读者文摘:一只猪的独白(1)（在线收听）

It is my favorite episode of The Simpsons of all time.

这是我最喜欢的《辛普森一家》的一集。

Homer is holding forth at his dinner table about the diverse deliciousness of bacon, ham, pork chops, and other porcine products.

霍默在餐桌上滔滔不绝地谈论着各种美味的培根、火腿、猪排和其他猪肉制品。

“Dad, those all come from the same animal,” his daughter says helpfully. “Yeah, right, Lisa,” Homer responds, amused by her naivete.

“爸爸，这些都来自同一种动物，”他的女儿帮助地说。霍默被她的天真逗乐了，说道，“对，丽莎。”

“A wonderful, maaaagical animal!” As is usually the case,

“一种绝妙的有魔力的动物！”通常都是这样，

Homer was speaking a fundamental truth to which he happened to be hilariously oblivious: I am pretty magical.

霍默说的是一个基本的事实，而他恰巧可笑地忘记了这个事实：我很有魔力。

For starters, my fellow pigs are as smart as most any dog, capable of being taught how to play video games.

首先，我的猪伙伴们和大多数狗一样聪明，能够被教如何玩电子游戏。

I also make a great pet that can live for 20 years. But if eating me is the route you prefer, so be it.

我也可以成为一个可以活20年的宠物。但是如果你喜欢吃我的话，那就吃吧。

After all, I’m the sole farm-raised animal whose main purpose is to be food:

毕竟，我是唯一一种以食用为主要目的的农场饲养动物：

I don’t graze pastures, pull plows, lay eggs, produce drinkable milk, or make wool.

我不去放牧，不拉犁，不下蛋，不产奶，也不产羊毛。

Nearly every part of me is useful and succulent, and my range of flavors and textures is unrivaled.

几乎我的每一部分都是有用的和多汁味美的，我的各种口味和质地是无与伦比的。

No wonder I am the most-consumed meat in the world—even as two major religions, Judaism and Islam, prohibit eating pork.

难怪我是世界上消耗量最大的肉类，即使两大宗教，犹太教和伊斯兰教都禁食猪肉。

The rest of you grill my chops, braise my shanks, cure my legs into hams and prosciutto,

其余的人会烤我的排骨，炖我的小腿，把我的腿做成火腿和熏火腿，

devour me in pates, fry my skin into crispy pork rinds, and so much more.

蘸法式肉酱把我吃下去，把我的皮炸成脆猪皮，还有很多。

I am the cornerstone meat of barbecue, my ribs and shoulders slowly smoked over hardwood until tender and flavorful.

我是烧烤的主力肉，我的肋骨和肩膀在硬木上慢慢地烟熏，直到变软变香。

And then there’s bacon, the darling of breakfast, burgers, BLT s, salads, and, let’s be honest, pretty much anything else you put on a plate.

然后是培根，早餐的宠儿，汉堡，培根、生菜、番茄三明治，沙拉，说实话，还有几乎所有你放在盘子里的食物。

Hungry yet? My fat is arguably what makes me so extraordinary.

现在饿了吗？我的脂肪可以说是使我如此独特的东西。

It’s saturated just enough to be solid yet silky at room temperature, making me perfect for chopping,

它的饱和程度刚好在室温下结实而柔滑，这让我非常适合被切，

mixing with seasonings and other meats, and curing into delectable sausages, terrines, and rilletts.

与调味料和其他肉类混合，腌制成美味的香肠、鹅肝酱和腊肠。

In fact, it’s the foundation of the whole centuries-old tradition of curing meat.

事实上，它是悠久的腌制肉传统的基础。

Charcutiers can’t produce quite the same sublime mouthfeel with beef, chicken, or game that they can with porky old me.

猪肉商不能像用猪肉那样，用牛肉、鸡肉或野味来制作极端美味的口感。

All this talk of fat might have you confused if you remember “The Other White Meat.”

如果你还记得“另类白肉”，所有这些关于脂肪的说法可能会让你感到困惑。

This was the ad slogan developed in 1987 for the National Pork Board as a way of keeping me relevant during the anti-fat craze of the time.

这是1987年为国家猪肉委员会想出的广告语，用它来让我和当时的减肥热潮产生关系。

It worked: My U.S. sales grew 20 percent by 1991 as consumers began to view me as a health-conscious choice alongside white-meat chicken.

它奏效了：到1991年，我在美国的销售额增长了20%，因为消费者开始将我视为与白鸡肉一样的健康选择。