My Aunt Louise and my grandmother both smoked Virginia Slims(维珍妮牌香烟). At social events, even barbecues, Louise’s cigarette was in a theater-length holder(剧院长度的烟嘴). She was married to a loud man we called Uncle Benny, who held his Marlboro in the same hand as his highball(高球杯（烈酒加汽水）). Louise’s kitchen, with its Talavera tile(塔拉韦拉瓷砖) and swinging door, functioned like a VIP suite(贵宾套房). It’s where the mac and cheese was made, and the very important people were the kids.
我的路易丝阿姨和我的祖母都抽维珍妮牌香烟。在社交场合，甚至烧烤聚会上，路易丝总把香烟插在一根剧院长度的烟嘴里。她嫁给了一个嗓门很大的男人，我们叫他本尼叔叔，他一手夹着万宝路，一手端着高球杯。路易丝的厨房铺着塔拉韦拉瓷砖，装着一扇弹簧门，功能就像一间贵宾套房。通心粉奶酪就是在这里做的，而贵宾就是孩子们。
This was late-1970s Los Angeles. Louise and Benny lived in a gray Spanish-revival(西班牙复兴风格) bungalow(平房) common to the multiracial Miracle Mile(奇迹一英里（洛杉矶多种族聚居区）): a red-clay roof and a front courtyard tinkling(叮当作响) with chimes. On any given weekend, a hunting pal of Benny’s might stomp(跺脚走) onto Louise’s spotless back patio with just-caught cod(鳕鱼), or crayfish(小龙虾) still moving in the trap—maybe even deer heart, thawing in a ziplock(密封袋), or fresh pheasant(野鸡) to throw on the grill.
那是1970年代末的洛杉矶。路易丝和本尼住在一栋灰色的西班牙复兴风格平房里，这种房子在多种族聚居的奇迹一英里区很常见：红黏土屋顶，前院风铃叮当作响。随便哪个周末，本尼的狩猎伙伴都可能跺着脚走上路易丝一尘不染的后院露台，带着刚钓上来的鳕鱼，或者还在陷阱里动弹的小龙虾——甚至可能是一颗在密封袋里解冻的鹿心，或是准备扔上烤架的新鲜野鸡。
It was fine for others to contribute a protein, but side dishes were Louise’s domain(领域，地盘): deviled eggs(魔鬼蛋), braised(炖的) mustard greens(芥菜), and the mac and cheese for which she was famous. I’d watch Louise fold(拌入) boiled elbow noodles(弯管通心粉) into the Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp(Cracker Barrel特浓切达奶酪) I had shredded(刨碎的), plus eggs beaten with Knudsen whole milk (as opposed to Carnation evaporated(淡奶)). There were other ingredients—a spoonful of dry mustard(干芥末), a pinch of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning(Tony Chachere's原味克里奥尔调味料)—but what stood out to me were Louise’s careful shakes, from a Schilling tin, of cream of tartar(酒石酸氢钾). I didn’t know what that was, and I wasn’t alone. For Louise’s clique(小圈子), cream of tartar was a culinary idiosyncrasy(怪癖). “Cream of what?” they’d ask. “Why?”
别人带蛋白质食物来没问题，但配菜是路易丝的地盘：魔鬼蛋、炖芥菜，还有她闻名遐迩的通心粉奶酪。我看着路易丝把煮好的弯管通心粉拌进我刨好的Cracker Barrel特浓切达奶酪里，再加上用Knudsen全脂牛奶（而不是Carnation淡奶）打散的鸡蛋。还有其他配料——一勺干芥末、一撮Tony Chachere's原味克里奥尔调味料——但最让我注意的是路易丝从Schilling铁罐里小心翼翼地抖入酒石酸氢钾。我不知道那是什么，而且不止我一个人。在路易丝的朋友圈里，酒石酸氢钾是一种烹饪上的怪癖。“酒石什么？”他们会问。“为什么加？”