Blind dates

2020/12/17 04:13:55 網誌分類: 生活

17 Dec

        　　There was an interesting article in the British newspaper The Guardian last week. I read this newspaper every day although I consider it too liberal. But the article I read last week was not about politics. It was about a "blind date". A "blind date" is when a male and female who have never met before go out together for the first time. Different cultures have their types of blind dates. In Asia, particularly in India and China, parents arrange blind dates with the intention of getting their sons and daughters to marry. In the US, the expression "blind date" became more commonly used in the early 20th century when parents arranged for their sons and daughters to meet but not with the specific intention of marriage.

        　　This changed in the 1950s and 1960s when young people in the West, not parents, fixed blind dates for their friends. In today's internet world, many companies arrange for strangers who share the same interests to meet. The Guardian article was interesting because the 57-year-old sales manager named Philip and the 61-year-old illustrator named Liz did not meet in person. Their blind date was online because of the coronavirus pandemic in Britain. When the newspaper asked Philip for his first impression of Liz, he said "She has a gap in her teeth, which was a bit boho." The expression "gap teeth" means having a small opening between the front teeth.

        　　The word "boho" means someone who ignores the usual accepted way of behaving. It is most commonly used to describe artistic people. The word "bohemian" has a similar meaning. When the newspaper asked Liz what she thought Philip's first impression of her was, she replied, "Crikey, no idea" but added Philip said she was "arty". The British slang word "crikey" is an expression of surprise. To be "arty" means being or wishing to seem very interested in everything connected with art or artists. I hope when the pandemic is over, people will get back to real blind dates!

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        　　英國報章《衞報》上星期有一則有趣的報道。我每天都讀這份報紙，雖然我覺得它過於自由主義了。但我上星期讀的那篇文章非關政治，是關於一場“blind date”。A“blind date”就是一對從未見過面的男女的首次約會。不同的文化有他們各自的相睇（blind dates）模式，在亞洲，尤其是印度和中國，父母會安排相睇（blind dates），意圖讓自己的子女可以嫁娶。在美國，習語“blind date”在二十世紀初日漸流行，父母會安排他們的子女見面，但不完全是以婚嫁作為前提。

        　　這在一九五○及六○年代有所改變，在西方不再是父母，反而是年輕人會為朋友安排相親（blind dates）。在今天的網絡世界，許多公司都會安排有相同興趣的陌生人相見。《衞報》的文章很有趣，因為那位五十七歲的銷售經理菲臘，以及六十一歲的插畫師麗絲並非親身相見，因着英國的新冠肺炎疫情，他們的「盲約會」（blind date）要在網上進行。當那份報章問菲臘對麗絲的第一印象，他說：「她有gap in her teeth，那有一點boho。」習語“gap teeth”意即門牙中間有一道細小的罅縫。

        　　“Boho”意即一些人無視世俗行為規範，它通常用來形容一些放蕩不羈的文化人；“bohemian”（波希米亞）也有相近的意思。當報章問麗絲，怎樣看菲臘對她的第一印象時，她回應道：「Crikey，沒想法。」但也補充指菲臘有說她是“arty”。英式俚語“crikey”即「哎呀」，是表示驚訝的感歎詞。

        　　To be“arty”意即附庸風雅的，對於一切有關藝術或藝術家的事情非常感興趣，或希望顯得很感興趣。我希望當疫情完結之時，人們可以回復真正面對面的盲約會（blind dates）吧！中譯：七刻



        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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