West Virginia’s official motto is montani semper liberi(西弗吉尼亚州格言：山地人永远自由): mountaineers are always free. It is the only state whose boundaries fall entirely within the Appalachian mountains, offering plenty of isolated valleys where people can find seclusion(与世隔绝，隐居) from the modern world (and sometimes the law). But with great freedom comes great distances from grocery shops, not to mention(更不用说，何况) a legacy of poverty. Appalachian cuisine prizes thrift(节俭，节约) and resourcefulness(足智多谋，善于随机应变): hunting, drying and pickling all feature heavily.
西弗吉尼亚州的官方格言是“montani semper liberi”：山地人永远自由。它是唯一一个边界完全位于阿巴拉契亚山脉以内的州，拥有众多与世隔绝的山谷，人们可以在那里避开现代世界（有时也避开法律）。但巨大的自由也意味着离杂货店路途遥远，更不用说还有贫困的历史遗留问题。阿巴拉契亚饮食崇尚节俭和物尽其用：狩猎、风干和腌制都占据重要地位。
For 35 years Pocahontas County(波卡洪塔斯县，西弗吉尼亚州面积最大、人口最少的县之一)—one of the state’s biggest and least populated—has honoured(尊重，传承，纪念) those traditions with an annual “Roadkill Cook-Off”. The festival draws around 14,000 people to a tiny town tucked deep in the mountains(深藏于群山之中), some from as far afield as(远至……，远到……) Rhode Island and Colorado. Don’t worry, nobody is served lapin à la Michelin(米其林级兔肉，此处为幽默双关). The animals do not have to be physically scraped(刮下，擦掉) off a highway: they just have to be the sorts of creatures commonly hit by cars on rural roads.
35年来，波卡洪塔斯县——该州面积最大、人口最少的县之一——一直通过一年一度的“路杀烹饪大赛”来传承这些传统。这个节日吸引约1.4万人来到一个深藏山中的小镇，有些人甚至从罗德岛和科罗拉多远道而来。别担心，没人会被端上“米其林级兔肉”。动物不必真的从公路上刮下来：它们只需是乡村道路上常被车撞到的那类生物即可。
The event reveals three things about food culture, in America and elsewhere. First, even in historically poor regions like Appalachia, abundance(丰富，充裕) reigns. A few generations ago, Appalachians would have eaten roadkill out of necessity(出于必要，迫不得已); today it is by choice(出于选择，自愿地). Delicious ingredients are everywhere—if you know where to look for them and have a bit of imagination.
这个活动揭示了美国和世界其他地方饮食文化的三件事。首先，即使在阿巴拉契亚这样历史上贫困的地区，丰饶也占据主导。几代人之前，阿巴拉契亚人吃路杀动物是出于无奈；如今则是主动选择。美味的食材无处不在——只要你知道去哪里寻找，并且有一点想象力。