真正開始動手做飯，其實是搬到歐洲來以後的事情了。在倫敦唸書的時候，因為物價高貴，加上很多時候港式口味吃不習慣，不得不開始下廚。
I really started to cook after I moved to Europe. When I was studying in London, due to the high living cost and the fact that I’m not used to Cantonese flavor, I was forced to start cooking.
搬到義大利以後，沒有了倫敦到處都找得到亞洲餐館的奢侈，一切更是要自己動手。剛開始，向來都是我煮中式米奇煮義式料理，不過幾年下來，我開出來的菜單慢慢有了變化，除了偶爾拿出以前在台灣買的英文食譜來變變口味以外，也開始動手煮義大利菜，而且還跟許多義大利家庭主婦一樣，養成了中午收看煮菜節目的習慣。
After moving to Italy, the luxury offered by a variety of Asian restaurants is gone and I just have to start creating whatever I want to eat. At the beginning, I cooked Chinese dishes and Michele prepared Italian dishes. Some years later, my menu is getting rich. Apart from trying foreign dishes taken from various English cookbooks I’ve bought when I was in Taiwan, I started to cook Italian dishes and gradually pick up the habit to watch cooking program at noon time, like many Italian housewives.
除了新聞節目以外，我最常收看的節目大概是從九月開始每天中午播出的La Prova Del Cuoco。和藹可親的女主持人，除了介紹義大利各地的美食特產以外，每天也會動手準備幾道不太複雜的菜色。雖然和她配合的女廚師才是真正表演的人，不過因為主持人的手似乎不甚靈巧，我常笑說，就是因為這樣子，大家在看了節目以後才會想要試試看，因為連她都可以做出來的話，應該不是太困難吧！
Apart from news programs, the tv program that I watch most is “La Prova Del Cuoco” around noon time everyday, starting from September every year. The very friendly hostess of the program introduces various specialties and products in various Italian regions, and prepares some easy dishes every day. Of course, the chef is the one that cooks. However, for the reason that the hostess herself doesn’t seem to be a good cook, people would really try to prepare the dishes after they watch the program. After all, if she can do it, it shouldn’t be too difficult!
節目的最後一個階段，則是觀眾可以報名參加的煮飯比賽。每天都有兩位觀眾被邀請到節目，和節目固定配合的大廚，一起在二十分鐘內，利用有限的食材準備出三道菜（通常是兩道主菜加甜點或是一道開胃菜一道主菜加甜點），然後現場觀眾和評審一起選出當天的優勝者，可以獲得獎金。這也是我最喜歡的部分，只要有時間有心情，我就會準備好紙筆，坐在電視機前，一看到可以嘗試的菜色就記下來，等著以後有空來實驗看看。
The last part of the program is a cooking competition. Two audiences are invited to participate the competition. With the chefs they will have to prepare three dishes with limited ingredients within twenty minutes. (Normally it’ll be two main dishes with a desert or one appetizer, one main dish with a desert.) Together with the juries, the audience in the live program will vote for the winner, who will receive some premium. This is my favorite part of the program. Whenever I have time and mood I’ll get a pen and my cooking note, sit in front of the TV and write down whatever interests me to be experimented afterwards.
今天晚上，我的廚房就成了實驗室，因為一下子不知道晚上要吃些什麼，在超市裡剛好看到一些適當的材料，可以準備一道前兩天在節目裡看到的菜，買完菜回到家不到七點，早早就在廚房裡動起手來。
Tonight, my kitchen is turned into a laboratory. We didn’t really know what to eat. When I was in the supermarket, I happened to see some ingredients that can be used to prepare a dish that I saw two days ago. After we finished our grocery shopping and came back home, I started cooking… It’s not even 7PM.
我用的材料如下：
Ingredients as follows:
紅生菜一個（拳頭大小） one radicchio (fist size)
紅蔥頭四個 four shallots
綠葡萄一小杯 a small cup of green grapes
豬五花肉三百公克 300g of pork
白葡萄酒 white wine
紅蔥頭略切，以橄欖油小火爆香以後，加入對半切好去籽的葡萄拌炒。待葡萄開始變軟出汁，加入切好的紅生菜略拌，等紅生菜開始變色以後，加入切成拇指大小的豬肉條，略為拌炒，待豬肉表面變色以後，加入約30cc的葡萄酒和一小匙鹽，蓋起來用小火悶煮約十分鐘，就可以上菜了。
Chop the shallots roughly and fry it with olive oil and low fire. When the shallots start to change color, add grape (halved and deseeded) and mix. Cook until the grape starts to soften, add radicchio. When radicchio starts to change color, add pork (chopped into thumb size) and mix. When pork turns white, add 30cc of white wine and cover. Simmer with low fire for ten minutes or so, and it’ll be ready to be served.
雖然筆記本上密密麻麻一堆，這還是我頭一次嘗試這個電視食譜，似乎還蠻成功的，連米奇都覺得不賴。有了這次成功的經驗，我以後大概會更大膽實驗這些電視食譜吧！
Although I’ve got lots of notes on my notebook, it’s the very first time that I actually tried to cook this TV recipe. It turned out to be successful and even Michele was amazed. After this successful experience, I’ll probably be more courageous to try new TV recipes.
