Pizza dan Makan Siang Panjang

Chiara menutup laboratorium untuk makan siang panjang ala Italia. "Ikutlah denganku," katanya.

Chiara closed the lab for the long Italian lunch. "Come with me," she said.

Polly bertengger di pundaknya. Mereka berjalan ke taman.

Polly perched on her shoulder. They walked into the park.

Napoli saat makan siang sangat ramai. Orang-orang pergi ke bar espresso. Jalanan beraroma bawang putih dan tomat.

Naples at lunch was busy. People were going to espresso bars. The streets smelled of garlic and tomato.

Chiara membawanya ke sebuah pizzeria kecil. Di dalam ada oven besar yang menggunakan kayu bakar. Apinya sangat panas.

Chiara took her to a small pizzeria. Inside was a big wood-burning oven. The fire was very hot.

Pizza Neapolitan itu istimewa. Kota ini memiliki aturan untuk pizza ini sejak dua ratus tahun yang lalu. Adonannya terbuat dari tepung, air, garam, dan ragi. Tomatnya berasal dari lereng Vesuvius. Daun basilnya segar. Oven memasak pizza dalam sembilan puluh detik.

Neapolitan pizza is special. The city has rules for it from two hundred years ago. The dough is flour, water, salt, and yeast. The tomatoes are from the slopes of Vesuvius. The basil is fresh. The oven cooks the pizza in ninety seconds.

Pembuat pizza memasukkan pizza ke dalam oven. Sembilan puluh detik kemudian dia mengeluarkannya. Pinggirannya memiliki bintik-bintik gelap. Kejunya meleleh.

The pizza maker put a pizza in the oven. Ninety seconds later he pulled it out. The crust had dark spots. The cheese was melted.

Chiara memberikan Polly sepotong kecil pinggiran pizza. Rasanya asin, sedikit hangus, dan sangat ringan. Polly mengerti mengapa Napoli melindungi pizza ini selama dua abad.

Chiara gave Polly a small piece of crust. It was salty and charred and very light. Polly understood why Naples had protected this pizza for two centuries.

"Gurita itu pintar karena mereka hanya hidup beberapa tahun," kata Chiara. "Mereka harus belajar dengan cepat. Kita bisa belajar dengan lambat. Pasta akan mempelajari semua yang dia tahu dalam dua tahun lagi."

"Octopuses are smart because they only live a few years," Chiara said. "They have to learn fast. We can learn slowly. Pasta will learn everything she knows in two more years."

Mereka berjalan kembali dengan perlahan. Sore itu hangat.

They walked back slowly. The afternoon was warm.