美国国家公共电台 NPR The Best Hostess Gift? A Pound Of Butter, Says Amy Sedaris

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The actress and comedian¹ Amy Sedaris has become famous for her roles in shows like "Strangers With Candy"...

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "STRANGERS WITH CANDY")

AMY SEDARIS: (As Jerri Blank) I was a builder, a loser and a user.

SHAPIRO: ...And "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "UNRBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT")

SEDARIS: (As Mimi Kanasis) Call Make a Wish. I want to meet Shaq. Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Jacqueline...

SHAPIRO: At the same time, Amy Sedaris has always harbored a not-so-secret love of home crafting projects. She has written books about it. There is "Simple Times: Crafts For Poor People" and "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence." And now she has a new program on truTV called "At Home With Amy Sedaris."

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "AT HOME WITH AMY SEDARIS")

SEDARIS: My businessmen will be here soon, and we didn't even address the most important part of a fish dinner - making lamb chops. As it turns out, a lot of people don't like fish, so it's very important...

SHAPIRO: Amy Sedaris, welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

SEDARIS: Thank you for having me.

SHAPIRO: What were your inspirations for this show?

SEDARIS: Well, I grew up with these two local hospitality shows, "At Home With Peggy Mann" and the "Betty Elliott Show." And that's what triggered the whole thing. I remember pointing to the TV when I was 10, saying, I'm going to do that show when I grow up. And then I was inspired by Lawrence Welk and "Galloping² Gourmet³" and "Frugal⁴ Gourmet" and Julia Child and "Two Fat Ladies" - I mean, all those shows.

SHAPIRO: You mention the show "Two Fat Ladies," which was also a favorite of mine. And one thing that I loved about that show which your show also shares is that the things that they made so enthusiastically so often looked totally inedible⁵. It would be like a breakfast dish made of anchovies⁶.

SEDARIS: Yes, and butter and everything. But that's the thing. Like, Martha Stewart, who's really talented and she had that great PBS show how she would, like, teach you how to roast a chicken - but my stuff never looked like her stuff. Or like, I'd look at her magazine where she'd make a pipe cleaner mouse, and then I would make a pipe cleaner mouse, and I'm like, this looks nothing like a mouse. So I'm like, how do they do this? So I just like things to look as, you know, real. And I think a lot of people are like that.

SHAPIRO: Was there a moment that you realized your weakness was actually your strength in home crafting?

SEDARIS: (Laughter) That's funny. Yeah, you're right. I mean, I just - if I do the best I can do, then it's just funny without trying to be funny, which I like. That's how I like to do everything, is like, if you're just true and you're in the moment, then it's just going to be more unique and more you.

SHAPIRO: You make these adorable baked potato boats in the episode on a fish dinner.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "AT HOME WITH AMY SEDARIS")

SEDARIS: OK, for this craft you will need baked potato, skewer⁷, cheese singles, mushroom button caps, construction paper and a little bit of glue.

SHAPIRO: Yes, you are making boats out of baked potatoes. And yet it's hard for me to describe this like a project you could see on any other TV home crafts program.

SEDARIS: But it's a real craft. I've seen it in a cookbook before.

SHAPIRO: I think we need you to describe this activity now.

SEDARIS: You take a baked potato and you put butter and sour cream on it, and then you top it with mushroom caps. And I just added a flag. And what's funny about that craft is, you know, I wanted to make the flag look like it was blowing in the wind. So you apply - you take the construction paper and make a flag. And you have to apply some glue, but I added too much glue by accident.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "AT HOME WITH AMY SEDARIS")

SEDARIS: OK. Squeeze. A little dab⁸ will do it.

SHAPIRO: This show has a roster⁹ of all-star visiting celebrities¹⁰ - Stephen Colbert, Jane Krakowski. How did you describe to them what they were signing up for?

SEDARIS: I think they did it for the money, which was $600. Well, Colbert I was like, come on. I can't do this show without you. It was really good to have him on set.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "AT HOME WITH AMY SEDARIS")

SEDARIS: I'm in the craft room. Hello, Stephen.

STEPHEN COLBERT: Hi, Amy.

SEDARIS: Stephen Colbert, my turtle sitter.

COLBERT: How are the turtles doing?

SEDARIS: Everyone was so enthusiastic, and they said yes right away. And I didn't think we'd get half the people we got. I mean, I - Michael Shannon - are you kidding me? - or Paul Giamatti or Chris Elliott. I was shocked when they said yes.

SHAPIRO: OK. So, Amy Sedaris, if you're invited to a party for the holiday season, can you suggest a host or hostess gift that somebody could bring that's different from the typical bottle of wine or bouquet¹¹ of flowers?

SEDARIS: Well, I always appreciate someone bringing me a pound of butter because butter's really expensive and it's a nice thing you can throw in your freezer.

SHAPIRO: If someone is going to show up at your house with a pound of butter, would they put a ribbon on it or shape it into - I mean, is there something more you can do than just arrive with a pound of butter?

SEDARIS: Well, if you gift wrap it - I mean, I love having art in my refrigerator. And if you gift wrap it it'll look beautiful in your freezer all - you know, with a little bow on it.

SHAPIRO: Amy Sedaris, congratulations on your new show.

SEDARIS: Thank you so much.

SHAPIRO: The new program on truTV is called "At Home With Amy Sedaris," and it starts tonight.

(SOUNDBITE OF MEDESKI, MARTIN AND WOOD'S "SHINE IT")

1 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

2 galloping   

adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The horse started galloping the moment I gave it a good dig. 我猛戳了马一下，它就奔驰起来了。
• Japan is galloping ahead in the race to develop new technology. 日本在发展新技术的竞争中进展迅速，日新月异。

3 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

4 frugal   

adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的

参考例句：

• He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人，但生活俭朴。
• The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。

5 inedible   

adj.不能吃的，不宜食用的

参考例句：

• The food was totally inedible.食物完全无法下咽。
• These chemicals make the fruit inedible.这些化学品使这种水果不宜食用。

6 anchovies   

n. 鯷鱼，凤尾鱼

参考例句：

• a pizza topped with cheese and anchovies 奶酪鳀鱼比萨饼
• Pesto, mozzarella, parma ham, sun dried tomatoes, egg, anchovies. 核桃香蒜，马苏里拉，巴马火腿，干番茄，鸡蛋，咸鱼。

7 skewer   

n.（烤肉用的）串肉杆；v.用杆串好

参考例句：

• I used a skewer to make an extra hole in my belt.我用扦子在腰带上又打了一个眼儿。
• He skewered his victim through the neck.他用扦子刺穿了受害人的脖子。

8 dab   

v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂

参考例句：

• She returned wearing a dab of rouge on each cheekbone.她回来时，两边面颊上涂有一点淡淡的胭脂。
• She gave me a dab of potatoes with my supper.她给我晚饭时，还给了一点土豆。

9 roster   

n.值勤表，花名册

参考例句：

• The teacher checked the roster to see whom he would teach this year.老师查看花名册，想了解今年要教的学生。
• The next day he put himself first on the new roster for domestic chores.第二天，他把自己排在了新的家务值日表的第一位。

10 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

11 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。