Every day， across Norway， something strange happens. It starts at about 11：30， and the first sign is the rustling of paper at the bottoms of rucksacks and handbags. Shortly thereafter， people begin fishing out square packages， neatly wrapped in baking parchment. Some have cute messages like “have a good day！” scrawled on top. Others are tied up with string.

在挪威，每天都有一件奇怪的事情發(fā)生。從11：30左右開始，第一個(gè)跡象便是背包和手提包底部發(fā)出的包裝紙的沙沙聲，隨后人們開始拿出包裝好的方形餐包。餐包整整齊齊地用烘焙紙包裹起來，有的還會(huì)在上面潦草地寫下各種可愛的留言，比如“過得愉快！”;有些會(huì)用繩子捆扎著。

The phenomenon can be witnessed everywhere—in offices and schools， on public transport， out hiking near icy fjords. If theres one thing you can be sure of， its that all will contain the same humble open sandwich. And， if its been made correctly， it will be dry， flavorless and predominantly beige in color.

在公司、校園和公交車上，或是在冰封的海灣附近旅行時(shí)，隨處都能目睹這一現(xiàn)象。如果有一點(diǎn)可以肯定的話，那就是所有餐包中的三明治都是一樣的單層三明治。如果按正確的方法制作，三明治應(yīng)該是干的，沒有味道，以淡棕色為主。

“In Norway， youre not supposed to look forward to your lunch，” says Ronald Sagatun， who works in advertising and hosts a YouTube channel about Norwegian culture. “Its kind of a strict thing. Its easy to make， easy to carry around， easy to eat， but it should be a disappointment.”

羅納德·薩加頓從事廣告工作，在視頻網(wǎng)站YouTube上主持一個(gè)關(guān)于挪威文化的頻道。他說：“在挪威，人們不應(yīng)該對(duì)午餐抱太大期望，這件事有點(diǎn)刻板。餐包制作簡單，便于攜帶，易于食用，但它令人失望?！?/p>

While British office workers rush around each lunchtime， queueing at cafes， bankrupting themselves on superfood salads and deli-style sandwiches or， worse， skipping the meal altogether， Norwegians have it all organized. Each morning， going back decades， they diligently prepare a packed lunch.

在英國，上班族會(huì)在午餐時(shí)間，匆忙地趕往不同的地方，或去咖啡館排隊(duì)，或在超級(jí)食物沙拉和熟食風(fēng)味的三明治前大吃特吃，或者更糟的是，干脆不吃午飯。挪威人卻早把餐包準(zhǔn)備妥當(dāng)。數(shù)十年來，人們都堅(jiān)持不懈，每天早晨準(zhǔn)備好一份包好的午餐。

The packed lunch is a slice of tradition. The “matpakke”， pronounced “maadpukke”， with a satisfying emphasis on the “e”， consists of a stack of three or four thin slices of wholemeal bread， with a meaty， fishy or cheesy layer on top of each （this is the words popular meaning， though technically it can be used to describe any food which is prepared to be eaten outside of the home）.

餐包是傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗的一部分?！安桶币辉~讀作“maadpukke”，元音“e”要重讀。餐包是由三片或四片薄的全麥面包堆疊而成，將肉片、魚片或奶酪片擺在各層面包上（這是餐包的通俗含義，盡管嚴(yán)格來說，該詞可用來描述準(zhǔn)備要帶出家門享用的任何食物）。

Today the matpakke is much more than just an insipid open sandwich; its a national institution， and an understated source of cultural pride.

如今，餐包不僅僅是清淡的單層三明治;它還代表著一個(gè)國家的風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣，也是一種低調(diào)的文化自豪感。

Most Children in Norway take one to school and many adults continue the habit for their entire working lives. According to retiree Helge Vidar Holm， who studies French literature at the University of Bergen and has recently retired， the matpakke is the first aspect of Norwegian culture that foreign students are taught when they arrive. “Quite a few， the first word they learn， before ‘thank you and so on， theyll learn to say ‘matpakke，” he says.

在挪威，大多數(shù)孩子上學(xué)時(shí)帶餐包，很多成年人在其整個(gè)職業(yè)生涯中，也一直保持著這種習(xí)慣。赫爾格·維達(dá)爾·霍爾姆在卑爾根大學(xué)研究法國文學(xué)，最近退休了。據(jù)他說，留學(xué)生到這里來，老師向他們傳授挪威文化時(shí)，第一講便是餐包文化。他說：“不少人在掌握‘謝謝等詞語前，最先學(xué)會(huì)說的詞是‘餐包。”

The tradition originated in the 1930s with the Oslo Breakfast. Back then， Norway was poor and this government programme aimed to provide all school children with a free meal each day. It was an unmitigated success， and later copied around the globe. Eventually parents took over the responsibility and gradually it evolved into the matpakke—now not just for children， but widely eaten by adults， whether theyre doctors， drivers or construction workers.

這個(gè)傳統(tǒng)始于20世紀(jì)30年代的奧斯陸早餐。當(dāng)時(shí)，挪威的經(jīng)濟(jì)貧乏，政府頒布這一項(xiàng)目，旨在為所有在校兒童每日提供一份免費(fèi)餐。這是不折不扣的功績，后來受到世界許多國家的效仿。最終，家長接管了此事，并逐漸演變?yōu)椴桶?。如今不僅是為孩子準(zhǔn)備餐包，成年人也吃餐包，不論是醫(yī)生、司機(jī)還是建筑工人。

“Like most Norwegians， I eat my matpakke every day when I work，” says Holm. “Thats the Norwegian way and its most peculiar， because its not the same in Sweden or Denmark， Iceland or Finland. Its a very Norwegian tradition.”

霍爾姆說：“像大多數(shù)挪威人一樣，我上班時(shí)每天吃餐包。這是挪威人的生活方式，是最特別的，因?yàn)槿鸬?、丹麥、冰島或芬蘭都不這樣。這是挪威的傳統(tǒng)。”

Word Study

scrawl /skr??l/ v. 馬馬虎虎（或潦草）地寫

superfood /'su：p?（r）fu?d/ n. 超級(jí)食物（一些被視為比其他食物更有營養(yǎng)的，甚至具有醫(yī)療療效的食物）

stack /st?k/ n.（通常指碼放整齊的）一疊，一摞，一堆

insipid /?n's?p?d/ adj. 無味道的;淡而無味的

unmitigated /?n'm?t?e?t?d/ adj. 完全的，十足的，徹底的