平民小吃也有大學問/The art of simple food

起司通心粉(mac and cheese)是非常通俗的料理，有些餐廳用它做配角搭配其他主食，兒童菜單上也是很常見的選項之一。當然，只吃起司通心粉過一餐的也大有人在。超市就可以買到盒裝速成的起司通心粉，總之，是非常簡單方便的食物。

來到米國兩年多，我一直對起司通心粉提不起興趣。

我一向鍾愛有嚼勁的食物，削得既寬且粗的山西刀削麵，或是充滿彈性的粉圓芋圓等等，都是我的最愛。也許因為我的第一次嘗試是學校餐廳的配菜，吃起來就只有巧達起司味（剛好巧達起司也不在我起司名單中名列前茅）和軟綿綿的通心粉，實在......無趣。直到年初和馬克拜訪他一位在密西根Muskegon小鎮的朋友後，讓我對起司通心粉完全改觀。

晚餐時間他帶我們去一家當地酒吧Pints and Quarters Pub and Grill，並極力推薦起司通心粉。馬克和我當時還不認為起司通心粉能有多了不起，加上我們總喜歡嚐鮮，於是點了酒吧綜合拼盤，有德式香腸、起司通心粉、馬鈴薯泥等等。酒吧裡黑壓壓的，餐點長什麼樣其實看不大清楚。半信半疑吃了一口起司通心粉......媽呀！這也太美味了吧！起司醬非常均勻的包裹著通心粉，而通心粉煮得軟硬剛好，非常有口感，起司味道也相當平衡，根本就是起司通心粉界裡的神級料理了。從那時起，只要上餐廳，我都忍不住想要試試起司通心粉。

我一直認為，美食不一定只有高檔餐廳才會提供，路邊小吃攤也常常有意外的驚喜。景美夜市的巷子口米粉湯、安居街上的紅麵線......等，都是我心目中的第一名。而這次在米國的起司通心粉經驗，更驗證我堅信不移的信念：平民小吃也有大學問！

Mac and cheese is a very common dish.  Some restaurants serve it as a side dish or on children's menu.  Some people eat mac and cheese as a meal.  You can easily find the instant mac and cheese in every grocery store.  In short, it is a very simple and easy food.

In the past two years, I was never interested in mac and cheese.  Perhaps my first mac and cheese experience was at the campus restaurant.  The macaroni was really soft, and all I could taste was just cheddar cheese.  As a person who loves chewy foods, and who is not a big fan of cheddar cheese, this dish was just boring.  However, my view toward mac and cheese was changed until our trip to Muskegon this year.

We visited Mark's friend in Muskegon, Michigan.  He took us to a local pub Pints and Quarters Pub and Grill and recommended mac and cheese.  Back then Mark and I still didn't believe how tasty mac and cheese could be, so we ordered the platter, including mashed potatoes, brats, and mac and cheese, etc.  It is always difficult to see what the food is like in a pub due to the dim light.  I tried my first bit of the mac and cheese.  OH MY GOODNESS!  How could it be so delicious?  The white sauce covered macaroni evenly and smoothly.  The pasta was al dente.  The taste of cheddar was very balanced.  It was the most delicious mac and cheese I had ever had!

Ever since then, I always have an attempt to try mac and cheese when I am in a restaurant.

I always believe that delicious foods can be found not only in high-class, expensive restaurants.  Often times food stands can offer pleasant surprise as well.  This mac and cheese experience further deepened my belief:  there is art in everything, even most simple common food!