聽雨, 風骨 Esquire: Manners Maketh Man

Caught merlot handed(that pairs with my sin in palatable harmony) spending over two million… VND on chocolates?!  We will get to that later, I promise.

2018首度商旅無可推卸, 新年次日便整裝飛行, 上海, 深圳, 香港, 河內, 臺北… 待月中歸返, 灣區冬雨連綿, 高速公路大塞車, 忍不住播放Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, 磅礡交錯滂沱, 陣天價響的寬慰, 即使由文青活至耄耋, 某種情懷常在.  我, 終究是讀書人, 當無邊落木蕭蕭而盡, 淡定處世, 從容待己.

Nowadays a promise means nothing.  Sitting through a business dinner at the Elefante Shanghai, I witnessed gender equality retrograded for at least three decades in the hands of the one claiming to be God's disciple.  What's the religion in this charade?  I who usually stare hypocrisy in the eye with fierce satire decided to take a walk between pages of my sketch book.  They smiled:  what an artist!  'Escapist', I muttered.

Next evening, at the Lost Heaven… were those fig trees in the garden?

上海的聲色犬馬老梗花頭, 新興的藝廊書店瀰漫小資資本, 坐遍ㄧ場接ㄧ場的應酬商宴, 我不再尖銳孤高, 靜觀人生百態, 適時神遊太虛… 假作真時真亦假, 人們墮落我無能為力, 要昇華曾有的熱情, 硬生生囚禁那躍動的心如同自盡.  風骨, 是唯ㄧ選擇.

Solitude served me well as I followed all clues left around historical corners and new establishments like a sleuth.  I shall rediscover my faith.  There must still be genuine kindness in this whole wide world.

深圳照例沒圖沒真相, 但要稱讚四季飯店的韓裔主廚, 從上回記好敝人攸關健康的食材條例, 這趟我才剛踏入早餐房, 立刻有專人確認精選菜單; ㄧ身雪白廚師服, 清俊斯文, 戴著細框眼鏡, 十足文青範的姜姓主廚恭迎, 再度遞上名片, 表示入住其間任何飲食需求, 直接向他點餐 - 哪, 什麼叫服務精神?  這就是表率!!!

With unresolved issues from previous destinations, I felt like a bigamist when revisiting Hong Kong.  Oh well, Shanghai and Hong Kong are incestuous in many ways.  The ostentatiousness and the yearning for material wealth…  a stem of ribboned green Phalaenopsis stole my heart though.  

久違的香港, 我喜歡老式風情, 都什麼年代, 出門進門皆要沏壺香茗細細品味… 趕完商展, 協議所有合作條約後, 我便脫隊萬事不理專攻覓食.  2017家傳自體免疫頑疾襲境, 形銷骨立容色大減還在其次, 至椎心是饕餮如我要戒口連串族繁不及備載的美食, 等同訣別熱戀中的愛人, 永世不得相見, 不是命運的嘲諷是什麼?!  大半年下來, 為'有志者事竟成'創新詮釋 - When There Is A Will, There Is A 胃(!)  LK阿Q研究出屬於自己的食物體系與取捨心態, 重新體驗用餐愉悅.  這次於東方之珠, 幸運的嚐到'天外天'的脆皮炸子雞, 鹹香豐腴, 確是ㄧ絕!  也大啖手切肥牛打邊爐, 於iSQUARE 23層高樓, 景觀頗突兀.  至於大奮鬥完的小確幸留給半島嘉麟樓的棗香糕, 燉雪梨和點心坊那名喚Screwdriver的酒香黑巧克力 :)

赴河內為品牌探路, 尋訪與公平交易廠商合作的可能性.  每個文化都是寶藏, 歷經戰爭蹂躪的北越頑強的保存民族性古傳, 另方面獨特天然資源亦開啟晉階世界舞臺的契機.  我非常欣賞當地國際分部的同仁, 規模小所以更加自立自強, 靈活度高, 不比中國內鬥太甚, 樹大多枯枝; 心機政治所在多有, 誰又是昨日纔呱呱落地?  人際之間攻防難免, 請謹記我們都是人, 人需要溫度.

My day and half in Hanoi was a salvation.  To study a new culture is humbling.  Religion might have but education never deserted me.  Nor have I.

文廟ㄧ遊, 隻隻石龜托著歷代狀元榜眼探花大名, 安南黎氏王朝的詔曰漢文書寫 - "...弘信大夫大理寺卿...", 殿試司法種種制度傳承中國.  

A city simmered in the scent of coffee beans is a stone's throw from paradise.  We sipped away the evening exchanging traveler's tales and heartwarming laughters.  I love authentic people.

曾為法國殖民地, 歐風建築與咖啡傳統處處可見, 老街的陌巷窄樓雕縷梯檯是印象派花都縮影.

Then they brought me to Maison Marou!!!  Mr. Rochester was nowhere to be found yet haunting everywhere - a delicious conundrum.  I indulged in the silky, minty hot chocolate and the alluring bonbons of chili, ca phe sua da… even pho!  There went my two million… dong.

知我著迷Marou黑巧克力, 會議結束晚餐前, 越南同僚好有心護我穿梭喧鬧車陣來到Maison Marou Hanoi!  這可好, 我砸下兩百萬.... 盾, 敗了各式各樣的黑巧克力:  青檸香茅口味, 越式咖啡口味, 指天椒口味, 甚至牛肉河粉口味(!)... 仍獨鍾純粹的78%苦巧克力, 我的Mr. Rochester :)  真愛的甜蜜稍縱即逝, 餘韻嬝嬝淡淡的苦, 懂愛的人都知道, 但凡苦, 你始終在我心底, 矢志不渝. 

Morning, West Lake!

原來河內亦有西湖, 晨霧煞是迷人.

Last stop before heading back to the city by the bay.  Early birthday celebration for the grande dame LK my mother at the famed RAW.  Not once, not twice… too many times I felt cheated by the Michelin Stars.  RAW was a queer one that I wasn't sure if I should tender my resignation to the concept of 'bistronomy' or have hats off to.

The freshly baked bread… crunchy, fluffy, wheateeey, puffy happiness.

過境臺北兩天, 看看我的小姪兒和提前慶祝LK媽生日, 在RAW, 年度精選餐單.  臺風在地食材法式演繹, 手路繁複, 不是不美味, 當冷靜與熱情並行, 邏輯未兼顧實用性, 主廚的理想夢囈對照食客的困惑匱乏, 矛盾耐人尋味.  實不該大啖麥麩, 但RAW的麵包酥, 鬆, 軟… 是全餐亮點.

Artsy composition rivaled predictable flavor.  Menu was sequenced in haiku x Morse code.  The executive chef's ingeniously designed utensil cabinet was... hmmm, rather inconvenient.

上機前LK媽包場‘初魚料亭’回請, 姨舅表妹共聚.  海膽茶碗蒸, 香煎鮟鱇魚肝, 牡丹蝦, 雪場蟹… 道道心頭好, 帥氣的師傅們檯前專注料理.  舅舅們讚我凍齡, 笑說多年來怎麼我還是ㄧ副大學生模樣?  非也非也, LK的心千創百孔, 不知輪迴幾世折騰, 紅粉骷髏, 這是修煉成精的表象, 訴苦不值幾文錢, 祇能微笑繼續披荊斬棘, 也無風雨也無晴. 

Last déjeuner with family before hopping on the plane.  For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health… I took a vow to be with LIFE.