台南甜不甜

 

ISBN：9786267261286

食衣住行育樂，為基本生活所必備。在台灣，相信大家最能津津樂道的，就是吃什麼、怎麼吃。也因此，在眾多出版物中，總不缺與食物相關的主題。《台南甜不甜》一書的文字出自作家米果這位道地的台南女子，收錄她記憶中與吃食相關的回憶與感觸。乍看書名，會以為內容偏重介紹台南美食的故事與源由，但可別被騙了，這本書其實是米果彙整自己在成長過程中，對於吃食的習慣與喜好的散文集。如同她在序中所言，留下這些文字記錄，老了可以用來反覆回味。

應該是年齡相近吧，同屬六年級前後班的成長背景，讓我對米果所描寫的日常生活感到十分熟悉。雖然不像她出身美食之都台南，又有位廚藝精湛的媽媽，但許多兒時記憶中與食物相關的情境，透過她的文字，讓我腦海中浮現相似的片段。像是以前只有重大日子才能吃到的辦桌菜、過年時爺爺家總會準備的年節零食、吃飯時總會用菜湯拌飯等等，每篇讀來都貼近日常，又令人吮指回味。

最近閒來無事，不知道該看什麼類型的書時，總會挑選飲食文化相關的作品來翻閱。因為自己本質上就是個吃貨，但受限於伙食費預算，抑或是中年對體重的自我管理，無法大開殺戒地亂吃一通，只好退而求其次，望梅止渴地看看別人分享吃什麼、怎麼吃的心情與體悟，也是一番樂趣。有別於像舒國治、蔡瀾這些名人雅士的生活書寫，米果更貼近市井小民，讀起來格外輕鬆寫意，推薦給同為吃貨的你們一讀。

Food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment are the essentials of everyday life. In Taiwan, what people most enjoy talking about is undoubtedly what to eat and how to eat it. It is therefore no surprise that among countless publications, topics related to food are never in short supply. Is Tainan Sweet? is written by the author Mi Guo, a native of Tainan, and brings together her memories and reflections centered around food. At first glance, the title might lead one to expect a book focused on the stories and origins of Tainan’s cuisine. But don’t be misled—this work is in fact a collection of essays in which Mi Guo reflects on her eating habits and preferences throughout her life. As she mentions in the preface, these written records are something she hopes to revisit and savor again in her later years.

Perhaps it is because we are of a similar generation—both having grown up around the same era—that I find the everyday life she describes so familiar. Although I did not grow up in the culinary capital of Tainan, nor did I have a mother with exceptional cooking skills like hers, many food-related scenes from my childhood come vividly to mind through her writing. From banquet dishes that were once reserved only for special occasions, to the holiday snacks always prepared at my grandfather’s house during Lunar New Year, to the habit of mixing rice with leftover soup—each essay feels close to daily life and leaves a lingering, mouthwatering impression.

Lately, whenever I have some free time and feel unsure about what to read, I often turn to books about food culture. Perhaps it is because I am, at heart, a devoted foodie. Yet constrained by a limited food budget—or by the need to manage my weight in middle age—I cannot indulge freely in everything I want to eat. As a compromise, I satisfy my cravings by reading about what others eat and how they experience food, which brings its own kind of enjoyment. Unlike the refined and somewhat elevated lifestyles depicted by writers such as Shu Kuo-chih and Chua Lam, Mi Guo’s writing feels closer to that of ordinary people. It is easy, relaxed, and a pleasure to read—one that I would gladly recommend to fellow food lovers.