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“在我很小的时候，和姥姥姥爷一起生活在四合院里。每到过年各种亲戚会拿伴手礼回来，其中就有大桶的可乐和雪碧，每次聚会都会剩下一两瓶，在当时那是很新的东西。但是晚上我想喝的时候发现它们总是不见了，后来才知道是被住在我姥姥隔壁的舅舅一家拿走了，他们家有一个表妹。我就和姥姥说，聚会之后可不可以给我留一瓶，我也很喜欢喝。然后又一次聚会后我心里都是这件事情，直到看到有一瓶雪碧被放在了储物间我才安心上床睡觉。后来我隐隐约约听见大人聊天的声音，我知道是舅妈和姥姥。姥姥还是在舅妈来拿一些剩下的零食给表妹吃的时候，把雪碧给舅妈了。

后来很多很多这样的事情，我慢慢发现我是没有父母在身边保护的那一个。所以我变成了一个没有安全感，很为自己考虑的人，以至于我现在都被父母说我和他们不亲近。我不怪父母，也不怪姥姥，只是在每一次被父母这样说的时候心里闷闷的。我现在在英国，有很多可乐雪碧，却始终得不到一份理解。”

“When I was a kid, I lived in a traditional courtyard house with my grandparents. During the Chinese New Year, relatives would bring back various gifts, including large barrels of cola and Sprite. There would be one or two bottles left after each gathering, a quite novel thing at that time. However, every time I wanted to drink them at night, they were always missing. Later, I found out that my uncle and his family, who lived next door to my grandma, took them; they had a younger cousin. I talked to my grandma, asking if they could leave one bottle for me after the gatherings because I really liked drinking them. After another gathering, I kept thinking about it until I saw a bottle of Sprite placed in the storage room, and only then could I go to bed feeling relieved. Later, I vaguely heard the voices of adults chatting, and I knew it was my aunt and grandma. Grandma still gave the Sprite to my aunt when she came to take some leftover snacks for her cousin.

Later, many such incidents happened, and I gradually realized that I was the one without parents around to protect me. So, I became someone without a sense of security, always thinking for myself. This has led to my parents saying I’m not close to them. I don’t blame my parents or grandma; it’s just that every time my parents say something like that, I feel uneasy. Now I’m in the UK, surrounded by plenty of cola and Sprite, yet I still can’t find understanding.”

“我对于西餐的启蒙源于我的父亲。

幼时父母离婚，我随母亲生活，常常只能在每隔几周的某天周末才能同父亲见面。他不像母亲那般省吃俭用，对自己阔绰，和我一起时自然也愿意陪我下下馆子。第一次吃豪客来牛排、第一次吃必胜客披萨，都是爸爸带我尝鲜。

父亲其实并不太爱我。随着年岁增长，我与父亲之间的联络越来越少。十年未见，父亲的形象在我脑海中已日渐模糊。但偶尔的时候，我又会想起年少时那些点滴的父爱，是他教我点七分熟的牛排，又替我用刀叉将牛排一块块切开。长大后我便只吃七分熟的牛排，而如今身在海外，我常在外国人面前自如地使用刀叉。我庆幸自己不因没见过世面而感到露怯和窘迫，也只有在这些瞬间，我才能感到曾经的父亲用爱陪我成长过片刻。”

“My introduction to Western cuisine came from my father.

During my early years, my parents divorced, and I lived with my mother. I could only see my father every few weeks on certain weekends. Unlike my frugal mother, he lived more extravagantly and was willing to take me to restaurants when we were together. The first time I tried a steak at Outback Steakhouse, the first time I had pizza at Pizza Hut – these were all experiences guided by my dad.

In reality, my father wasn’t very fond of me. As the years passed, our contact became increasingly infrequent. Ten years went by without seeing each other, and the image of my father in my mind gradually faded. But occasionally, I would recall those small moments of paternal love from my youth. It was him who taught me how to order a medium-rare steak and then used a knife and fork to cut it into pieces for me. As I grew up, I only ate medium-rare steaks, and now, being overseas, I confidently use a knife and fork in front of foreigners. I am grateful that I don’t feel shy or awkward because of my limited exposure to the world. It’s in these moments that I can feel my father’s love helping me grow for a brief period.”

“以前在北京经常吃炸酱面。印象里最早吃的食物其实就是姥姥做的炸酱面，拿一个小铁碗给我盛得满满当当，小时候每次能吃两大碗儿，吃饱了就往地上一趟哈哈哈。可惜我姥姥走得早，后来就是我妈给我做，同样也超好吃，基本上每周必备。我出国早。小学就出来了，那会儿在澳大利亚，当地也没有炸酱面，我只能每个假期回家吃。真的连着三天也不会吃腻。再往后初中去了英国，高中去了美国，吃过很多食物，但是感觉还是最喜欢炸酱面！大学的时候，班上有韩国人，聊天之后才知道韩国也有炸酱面，跟朋友去外面餐馆吃了一次，说实话太腻了，尤其那个酱，再后来就自己做饭，我还特意邀请那个韩国朋友来尝了尝北京的炸酱面哈哈哈哈。黄酱澥好再加入甜面酱，拿炒好的葱油再炒猪肉块儿，然后两个放一起炒，最后再放点葱末加点黄瓜丝就能拌面了，讲真很好吃！”

“I used to eat fried sauce noodles frequently in Beijing. The earliest memory of eating food is actually the fried sauce noodles my grandma made, filling a small iron bowl for me. When I was a child, I could eat two large bowls each time, and after eating, I’d play around on the floor. Unfortunately, my grandma passed away early, so my mom took over, and she made it equally delicious. It became a weekly staple. I went abroad early, leaving for Australia in primary school, where there was no fried sauce noodles. I could only enjoy it during each holiday when I returned home. I never got tired of it, even eating it for three consecutive days.

Later, in middle school in the UK and high school in the US, I tried many foods, but I still loved fried sauce noodles the most! In college, there was a Korean classmate, and after chatting, I learned that Korea also has fried sauce noodles. We went to a restaurant to try it once, but to be honest, it was too greasy, especially the sauce. Later on, I started cooking for myself. I even invited my Korean friend to taste Beijing-style fried sauce noodles. Mixing yellow bean paste with sweet bean sauce, stir-frying it with scallion oil, then stir-frying pork chunks separately. Combining the two stir-fries, adding chopped scallions and cucumber shreds, it’s ready to be mixed with noodles. Honestly, it’s delicious!”

“我2020年来到英国读本科，到现在三年了，一次也没有回家过，因为疫情，因为机票的价格。其实我觉得是因为自己内心不太想回去，想逃离自己的原生家庭。

昨天给父母打电话的时候问起外公外婆的近况，才知道外公已经去世2年了，原来我刚出国没多久他就去世了。我跟外公外婆没有那么亲近，外婆不会使用微信，我出来后只有逢年过节才会跟外婆打招呼。我没有教外公和外婆怎么使用微信…外公和外婆一直对我很好，他们不会表达自己，但是他们对我默默的关心我全都能感受到。外公一直对我引以为傲，他喜欢钓鱼，皮肤被晒得黝黑，一直住在舅舅家的半地下室里的一张小床上。每次我去舅舅家吃饭时，去看外公，他都会擦擦自己的床沿，让我坐在床沿上，因为他觉得床软坐着舒服些，然后自己搬一张钓鱼的小凳子坐在旁边。

出国前，大家一起吃了一顿饭，我没有想到那是最后一次见外公，妈妈说外公已经去了没有病痛的地方，生病期间妈妈跟外公说我在国外回不来，外公也理解。没有见到外公最后一面是我的遗憾，我心里明白大人们的想法，可是我还是觉得很伤心，为什么不能给我打个视频电话，最后看一眼外公。我不知道外公最后躺在病床上在想什么，还痛不痛，会不会怪我没有回去看他….跟妈妈打完电话之后，除了伤心，我居然感觉肚子饿，我一直以为人在伤心难过的时候是会食欲不振的，但是我突然很想吃东西，桌子上有很多食物，我选了巧克力，一口一个巧克力，等回过神来，一盒巧克力都炫完了。吃完了巧克力心情好像真的好了起来，开始继续写论文，继续过生活。一直到了晚上我都没有再想外公的事情。可是今天早晨我突然明白了大人的想法，不是不在意，而是不敢去想，因为生活还要继续…再提起外公的时候从来不哭的妈妈会在我面前流泪，所以不敢提起。”

“I came to the UK to study for my undergraduate degree in 2020, and it has been three years now. I haven’t been home once, not because of the pandemic, not because of the cost of plane tickets. Actually, I feel it’s because deep down, I don’t really want to go back; I want to escape from my original family.

Yesterday, when I called my parents and asked about the recent situation of my grandparents, I found out that my grandfather had passed away two years ago. I had just left the country when he passed away. I wasn’t very close to my grandparents. My grandmother doesn’t use WeChat, so I only greet her during holidays and festivals. I never taught my grandparents how to use WeChat. They have always been good to me, though they may not express it overtly. They silently cared for me, and my grandfather was always proud of me. He loved fishing, and his skin was dark from sun exposure. He lived in the half-basement of my uncle’s house on a small bed. Every time I went to my uncle’s house for a meal and visited my grandfather, he would wipe the edge of his bed, ask me to sit on the bed because he thought it was more comfortable, and then bring a small stool for himself to sit next to me.

Before going abroad, we had a meal together. I didn’t expect it to be the last time I saw my grandfather. My mom said my grandfather had gone to a place without pain. During his illness, my mom told my grandfather that I couldn’t come back from abroad, and he understood. It’s my regret that I didn’t see my grandfather for the last time. I understand the adults’ thoughts, but I still feel very sad. Why couldn’t they make a video call for me to see my grandfather for the last time? I don’t know what my grandfather was thinking lying on the sickbed, whether he was in pain, whether he blamed me for not coming to see him… After finishing the call with my mom, besides feeling sad, I suddenly felt hungry. I always thought that people lose their appetite when they are sad, but I suddenly wanted to eat something. There were many foods on the table, and I chose chocolate. I ate one chocolate after another, and when I came to my senses, I had finished a box of chocolates. After eating the chocolates, my mood seemed to improve. I started to continue writing my paper and live my life. Until the evening, I didn’t think about my grandfather’s matter again. But this morning, I suddenly understood the thoughts of the adults. It’s not that they don’t care; it’s that they dare not think about it because life has to go on… When my mom talks about my grandfather, who never cries in front of me, she will shed tears, so I dare not bring it up.”

一本叫做“Chopped”的剧本，

来自一个叫做Cici Liu的导演

这是一位名字叫做Mei的厨师，在美国的故事。

“‘Chopped’是一个关于食物、我们与食物的关系以及我们的文化和身份的故事。

这个故事源于我的个人经历。

当我刚到美国连续吃了几个星期的汉堡和薯条后，我发现我只想吃一碗简单的米饭。随着时间的流逝，我发现自己离家越来越远。

我紧紧抓住任何能让我想起我的根源的东西–这是一种感觉，一种味道。

我在这里学会了如何烹饪。

然而，当我开始与他人分享我的厨艺并带朋友去中餐馆吃饭时，我发现我的口味是如此与众不同。

在我的成长过程中，我习惯了香料、肠子、青蛙–这些在这里并不容易找到的美食。我独特的口味让我的朋友们感到好奇甚至恐惧。

尽管我们花了很多时间吃东西，一日三餐都在吃，但我还是很难找到一个真正理解我的人。

‘Chopped’ 探讨了一个引人入胜的幻想–当一个女人被愤怒吞噬时，她会怎么做？

我发现自己非常钦佩Mei的精神。

她坚强、才华横溢，而且完全献身于她的手艺。

作为一名杰出的艺术家，Mei 选择采取极端的方式反对她的丈夫，释放她的激情和决心。

我将这幅作品献给我自己，献给所有热爱美食却不得不独自进食的人。”

“Chopped is a story about food, our relationship with food, and inherently, our culture and our identity.

The story comes from a personal place.

When I first arrived in the United States, after weeks of consuming burgers and fries, all I craved was a simple bowl of rice. As time passed and I found myself further away from home,

I clung to anything that reminded me of my roots—a feeling,

a flavor.

I learned how to cook here.

However, as I started sharing my cooking with others and taking friends to Chinese restaurants, I discovered that my palate was different.

Growing up, I was accustomed to spices, intestines, frogs— delicacies not easily found here.

My unique palette became a source of intrigue and even horror for my friends.

Despite the fact that we spend so much time eating, with three meals a day, I struggled to find someone who truly understood me.

Chopped explores a fascinating fantasy— what would a woman do when consumed by anger?

I find myself admiring Mei’s spirit.

She is strong, talented, and completely devoted to her craft.

As a remarkable artist, Mei chooses to take an extreme stand against her husband, unleashing her passion and determination.

I dedicate this piece to myself and everyone who loves food but has to eat alone.”