九十天的谷子

柯克沃尔那家酒馆有五张桌子和一炉火。门一开就是一条灰石头的街，街的尽头是大教堂。波莉挑了最靠近火的桌子。“可以看一下菜单吗？”她问。卡片上的菜比她预想的少，本地菜比她预想的多。

The bar in Kirkwall had five tables and a fire. The door opened onto a street of grey stone with the cathedral at the top. Polly took the table nearest the heat. "Can I see the menu?" she asked. The card had fewer things on it than she expected, and more of them local.

“你能推荐一道好菜吗？”老板是一只苍鹭。她马上推荐了烤饼。贝尔大麦（bere）是他们在这里种了几百年的一种大麦。人们叫它九十天大麦，因为它熟得快，赶得上北方短短的夏天。磨成粉，做出来的是又扁又黑的烤饼。

"Could you recommend a good dish?" The owner was a heron. She recommended the bannock at once. Bere is a barley they have grown here for centuries. People call it the ninety-day barley, because it ripens fast enough for a short northern summer. Ground into meal, it makes a flat, dark bannock.

“你们有素食可以选吗？”波莉问。苍鹭指着卡片上的同一行。烤饼、黄油和克劳迪奶酪，农场一直在做的那种软奶酪。同样这种谷子也送去塔楼下面的酒厂，那家酒厂从一七九八年开工到今天。

"Do you have vegetarian options?" Polly asked. The heron pointed at the same line on the card. Bannock, butter and crowdie, the soft cheese the farms have always made. The same grain also goes to the distillery under the tower, working since seventeen ninety-eight.

“可以结账吗？”盘子空了以后波莉说。苍鹭慢慢地把账单拿过来，这是一种夸奖。外面的风已经小到岛上人所说的静了。波莉沿着灰色的街往上，朝红色的大教堂走去。

"Can we get the bill, please?" Polly said when the plate was empty. The heron took her time bringing it, which is a compliment. Outside, the wind had dropped to what the islands call still. Polly walked up the grey street toward the red cathedral.