• 康小姐家的晚餐
    发表时间:2007-11-21 0:44:00</B> 阅读数次: 248

    中国有好吃的传统,比如从地下挖出来的鼎,从礼器方面讲是祭祀用的,从炊具方面讲是吃火锅用的。把炊具当祭祀礼器,足见咱中国人对吃是一点不含糊的。
    好吃无可指责,高下在怎么吃。像我外婆家,因为是工人阶级的缘故,虽然那时叫统治阶级,每月还要四处借钱才能保证全家的吃喝拉撒睡。康小姐家,应该不屑为统治阶级的,可那档次却是身为统治阶级一员的我外婆一辈子没见识过的。
    康小姐家吃饭的排场,章小姐首先介绍的是早饭用的豆腐乳和豆腐乳的行头。王致和豆腐乳,广东腐乳,绍兴腐乳,玫瑰腐乳,虾子腐乳,住在很漂亮的六个外国巧克力铁盒里,豆腐乳要有腐乳汁环绕,吃的时候,一天吃一种,保证每天的味道不一样。但是这里有一个数学问题,章小姐每种买20块,5种100块,康家的早饭供应是每人一碗稀饭,桌子当中上的是一碟炸小银鱼,一碟豆腐乳,一盘烤得两面黄的馒头片还有油糕。家里3人吃饭,其中还包括作为客人的章小姐。以3个女人的食量,天天早饭吃豆腐乳下馒头,100块豆腐乳够用3、4月。如此豆腐乳的屯法很难相信发生在大户人家。至于碟子盒子,女人都是爱玩的。沈复太太的玩法是“置一梅花盒:用二寸白磁深碟六只,中置一只,外置五只,用灰漆就,其形如梅花,底盖均起凹楞,盖之上有柄如花蒂。置之案头,如一朵墨梅覆桌;启盏视之,如菜装于瓣中,一盒六色,二三知己可以随意取食,食完再添。”沈复到底是小户人家,吃喝在乎的是随意,芸娘的居家情调全在随意中流露。芸娘大约不会大老远去买什么豆腐乳之类,还要挺胸昂首,把六个铁盒子平端着走(六个铁盒子的端法,章小姐没有交代,我也猜不出,估计难度系数蛮大的),这些东西应该是由芸娘DIY的。
    说完开胃的豆腐乳,接下来就是康家的晚餐。晚餐是给康家外孙女罗仪凤小姐庆祝生日的。文章交代,这顿晚餐用了200个盘子(罗仪凤嗔道:“都闹着要吃,可谁来洗那二百个盘子?”)。因为是“规范而正宗的西餐”每上一道菜,必换一次盘,包括衬盘、衬碟(可为什么不换刀叉?)。按正式的西餐吃法,一个人撑死吃6道菜,包括沙拉、汤、主菜、甜点,一顿饭下来,一个人最多用掉12个盘子。康家的晚餐用了200个盘子,客人该有20个左右。这样算来,晚餐的规模以家宴的标准是相当浩大了,主厨据章小姐暗示是寿星罗小姐,要准备20人的晚餐,罗小姐一定得是大卫科波菲尔的师傅才行。晚餐客人有章小姐和另外一个上海小姐,其余不祥。菜式方面,我们只知道上海小姐做了沙拉酱,高脚玻璃杯斟满了红酒,但主菜、汤、甜点始终不明,还有不知道谁负责端盘子,康家并不信任家里的佣人,那么唯一可能的就是客人轮流端盘子。还有康家晚餐开销多少更是一个谜。章小姐在写了这些让人看不明白的排场后,接着出场的是罗仪凤的打扮——“烫染过的头发起伏闪亮,并整齐地覆盖着额头。粉红的唇膏衬托出一口整齐的牙齿。秀丽的眼睛上面,眉毛仿佛出自画家之手。苗条的身材裹着白底蓝色小碎花图案的布质旗袍,跟盛开的花丛似的。散发着香水芬芳的她,温雅又柔美。接着,又惊异地发现她的睫毛比平素长了,胸部也高了……”。我明白章小姐言下之意是这里面高的不只是罗小姐的胸部,这顿存心都让人看不懂细节的晚餐格调在文革时的中国无疑是最高的。注意此处的格调是相对文革时中国广大工农兵而言的,跟欧洲地道的贵族断不能比,虽然章小姐的爸爸说康家秉持欧洲贵族传统,但事实是欧洲贵族理想的晚餐标准跟康家是大不一样的。为了不让章小姐误导中国人的贵族想象,我收罗了一段Vigée-Lebrun夫人的回忆录,里面有提到她家的晚饭。
    Vigée-Lebrun夫人是路易16时的女画家,丈夫是凡尔赛总设计师Lebrun的侄子(洋鬼子不讲究辈分,侄子侄孙一样),她的社交圈子包括王后身边的宫廷贵族和反王后的贵族团体,总之两边都吃得开就是。我们都知道艺术家的灵感是即兴的,Vigée-Lebrun夫人家的晚饭也不例外。
    One evening, when I had invited a dozen or more friends to hear a recital by the poet Lebrun, and while we were waiting for them, my brother read aloud to me a few pages of "Anacharsis." Arriving at the place where, in the description of a Greek dinner, the method of preparing various sauces is explained, "We ought," said my brother, "to try this to-night." I at once ordered up my cook and instructed her properly, deciding that she was to make a certain sauce for the chicken and another for the eel. As I was expecting some very pretty women, I conceived the idea of Greek costumes, in order to give M. de Vaudreuil and M. Boutin a surprise, knowing they would not arrive until ten o'clock. My studio, full of things I used for draping my models, would furnish me with enough material for garments, and the Count de Parois, who lived in my house in the Rue de Cléry, owned a superb collection of Etruscan pottery. It happened that he came to see me that evening. I confided my project to him, so that he supplied me with a number of drinking-cups and vases, from among which I took my choice. I cleaned all these articles myself, and arranged them on a table of mahogany without a tablecloth. This done, I put behind the chairs a large screen, which I took the precaution of concealing under some hangings looped up at intervals, as may be seen in Poussin's pictures. A hanging lamp threw a strong light on the table. All was now prepared except my costumes, when Joseph Vernet's daughter, the charming Mme. Chalgrin, was first to arrive. I immediately took her in hand, doing her hair and dressing her up. Then came Mme. de Bonneuil, so remarkable for her beauty, and Mme. Vigée, my sister-in-law, who, without being pretty, had the most beautiful eyes imaginable. And there they were, all three, metamorphosed into veritable Athenians. Lebrun came in; we wiped off his powder, undid his side curls, and put a wreath of laurels on his head. Then the Marquis de Cubières arrived. While we sent for a guitar of his, which he had turned into a gilded lyre, I attended to his costume, and then likewise dressed up M. de Rivière, and Chaudet, the famous sculptor.
    The hour was waxing late. I had little time to think of myself. But as I always wore white gowns in the form of a tunic – now called a blouse – it was sufficient to put a veil and a wreath of flowers on my head. I took particular pains in costuming my daughter, darling child that she was, and Mlle. de Bonneuil, now Mme. Regnault d'Angély, who was as lovely as an angel. Both were ravishing to behold, bearing a very light antique vase, in readiness to serve us with drink.
    At half past nine the preparations were ended, and at ten we heard the carriage of the Count de Vaudreuil and of Boutin roll in, and when these two gentlemen arrived before the door of the dining-room, whose two leaves I had thrown open, they found us singing Gluck's chorus, "The God of Paphos," with M. de Cubières accompanying us on his lyre. Never in all my days have I seen two such astonished faces as those of M. de Vaudreuil and his companion. They were so surprised and delighted that they stood motionless for a long time before they could make up their minds to take the seats we had reserved for them.
    Vigée-Lebrun夫人家的晚饭实在太贵族太唯美了,很快就传到路易16耳朵里,国王听说这顿晚饭花了2万法郎大为光火,法国有一个爱花钱的女人已经够他心烦了。有关希腊晚饭的传说很快传遍欧洲,其开销在罗马涨到4万,维也纳6万,圣彼得堡8万,Vigée-Lebrun夫人觉得很冤枉,因为她总共才花掉15法郎。
    唉,平民和贵族就是不一样,想装都装不像。


    康小姐和女儿

    Vigée-Lebrun夫人和女儿
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