Burnt Rice
-Mañana a primera hora, necesito un ensayo sobre su apreciación personal respecto a los idiomas en el mundo, no aceptaré menos de 10 páginas- De forma casi robótica pero sin titubeo alguno, el profesor de la clase lenguaje, dictaba sus clases y asignaba sus tareas a sus estudiantes, como de costumbre, suele asignar pendientes, con poco peso académico, pero destinados a reforzar la intelectualidad de sus estudiantes, una especie de ejercicio. De no ser por el hecho de que las asignara exactamente un viernes, puede que la recepción de la misma no fuese tomada con tanta negatividad.
-Tomorrow first thing in the morning, I need an essay on your personal appreciation of languages in the world, I will not accept less than 10 pages- Almost robotically but without any hesitation, the teacher of the language class, dictated his classes and assigned his homework to his students, as usual, he usually assigns pending, with little academic weight, but intended to strengthen the intellectuality of his students, a kind of exercise. Had it not been for the fact that he assigned them exactly on a Friday, the reception might not have been taken with such negativity.
Sam, siempre atento y al pendiente de las asignaciones, no perdía ni un segundo de cada oración que dictaba su maestro. Apenas este terminaba, junto a sus amigos, salía del aula de manera casi precipitada, como si un impulso natural propulsara sus piernas al levantarse de su asiento, luego de que la hora finalizara. No odiaba las clases, pero era de esos que aprovechaba cada segundo de su descanso, y más del fin de semana.
Sam, always attentive and attentive to the assignments, did not miss a second of each sentence dictated by his teacher. As soon as he finished, along with his friends, he would leave the classroom in an almost hurried manner, as if a natural impulse propelled his legs as he got up from his seat after the hour was over. He didn't hate classes, but he was one of those who took advantage of every second of his break, and even more of the weekend.
Luego de salir del aula, sus amigos conversaban sobre a qué lugar ir, tomarse un café, comer algunos dulces, o quien sabe, algunos tragos y perder la conciencia hasta el otro día. Chicos planeando cosas típicas de cualquier joven que apenas pasó los dieciocho. Sam, estaba gustoso de unirse a ellos, pero el día tenía otro rumbo para él, debía cubrir su turno en la tienda de conveniencia, y prefería no llegar tarde, una queja menos de su gerente.
After leaving the classroom, his friends were talking about where to go, have a coffee, eat some sweets, or who knows, some drinks and lose consciousness until the next day. Guys planning things typical of any young man just past eighteen. Sam, was glad to join them, but the day had another direction for him, he had to cover his shift at the convenience store, and he'd rather not be late, one less complaint from his manager.
Acomodando enlatados y frascos de vidrío en los estantes, el día circulaba de manera relativamente tranquila, unas cuantas personas compraban, mientras su compañero cancelaba las compras de los clientes en la caja. Cerca de la hora de cerrar, Sam, recién acordado que no tenía algo para comer en casa, repentinamente recuerda de una receta de arroz frito que había visto en alguna parte, pero no recordaba donde, solo que le gustaba mucho.
Arranging canned goods and jars of glass on the shelves, the day flowed relatively smoothly, a few people shopping, while his colleague canceled customers' purchases at the cash register. Near closing time, Sam, having just agreed that he didn't have something to eat at home, suddenly remembered a recipe for fried rice he had seen somewhere, but couldn't remember where, only that he really liked it.
Para muchos es más fácil comprar una sopa instantánea, un sándwich preparado, hasta una pizza congelada, él, prefería cocinar, era su pasatiempo. Arroz, ajo, cebolla, pimentones, ajíes, cilantro, perejil, salchichas, huevos y salsa de soya, para darle un toque especial, eran los ingredientes que necesitaba, y que rápidamente tomó, y pago antes de tomar rumbo a su departamento.
For many it is easier to buy an instant soup, a ready-made sandwich, even a frozen pizza, he, preferred to cook, it was his hobby. Rice, garlic, onions, bell peppers, chili peppers, cilantro, parsley, sausage, eggs and soy sauce, to give it a special touch, were the ingredients he needed, which he quickly picked up and paid for before heading back to his apartment.
Luego del corto viaje en bus, Sam finalmente estaba en su hogar. “Ya estoy en casa”, pese a que vivía solo, era una costumbre decir eso. Luego de una rápida ducha y ponerse cómodo, dispuso su ordenador y dejó listos sobre la mesa los ingredientes para su cena. Un poco de música de fondo, para hacerlo más entretenido, picaba las cebollas las cuales despiadadamente le hacían llorar, pelaba los ajos, los pimientos, el cilantro y el perejil. Cortaba diagonalmente las salchichas, mientras el aceite se calentaba en el sartén.
After the short bus ride, Sam was finally home. "I'm home now," even though he lived alone, it was a habit to say that. After a quick shower and getting comfortable, he set up his computer and left the ingredients for his dinner ready on the table. A little music in the background, to make it more entertaining, he chopped the onions which mercilessly made him cry, peeled the garlic, peppers, cilantro and parsley. He cut the sausages diagonally, while the oil was heating up in the frying pan.
Listos los ingredientes, los colocó a llama alta sobre el aceita a sofreír. Dejo la cocina un momento para dedicarse unos segundos a las palabras que plasmaría en su ensayo. Luego de teclear unas palabras, volvió a la cocina a verificar la cocción de su platillo. Ya dorados, se dispuso a agregar el vaso de arroz y juntar todo, mientras esto se sofreía al calor de las llamas. Luego de batir un huevo, lo agrego al sartén sin dejar de dar vuelta a la preparación. Una vez terminado, abandonó la cocina, para dirigirse nuevamente a su ordenador, y continuar escribiendo. Quería terminar de inmediato, pero el hambre y el cansancio no se lo permitirían, hizo lo más que pudo escribiendo e investigando. Luego de quince minutos escribiendo sin parpadear, nota una especie nube viniendo de cocina. Desesperado, se levantó de la silla tumbándola al suelo, corriendo hacia la cocina.
Once the ingredients were ready, he placed them on a high flame over the oil to fry. He left the kitchen for a moment to dedicate a few seconds to the words he would write in his essay. After typing a few words, he returned to the kitchen to check the cooking of his dish. Already browned, he set about adding the glass of rice and bringing it all together as it fried in the heat of the flames. After beating an egg, he added it to the frying pan and kept turning the preparation. Once finished, he left the kitchen to go back to his computer and continue writing. He wanted to finish immediately, but hunger and tiredness would not allow him to do so, so he did as much writing and research as he could. After fifteen minutes of unblinking typing, he noticed a kind of cloud coming from the kitchen. Desperate, he got up from his chair and threw it on the floor, running to the kitchen.
Había dejado la hornilla encendida con el sartén encima, habría sido un desastre mucho mayor si se hubiera percatado más tarde. Verifico el sartén, luego de retirar la tapa este soltó una nube de humo gigantesca, como si se tratase de un incendio sacado del mismo infierno. Su arroz se había quemado en la parte de abajo, su comida se arruinó parcialmente. “Ya que, no hay de otra”, decía, mientras con una cucharilla raspaba la parte que se había quemado del arroz.
He had left the stove on with the frying pan on it, it would have been a much bigger disaster if he had noticed it later. She checked the pan, and after removing the lid it released a gigantic cloud of smoke, as if it were a fire out of hell itself. His rice had burned at the bottom, his food partially ruined. "Since, there's no other way," he said, while with a teaspoon he scraped off the burnt part of the rice.
Se sirvió en su plato su obra culinaria, platillo que hasta los dioses mismo envidiarían de no poder comer. Pese al trágico incidente, llegó a la conclusión de que no estaba tan mal su arroz, creyó que hasta la parte quemada estaba deliciosa, por lo crujiente que estaba. Pero había algo que faltaba ¿Algún condimento? ¿Alguna pizca de salsa? ¿Vegetales? Nada de eso.
He served his culinary work on his plate, a dish that even the gods themselves would envy if they could not eat it. Despite the tragic incident, he came to the conclusion that his rice was not so bad, he thought that even the burnt part was delicious, because of how crispy it was. But there was something missing. Any seasoning? Any hint of sauce? Vegetables? None of it.
Sam, no tardó en percatarse en el hecho de que en la mesa, estaba solo él, nadie más, solo él. Sus ojos no tardaron en llenarse de lágrimas, suspiraba un poco fuerte, hasta casi moquear, lo recordaba, cada momento, lo recordaba, como si hubiese pasado hace un segundo.
Sam, it didn't take him long to notice the fact that at the table, it was just him, no one else, just him. His eyes soon filled with tears, he sighed a little loudly, until he was almost runny, he remembered it, every moment, he remembered it, as if it had happened a second ago.
Ese arroz, que Sam torpemente había dejado quemar, era la comida que su madre solía hacerle luego de un largo día de escuela, o de haber pasado con máxima calificación algún examen. ¿Qué tenía de especial? Aunque fuese un plato simple, su madre lo hacía con mucho cariño para él, y le hacía muy feliz que su hijo lo disfrutara, y siempre se preguntaba que le colocaba que lo hacía tan delicioso, siempre dejaba el plato limpio luego de comerlo.
That rice, which Sam had clumsily let burn, was the meal his mother used to make him after a long day at school, or after passing a test with top marks. What was so special about it? Even if it was a simple dish, his mother made it with a lot of love for him, and it made her very happy that her son enjoyed it, and she always wondered what she put in it that made it so delicious, she always left the plate clean after eating it.
Luego de un tiempo, y de llegar a donde está ahora, no era solo el arroz, era su madre, quien lo preparaba para él, con todo el cariño y amor que podría concederle, y estaba con él, disfrutándolo, era lo que lo hacía especial. Pero nunca volvería a ser igual, ella falleció de un ataque cardiaco poco después de que Sam entró a la universidad. Sam había pasado la mayor parte de su tiempo intentando no pensar en su recuerdo, y sentirse agobiado. Para él, el dolor no era solo el hecho de que se haya ido, sino de que nunca esos momentos volverán a existir, viven en su memoria.
After a while, and getting to where he is now, it wasn't just the rice, it was his mother, who prepared it for him, with all the care and love she could bestow on him, and she was with him, enjoying it, it was what made it special. But it would never be the same again, she passed away from a heart attack shortly after Sam entered college. Sam had spent most of his time trying not to think about her memory, and feeling overwhelmed. For him, the pain was not just the fact that she was gone, but that never again would those moments exist, live on in his memory.
En la mañana del sábado, Sam visito la lápida de su madre, “Cassandra, amada madre y compañera”, rezaba en ella, junto a ella unos tulipanes recién cortados y un pequeño tazón de arroz frito casi quemado.
On Saturday morning, Sam visited his mother's headstone, "Cassandra, beloved mother and companion," it read on it, next to it some freshly cut tulips and a small bowl of almost burnt fried rice.
