VOA文化艺术2022--Small Pakistani Restaurant Serves Tasty, Costly Foods

Small Pakistani Restaurant Serves Tasty, Costly¹ Foods

Baking Virsa, an eatery in Lahore, Pakistan, is sometimes described as the country's costliest² place for what it serves: flatbreads and meats.

The eatery is a small space without windows. Dinners come on plastic plates and diners sit on plastic stools⁴. But Baking Virsa gets visitors from across Pakistan and beyond. Visitors want to learn about the limited offerings, the owner, and the dining experience that sets it apart from other restaurants in the area.

Background

The eatery opens out onto Railway Road in Gawalmandi, an area filled with people, vehicles, animals, and food shops.

Many of Gawalmandi's original communities came from Kashmir and the eastern Punjab area before 1947. That was the year India and Pakistan became independent from the former British Empire. The mix of Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims gave diversity to Gawalmandi's businesses, culture and food.

Some in Lahore used to see Gawalmandi as "virtually⁵ a no-go area," said Kamran Lashari, the director-general of the Lahore Walled City Authority⁶. But a makeover more than 20 years ago helped bring in more visitors.

"We had street performers. President Pervez Musharraf sat in the street with people all around him. The prince of Jordan also visited. Indian newspapers reported on Gawalmandi," Lashari said.

Costly food

Eateries in Gawalmandi are generally not costly.

But then there is Baking Virsa, where dinner for two can quickly come to $60 without drinks because drinks, even water, are not served.

By comparison⁷, a basket of naan at the five-star Serena Hotel in the capital, Islamabad, sells for a dollar and a serving of kebabs is $8. In Gawalmandi, one naan usually costs as little as 10 cents.

Baking Virsa makes five items: chicken, chops⁹, two kinds of naan, and kebabs. Owner Bilal Sufi also sells bakarkhani – a pastry¹⁰ best enjoyed with a cup of pink Kashmiri chai. But diners must order everything days before arrival.

The 34-year-old Sufi tells people that his eatery has been in the same place for 75 years. And he has been serving the same items for many years.

Sufi has run Baking Virsa for more than three years, taking over from his father Sufi Masood Saeed, who ran it before him and his grandfather Sufi Ahmed Saeed before that.

He says he is only doing what his father and grandfather have done. He describes his ingredients¹², cooking methods, and where and how his meat is raised. His sheep are fed special food such as saffron milk, dates and green bananas.

He also tells people how to eat their food. "Pick it up with your hands! Take a big bite! Eat like a beast!" he tells them. A beast is a wild animal that is large or dangerous.

There is no salad, no yogurt, and no chutney, he tells a possible diner on the phone. "And if you ask for these you won't get them," he said.

The meal arrives in a special order. First, Sufi presents a whole chicken, for $30, followed by mutton chops at $12.50, then a kebab, which costs $8. Sufi says one kebab is enough for two people.

Sufi insists on his diners knowing what they eat, where it comes from, how it is made — and "why it tastes so different." And he has no plan to change anything.

"Baking Virsa is a legacy¹³," he says. "I'm doing this out of love ... for my father."

Words in This Story

plate – n. a flat and usually round dish that is used for eating or serving food

stool³ – n. a seat that fits one person and that has no back or arms

naan – n. a bread that is round, flat, and soft

kebab – n. a dish made by pushing a long, thin stick (called a skewer) through pieces of meat and vegetables and cooking them on a grill¹⁴

item – n. an individual thing : a separate part or thing

pastry – n. a small, baked food made from pastry

ingredient¹¹ – n. one of the things that are used to make a food, product, etc

mutton chop⁸ – n. a special cut of a mature sheep that is used for food

legacy – n. something that happened in the past or that comes from someone in the past

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 costliest   

adj.昂贵的( costly的最高级 )；代价高的；引起困难的；造成损失的

参考例句：

• At 81 billion dollars, Katrina is the costliest natural disaster in American history. “卡特里娜”飓风造成了近810亿美圆的损失，是美国历史上最严重的自然灾难之一。 来自互联网
• Senator John Kerry has proposed a tax on the costliest health plans sold by insurance companies. 参议员约翰？克里(JohnKerry)已经提议对保险公司销售的高价值的保险计划征税。 来自互联网

3 stool   

n.凳子；粪便；根株；v.长出新枝，排便

参考例句：

• The stool is steady enough.这个凳子很稳。
• The boy was straining at stool.那个男孩在用力大便。

4 stools   

n.凳子( stool的名词复数 )；大便，粪便

参考例句：

• If you don't make your choice in time, you are likely to fall between two stools. 如果你不及时作出决定，就会两头落空。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• 48 Between two stools one goes to the ground. 48脚踏两条船，迟早要落水。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗

5 virtually   

adv.实际上，事实上

参考例句：

• The job was virtually completed by the end of the week.到周末时这项工作差不多完成了。
• He was virtually a prisoner.他实际上是个囚犯。

6 authority   

n.当局，官方；权力，权威，威信；当权者

参考例句：

• He is recognized internationally as an authority in this field.国际上承认他是这方面的一个权威。
• Professor White is looked upon as an authority on mathematics.怀特教授被看成数学权威。

7 comparison   

n.比较，对照；比拟，比喻

参考例句：

• They make a comparison of New York to a beehive.他们把纽约比作一个蜂巢。
• This dress is really cheaper by comparison.比较起来，这件衣服确实便宜。

8 chop   

n.厚肉片，排骨，砍，交换，戳记，商标；vt.剁碎，砍，切，割断；vi.砍，突然转向

参考例句：

• He struck off the branch with a single chop of the ax.他一斧子就砍掉了那根树枝。
• She cut down the seedling with one chop.她一刀就把小苗砍倒了。

9 chops   

n. 颌, 颚 名词chop的复数形式

参考例句：

• The hawk chops upon its prey. 老鹰猛地向它要捕食的动物扑去。
• Our team is licking its chops because we beat the champions last night. 我队昨天晚上打败了冠军，因而大家欣喜若狂。

10 pastry   

n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry.厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• The pastry crust was always underdone.馅饼的壳皮常常烤得不透。

11 ingredient   

n.（烹饪）等的材料，原料，成分，因素

参考例句：

• The basic ingredient of this meal is rice.这一餐的主要原料是大米。
• Trust is a key ingredient.信任是关键要素。

12 ingredients   

n.（混合物的）组成部分( ingredient的名词复数 )；（烹调的）原料；（构成）要素；因素

参考例句：

• All ingredients are readily available from your local store. 所有的原料都可以方便地从你当地的商店买到。
• We never use second quality ingredients to build building. 我们决不使用次等材料用于建筑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

14 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。