Coworkers try to cook their specialty dishes together in a small office kitchen for a company potluck, but chaos ensues until they learn to take turns.
太多厨师
我们公司每年都会办一次聚餐，今年轮到我们组来准备。同事们决定，这次不去饭馆，大家一起在办公室做饭，每个人做一个自己的拿手菜。我觉得这个主意很有意思，就决定参加。
聚餐那天，大家都很早就来了办公室，厨房里马上就变得很热闹。小李说，我会一点做菜，我的拿手菜是番茄炒蛋，虽然简单，可是很好吃。小王说，那我做红烧肉吧，我做的很好，大家一定会喜欢。还有几个同事也说了自己想做的菜，厨房里一下子有五六个人在忙。
问题很快就出现了。厨房太小，五六个人一起做饭，大家都想用炉子，都想用锅，结果谁也不能好好做菜。小李想炒鸡蛋，可是炉子被小王占着做红烧肉。小张想切菜，可是案板已经被别人用了。大家你等我，我等你，做饭的速度反而变得很慢。
后来，我们组的组长看到这个情况，就说，这样不行，我们应该轮流用厨房，一个人做完，再让下一个人做。大家听了都觉得有道理，就开始排队，一个一个地做菜。虽然要多等一会儿，可是这样每个人都能好好做自己的拿手菜，做出来的菜也更好吃了。
最后，大家做的菜都端上了桌子，有番茄炒蛋，有红烧肉，还有别的很多好吃的菜。虽然中间出了一点小问题，可是最后大家吃得很开心，也聊得很愉快。这次经历让我明白，人多虽然热闹，可是做事情还是需要一点秩序，不然厨房里人太多，反而什么都做不好。
Tài Duō Chúshī
Wǒmen gōngsī měi nián dōu huì bàn yí cì jùcān, jīnnián lún dào wǒmen zǔ lái zhǔnbèi. Tóngshìmen juédìng, zhè cì bú qù fànguǎn, dàjiā yìqǐ zài bàngōngshì zuò fàn, měi ge rén zuò yí ge zìjǐ de náshǒucài. Wǒ juéde zhège zhǔyi hěn yǒu yìsi, jiù juédìng cānjiā.
Jùcān nà tiān, dàjiā dōu hěn zǎo jiù lái le bàngōngshì, chúfáng li mǎshàng jiù biàn de hěn rènao. Xiǎolǐ shuō, wǒ huì yìdiǎn zuò cài, wǒ de náshǒucài shì fānqié chǎo dàn, suīrán jiǎndān, kěshì hěn hǎochī. Xiǎowáng shuō, nà wǒ zuò hóngshāoròu ba, wǒ zuò de hěn hǎo, dàjiā yídìng huì xǐhuan. Hái yǒu jǐ ge tóngshì yě shuō le zìjǐ xiǎng zuò de cài, chúfáng li yíxiàzi yǒu wǔ liù ge rén zài máng.
Wèntí hěn kuài jiù chūxiàn le. Chúfáng tài xiǎo, wǔ liù ge rén yìqǐ zuò fàn, dàjiā dōu xiǎng yòng lúzi, dōu xiǎng yòng guō, jiéguǒ shéi yě bù néng hǎohǎo zuò cài. Xiǎolǐ xiǎng chǎo jīdàn, kěshì lúzi bèi Xiǎowáng zhàn zhe zuò hóngshāoròu. Xiǎozhāng xiǎng qiē cài, kěshì ànbǎn yǐjīng bèi biérén yòng le. Dàjiā nǐ děng wǒ, wǒ děng nǐ, zuò fàn de sùdù fǎn’ér biàn de hěn màn.
Hòulái, wǒmen zǔ de zǔzhǎng kàndào zhège qíngkuàng, jiù shuō, zhèyàng bù xíng, wǒmen yīnggāi lúnliú yòng chúfáng, yí ge rén zuò wán, zài ràng xià yí ge rén zuò. Dàjiā tīng le dōu juéde yǒu dàolǐ, jiù kāishǐ páiduì, yí ge yí ge de zuò cài. Suīrán yào duō děng yíhuìr, kěshì zhèyàng měi ge rén dōu néng hǎohǎo zuò zìjǐ de náshǒucài, zuò chūlái de cài yě gèng hǎochī le.
Zuìhòu, dàjiā zuò de cài dōu duān shàng le zhuōzi, yǒu fānqié chǎo dàn, yǒu hóngshāoròu, hái yǒu biéde hěn duō hǎochī de cài. Suīrán zhōngjiān chū le yìdiǎn xiǎo wèntí, kěshì zuìhòu dàjiā chī de hěn kāixīn, yě liáo de hěn yúkuài. Zhè cì jīnglì ràng wǒ míngbái, rén duō suīrán rènao, kěshì zuò shìqing háishi xūyào yìdiǎn zhìxù, bùrán chúfáng li rén tài duō, fǎn’ér shénme dōu zuò bù hǎo.
Too Many Cooks
Our company holds a group meal once a year, and this year it was our team’s turn to organize it. Our coworkers decided that instead of going to a restaurant this time, everyone would cook together in the office, with each person making their own specialty dish. I thought this idea was really interesting, so I decided to join in.
On the day of the meal, everyone came to the office very early, and the kitchen quickly became lively. Xiao Li said, I know how to cook a little, my specialty dish is tomato fried egg — although it’s simple, it’s very delicious. Xiao Wang said, then I’ll make braised pork, I cook it really well, everyone will definitely like it. A few other coworkers also mentioned the dishes they wanted to make, and suddenly there were five or six people busy in the kitchen.
A problem quickly emerged. The kitchen was too small, and with five or six people cooking together, everyone wanted to use the stove, everyone wanted to use the pan, and as a result no one could cook properly. Xiao Li wanted to fry an egg, but the stove was occupied by Xiao Wang making braised pork. Xiao Zhang wanted to cut vegetables, but the cutting board was already being used by someone else. Everyone was waiting on each other, and the pace of cooking actually became much slower.
Later, our team leader saw the situation and said, this won’t work, we should take turns using the kitchen — one person finishes, then let the next person go. Everyone thought this made sense after hearing it, so they started lining up and cooking one at a time. Although it meant waiting a bit longer, this way everyone could properly make their own specialty dish, and the food that came out tasted even better.
In the end, everyone’s dishes were brought to the table — there was tomato fried egg, braised pork, and many other delicious dishes. Although there was a small problem in the middle, in the end everyone ate happily and chatted joyfully. This experience taught me that although having lots of people is lively, doing things still requires a bit of order, otherwise with too many people in the kitchen, nothing gets done well.
音频
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| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 会 | huì | can |
| 做 | zuò | to make |
| 做菜 | zuò cài | to make food / to cook |
| 一点 | yìdiǎn | a bit |
| 的 | de | structural particle |
| 我的 | wǒ de | my |
| 拿手菜 | náshǒucài | specialty dish |
| 是 | shì | to be |
| 番茄炒蛋 | fānqié chǎo dàn | tomato fried egg |
| 那 | nà | then |
| 下一次 | xià yí cì | next time |
| 给 | gěi | for |
我的拿手菜是… (wǒ de náshǒucài shì…) — my specialty dish is…
This pattern introduces a person’s best or signature dish using 拿手菜.
我的拿手菜是番茄炒蛋。
被 (bèi) — passive voice marker
被 introduces the agent performing an action on the subject, forming a passive construction.
炉子被小王占着。
一个一个地 (yí ge yí ge de) — one by one
Reduplicating a measure word phrase with 地 before a verb expresses doing something in sequence, one at a time.
大家一个一个地做菜。
No idiomatic expressions in this story.
拿手菜 (Signature Dishes) in Chinese Culture
Having a 拿手菜, or “signature dish,” is a common point of pride in Chinese social life — friends and family often ask each other what their best dish is, and offering to cook it for someone is considered a warm, personal gesture. Office potlucks (聚餐) where coworkers each contribute a home-cooked dish are also a popular way to build camaraderie.