#陈氏本帮葱油饼面# 学期伊始，主修人文的本人每周做二休五，闲，遂久居厨房钻研料理。不料一道葱油拌面“不慎”走俏，“厨子陈的深夜食堂”的群聊随之建起，至截稿时成员已九十有余。其中编辑Nell同学在尝面之余，赏我一份稿约，仓皇写就，文词拙劣，还请海涵。 以物易物 起初，由于高估了做拌面的成本，每次下面我会收点钱以补贴成本。但后来仔细算了算，我发现一碗面的成本连2元都到不了。既然没什么成本，何来收钱之说。于是“昭告天下”——今后吃面不要钱，来蹭就行。 但尽管讲了不要钱，有些同学来吃面时，还是会带袋牛奶或是巧克力给我，或是主动帮我洗碗刷锅。就这样，“厨子陈的深夜食堂”进入了一种“以物易物”、“我下面你洗碗”的颇为原始的形态——尽可能地刨去了世俗的繁琐与沉重、更重人情、更重本真。这是我觉得深夜食堂最美好的一面。 没有配方，只靠味觉 很多人吃完面，在大呼美味之余，有时会问我葱油如何调、面煮多久烧开几次才能这么爽滑有韧劲。我总说“不知道”。并不是因为这葱油的做法是家族祖传的秘方所以我不想告诉别人，而是我真的不知道配方是什么。每次做葱油，我都会不听地用筷子尝试酱料甜咸的配合度；每次下面，我也不会去数水开了几次用了多少时间，只会拣一根面，用舌尖去评判是否完美。 私以为，一名厨子最重要的素质就是他的味觉，刀功火候都是其次。依稀记得电影《饮食男女》中的父亲本是圆山大饭店总厨，虽然手艺高超，但因味觉退化，美味不再，最终也不得不被迫退休。法国名厨Marcel Boulestin也曾说:“Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.” 如果做菜调味不是靠自己尝自己试，而是像计量化学一样拿电子天平一样样去秤，那么做菜定将失去很多美感和乐趣。

Chen’s 上海-style 葱油拌面* Cōng yóu bàn miànA Community Based on Bartering When I first started to cook noodles for friends, I thought it was quite costly, thus I charged some money for each dish in order to cover up the cost. However, after some careful calculation, I found the cost is no more than 2 kuai for each dish. So I decided to tell my friends there would be FREE noodles every night, just come along and enjoy. However, although I already clarified that the noodles are free, some friends still came along with a bag of milk or a bar of chocolate, or simply offered to help wash the dishes and pots. This is actually what I love about this practice the most. Because we are not paying anyone to do anything -- everyone is doing things spontaneously. No ingredients, just taste it Many times when my friends were finishing up their noodles, they might ask me how I make the 葱油 or how to cook the noodles. I always say “I don’t know.” It’s not because the recipe is a secret handed down in my family or that I don’t wanna share it. I really don’t know the recipe! Everytime when I make the 葱油, I simply taste it to see if the sweetness and saltiness match well. I always feel that to be a good cook, having a good taste is the most important thing. Great French chef Marcel Boulestin once said that “Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.” I can’t agree more. If one cooks using an electronic scale, cooking will be less of an art and much less fun. *Note: 葱油拌面, noodles with self-made scallion oil and soy sauce.

This article was written by Shiyun Sam Chen. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Sam Chen