美国国家公共电台 NPR Parsi Cafes, A Centuries-Old Tradition In India, Are Vanishing

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Mumbai, India, has been at the crossroads of cultures for millennia¹. In the 19th century, refugees from Iran fleeing religious persecution² opened what came to be called Parsi cafes. At one point, there were 400 of them. Today, there are fewer than 40. Rebecca Rosman visited one of the last Parsi cafes.

REBECCA ROSMAN, BYLINE³: The first thing you notice when you walk into Britannia & Co., one of Mumbai's most popular Parsi cafes, is that the place is kind of falling apart. Giant paint chips cake the ceiling. The brown walls are peeling. And the cash register, if you can call it that, is just a series of old wooden drawers.

ROMIN KOHINOOR: Very old-fashioned, very old-fashioned, see. And I don't want to change it because I've got so used to it.

ROSMAN: Fifty-eight-year-old Romin Kohinoor has been working behind this register for four decades.

R KOHINOOR: This is my grandfather's counter bell.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

R KOHINOOR: It's 98 years old, and it is made from British gun metal. See the echo. See the echo.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

R KOHINOOR: Even the restaurant is very old-fashioned - 96 years old. It's all peeling out. It's all dropping. I'm going to put up a board now that you enter at own risk because if something happens, somebody'll hold me liable.

ROSMAN: Luckily for Kohinoor, these quirky interiors are seen as more of an attraction than a liability and so is the food - Iranian comfort food. One of the most popular menu items is a dish called chicken berry pulao - a rice pilaf topped with moist chunks⁴ of chicken and stewed⁵ in a fragrant⁶ tomato sauce, garnished⁷ with sour barberries, giving the dish a sweet and sour punch, and served with fresh lime soda⁸. But one of the biggest draws here is the owner.

BOMAN KOHINOOR: I come here every day from 12 o'clock till 4:30. I have been coming here now nearly about 80 years.

ROSMAN: That's Romin's 97-year-old father Boman Kohinoor. Boman's father opened the restaurant in 1923. But every day since Boman was about 16, the chattier Kohinoor has slowly made his way around each table to partake in one of his favorite activities - schmoozing. Today's topics for the endearing owner include Hillary Clinton, the British monarchy⁹ and his longevity¹⁰ plans.

B KOHINOOR: You know, the oldest man in the world, he died one year ago. How old was he? One hundred Forty-Six.

ROSMAN: One hundred forty-six.

B KOHINOOR: Yeah.

ROSMAN: Oh, in Indonesia.

B KOHINOOR: Indonesia - I'm going to break his record.

ROSMAN: Kohinoor's great-grandparents came to Mumbai more than 180 years ago after fleeing religious persecution from the dominant¹¹ religion in Persia - Islam. They were Zoroastrians, one of the oldest religions in the world, founded on three main principles.

B KOHINOOR: Good thoughts, good words and good deeds.

ROSMAN: The hundreds of thousands of Zoroastrians who fled to India became known as Parsis. And in the 19th century, many started opening up these cafes. Now most are gone.

B KOHINOOR: In another 20 years or 30 years, there won't be none.

ROSMAN: The Parsi population is dwindling¹². Today in India, there are just over 60,000 Parsis. You have to be born into the religion. Zoroastrians don't believe in conversion¹³. But the more immediate¹⁴ problem for families like Kohinoor's is a generational one. Younger people don't want to inherit the long hours and risk of low returns that come with running a restaurant. Even Boman's 58-year-old son Romin Kohinoor admits he is only helping¹⁵ to keep the business going for one reason.

R KOHINOOR: I'm doing this only for my dad. He doesn't want to close this place down. He doesn't want to sell it out. I'm doing it just for him.

ROSMAN: Romin has a 27-year-old daughter Diana. She comes in at the end of each day to do the restaurant's books, a job that requires a computer, meaning it's too techie for anyone else in the family. Diana was studying law at university but didn't really like it. I asked if she would have any interest in taking over the family business.

DIANA KOHINOOR: I would like to because we make good money out here. It's like a set business. It's there since 1923, and I would not want it to end because of me. So let's take it ahead - forward.

ROSMAN: But with her grandfather still going strong, her promotion¹⁶ from accountant to owner may take a while.

For NPR News, I'm Rebecca Rosman in Mumbai.

1 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

2 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

5 stewed   

adj.焦虑不安的，烂醉的v.炖( stew的过去式和过去分词 )；煨；思考；担忧

参考例句：

• When all birds are shot, the bow will be set aside;when all hares are killed, the hounds will be stewed and eaten -- kick out sb. after his services are no longer needed. 鸟尽弓藏，兔死狗烹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• \"How can we cook in a pan that's stewed your stinking stockings? “染臭袜子的锅，还能煮鸡子吃！还要它？” 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

6 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

7 garnished   

v.给（上餐桌的食物）加装饰( garnish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her robes were garnished with gems. 她的礼服上装饰着宝石。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Serve the dish garnished with wedges of lime. 给这道菜配上几角酸橙。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

9 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

10 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

11 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

12 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

13 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

14 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

16 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。