LL: No no, Lihua. I want to learn how to make REAL Chinese food. You know, like fortune cookies. How do you keep the paper inside from getting burned in the oven?

LH: 告訴你可別失望，其實中國根本沒有什麼fortune cookie幸運簽餅。這是美國的原創。

LL: What? All these years I've dreamed of going to China to have a real Chinese fortune cookie, and you're telling me they don't exist? All my dreams are going up in smoke!

LH: Up in smoke? 我還沒燒菜呢，哪來的煙啊？

LL: When you say that something goes up in smoke, it means that it disappears or is no longer possible.

LH: 我明白了，up in smoke是說一件事情希望破滅。換句話說，你想到中國吃正宗幸運簽餅的夢想已經成了泡影，your dream went up in smoke.

LL: That's right. Usually you use this expression for something you have been planning for a long time. For example, I always wanted to go to Harvard, but that dream went up in smoke when I found out how much it costs.

LH: 你原來夢想去哈佛上學？這我還是第一次聽說。那我一直夢想去巴黎工作，結果拿不到簽證，也可以說my plan went up in smoke嘍？

LL: That's right.

LH: 雖說「幸運簽餅」不是中國的產物，可你也不用讓自己去中國的夢想破滅啊！

LL: I know, it's just disappointing. Last week I got a fortune cookie that told me that all my dreams would come true. I thought it was a sign from heaven.

LH: 你還真信，簽餅裡紙條上的話可不是上蒼的「意思」，而是簽餅公司的「意思」。

LL: This is no time for jokes, Lihua. My life has just come tumbling down around me. No fortune cookies in China! Who would have known?

LH: Poor Larry. 為了不讓你的夢想徹底破滅，我一定毫不保留地把自己的廚藝全教給你。說吧，你要學什麼！

LL: Well, I really want to learn how to make the little white boxes that you put the food in.

******

LL: Wow, Lihua. I can't believe that I made such great Mapo Dofu on my first try! Isn't it great?

LH: Yeah, it's ... umm ... 可以說是你的獨創。正宗的麻婆豆腐裡面是不放意大利麵條和花生醬的。

LL: Oh c'mon, Lihua, don't burst my bubble. I think you're just jealous that I'm such a natural cook.

LH: Burst your what?

LL: Burst my bubble. When someone is really excited or confident about something, you burst their bubble when you say something to disappoint them.

LH: 你是說，burst your bubble，捅破你的肥皂泡，就是讓你希望破滅。你本來對自己做的麻婆豆腐特驕傲，結果我卻給你潑冷水。So I burst your bubble.

LL: Exactly. Or for example, I have a friend who really wants to be a famous singer. I should tell her to give up that dream because she has a really bad voice, but I don't want to burst her bubble.

LH: 如果你朋友真的沒有唱歌的天份，即使你不去burst her bubble, 到頭來，her plan will go up in smoke，她的夢想最終也會成為泡影。

LL: That's true.You know, to thank you for teaching me how to make Mapo Dofu, I'm going to teach you how to make my special recipe: a deep-fried hot dog topped with chocolate sauce and broccoli.

LH: I hate to burst your bubble, 不過你這個獨家菜還是自己留著享用吧，油炸熱狗，加上花菜和巧克力醬，聽上去就沒胃口。

LL: Are you crazy? It's delicious! You know, I hate to burst YOUR bubble Lihua, but I don't think you are such a cooking expert as you think.

LH: 你怎麼說都可以，我本來也沒自稱是什麼烹調專家。但起碼我知道，麻婆豆腐裡不能放薯條。

LL: Well, maybe we should just agree to disagree.

LH: 不過，火腿肉炒花菜倒可以說是一道中國菜，但是不能放巧克力醬。

LL: See! I knew I was a natural Chinese chef. I've been making a traditional Chinese dish without even knowing it!

今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是up in smoke意思是希望破滅。另一個是burst somebody's bubble，意思是打破某人的幻想。(http://www.dajiyuan.com)