難道去日本﹖北越一

饜食飽暖腦滿腸肥的中國春節過後﹐在別人返回工作崗位的初五﹐我們全家勤快的打好行裝出發到一月就計劃的北越五日行程﹐算是一年一度的家庭旅遊。許多人聽 說我們要去北越的第一個反應是﹕那裡有什麼﹖我通常回答﹕越共。我怎麼知道那裡有什麼!﹖骨子和腦子裡我都跟大家一樣﹐想起越南的印象不外乎那場腥風血雨 的越戰 (從 Discovery or History Channel 的記錄片 or 好萊塢的越戰三部曲 Heaven and Earth 之類)﹐浪漫一點最多追朔到瑪格利特的“情人”或是蝴蝶夫人改編的現代歌劇“Miss Saigon”﹐除了這些西方國家和媒體 represent 出來的故事和影像外﹐我還真不知從何窺看真正的越南。

如 果要說有什麼真正和越南人面對面的經驗﹐大概就是來自北美林立的越南河粉了。在台灣越南料理算不上有名﹐但 Pho 可是北美華僑們在國外的知己﹐想想應該算是吃不到牛肉麵的一種心理補償。吃過最好吃的越南河粉是在巴黎中國城﹐和當地人一聊幾乎人人都知道﹐在美食之都仍 那樣出名就知道它的魅力所在。越南河粉的精華在湯頭﹐那一鍋不知道用大骨和牛雜燉了多久的精華滾燙的淋在白細的河粉和切的薄薄的生肉片上﹐旁邊一盤生豆芽 ﹐九層塔和綠色辣椒片讓你添加﹐最後再擠進檸檬汁﹐那酸中帶甜的實在肉骨香真是令人上癮。

首都河內的第一站就是餐廳。開放式的木頭房子裡 吊著巨大的燈籠﹐雖然是冬天﹐但天氣比台北溫暖﹐我們在外面草棚遮蓋的長桌用餐﹐琳琅滿目的看傻了眼。和泰式料理一樣﹐東南亞的食物通常重香料﹐冷菜裡比 較特別的是涼的肉醬淋在水田芥上﹐兩個重的味道互相配合﹐口感一流。飲食中也可見法國傳統﹐法國麵包烤的外酥內軟﹐紅酒燉牛肉非常入味﹐只是越南蝸牛不像 法國用烤的﹐而是用香料燉煮﹐比法國口味清淡許多﹐腥味也比較重。河粉上鋪著香菜和花生粉﹐再放上剛炒好的咖哩魚片﹐混合著一口吃了﹐滿口混雜的香。甜點 有泡了米酒的紫糯米﹐把剛剛的香料﹐燒烤﹐咖哩又都壓了下去﹐一餐下來味蕾受到層層刺激﹐大呼過癮。外面庭院種著蓮花還做了小橋﹐造景也花了不少心思。不 過這樣一餐要八塊錢美金﹐依照當地三千塊台幣一個月的平均收入﹐實在不便宜。

飯後從河內市坐車到風景區下龍灣﹐稍稍休息以後又是晚餐。大 概是太久沒有跟旅行團出遊﹐這樣的行程還真讓人不習慣。尤其是星星滿天飛的舒服旅館和團菜﹐和一人在外的艱苦樸素精神真有天壤之別。團菜八菜一湯﹐晚餐幾 乎是天天都一樣﹐一道鹵三層白肉四天晚上都在﹐似乎是招牌菜。其他的大概是炒野菜﹐紅燒吳郭魚之類。雖然菜的口味都很重﹐桌上仍然永遠準備了辣椒和醬油﹐ 絕不讓你覺得淡薄。米是我最喜歡的再來米﹐帶薄薄的茉莉香且口感清晰﹐這種飯我總能吃個兩三碗。

晚上看了這幾年在別國也很出名的水上木偶戲﹐旁邊的音樂和臺詞是當場配唱的﹐戲目也都很簡單﹐耕田插秧﹐補魚釣魚﹐一些簡單的神話故事﹐但小木偶在水裡動作生動可愛﹐不用翻譯也能了解的劇情有種樸實感﹐讓我和老爸在之後的幾日念念不忘的老在學木偶提這事情。真的被逗樂了。

Me, my island and I.

Even though we all know life's bittersweet are mostly unsharable, sometimes we just can't bear to be alone. I guess no man is an island, they just don't mind owning one. Well, sometimes I like to stay on my island alone. There is nothing worse than finishing an awesome touchy-feelingy movie, and the dude beside you pop the million dollar question "So.. what was that all about?" or when you DID pop the million dollar question after "The English Patient," and he ruined it by saying "Well... I guess it's more of a chick flick." So there he was, "flicked" from the list on the spot, and I decide to go to movies alone.

My chance came to me when "Girl, Interrupted" was playing in university cinema and everybody was too busying with their finals or just simply didn't want to be "interrupted," I went alone. It was an awesome experience. Finally, I don't have to worry about what I should say or do after the movie, and don't have to worry about any "million dollar questions" come to the scene. I was perfectly interrupted as much as I want.

Then I started to travel alone. (Seems like no way back once you started) When I was in New York all by myself, I decided to take my first walk from the eastside to the westside to see "The Hours." Funny how these two movies are both about women(or girl)'s inner psych. In that elaborate upper westside theater (it was an classy opera theater, simply.) I found many women who came by themselve, some schoarly-artsy looking couples, and some guy/boys who looked just too fragile/sensitive/human to be men. It was an awesome movie. A movie one should definately watch by oneselve.

Then there are more to come. In London, I remember dropping tears in "Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset" and didn't have to care about the guy beside me asking "you okay?" (yes I'm okay you numb people!) Clapping my hands in the end of a good movie with a room of unknown people (yet, they "know") and walking out of a cinema with that bittersweet feeling when you just finish a good movie.

I saw three movies by myself this month. The first was "Pride and Prejudices," all three of them won great critic review, but this one disappointed me. Probably I was comparing it with Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensitivies" too much. Both Jane Austin's famous book, very similar events. Sisters eager to marry off in a country family, rich gentlemen and poor bastards trying to marry for money... However, Ang Lee is just a master when it comes to "family affairs" like Emma Thomson expected. Too bad for "P."

The second and third one I would never noticed if not for Steve's strong recommendation. I never really enjoy Steve Martin's humour, at least not as much as the other white hair guy that always stand on a bullet (if you want low, aim LOW.) "Shopgirl" was adopt from Martin's own novel (I wonder if the other white hair guy writes too.) talking about a rich man who can spray everything on the girl other than commit a future. While the other guy, who claim himself an artist (and total broke like most of them do), having trouble expressing himself and take care of other people, a guy with nothing to offer but youth. Smart humor was all over this film, and most of all, three actors' performance were what made this film succesful. Nothing dramatic or heavy, yet the interactions, the simple dialogues, the small gestures and delicate movements said it all. It make you smile, laugh, and tear when seeing shopgirl finally go through the relationship and get what she deserves: a man that embrace her in his arms like a holding a scarce fire. Your heart aches sweetly when the ending comes.

Discussing about human relationships in today's world. How individuals come together and feel each other, "Me and you and everyone we know" is an unique film. Taking another prespective compare to the last one. As shopgirl silently waiting behind the counter for someone to notice and grant her access to another world. The characters in "Me" desperately seeking for oppotunities to connect with one another even sometimes appears to be cold outside. Sharing the deepest feeling with unknown persona via internet, posting messages thru the window glass to highschool girls, taking chances saying things that might seem ridiculous to a total stranger and hope he will get what you're saying just because he seems to be quite sensual when he served you in the shoe store... it's that hope that someone will understand that feeling sours inside you, the wishful thinking of someone true will come share the beauty in the moment of this world with you. The theme was "warm and touch in the digital age." and it did touched us, while we all waiting for that person come to pick up the "forever" in the corner store nearby.

Oh yes, that wishful thinking, that hope which made us weeping in them theaters, while I still claim to be better off alone sometimes, (and more and more times,) with me, my island and I.