喂，我係麥兜呀

Hey, I'm McDull

正話嗰個係細路仔麥兜

That was McDull the boy

我係大個佬麥兜

I'm McDull the man

細路仔麥兜同大個佬麥兜

Not only are the two McDulls different in their voices,

除咗把聲唔同之外

Not only are the two McDulls different in their voices,

細路仔麥兜嘅世界仲有好多幻想

but there are still many fantasies in the world of McDull the boy

仲有好多希望

and there are still so much hope—

希望、失望、希望、失望

Hope, disappointment, hope, disappointment

搞咗一輪

Eventually,

就變咗大個佬麥兜

he became McDull the man

不過依家我都係想講返細路仔麥兜

But for now, I'd like to tell more about McDull the boy

細路仔麥兜仲係希望希望

McDull the boy hoped for a lot

希望真係有聖誕老人啦

He hoped there really was a Santa Claus

仲係好想好想試下聖誕火雞嘅滋味

He hoped to taste a Christmas turkey

係呀，我嗰陣呢

yes, back then, I

我真係仲未食過火雞

hadn't even tried turkey

所有關於火雞嘅嘢

Everything about turkeys,

聖誕樹一閃一閃嘅燈飾

the twinkle lights on the Christmas tree,

就好似喺天上面落嚟嘅星星噉

it's like stars falling down from the sky

留喺火爐旁邊

resting by the fireplace

一片一片

Slice by slice

比窗外面嘅雪仲要白嘅雞胸肉

Chicken breast whiter than the snow outside the window

就喺我哋面前喇

it was all in front of us

香氣直入靈魂

The aroma pierced into our souls

就連守喺靈魂旁邊嘅天使都醒咗起嚟

even waking up the guardian angels watching over the souls

圍住呢一舊好香好香

They floated around this aromatic, fragrant

又好聖潔嘅肉

holy piece of meat

喺聖誕夜裏面

On Christmas night,

飛呀、飛呀

they floated and floated

但係呢一切一切關於火雞嘅嘢

But all these things about turkey

都不過係我嘅想像

were just my imagination

因為我從來都未食過火雞

Because I had never tried turkey

就連嗰朕味都未聞過

I had never even smelt it

媽媽話火雞太大

Mom said turkey was too big

我哋一家兩口點食都食唔晒

We, as a family of two, could never finish it (no matter) how hard we tried

有一年聖誕節

One Christmas,

媽媽買咗半邊燒鴨慶祝

Mom bought half a roast duck to celebrate

當時我真係十分十分之失望

I was so, so disappointed at that time

又有一年

Another year,

有間大百貨公司執笠

a large department store was closing down

媽媽用四折買咗個焗爐仔返屋企

Mom bought a small oven at 60% off

可能係因為買咗焗爐技癢

She was probably itching to cook something with it

嗰日媽媽竟然同我講

On that day, out of my expectation, Mom told me that

佢話聽日我哋去超級市場抽火雞

we were going to buy a turkey at the supermarket tomorrow

我同媽媽抽住隻火雞行返屋企嗰陣

When I walked home with my mom, carrying the turkey in hand

喺嗰陣時我諗係

I thought that moment was

我生命裏面最開心嘅一刻

the happiest moment of my life

火雞終於解凍喇

The turkey finally thawed!

我學媽媽噉雙手搽滿鹽

I rubbed my hands with salt, just like Mom did

喺火雞豐厚嘅雞胸度

On the turkey's plump breasts,

起勢噉捽吓捽

I kept rubbing and rubbing

聯火雞時

While sewing up the turkey,

媽媽一個唔覺意

Mom accidentally

俾釀喺火雞裏面嘅火雞內臟

let the turkey stuffing—its offal,

洋蔥粒紅蘿蔔粒漏咗出嚟

onion cubes, and carrot cubes—spill out

我話火雞屙爛煮呀

I cried, "The turkey's stomach won't stop!"

火雞好勉強噉扤咗入焗爐度

The turkey was barely stuffed into the oven

十二月二十四日

December 24th

上升嘅白煙

The rising smoke

同奇異嘅燶味撥動星星

and the bizarre burnt smell stirred the stars

個焗爐戚戚測測、戚戚測測噉

The oven ticked and ticked

就好似天使預早俾我哋嘅福音

like an early blessing that the angels gave us

嘩！好靚嘅夜晚呀

Wow! What a beautiful night

我同媽媽坐喺尖東海旁

Mom and I sat by the seafront at East Tsim Sha Tsui

點點點點嘅燈光

Specks of light

喺海上面走嚟走去

floating across the sea

又靚又溫柔

Beautiful and gentle

真係好靚

truly beautiful

我從未食過咁濃味嘅嘢

I'd never eaten anything so bold in flavor

連燒鴨連杯麵都冇咁濃嘅味道

Even roast duck or cup noodles were not as intense

火雞嘅味道

The taste of turkey—

喺我嘅每一個味蕾度

in my every taste bud,

纏住、爆發

entangled and exploded

纏住、爆發

entangled and exploded

就好似今晚嘅嘢噉

Like everything tonight—

最靚、最靚、最犀利

the prettiest, the most beautiful, the most impressive

亦都係最溫柔

and also the most gentle

第二日我瞓到好晏

I woke up late the next day

擦完牙

After brushing my teeth,

我仲感覺到火雞嘅美味

I could still taste the deliciousness of the turkey

因為早餐食得晏

Since we had a late breakfast,

午餐媽媽淨係整咗罐粟米湯俾我

Mom just made me a can of corn soup for lunch.

我係噉意用匙羹撩吓撩吓

I stirred it with a spoon idly

我竟然撩到一粒美味嘅火雞肉

and found a delicious piece of turkey meat

嗰晚唔使講

That night, needless to say,

當然係食我恨咗好耐好耐

We had what I longed for so so long—

好耐好耐嘅聖誕火雞大餐

A Christmas turkey feast

一片一片嘅火雞肉

Slices of turkey meat

伴碟嘅有薯仔同櫛瓜

served with potatoes and squash,

上面淋咗一層老抽生粉芡

topped with a layer of soy sauce starch

我哋真係好興奮好滿足

We were so excited and satisfied

之後我哋仲食咗一個禮拜嘅

After that, we ate it for a week—

火雞三文治做早餐

Turkey sandwiches for breakfast

星期日我扚起心肝同媽媽講

By Sunday, I decided to ask Mom,

不如飲茶呀

Why don't we go out for dim sum?

媽媽鬧我冇衣食

Mom scolded me for not appreciating what we had,

但係都帶咗我去飲茶

but she still took me for dim sum

之後媽媽又有計

After that, my mother had another idea

佢將雪櫃淨返嘅火雞肉

She kept tearing the leftover turkey meats in the fridge,

係噉撕係噉撕

She kept tearing the leftover turkey meats in the fridge,

有時都叫我幫手撕

sometimes also asking me to help

火雞留喺指甲嗰朕味

The smell of turkey stuck to my nails

原來洗咗好多次都仲喺度㗎

It turns out that it lingered even after washing many times

銀芽火雞絲炒米好味道噃

Stir-fried rice noodles with shredded turkey and silver sprouts tastes amazing

啫啫栗子炆火雞絲煲

Chestnut stew with shredded turkey

花生火雞骨煲粥

Porridge with peanuts and turkey bones

紙包火雞包包紙

Paper-wrapped turkey bun

包火雞包包包火雞包

Paper turkey paper bun

釀火雞餡搽麵包

Turkey stuffing spread for bread

我後悔講過火雞屙爛煮呢句嘢

I regretted ever saying, "The turkey's stomach won't stop."

到端午節

By the Dragon Boat Festival,

當我篤開我最鍾意食嘅裹蒸糭嘅時候

when I poked open my favorite steamed rice dumpling,

發現縮喺鹹蛋旁邊嘅

I found something next to the salted egg

係一件火雞背脊

It's a piece of turkey back

我腦部一時想唔通

I lost it

喊咗起上嚟

and I cried

救命呀

Help!

媽媽靜雞雞將淨低嘅火雞擗咗

Mom quietly threw away the remaining turkey

原來嗰陣已經係隻火雞解凍咗

It turned out, at that time, the turkey had already been thawed

差唔多半年後嘅事

for almost half a year

我嘅美夢同惡夢

My sweet dreams and nightmares

亦都同時完結

ended at the same time

後來我先知道

I later learnt that

一隻火雞由出世到俾人劏

a turkey, from birth to slaughter,

都不過係幾個月之間嘅事

is just a matter of months

啫係話隻火雞死咗之後

That is, after that turkey died,

同我哋一齊嘅日子

its time with us

仲長過佢自己本身條命

was longer than its own life

我仲發覺到

I also realized

火雞嘅味道

the taste of turkey,

未食同食第一啖之間

between never having eaten it and taking the first bite,

已經係佢嘅最高峰

already reaches its peak

之後不過都係食開

After that, it’s just eating for the sake of eating

就食埋落去噉解

After that, it’s just eating for the sake of eating

我冇哲學家嘅頭腦

I’m no philosopher

唔知呢兩樣嘢要得出啲咩道理

I don't know what truth should be drawn from these two things

但係呢啲諗法

But these thoughts

喺我長大之後

as I grew older,

喺一啲同聖誕節無關嘅日子

on days unrelated to Christmas,

無端端噉喺我腦部

appeared in my mind out of nowhere

出現過兩三次

for a couple of times

一次喺我自己嘅婚宴上

Once at my own wedding

一次喺我媽媽火化嗰日

Once on the day mom was cremated

嗰日我望住天空幾條灰色嘅煙

That day, I stared at a few wisps of gray smoke in the sky

忽然聞到火雞又濃又淡嘅氣味

Suddenly, I smelled the strong and faint scent of turkey

我好後悔

I regretted

要媽媽擗咗嗰幾件火雞

letting Mom throw away those last pieces of turkey