鯨作為佳餚

That mortal man should feed upon the creature that feeds his lamp, and, like Stubb, eat him by his own light, as you may say; this seems so outlandish a thing that one must needs go a little into the history and philosophy of it.

凡人竟以「供養他油燈的那個造物」為食，而且，像斯塔布那樣，可說是「就著牠自己的光」吃牠——這事看來如此離奇，叫人不得不稍微深入一下它的歷史與哲學。

It is upon record, that three centuries ago the tongue of the Right Whale was esteemed a great delicacy in France... a certain cook of the court obtained a handsome reward for inventing an admirable sauce to be eaten with barbacued porpoises... The old monks of Dunfermline were very fond of them. They had a great porpoise grant from the crown.

有記載說，三百年前露脊鯨的舌在法國被視為一大佳餚（delicacy）、在那兒賣得高價。也有記載說，亨利八世時，宮廷某廚子因發明了一種配燒烤（barbacued）海豚吃的絕妙醬汁，而獲得了一筆優厚的賞賜——你記得，海豚也是鯨的一種。海豚肉確實至今仍被認為是美食。那肉被做成撞球大小的肉丸，調味與加料得宜的話，會被當成龜肉丸或小牛肉丸。鄧弗姆林的老修士們極愛吃它們，還從王室那兒得了一大筆「海豚特許」。

The fact is, that among his hunters at least, the whale would by all hands be considered a noble dish, were there not so much of him... Only the most unprejudiced of men like Stubb, nowadays partake of cooked whales; but the Esquimaux are not so fastidious. ...Among the Dutch whalemen these scraps are called “fritters”; which, indeed, they greatly resemble, being brown and crisp... They have such an eatable look that the most self-denying stranger can hardly keep his hands off.

事實是：至少在捕鯨人之間，鯨本會被眾人公認為一道高貴的菜——要不是牠那麼龐大的話；可當你坐到一塊將近一百呎長的肉派前，胃口就全沒了。如今只有斯塔布這種最不存偏見的人，才會分享（partake）熟鯨肉；但愛斯基摩人沒這麼挑剔。我們都知道他們靠鯨維生、藏著上等的陳年「鯨油佳釀」。他們最有名的醫生之一佐格蘭達，還推薦給嬰兒吃鯨脂條，說它極多汁、極滋補（nourishing）。這讓我想起：很久以前有幾個英國人被一艘捕鯨船意外遺落在格陵蘭——這些人竟靠著煉完鯨脂後留在岸上的、發霉的（mouldy）鯨渣，活了好幾個月。荷蘭捕鯨人管這些渣叫「fritters（油炸渣餅）」；它們也確實很像——又褐又脆，新鮮時聞起來有點像阿姆斯特丹主婦的甜甜圈或油炸糕。它們看起來如此可口，連最自制（self-denying）的陌生人都幾乎按捺不住要伸手。

But what further depreciates the whale as a civilized dish, is his exceeding richness. He is the great prize ox of the sea, too fat to be delicately good. ...But the spermaceti itself, how bland and creamy that is; like the transparent, half-jellied, white meat of a cocoanut in the third month of its growth... In the long try watches of the night it is a common thing for the seamen to dip their ship-biscuit into the huge oil-pots and let them fry there awhile. Many a good supper have I thus made.

但使鯨作為一道文明餐食更失分的，是牠過分的肥膩。牠是「海中的大獎肥牛」，太肥了，反倒不夠細緻可口。看牠的駝峰——本可像水牛峰（被視為珍饈）那樣好吃，可惜它是一座「實心的脂肪金字塔」。但鯨腦油（spermaceti）本身，多麼清淡奶滑（bland and creamy）啊；像第三個月的椰子那半凝的、透明的白肉，卻又太膩，當不了奶油的替代品。儘管如此，許多捕鯨人有一套法子，把它吸收進別的東西裡、再來吃它。在夜裡長長的煉油值班中，水手們常把船上的硬餅乾浸進大油鍋裡、讓它在裡頭炸一會兒。我就這麼吃過好多頓美味的宵夜。

In the case of a small Sperm Whale the brains are accounted a fine dish. ...they are then mixed with flour, and cooked into a most delectable mess, in flavor somewhat resembling calves’ head... and every one knows that some young bucks among the epicures, by continually dining upon calves’ brains, by and by get to have a little brains of their own... The head looks a sort of reproachfully at him, with an “Et tu Brute!” expression.

小抹香鯨的腦被視為一道好菜。用斧頭把頭骨匣劈開，取出那兩塊白胖的腦葉（活像兩大塊布丁），再拌上麵粉，煮成極可口的（delectable）一道，味道有點像小牛頭肉——這在某些饕客（epicures）之間是相當的一道菜；而人人都知道，饕客中有些年輕公子（young bucks），因為不斷拿小牛腦當飯吃，漸漸地自己也長出了一點腦子，以致能分辨小牛的頭和他們自己的頭——這的確需要非凡的辨識力（discrimination）。而這正是為什麼：一個面前擺著一顆聰明相小牛頭的年輕公子，是你所能見到的最哀傷的景象之一——那顆頭帶著一種「Et tu, Brute（你也有份，布魯特斯）！」的責備（reproachfully）神情望著他。

It is not, perhaps, entirely because the whale is so excessively unctuous that landsmen seem to regard the eating of him with abhorrence... But no doubt the first man that ever murdered an ox was regarded as a murderer... Cannibals? who is not a cannibal? I tell you it will be more tolerable for the Fejee that salted down a lean missionary in his cellar against a coming famine... than for thee, civilized and enlightened gourmand, who nailest geese to the ground and feastest on their bloated livers in thy paté-de-foie-gras.

陸地人厭惡（abhorrence）吃鯨，也許並不全因為牠過於油膩（unctuous）；那似乎多少出於前面提過的那個念頭：即，人竟吃一個剛被謀殺的海中之物、而且還就著牠自己的光吃。但毫無疑問，頭一個殺牛的人，當初想必被當成了謀殺犯；也許他還被吊死了；而他若是由牛來審判，他肯定會被定罪——倘若有哪個謀殺犯活該如此，那他確實活該。週六夜去肉市看看吧，看那一群群活生生的「兩足動物（bipeds）」，仰望著一長排死掉的「四足動物（quadrupeds）」——那景象難道不該叫食人者也牙根一軟（拔掉一顆牙）？食人者？誰不是食人者呢？我告訴你：那個把一個瘦傳教士醃進地窖、以防備將至的荒年的斐濟人——我說，那個有遠見的（provident）斐濟人，在末日審判時，都還比你更能得到寬恕——比你這「文明開化的饕客（gourmand）」，你這把鵝釘在地上、大啖牠們脹大的肝臟做你的鵝肝醬（paté-de-foie-gras）的人。

But Stubb, he eats the whale by its own light, does he? and that is adding insult to injury, is it? Look at your knife-handle, there, my civilized and enlightened gourmand dining off that roast beef, what is that handle made of?—what but the bones of the brother of the very ox you are eating? And what do you pick your teeth with, after devouring that fat goose? With a feather of the same fowl. And with what quill did the Secretary of the Society for the Suppression of Cruelty to Ganders formally indite his circulars? It is only within the last month or two that that society passed a resolution to patronize nothing but steel pens.

可斯塔布——他就著鯨自己的光吃鯨，是吧？這就算是「在傷口上撒鹽、雪上加霜（adding insult to injury）」了，是吧？看看你那餐刀柄吧，我那位吃著烤牛肉的文明開化饕客——那刀柄是什麼做的？——不正是你正在吃的那頭牛的兄弟的骨頭嗎？你大啖完那隻肥鵝後，又拿什麼剔牙呢？拿同一種禽鳥的一根羽毛。而那個「防止虐待公鵝協會」的秘書，又是用什麼羽毛桿，鄭重其事地起草（indite）他的通函的呢？——那協會也不過是在最近這一兩個月，才通過了一項決議：從此只惠顧、採用（patronize）鋼筆。