qí shí rén rén dōu shì měi shí jiā

其实人人都是美食家

In fact, everyone is a gourmet

měi gè rén yī dìng duì mǒu yī yàng shí wù shì yǒu xiē jì yì

每个人一定对某一样食物是有些记忆

And you all must have a memory about certain food

wǒ jiù bǎ tā huà chū lái

我就把它画出来

I draw it

wǒ shì lǐ chún ēn

我是李纯恩

I’m Benny Li Shun-yan

jīn nián

今年63

I’m 63 years old

wǒ yǐ qián shì zuò bào zhǐ de

我以前是做报纸的

I used to work for a newspaper

wǒ xiě gǎo yǐ jīng xiě le chà bù duō nián le

我写稿已经写了差不多40年了

I’ve been writing for almost 40 years

nián dài de shí hòu

80年代的时候

In the 1980s

yú jì gēn míng xīng de guān xì zhēn shì jiāo péng yǒu

娱记跟明星的关系真是交朋友

Entertainment reporters made friends with celebrities

liú dé huá guō fù chéng lí míng zhāng xué yǒu

刘德华、郭富城、黎明、张学友

Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai, Jacky Cheung

liú jiā líng yuán yǒng yí zhè xiē

刘嘉玲、袁咏仪这些

Carina Lau, Anita Yuen, etc.

wǒ rèn shí tā men de shí hòu tā men dōu shì xiǎo péng yǒu

我认识他们的时候，他们都是小朋友

They were very young when I knew them

wǒ men dà jiā tóng qī chéng zhǎng

我们大家同期成长

We matured simultaneously

lín qīng xiá yě shú

林青霞也熟

I’m also familiar with Brigitte Lin

wǒ rèn shí tā de shí hòu tā yǐ jīng shì dà míng xīng le

我认识她的时候她已经是大明星了

She was already a big star when I knew her

wǒ xiàn zài jiù shì yī gè zhuān lán zuò jiā

我现在就是一个专栏作家

Now I’m a columnist

wǒ huà huà

我画画

I started to draw

nián

2014年

In 2014

wǒ jiù gěi wǒ jiā lǐ de gǒu jiù pāi le zhāng zhào piàn

我就给我家里的狗就拍了张照片

I took a picture for my dog at home

kōng bái de dì fāng wǒ jiù xiě zì

空白的地方我就写字

And I wrote on the blank space

jiù bǎ yī zhāng xiāng piàn zuò de xiàng huà yī yàng

就把一张相片做的像画一样

The picture was like a painting

huà huà wǒ méi yǒu shén me jī chǔ

画画我没有什么基础

I’ve never learned drawing

wǒ shì gè chī huò hěn xǐ huān chī

我是个吃货，很喜欢吃

I’m a foodie. I like eating a lot

xiě guò yī gè xì liè de yǐn shí

写过一个系列的饮食

I’ve written a series of articles about food

chī zài běi jīng chī zài shàng hǎi

《吃在北京》、《吃在上海》

Guide to Eating in Beijing, Guide to Eating in Shanghai

shí wù xī yǐn nǐ

食物吸引你

The food attracts you

rán hòu nǐ jiù huì zǎi xì dì qù kàn

然后你就会仔细地去看

And then you would see carefully

shuǐ zhǔ yú shì sì chuān cài lǐ de jiā yáo

水煮鱼是四川菜里的佳肴

Boiled Fish is a Sichuan delicacy

jué duì fú hé zhōng guó cài sè xiāng wèi jù quán de yào qiú

绝对符合中国菜色香味俱全的要求

It definitely meets the requirement of Chinese cuisine with great look, smell and taste

shuǐ shàng miàn yǒu yóu

水上面有油

There’s oil on the soup

yóu lǐ miàn jiù pào zhù xuě bái de guì yú piàn

油里面就泡著雪白的桂鱼片

And snow-white sliced mandarin fish is soaked in the oil

rán hòu yǒu xiān hóng de là jiāo

然后有鲜红的辣椒

Then there’s red chili

hái shì zhà dé shāo wēi yǒu yī diǎn diǎn jiāo de biān

还是炸得稍微有一点点焦的边

The fish is fried to a little crispy on the edge

hái yǒu huā jiāo

还有花椒

And Sichuan pepper

hóng de bái de

红的，白的

Red, white

zài nà yóu guāng shǎn shǎn de

在那油光闪闪的

And the oil shines

huà chū lái shì fēi cháng hǎo kàn de

画出来是非常好看的

It’s a really beautiful painting

nǐ yǒu zhè zhǒng xīn sī qù guān chá de huà

你有这种心思去观察的话

If you’re mindful of it and observe it carefully

nǐ jiù huì zhǎo dào yī gè diǎn

你就会找到一个点

You will find a feature

zuì néng biǎo dá tā zhè gè cài

最能表达它这个菜

Which is the best expression of the dish

wǒ duì shí wù de le jiě

我对食物的了解

I know food well

duì wǒ huà huà jiù huì yǒu yōu shì

对我画画就会有优势

So I have an advantage in painting

wǒ cóng xiǎo jiù chū shēng zài shàng hǎi

我从小就出生在上海

I was born in Shanghai

rán hòu suì qù de xiāng gǎng

然后22岁去的香港

I went to Hong Kong at the age of 22

wǒ duì shí wù de gǎn qíng hěn shēn

我对食物的感情很深

I’m deeply attached to food

wǒ huà guò hóng shāo ròu

我画过红烧肉

I’ve drawn hongshaorou

xiǎo lóng bāo shēng jiān bāo dà bǐng yóu tiáo

小笼包、生煎包、大饼、油条

Xiaolongbao, shengjianbao, cakes, youtiao

cōng yóu bǐng

葱油饼

Congyoubing

hěn duō shàng hǎi cài

很多上海菜

Lots of Shanghai dishes

shēng jiān bāo yī dìng yào shāo wēi yǒu yī diǎn dǐ

生煎包一定要稍微有一点底

Shengjianbao must have a hard bottom

yào shì jiāo de

要是焦的

Which has to be scorched

huáng cōng cōng de nà zhǒng

黄葱葱的那种

Brownish yellow

zuò dé hěn piāo liàng de shēng jiān bāo

做得很漂亮的生煎包

Shanghainese know that beautiful shengjianbao

shàng hǎi rén jiù zhī dào zhè shēng jiān bāo shì bù hǎo chī de

上海人就知道这生煎包是不好吃的

Doesn’t taste good

měi gè rén yī dìng duì mǒu yī yàng shí wù shì yǒu xiē jì yì

每个人一定对某一样食物是有些记忆

Everyone must have a memory about certain food

suì yǒu yī cì wǒ jiù qù wǒ fù mǔ nà

12岁有一次我就去我父母那

When I was 12, I went for my parents

cóng shàng hǎi zuò huǒ chē dào guǎng xī

从上海坐火车到广西

I took a train from Shanghai to Guangxi

lèi dé yào sǐ

累得要死

I was exhausted

mǎn liǎn de méi huī

满脸的煤灰

With coal ash all over my face

yòu è dé yào mìng

又饿得要命

And I was starving

shī fù jiù shuō shàng hǎi lái de hái zi

师傅就说上海来的孩子

The chef said ‘So you’re from Shanghai’

jiù chǎo le yī dié qín cài chǎo ròu sī

就炒了一碟芹菜炒肉丝

And he cooked a plate of fried pork with celery 63

nà zhǒng xiāng wèi

那种香味

It smelled so good

ròu sī yòu nèn tā yòu fàng le diàn fěn zài lǐ biān

肉丝又嫩，他又放了淀粉在里边

And the pork was tender because he added starch

fēi cháng de dào wèi yǒu huǒ hòu

非常的到位有火候

And the heat was perfectly controlled

zhè bèi zi jiù ài shàng qín cài chǎo ròu sī

这辈子就爱上芹菜炒肉丝

I fell in love with fried pork with celery from then on

wǒ jiù bǎ tā huà chū lái

我就把它画出来

So I drew it

gù shì xiě zài nà gè shàng miàn

故事写在那个上面

And wrote the story beside

zhè shì dì yī zhāng

这是第一张

That was the beginning

hǎo wán de shì qíng bù yào yǒu shén me xiàn zhì

好玩的事情不要有什么限制

There shouldn’t be any restriction on interesting things

wǒ shì yī gè zuì pà yí shì gǎn gēn xíng shì gǎn de rén

我是一个最怕仪式感跟形式感的人

I dread ceremonies and forms

wǒ zài wǒ de chī fàn zhuō shàng huà huà

我在我的吃饭桌上画画

I draw on my dining table

fàng yán liào de wǎn shì jiā lǐ shèng xià lái de fàn wǎn

放颜料的碗是家里剩下来的饭碗

I pour paint into extra rice bowls at home

fàng mò zhī de shì shèng xià lái de dié zi

放墨汁的是剩下来的碟子

And ink into plates

kāi fàn wǒ dé shōu tān

开饭我得收摊

When the meal is ready, I put away the stuff

wǒ tài tài hái wèn wǒ

我太太还问我

My wife asked me

nǐ huà nà me duō gàn ma

你画那么多干嘛

‘Why do you draw so many paintings’

wǒ tū rán jiù gēn tā shuō le yī jù hěn xióng xīn zhuàng zhì de huà

我突然就跟她说了一句很雄心壮志的话

And suddenly I said something ambitious

wǒ shuō wǒ suì yǐ hòu mài huà yǎng nǐ

我说我60岁以后卖画养你

‘I will support you by selling my paintings after 60’

xiàn zài yǒu zuò dào duì lǎo pó de chéng nuò ma

“现在有做到对老婆的承诺吗”

‘Now do you keep your promise’

yǎng lǎo pó kě néng yǎng bù qǐ

养老婆可能养不起

‘I’m probably not able to support my wife’

dàn shì dài lǎo pó nǚ ér qù lǚ xíng de qián yǒu le

但是带老婆女儿去旅行的钱有了

‘But I have enough money to take my wife and daughter to travel’

bǎ zì jǐ de gù shì gēn shí wù jié hé zài yī qǐ

把自己的故事跟食物结合在一起

I combine my own stories with food

dāng nǐ méi yǒu chī de shí hòu nǐ huì qù xiǎng xiàng wèi dào

当你没有吃的时候，你会去想像味道

When you can’t eat the food, you would imagine its taste

cóng xiǎng xiàng dào zhēn zhèng de le jiě

从想像到真正的了解

From imagination to real understanding

rán hòu zhī dào shí wù de gù shì

然后知道食物的故事

Then to know the story of food

kàn jiàn wǒ de huà huì è kàn jiàn wǒ de huà huì chán

看见我的画会饿，看见我的画会馋

If people feel hungry and drool when they see my painting

nà jiù hǎo le nà jiù dá dào mù de le

那就好了，那就达到目的了

That’s enough. I’ve achieved my aim