Večerja, zakopana ob zori

Blizu majhnega jezera, prekritega s paro, je Polly našla vrsto velikih loncev ob globokih luknjah v črni zemlji. Kuhar v debelem predpasniku je z vrvjo spustil zaprt lonec v vsako luknjo. Polly je pristala v bližini in gledala, radovedna, kaj bi bilo vredno kuhati v luknji v tleh.

Near a small lake covered in steam, Polly found a row of big pots next to deep holes in the black ground. A cook in a thick apron lowered a sealed pot into each hole using a rope. Polly landed nearby to watch, curious what could be worth cooking in a hole in the ground.

Vsak lonec je bil poln mesa, klobas, zelja in zelenjave. Luknje od spodaj greje vulkan, približno tako močno kot vrela voda. Ognja sploh ni. Vročina prihaja samo iz globine, skozi razpoke, ki so jih davno označili s kamnitimi obroči.

Each pot was full of meat, sausage, cabbage, and vegetables. The holes are heated from below by the volcano, to about the same heat as boiling water. No fire is used at all. The heat comes only from deep underground, through cracks marked with stone rings long ago.

Kuhar je Polly, večinoma z rokami, pokazal, da lonci ostanejo zakopani šest ali sedem ur. Ljudje med čakanjem obiščejo jezero ali mesto. Potem se vrnejo in izkopljejo svojo večerjo.

The cook showed Polly, mostly with his hands, that the pots stay buried for six or seven hours. People go visit the lake or the town while they wait. Then they come back to dig up their dinner.

Ko je prvi lonec prišel ven, se je dvignila gosta para in vonj po kuhanem mesu je napolnil zrak. Polly ni ostala na obedu, gledala pa je, kako je kuhar odnesel lonec, ponosen na obrok, ki ga je skuhala gora.

When the first pot came out, thick steam rose up, and the smell of cooked meat filled the air. Polly did not stay to eat, but she watched the cook carry the pot away, proud of a meal the mountain had cooked.