE J.: (Laughter) You're in Wonka's realm now, so anything is possible.

MCCABE: When the batch is complete, he funnels¹⁸ the freaks into a glass apothecary¹⁹ jar, stamps the wax top with an off-kilter jack-o'-lantern and places it on a slanted²⁰ shelf - part candy, part curio.

EUGENE J.: There is something to embrace about the perfectly²¹ imperfect.

MCCABE: These kids find Eugene J.'s mysterious freaks irresistible²².

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I like it. Good.

MCCABE: For NPR News, I'm Allyson McCabe in Brooklyn.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE CANDY MAN")

SAMMY DAVIS JR.: (Singing) Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew, cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two? The candy man, the candy man can.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 facade   

n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表

参考例句：

• The entrance facade consists of a large full height glass door.入口正面有一大型全高度玻璃门。
• If you look carefully,you can see through Bob's facade.如果你仔细观察，你就能看穿鲍勃的外表。

3 toils   

网

参考例句：

• It did not declare him to be still in Mrs. Dorset's toils. 这并不表明他仍陷于多赛特夫人的情网。
• The thief was caught in the toils of law. 这个贼陷入了法网。

4 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

5 solubility   

n.溶解度；可解决性；溶度

参考例句：

• Elasticity, solubility, inflammability are paradigm cases of dispositions in natural objects. 伸缩性、可缩性、易燃性是天然物体倾向性的范例。 来自辞典例句
• Solubility products are sometimes known with similar accuracy. 溶度积时有时也具有同样的准确度。 来自辞典例句

6 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

7 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

8 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。

9 briefcase   

n.手提箱，公事皮包

参考例句：

• He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
• He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。

10 lollipops   

n.棒糖，棒棒糖( lollipop的名词复数 )；（用交通指挥牌让车辆暂停以便儿童安全通过马路的）交通纠察

参考例句：

• I bought lollipops and a toot-toot bugle. I started for home. 我给她买了棒棒糖，一吹就呜的打响的小喇叭。我就往回走。 来自互联网
• Our company specialize marshmallows, lollipops, bubble gums, chocolates and toys with candy. 本公司主要出口棉花糖、棒棒糖、泡泡糖、巧克力、儿童玩具等。 来自互联网

11 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

12 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

13 fangs   

n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座

参考例句：

• The dog fleshed his fangs in the deer's leg. 狗用尖牙咬住了鹿腿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dogs came lunging forward with their fangs bared. 狗龇牙咧嘴地扑过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 offbeat   

adj.不平常的，离奇的

参考例句：

• She adores old,offbeat antiques.她非常喜欢那些稀奇古怪的老古董。
• His style is offbeat but highly creative.他的风格很不寻常但非常有创造力。

15 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

16 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

17 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

18 funnels   

漏斗( funnel的名词复数 )； （轮船，火车等的）烟囱

参考例句：

• Conventional equipment such as mixing funnels, pumps, solids eductors and the like can be employed. 常用的设备，例如混合漏斗、泵、固体引射器等，都可使用。
• A jet of smoke sprang out of the funnels. 喷射的烟雾从烟囱里冒了出来。

19 apothecary   

n.药剂师

参考例句：

• I am an apothecary of that hospital.我是那家医院的一名药剂师。
• He was the usual cut and dry apothecary,of no particular age and color.他是那种再普通不过的行医者，说不出多大年纪，相貌也没什么值得一提的。

20 slanted   

有偏见的； 倾斜的

参考例句：

• The sun slanted through the window. 太阳斜照进窗户。
• She had slanted brown eyes. 她有一双棕色的丹凤眼。

21 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

22 irresistible   

adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的

参考例句：

• The wheel of history rolls forward with an irresistible force.历史车轮滚滚向前，势不可挡。
• She saw an irresistible skirt in the store window.她看见商店的橱窗里有一条叫人着迷的裙子。