Something Turns You Off

2018/12/06 04:12:30 網誌分類: 生活

06 Dec

        　　Is it true or just a myth that drinking alcohol when eating durian could kill you？ My Penang friends always tell me never to eat durian and drink alcohol at the same time. They say if I eat durian, I should not drink alcohol for the rest of the day. My friends told me this again last week when I went to Penang. Every time they remind me about the danger of eating durian and drinking alcohol, I remind them I have never eaten durian and will never eat it because its pungent smell turns me off. Whenever I ask my friends why I must avoid alcohol after eating durian, they can never give me a clear answer. My own internet research shows it is not a total myth that people who eat durian should avoid alcohol.

        　　The word “myth” used this way means something that many people believe but is not true. A durian is a tropical fruit with a pungent smell. A pungent smell is a sharp, strong and stinky smell. If something turns you off, it means you dislike it or are disgusted with it. A study by a university in Japan found that eating durian and drinking alcohol can actually be harmful. Durian contains a type of sulfur (sulphur in British English) that hinders the breakdown of alcohol in our bodies. This causes the bad part of the alcohol to enter your bloodstream. There is no evidence this can kill people but the study found it can make people feel very sick.

        　　When I was in Penang last week, my Penang friend drove my Hong Kong friends and I to a mountain with durian trees. They all ate several different types of durian from a roadside stall. My Penang friend insisted that I try the durian but I refused. One of my Hong Kong friends said durian is the king of fruits but I still refused. He assured me I will love it after the first bite. I still refused. They ate so much durian I couldn't believe it. That evening they either avoided alcohol or drank very little with dinner. I drank a lot.

        * * *

        　　你在吃榴槤（durian）的時候喝酒，足以致命——可到底這是真的，抑或只是個迷思（myth）？我的檳城朋友總是跟我說，千萬不要同時間吃榴槤（durian）和喝酒。他們說，若我吃了榴槤（durian），當天餘下的時間也不要喝酒。上星期我到檳城時，我的朋友們又再這樣跟我說。每一次他們提醒我吃榴槤（durian）同時喝酒的風險時，我都會反提醒他們，我從未吃過榴槤（durian），也不會去吃，因為它刺鼻的（pungent）氣味叫我大倒胃口（turns me off）。每當我問朋友，為何吃榴槤（durian）時要戒酒，他們都不能給我一個清晰的說法。我在網上做的資料搜集顯示，人們吃榴槤（durian）時不應喝酒，這也不全然是無中生有的說法（myth）。

        　　Myth在這裏是指許多人相信，但其實並不真確的事。A durian就是榴槤，有着刺鼻（pungent）氣味的熱帶水果。A pungent smell是刺鼻、強烈及難聞的氣味。若某事turns you off，即是它令你很厭惡甚至感到噁心。一個日本大學的研究發現，同時間吃榴槤（durian）和喝酒，確實對身體有害。榴槤（durian）含有一種硫的成份，會阻礙酒精在身體內分解，這會導致酒精內的毒素進入血液之中。雖然沒有證據顯示這會致死，但研究發現這樣會令人感到極度不適。

        　　我上星期在檳城時，一位檳城朋友駕車載我和我的香港朋友們去一個種滿榴槤（durian）樹的山。他們在一個路邊小檔品嚐了幾種不同種類的榴槤。我的檳城朋友堅決認為我要試試吃榴槤（durian），我拒絕了。我的一位香港朋友說，榴槤（durian）是果王，但我還是拒絕了。他向我保證，我吃過一口必定會愛上它。我依然拒絕。他們吃了許多榴槤（durian），多得教我不能置信。那天傍晚我們吃晚飯時，他們要不滴酒不沾，要不就只喝了一點點，我卻是大喝特喝啊。

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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