解放军文职招聘考试太妃糖果匠人的百年传奇(2/2)

 Cortese's mother had other things to do than make taffy, so Sam figured out a way to make candy on the move, inside the wagon, using a very hot stove and a vat to cool the taffy in. He'd boil taffy in three flavors - chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. After a big wad of it had cooled, he'd scoop it up with a stick and throw it onto a big hook, hanging in the window of his wagon. Then he'd tug on the taffy, pull out a long string of it, snip it off with scissors, wrap it in waxed paper, and sell it to people who lined up on the street. Back then, a long strand of Roman taffy cost a nickel - five cents. Almost a century later, Ron Kottemann does exactly the same thing that his grandfather did. He's been at it for 40 years, and he has 40 years' worth of stories. They include one about the time a car hit his wagon and knocked it over, spilling red-hot taffy all over him. His mule, Rosie, came through it OK. These days, the taffy costs a dollar a strip - 20 times as much as it did in Sam Cortese's day - and the candy is now also made in a little factory in town that ships it to taffy-lovers around the world. But on the streets of old New Orleans, there's still just one Roman Chewing Candy wagon, one taffy peddler, and one mule named Patsy.

（可是）除了制作太妃糖，科特斯的母亲还有别的事情要做，所以山姆想出一个在移动中制做太妃糖的办法——在马车上里放置一个滚烫的炉子和一个大桶冷却太妃糖。他会煮三种口味的太妃糖：巧克力、香草和草莓口味。他会先待一大块软糖冷却，再用棍子铲起来，扔到一个大钩子上后挂在马车窗上。接着他会拖动太妃糖团，抽出一长条，用剪刀剪开再用蜡纸包装好，而后卖给在街上排队的人们。那时候，一长条罗马太妃糖售价1镍币——也就是5美分。将近一个世纪之后，罗恩·科特曼做着与祖父相同的事情。他从事这份工作40年，他身上有着40年的故事经历。其中有这么个故事：一次，一辆车撞了他的马车并撞翻了它，溢出的炽热太妃糖全撒在他身上。而他的骡子罗茜却安然无恙。如今，一条太妃糖售价一美元——是山姆·科特斯那个时代的20倍——而如今镇上一家小工厂里也在制作太妃糖，该工厂把糖运送到世界各地的太妃糖爱好者那里。不过在旧新奥尔良的街道上，依然只有一辆“罗马咀嚼糖”马车，一位太妃糖小贩和一头名叫帕特西的骡子。