舌尖上的美食 第1期:燒餌塊 Baking Er Kuai

Baking Er Kuai

燒餌塊

One morning, a young farmer named Cu Kangbao carried a basket of local goods to Kunming for sale. When entering the East Gate, he saw crowds of angry people standing there and cursing. And little babies were crying with an open mouth in their mothers’ arms. Cu stood by until he understood what was going on. Last night, the government’s second interrogation room was on fire and the cause was yet to be identified. The officer was angry to death and assumed that it must be a mob messing around. He ordered that announcements be put on the six gates of Kunming and that all people should not cook at home using fire for three ne who violates it would be severely punished.

一天清晨，粗糠寶挑着一擔山貨到昆明去賣。剛剛走進大東門，就看見城門口站着不少老百姓，一個個怒氣沖天，叫罵之聲不絕於耳。有的娃娃躺在媽媽的懷裏張着小嘴哇哇直哭，粗糠寶站在旁邊聽了一會兒，才明白了事情的原委。原來，昨天晚上知府衙門二堂不知什麼原因突然起火，知府氣得暴跳如雷，認定是大膽刁民故意搗亂。他馬上下令，在昆明六道城門張貼布告，從今天開始，所有百姓一律不準在家生火做飯。此項禁令有效期三個月，違者嚴加懲處，絕不寬容。

Cu waved to the crowd, and patiently explained to them how to deal with the matter. After hearing his words, people all put on happy smiles. When they arrived home, people carried out their stoves one after another and started baking Baba, a snack made of rice, over the stoves. All enjoyed a good meal.

粗糠寶向鄉親們招招手，如此這般地囑咐了一通，大夥兒頓時樂得眉開眼笑。回去以後，大夥兒紛紛從家裏搬出爐子，在上面烤起粑粑來，一個個吃得香極了。

Knowing this, the officer hurried to inspect. He caught an old man, questioning him with threat. Cu went up and made faces to the officer saying “Sir, the announcement said “no cooking at home using fire”, but it did not ban the people from baking Baba out of home using fire. We all cook and bake our Baba out of our homes. The officer regretted deeply. He had not expected the situation would become so unmanageable.

知府老爺知道了，急忙出來查看。他揪住一個老倌吹鬍子瞪眼睛。粗糠寶走上前去，衝着知府扮了個鬼臉，“知府大人，佈告上禁止在家裏生火煮飯，可沒有禁止在家門口烤粑粑吃呀！”知府懊惱不已，事先怎麼就沒想到粗糠寶會來這一手呢！

Sa Mei people, a branch of Yi ethnic group, call Baba Er Kuai. This is the story how baked Er Kuai was passed on.

撒梅人把粑粑叫餌塊，燒餌塊就這樣流傳了下來。

注：中央民族大學外國語學院北京市大學生創新項目“雲南美食故事的收集與傳播”項目組供稿。