January 29, 2006

記過年 – 年夜飯 (流水帳)

記過年 – 年夜飯 (流水帳)

這大概是我搬到義大利以來,第一次有過年的感覺吧!從起床以後忙著採買食材,回到家開始打掃整理客廳擦地板兼煮飯,原本在客廳中央被我們拿來掛吊飾的樹,被搬到了一旁,一下子客廳寬敞了許多,我還和米奇打趣到,第一次覺得「我家很大」~~~ 客廳的圓桌也被我們空出來晚上吃飯用,這還是打從我搬過來六年後第一次用那張桌子吃飯呢!

菜單讓我傷了不少腦筋,既得兼顧自己的喜好,還得考慮到義大利人能夠接受的口味,最後雖然決定煮五道菜(滷牛腱、螞蟻上樹、烤鱒魚、烏魚子和三杯雞)加上火鍋(料當然沒有很豐富…不過聊勝於無),也著實讓我花了不少時間張羅。

雖然晚上八點半才開飯,不到八點,當米奇去接希薇亞回到家的同時,文森佐和丹尼耶拉也帶著一大盤甜點到門口報到了。被請來的客人,幾乎都有跟我到同鄉會聚餐喝春酒的經驗,也都很期待再跟我們去吃好料的,只不過今年的春節聚餐竟然是吃義大利菜,不但讓我沒有邀人同去的意思,還激起了我在家裡「辦桌」的念頭。

我們並沒有等所有人到齊才開飯,因為在大賣場工作的克里斯大概得到十點才可能出現,所以在保羅和好友羅貝托到了以後,我就開始陸續上菜了。不過出乎意料的是,剛過九點半,門鈴響起,克里斯下班後很迅速地趕了過來,我連火鍋都還沒端上桌呢!

羅貝托是出了名的大胃王,從以前到現在,每次只要有他出現,負責掃盤的就是他。不過這次我終於也還是把他打敗了…還是我該說,他的戰鬥力沒有我想像中的強?雖然五道菜被一掃而盡,包括我特地做了雙倍份量的螞蟻上樹,不過火鍋才吃到第二輪,大家夥兒就一個個繳械投降。他們都知道年夜飯得要有剩,之前還打趣說會刻意幫我留一點剩菜,不過這會兒反而是我在那邊搖旗吶喊「廚房裡還有,盡量吃!」而客人則是開始有了「吃到撐死」的表情。

邊聊邊吃,時間過得很快,等到把桌子清乾淨,端上甜點的時候,已經將近午夜了!大家夥兒淺嚐了年糕,配上我這次從台灣帶回來的東方美人茶,不過因為年糕這東西厚實,儘管每個人都說好吃,不過除了米奇以外,並沒有人吃下第二塊(該不會是敷衍我吧~~~)反而是丹尼耶拉帶來的糖粉油炸脆餅(Fritelle)這種嘉年華點心特別受歡迎。

到了一點多,文森佐和丹尼耶拉不支,決定回家去,之後沒多久保羅和羅貝托也離開了,就剩下克里斯和希薇亞,和我們一起坐在電腦前新賞前幾次日本行拍的照片,一直到三點多希薇亞再也撐不下去的時候才離開。

January 26, 2006

記過年 – 年糕篇

算一算,這是第六個沒有在台灣過的農曆年。之前的幾個除夕,都是在另一位台灣太太家裡過的,每次到了這個時候就等她打電話來叫人去吃飯。不過到了今年,我終於還是有了想要在家裡好好煮頓團圓飯的念頭。我的家人不在,總是可以請在義大利的家人和朋友一起陪我過節。在搞定名單以後,我連著興奮地想菜單想了好幾個晚上,煮菜事小,只是份量的問題而已,來個五福拼盤加上火鍋就可以搞定,問題就出在甜點身上。

過年要吃甜,一般台灣過年吃的甜點,在義大利是不可能買得到的。去年年初從台灣回義大利時,因為老爸一句「過年怎麼能不吃年糕」而帶了一塊年糕回來。其實,我也向來都覺得過年一定要吃年糕,這大概也是為什麼我好幾年都沒有過年的感覺,從99年離開台灣以來,我竟然連著五年沒有吃年糕。

在決定要請客以後,我花了點時間在網路上找食譜,也順手找了年糕的做法。看了看,其實也挺簡單的,又恰巧在中國商店有找到材料,今天就決定動手試做紅豆年糕了!

材料:兩杯紅豆、水300ml、紅糖三杯、糯米粉三杯。

做法:
1. 紅豆兩杯洗淨,用水先泡一個小時,之後再洗過濾乾。
2. 紅豆加清水三杯煮至水乾豆熟。
3. 煮熟的紅豆兩杯,用果汁機加水300ml打碎。
4. 把打碎得紅豆汁放到大碗內,加糖並用橡皮刮刀拌勻,然後分次加入糯米粉攪拌均勻。
5. 以適當的容器,撲上錫箔紙,內層抹油後倒入4。
6. 放到電鍋裡用兩杯水蒸,電鍋蓋外緣用濕布塞好,蒸至插入牙籤不沾黏的程度,就可以拿出來放涼了。


做出來的成品,味道跟印象中的年糕一樣,所以該算是大成功吧!原來,做年糕也不是太難嘛~~~

January 24, 2006

05秋季日本行 (第三天坐新幹線到阿祖家) Japan Trip 05 (Day III Shinkansen to Great Grandpa's Home)

約莫四點,我們終於從迪士尼離開。原本預計早一點走的,讓趕車的時間能夠寬裕一點,不過我和嫂子用力血拼到最後一秒鐘,接下來整個時間也就變得有點趕。
Around 4pm, we finally left Disneyland. We were to leave earlier so that we'd have more time to catch our train, however, Janet and I didn't waste a minute and we shopped until the last second. As a result, the following schedule became a bit tight!

由於我們離開的時間並沒有免費的交通車帶我們回飯店,所以我們是坐火車加東京區內的新幹線回到旅館的。小鬼坐上娃娃車沒多久就開始呼呼大睡,也省了我們抱上抱下的困擾,只是我低估了抬娃娃車和推娃娃車走所需要的時間,所以當我們回到新宿車站以後,我堅持由我和嫂子兩個人走回飯店領行李,而娘和娃娃車則被安置在一個我們容易找的地方,一陣慌亂之下,我們終於在預計發車時間的前半個小時到了東京車站,還有點時間可以上上廁所買買便當。
There's no shuttle bus taking us back to the hotel, we had to take train and metro to get back. Chien fell asleep soon after she got onto the stroller and it actually saved us lots of trouble taking her up and down. However, I made a mistake about the time and energy needed when we took along a stroller. So when we got back to Shinjuku station, I insisted that Janet and I go back to the hotel to pick up the luggage while my mom remained close to the station with the stroller/baby. It's kind of messy at that moment but we finally made it to Tokyo station a half hour before the departure time. We even had some time for the lady's room and also got ourselves dinner.

在沉沉地睡了兩個多小時以後,小鬼終於在上火車以後醒了。新幹線是她最喜歡的卡通人物之一,這其實也多虧了日本人的生意頭腦,設計出這麼可愛的卡通人物,讓小鬼每次看到新幹線卡通圖案就眉開眼笑(看到湯瑪士也是一個樣兒)。所以,當我們還在台灣的時候就告訴她,我們要搭新幹線到阿祖家,她對於搭火車這事兒可是很期待的。
After two hours of deep sleep, Chien woke up in the train. The Japanese JR company has publicated a cartoon figure with Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) as theme. That's one of Chien's favorite. Japanese are really business minded that they could think to have such a cute character for the train. As a matter of fact, Chien laughs so happily every time she sees it (same for Thomas & friends). So when we're still in Taiwan, we told her that "we'll take the Shinkansen to great grandpa's home" and she's excitedly expecting the trip.

從東京到京都坐最快的Nozomi要兩個多小時,我們坐定位以後,因為行李的關係,身邊並沒有太多空間,不過我也顧不得形象,先把腳翹上行李箱休息一下,實在不得不承認這次有被操到~~~
Even with the fastest Nozomi, it still takes more than 2 hours from Tokyo to Kyoto. It's not as spacious in the train that after we settled down in our seats there's no much space left due to our trolleys. I was tired and couldn't bother about the so-called "image". I put my feet on the trolley to take some rest. The trip itself is much tiring than I expected.


喘了口氣,終於開始有點心情吃便當。我對日本的火車便當向來都有很高的期待,尤其喜歡那種「XX限定版」,看起來吃起來都讓人心情亂爽的。吃完便當以後稍微休息一下,小鬼竟然跟斜後方的日本太太玩起躲貓貓,笑聲大到讓我覺得有點不好意思(因為周圍的日本乘客實在也真是安靜)…此時我也拿出在迪士尼替她買的小飛象逗她,玩著玩著就聽到快要到京都的廣播。
After a short break, we're finally ready for dinner. I always have very high expectation for lunchboxs in train stations in Japan, especially those so-called "limited editions". They're not only nice to be looked at but also taste great. Another break after savouring the lunchbox, Chien started to play with a Japanese lady behind us. She laughed so loud that I started to feel a bit embarrassed about it (because passengers around us were just soooooooooo quiet). I also gave her the Dumbo I bought in Disneyland. Not long after that, we heard the broadcast that the train's approaching Kyoto.



下了火車,嫂子特別照了新幹線的照片,我們還特別等到整個月台的乘客都已經走光了以後,才慢慢地往近鐵車站移動。由於我從東京到奈良這一段已經走了好多回,我特別堅持要外公別到京都車站來接我們,不管怎麼樣,我都覺得自己帶著老媽嫂子和小鬼從京都到郡山絕對不會有問題。出了新幹線車站,近鐵車站就在不遠處,懶得查看票價,我逕自走到售票口購票,大概發音也夠標準,竟然也就順利買到車票、上車。
We got off the train. Janet especially took some photos of the train and we waited until all other passengers were gone so that we could move around easily and slowly. It's not my first time to travel by train from Tokyo to Nara. I insisted that grandpa should stay home and wait instead of coming all the way to pick us up. I just thought there wouldn't be any problem that we travel alone. Getting of the JR station, the Kintezu station is on just nearby. I went straight to the window and purchased the tickets. I was (probably) able to pronounce the name of the station correctly that everything just went smoothly.

京都到郡山的車程約莫一個小時,等到我們下了火車,就看到外公已經在車站等我們了。到外公家,我突然有一種如釋重負的感覺,一整天緊繃的精神終於鬆懈了下來。
It took around an hour from Kyoto to Koriyama. When we got off the train, we saw grandpa outside the station waiting for us. When we finally got to grandpa's home, I suddenly felt so relieved...

這個晚上,我也見識到了小鬼精明的程度!住在樓上的表姊表姊夫下來抬槓,嫂子拿這幾天拍的影帶給他們看,小鬼還會在旁邊一起唱和,讓表姊夫直嚷「這樣的女兒好,我們也來生一個!」等到表姊表姊夫離開了以後,我已經洗好澡換上睡衣,就看小鬼戴著小飛象髮圈走了過來:「姑姑戴維尼熊,媽媽戴米妮…」然後牽著我們兩的手,帶著我們走到阿祖(我外婆)的房間說要給阿祖看,逗得外婆可樂了~~~
On the very night, I also got to know how "smart" the kid is! My cousin lives upstairs and she came down with her husband to say hi. Janet showed them the video that she shot these days and Chien even stayed beside them to sing and dance along. (Mind you it's the first time they met!) My cousin's husband was so amused, "A daughter like this is great. Why not have one!" After they're gone, I took a shower and put on my pijama. Chien put on her Dumbo headband and walked toward me. "Gugu (aunt) put on winnie, mom with minnie..." Then hand by hand we went to Great Grandma's room because "Chien wants to show her"... My grandma was just so amused and happy...

January 20, 2006

【食驗室】南瓜湯


這一陣子努力地讓婆婆嘗試各種流質餐點以後,最受婆婆喜愛者竟也是我平常最愛煮的南瓜湯,它順勢成為我這幾個星期最常煮的一道菜餚。之前曾在凱西的網站上看到南瓜醬的做法,不過這一陣子趕稿水深火熱,儘管滿冰櫃一包包分裝好的南瓜,竟也沒空沒心情試做…今天趁著翻到腦袋瓜子打結,趕緊把之前答應要寫的食譜迅速記下。

材料:(四人份)
紅蔥頭四顆、奶油25克、大骨湯800毫升、馬鈴薯兩顆、南瓜300克、牛奶200毫升、鹽。

做法:
1. 紅蔥頭切末。深鍋用小火加熱奶油,待溶化後放入紅蔥頭炒香至微黃,加入大骨湯(或高湯),轉中火。
2. 馬鈴薯去皮切丁,南瓜切丁,一併放入鍋中煮到熟透(大約20分鐘)。
3. 以食物攪拌器打成漿狀,加入牛奶與適量的鹽調味,煮至將沸時熄火。

備註:
1. 一旁可以融一些巧克力待用,農湯裝盤以後在中間加入一點巧克力並用牙籤劃出花紋裝飾,既美觀又美味,入口時後味會冒出巧克力香。
2. 200毫升的牛奶可以用100毫升的牛奶和一盒double cream代替。
3. 找不到紅蔥頭也可以用洋蔥,不過因為洋蔥比較甜,和南瓜一起會有點膩。
4. 如果覺得湯不夠農稠,也可以用點玉米粉勾欠,要不就是在加入牛奶之前煮久一點。

以上。

南瓜湯其實很簡單,上面寫的算是比較耗工的做法。真的懶惰又沒有時間的時候,我常常把水燒開,所有的料丟進去煮到熟,再用食物攪拌器打到爛,就真的是懶人做法了。

January 16, 2006

記看牛 On Cow Watching

Cow Parade這個活動已經有超過十五年以上的歷史。打從知道這個公共藝術活動以來,就對它一直很好奇,滿腦子有著許多問號,想看看一個城市要怎麼被牛群給入侵…2005年底,這活動終於到了一個離家不太遠的城市 – 佛羅倫斯。從知道牛群要入侵佛羅倫斯以後,我便打定要專程到佛羅倫斯看牛。
The event “Cow Parade” has a history of more than 15 years. I’ve been curious about it since I got to know its existence. There’re lots of question marks in my mind, and I want to know how a cowherd can invade a city. At the end of 2005, it finally arrived a reachable place – Florence. Since I got to know about the news, I made up my mind that I’d go to Florence for cow hunting.

已經有很久沒有為了要出門而興奮到睡不著了。其實我也不知道自己到底為什麼輾轉難眠,也許因為隔天一早七點要出發,也許更因為自己盼這個活動已經盼了好幾年…一出門,看到清朗粉藍的天空,即使外頭只有零下三度,我的腦子還是隨著朝陽慢慢清醒了過來。
I haven’t been so excited for a while. Actually I don’t know why I just couldn’t fall asleep, maybe because we planned to leave home around 7am, maybe because I’ve been looking forward to seeing it for such a long time. When we left home, the sky was clear with pinky blue. Even though it’s minus three degrees, my mind gradually waked up with the rising sun.

抵達佛羅倫斯時尚未正午,只是錯估了佛羅倫斯市內的交通擁塞,又巧遇佛羅倫斯時尚週,一時之間我好像回到了捷運尚在施工期間台北市東區的下班時間,從進入市區到停好車,竟然也花了將近兩個小時,我們也只能以「既來之則安之」自我解嘲。
We arrived Florence before noon. However, we mistakenly evaluate the traffic in the Florence city and we happened to go during the Pitti Fashion Show. It seems to me that I’ve returned to east Taipei in traffic hour before the MRT was completed. It took us about two hours to park! What can we say? It’s us that chose to come at this time of the year.

用完午餐以後,我們到旅客服務中心去要了地圖,展開了在佛羅倫斯的「獵牛」之旅。
After we finished our lunch, we went to the information center to get a map and started our cow hunting.

基本上,我對於這次獵牛行動是有點失望的。一方面是因為地圖標示的並不清楚,我們大概有一半以上沒看到(儘管看到的另一半也讓我們從兩點多不停地走到將近七點),一方面則是因為我看到了民眾的公德心是如何地低落。這裡所謂的民眾,並不單純指義大利人,畢竟在佛羅倫斯這個觀光城市,大部分在市中心活動的都是外籍遊客。美國小妞跳到牛上照相,日本先生走過牛旁邊順便拍一下屁股,加上每一件作品幾乎都遇上了人為破壞的情形,讓我不禁大嘆,許多民眾的公德素養有待加強。
Basically I was disappointed by this event. One reason is because the indications as to where the cowherds are located are not very clear. So we missed more than half of the pieces (though our unstopping walk from 2-7pm only brought us through half of the collection). The other reason is through this event I saw how low people’s civil senses are. What I called “people” here is not indicated only to Italians. After all, Florence is a popular and tourist city, and most of the people in city center are foreigners. American girls jumped onto a piece to take photos, Japanese man slapped the cow butt when walking by, and almost every piece of work encountered vandalism. I was really feeling sorry about what I saw.

活動本身並不如我預期中的精采,也許因為我期待看到多一點宣傳推廣,少一點人為破壞。儘管如此,照片還是拍了不少,就當作這次獵牛記的紀念,有興趣的人可以利用連結到相本去觀賞照片。
The event itself is not as good as I expected. It’s probably because I was expecting to see more promotion and actually “celebration” of public arts and less vandalism. Complaints apart, I still took some photos as remembrance and if you’re interested please clink on the link to visit my photo album.

Cow Parade Official Site

January 10, 2006

05秋季日本行(第三天東京迪士尼)

上一次去東京迪士尼,已經是十二年前的事了。記憶中的人潮沒有變、灰姑娘城堡依舊,不過多了許多新花樣,讓人在去之前有點躍躍欲試的感覺,幾乎快忘了小鬼的存在…

幸運的是,飯店有免費的直達車接送房客來回迪士尼,雖然得要起個大早,不過省去搬著娃娃車上下電車地鐵之苦,也真是挺方便的。當天早上,為了怕小鬼鬧脾氣,我們並沒有把小鬼挖起床,而是讓她繼續睡…基本上她起床的時候,我們已經進了迪士尼,好像睜開眼睛進入童話世界一樣,真是幸福!

現在回想起來,這個到迪士尼的決定,還真是個浪費錢的舉動。一方面因為我們是三個大人陪一個小鬼,另一方面則是因為我們在下午三點半就必須離開,搭電車回飯店拿行李,才能趕得上六點多到京都的火車。血拼…反而成了我和嫂子唯一的慰藉。

人多,所以花了不少時間在排隊,舉例來說,光是為了讓小鬼坐上她最喜歡的小飛象,就花了一個多小時排隊,我和嫂子除了得要壓抑住煩悶的心情,還得跟個兩歲的小孩解釋為什麼要排隊…不過大體而言,小鬼是挺合作的,玩到了小飛象、旋轉木馬,看了音樂劇場,坐到了渡輪和火車,而我和嫂子則是藉著所謂的fast-pass和尿遁,至少看到了以提姆波頓的聖誕夜驚魂為題而製作的鬼屋。

此外,在遊園的過程中,也出現了不少有趣的鏡頭。一進到迪士尼,就看到老老少少頭上都戴著迪士尼卡通人物的耳朵髮框或髮夾…我們當然也去湊熱鬧,嫂子買了米妮,我買了維尼,小鬼則得到了她最愛的小飛象。

話說我們推著小鬼在園裡走動,遠遠看著高飛狗走了過來,小鬼嚷著要跟高飛狗照相,我們於是放慢腳步,緩緩地往高飛狗的方向移動…此時,同方向走過來的,還有幾隻鄉村熊(Country Bears),牠們走到小鬼面前看了一下,窸窸窣窣地討論了一會兒,就看牠們把小鬼的髮框拿起來,轉到另一面再幫小鬼戴回去。其實我們不是不知道小鬼戴反,不過她就愛這樣,我們也就隨她,遇上熊兒們要跟她玩,就出現了小鬼以為熊要搶玩具的畫面,也挺好玩的。


此行最大的收穫之一,就是老媽終於還給我一隻維尼熊。至於為什麼,這就說來話長了…維尼熊是我最喜歡的迪士尼卡通人物,上次到東京迪士尼的時候,花了一大半零用金,特地買了一隻維尼熊娃娃回家。我搬到歐洲以後,還沒來得及把心愛的維尼熊給帶過來,就聽到了牠被送人的噩耗…老媽的理由是:「人這麼大了玩什麼娃娃」、「妳沒拿走我以為你不要了」…從此之後,這件事三不五時就會被我拿出來唸一下,要老媽買一隻還我。期間米奇有好幾次到迪士尼的機會,卻都沒有看到漂亮的,而這次我自己到了迪士尼專賣店,也有同樣的感覺,似乎現在的手工沒有以前細了…唯一看到的,就是一隻坐在蜂蜜罐裡的聖誕維尼。雖然我想要的是一隻普通維尼,不過嫂子一句「只有這種時候才買得到聖誕維尼」,讓我決定把牠帶回家,牠也就跟著我從東京到奈良,回到台灣,再到義大利的家中。

January 07, 2006

巧手傳情(下) Affection through fingers (II)

某次個展的剪報. Newspaper clipping for a solo exhibition.

畢業於威尼斯美術學院,現在活躍於義大利金工界並且在著名金工設計專業學校執教鞭的芭芭拉,除了戒指設計師和老師的頭銜以外,也是位實驗藝術家。除了可穿戴的飾物以外,芭芭拉也常拿一些令人意想不到的材料來創作,其中又以巧克力系列和冰飾系列為代表。
Graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia., Barbara is now an active jewelry designer. She also teaches in professional school. However, she’s also an experimental artist. Apart from accessories to be worn, she also uses unusual material to create. The “Bijoux Chocolat” and Ice Snow series (as I called it) are most representative (for me).

可供食用的巧克力系列有項鍊、手環和戒指,供伴侶間浪漫分享之用;第一次看到照片時,溶化在模特兒脖子、手腕和手指上的巧克力,腦中閃過情侶間親暱動作的景象,所以這個系列也被我戲稱為調情聖品。
The eatable Bijoux Chocolat includes necklace, bracelet and ring, which is to be shared between one and his/her loved one. The first time I saw the photos of this series… chocolate melted on neck, wrist and fingers of the model, there’s a flash in my mind the intimate interaction between two lovers. Quite an affectionate and “sexy” series…

至於冰飾系列,則是芭芭拉2005年夏天的最新發表作。用雪和冰塊創作的項鍊,大概也只有炎熱的夏天戴得住!開幕酒會當晚熱鬧非凡,吸引了許多親朋好友和慕名者前來參觀。擺在數張黑色大理石桌子上的一條條雪鍊和冰鍊,和溶化的雪水成了一幅有趣的景象,剛開始大家伙兒還不好意思動手,只敢用指頭碰,很少人拿起來試戴,過了一陣子漸漸聊開了,氣氛被炒了起來,芭芭拉陸續拿出幾條還冰凍著的新項鍊,問我們:「妳們要不要試戴?」一陣瞎起鬨,透心涼的冰鍊就掛到我脖子上,看著玻璃裡映射出自己的影像,煞是好看,只不過,我戴不到一分鐘,就被冷到起了滿臂的雞皮疙瘩,一邊把身上的冰鍊拆了下來,一邊欣賞著另一條逐漸溶化的雪鍊,漸漸露出藏在裡頭的小恐龍,轉了身,芭芭拉正忙著替友人的獵犬戴上雪項圈…在炎熱的夏日夜晚,所有人都玩得不亦樂乎!
As to the Ice Snow series, it’s the latest work and an exhibition was launched in summer 2005. Created from ice and snow, I guess they’re only wearable and enjoyable in summertime. The opening was quite a busy occasion and many friends and enthusiasts were present. Lots of ice chains and snow chains were put on black marble tables. The view was quite fascinating with melted snow and ice. At the beginning we’re afraid to pick them up but dare to touch them with fingertips. Few people had the courage to try them on. After a while when the atmosphere was a bit more “hot”, Barbara brought some more new pieces from the fridge and asked us to try. In a few minutes, an ice necklace was put onto my neck. It looks really nice but honestly I could only bear it for a minute coz it was really freezing cold. In the meanwhile, the little dinosaur that she hided inside an ice block necklace on the table started to show up (coz it’s melting). I took interests to observe it for a while, and when I turned my head Barbara was busy putting another necklace onto a dog of a friend… In the hot summer night, everyone was having much fun!

每次到芭芭拉的家裡,我總是請她把各式各樣的飾品拿出來給我試戴,大方的她,也不吝於讓眾人著手玩弄她的心血結晶。我獨衷於她利用電鑄脫臘等手法製作的銀飾品,因為每一件作品,都是獨一無二的存在,戴出門也免了「撞戒」「撞環」或「撞鍊」的尷尬。我曾經問她,有沒有想過自己開一家店?她表示,不願意為了一些瑣碎無謂的事情浪費時間,寧可把時間拿來創作研究,有意購買者大多在展覽中直接與她接觸,或是在個人網站上觀賞目錄並e-mail與她連絡。看到她對自我理想的投注,我希望有這麼一天,哪家公司慧眼識英雄,願意接下宣傳推廣的工作,芭芭拉就可以無後顧之憂地繼續開發她的新鮮素材。
Every time I go to her place, she’s always generous to bring out all her designs for me to try and enjoy. I especially like her silverwork. All pieces are unique and individual. You won’t find another piece with the same look. I once asked her, “Have you ever thought of opening your own gallery?” She told me that she wouldn’t waste her time on managing issues and trifles. She’d rather spend the time creating. Most people who want to buy or collect her works contact her either on the exhibition or through her web site and e-mail. How I hope that one day that she will find someone to promote her works and have some really great success (which means bring some money into her pocket) so that she can really concentrate on elaborating her creativity.

PS.芭芭拉的個人網站請點這裡。
Click here for Barbara’s web site.

January 05, 2006

巧手傳情(上) Affection through fingers (I)

搬到一個全新的生活環境,交友圈自然也跟著變動,異國媳婦的生活圈,自然而然必得跟著另一半打轉。米奇是音樂家,因此我最先認識的義大利朋友,絕大部分都是音樂人,而一個牽一個,在各種場合中,音樂圈變成了藝術圈,我也樂得開始跟著米奇在地方上大小藝術展中出沒,一起拓展我們的交友圈。
Moving to a brand new place, one’s friend circle is surely changed. Someone like me, a foreigner in a foreign place, the focus of life and friends is anyway following my husband. Michele is a musician. So most people I got to know here at the beginning are all people related to the music industry. One by one, little by little, music circle becomes art circle. I happily go around art exhibitions and activities with Michele to broaden our friend circle.

芭芭拉就是在某次藝術展開幕酒會中認識的戒指設計師,嚴格說來,她是米奇的好友的朋友。兩年前的某一天,在某個藝術展的開幕酒會裡,大家伙兒有一搭沒一搭地聊著,講到芭芭拉近期將在離寒舍不遠的巴薩諾開個展,幾個人於是便約了一起去看展。那次看展的經驗,成了我個人和芭芭拉的第一次親密接觸。
Barbara is a ring designer whom we got to know in the opening of an art exhibition. She’s actually a very good friend of Michele’s good friend. Two years ago, in the opening party of an exhibition, we’re chatting with a group of people that Barbara was included. She mentioned that she’s going to have a personal exhibition in Bassano. So some of us made an appointment and went together, which has become my very first intimate contact with Barbara and her artworks.

第一次看到芭芭拉的作品,是「Deinos」系列的各式戒指。此系列很有外太空的感覺,一件件形狀極不規則,流動感極高卻看似笨重的大塊金屬,拿在手上竟是如此的輕巧,更神奇的是,戴起來完全不會阻礙到手指的活動,跟乍看之下的印象竟有著如此大的差別!「Deinos」這個字源自希臘文,是「令人害怕」的意思,我私底下常常偷偷地想著,也許因為人們的第一印象都會是「這種東西怎麼戴」或「看起來好奇怪」,造成心態上的遲疑,所以芭芭拉才會替這個系列起了這個名次,只是,我總害怕自己會提出一些‘不上道’的問題,所以一直都沒有真的向芭芭拉求證。
The first series of works I saw is Deinos. These rings seem coming from the space. Their shapes are irregular, fluid and seem to be heavy. When I picked them up, I was amazed by their lightness. The more amazing thing is, their shapes do not impede finger movement. There’s a great difference between their appearance and actual feeling one gets from touching them. The word “Deinos” comes from Greek. It means “frightening”. I used to think secretly that it’s probably because of the first impression and appearance of this series that people will feel hesitated to touch them so that Barbara has named it this way. However, I never have the courage to ask Barbara this question because I’m afraid to “sound stupid”…

看到「Deinos」的同時,我也看了不少先前個展的紀錄照與作品集,木製戒指上的超迷你仙人掌盆栽、形狀各異的彩色蠟燭戒指、靈感來自老電影幽浮魔點(The Blob)裡巨大食人果洞的塑膠戒指等,完全顛覆了我對戒指的概念。某次到芭芭拉家裡拜訪,閒聊之際得知,芭芭拉所採用的材質,都是一系列反覆試驗與深入研究的成果,她對有機材料的性質非常有興趣,喜歡天馬行空地思考,拿各種材料來實驗,書架上滿滿的材料相關專業書籍,讓我看到芭芭拉對此一主題的執著與努力,也讓我滿心期待,看她下次會變出什麼花樣來。
I saw Deinos with some photos and catalogues of previous exhibitions. Mini cactus in wooden rings, colorful candle rings, special plastic rings inspired by the cannibal jelly in the old move “The Blob”, and all of them changed my perspectives and ideas about ring design. She invited us to her place for several times. And I gradually got to know that all the materials she uses come from a series of repeating test and in-depth studies. She is much interested in organic materials, likes to think liberally and experiments with various kinds of materials. On her bookshelves there’re lots of professional publications, from which I can tell her persistence and hard working of her dreams and makes me wait for her new ideas expectantly.







圖片取自設計師之官網.
Image from designe's official web site.

January 01, 2006

去年的最後一晚和今年的第一天 – 流水帳

義大利人不只重視聖誕節,連過年也是很看重的。聖誕節與家人同聚,過年則是和朋友狂歡派對的時候。每年過了聖誕節,大家就會開始努力地安排新年派對,我們自然也就會收到好幾個邀請,也得衡量一下交情和狀況,擇一參加。

往年的新年,都是在卡洛琳娜或波波家裡過。卡洛琳娜會在家裡的別墅安排豪華派對,美酒佳餚豪宅,人數絕對不少於三十,加上別墅在小山丘上,維琴察夜景一覽無遺,一到午夜十二點,「砰」一聲香檳泡沫和城市各角落火樹銀花齊飛,好不熱鬧。

波波家則在城的另一側,也有絕佳的視野,加上在波波家出沒的大部分都是音樂人,少不了音樂和佳釀,有著慵懶氣氛的談天角落,也有結伴喧鬧的遊戲場,更有風格各異的熱鬧舞池。

今年,我們卻選了不一樣的過法。一方面是因為卡洛琳娜交了男友,決定到山上男友家過年,一方面則是因為之前在波波家遇上幾個不甚討人喜歡的角色,讓我開始對這個地方敬而遠之,剛好克里斯又邀請我們一起到他同事芭芭拉位於山上的家庭派對,克里斯和芭芭拉盛情難卻之下,我們捨棄了在家裡安靜過年的想法,準備到新地方認識新朋友。

之前看氣象預報,就說可能會下雪。儘管心裡不停地祈禱,到我們晚上七點多從家裡出發的時候,還是看著雪花片片飄了下來。前兩天的殘雪尚未融化,在我們往山上開的途中,雪花一點一點地積了起來,當我們抵達目的地時,也大概下了兩公分多的雪,看樣子下山時雪鏈是非裝不可了。

因為米奇到出發前的最後一刻才把手上的工作給交了出去,我們晚到了將近一個小時,其他客人都已經到齊了。看了一下桌子的擺飾,想必芭芭拉從六點多下班回家就一直忙到現在,張羅十幾個人的食物,我們晚到,剛好讓她有更充裕的時間慢慢準備。


在相互介紹寒喧以後,大家正式入座。由於芭芭拉和她先生都吃素,所以之前就已經婉拒了我們幫忙準備菜餚的好意,一方面也是因為我實在想不出可以準備哪一道素菜,畢竟從我家到芭芭拉家,因為下雪的緣故,也要開上一個小時。儘管如此,芭芭拉還是準備了豐盛的晚餐,從前菜、第一道到第二道一樣不少,也算讓我開了眼界,看看義大利人吃素到底吃些什麼東西。

席間大家夥兒談天瞎扯,我也順勢問了一下桌子上擺了那麼多香蕉和小橘子是不是有特別的意思。根據米奇的說法,香蕉和橘子放在一起,有「求子」的意思(試與男性生殖器作聯想),至於為什麼擺了這些,我想大概跟克里斯和希薇亞有點關係吧!

吃完飯也將近十點半,大家坐在客廳壁爐前烤火取暖。芭芭拉養了三隻狗三隻貓一隻兔子,話題自然少不了動物,米奇也順便把家裡三寶的事蹟又講了一遍,交換一下各自養寵物的經驗,時間也就這麼過去了。等到有人終於想到要看時間的時候,竟然離午夜只有十五分鐘,於是又把餐桌收一收,準備倒數慶祝。

米奇和克里斯手上各自一瓶氣泡酒,男主人打開電視看時間倒數,新年的第一分鐘,就在氣泡酒砰然一聲和大家夥兒互道新年快樂中度過。接下來希薇亞準備了巧克力火鍋,又是一陣吃吃喝喝中度過。

巧克力火鍋吃完,竟然也已經兩點多,有人於是決定要先離開。我們則因為關不起來的話匣子而繼續留著,一直到我看到男主人坐在沙發上打盹,讓我覺得也太打擾人了一點,於是跟米奇打了暗號準備離開…就在此時,芭芭拉拿出了遊戲,「我們開始玩吧!」我看看手錶,那時已經快四點了,看樣子這群人今晚是不打算睡覺了。因為元旦剛好是星期天,婆婆的看護放假,米奇得要去照顧婆婆,我們還是決定就此告辭。

出了芭芭拉家,整晚下了大約七公分的雪,為了安全起見,米奇決定替前輪裝上雪鏈。他一邊忙,我也沒閒著…順手做起雪球丟了起來,玩得不亦樂乎!等到我們真的上車出發,也是二十分鐘以後的事了。

車行沒有多久,就看到鏟雪車已經上工了!本來覺得這個時間大概不太可能看到鏟雪車,此時卻也讓我對這些公務員感到萬分欽佩…雪鏈似乎也是多餘的了。我們繼續開了一會兒,確定路況以後,米奇找了個空地停車拆雪鏈,之後就一路順暢到家了。

折騰了好一會兒,真的上床竟是早上六點半的事!講到這裡,不禁令人感慨體力大不如前,今天大概又得渾沌過一天,精神不濟的狀況下也沒法開始工作,就順勢放假了。