红薯,岁月中的乡愁

Sweet Potato: A Reminder of My Hometown

在北京工作多年,街头的烤红薯总能勾起我对故乡的回忆。烤红薯可谓是北京一景,在大街、小巷、旅游点、胡同口随处可见。小贩不用叫卖,人们也抵挡不住阵阵香气的诱惑。在人们心中,烤红薯就是北京的特产了。然而,我总觉得红薯是我家乡的特产。红薯对于福建人,有着更加不同寻常的意义。近日读书,更印证了我的感觉。在我们家乡,红薯还叫番薯,叫“番”的植物,多是从外域引进的,如“番石榴”“番茄”等,如同叫“洋”的物品几乎都曾是泊来品一样,如“洋火”“洋油”等。

Even when I have been in Beijing for many years, roast sweet potatoes always remind me of my hometown far away from the capital. It was interwoven with my childhood and adolescence in my hometown Fujian, where tales and recipes for sweet potato abound. The food triggers some bittersweet memories. It has been so closely and deeply integrated with people’s life and the Chinese culture, a much-vaunted homegrown food that cannot be replaced by any other exotic plants, at least for me.