文书解析 | 写土豆，也能进约翰霍普金斯大学？！

你对美食的定义是什么？

你对美食的热情有多大？

你对美食的研究有多深？

你对美食的期许有多远？

在众多申请者的文章中，关于美食的文章不胜枚举。美食达人们在分享饕餮珍馐的同时，往往会带你进入一个宏大的场面，甚至各界名流粉墨登场。本文作者也是一位美食达人，他所钟爱的美食和对美食的理解，定会让你觉得眼前一亮：原来美食也可以是这样的啊！

On Potatoes

-By MADISON

“If you had to choose one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

Having had this question asked of me many a time, I realize that such an inquiry must be considered practically. The correct answer would keep me happily sustained for the rest of my years, whereas the wrong choice could leave me tormented until I wither away from monotony. If I chose macaroni and cheese, per se, I’d be trapped consuming glutinous pasta, tacky milk-fat, yellow dye No.5, and copious amounts of sodium, forever. But if instead, I call upon my contentment understandings and assess my options accordingly, I may arrive at an indefectible conclusion. And after much deliberation, I believe that I have come to such a response: potatoes.

These tubers are the perfect sustenance due not only to their nutritional qualities but, most notably, to their remarkable versatility. Potatoes may be prepared in a myriad of dishes.

Creamy mashed-potatoes come first to mind, with their fluffy hills of whipped-bliss gracing one’s tongue so delicately. The thought of golden tater-tots follows; deep-fried potatoes cooked perfectly so as to create a slow crunch when chewed. Then are characteristic french-fries—shoestring or steak, skin on or off. Baked-potatoes, latkes, hash-browns, gnocchi—all respectable meals. And one mustn’t forget potato-chips when searching for alight snack.

Oh potatoes, how I love you. And when asked what to eat exclusively for the rest of my life, I will enthusiastically respond “potatoes!”, for by picking one, I choose an abundance.

To a casual onlooker, this question may appear inconsequential in its hypothetical nature, but as they say; you are what you eat. My inclination towards the varied is not contained to my food habits—it is a recurring theme throughout my life. I regularly switch from my mom’s house to my dad’s. I’ve moved twelve times. I have a fifteen-year-old sister and a two-year-old brother. I’m a dog and a cat person.

This variation tends not to leave me with an aversion to commitment, but a disposition towards diversity. I am interested in many things. So one must understand how I have struggled, faced throughout my education with the question, “If you had to choose one subject to study, one occupation to pursue, one thing to do, for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

I love to play viola; I get a rush communicating without-words to my quartet members in order to convey a musical message. I am at my happiest reading a good book; their complex stories captivate me and I aspire to write a novel of my own. I want to make laws that improve my country; all people should have a shot at the American dream. I am passionate about protecting the environment; reducing our effect on global-warming is of the utmost importance to me. I want to help those in need; people still don’t have access to clean water and I want to use my privilege to help change that. I strive to become fluent in Spanish; traveling the world is a dream of mine. Recently, I have discovered that I really like to code; I’m sure in the coming years I will explore things I didn’t know I was interested in.

I don’t have an answer to what exactly it is I want to do for the rest of my life. I love English and political science, but I have yet to find such an all-encompassing response as potatoes. What I’ve realized though, is that I don’t have to sacrifice all for one. From each of my interests I learn things that contribute to who I am and shape how I see the world. Eventually, I will focus my path. And when I do have an answer, I will go forth with the knowledge I’ve gathered from each of my varied interests; and I will never stop learning.

（英文文章来源：约翰霍普金斯大学官方公布录取范文）

生词：

1. Glutinous [ˈɡluːtənəs] adj. 黏的; 胶质的;

2. Dye [daɪ] v. 给…染色; 染;

3. Contentment [kənˈtentmənt] n. 满意; 满足;

4. Deliberation [dɪˌlɪbəˈreɪʃn] n. 细想; 考虑; 商议; 审议;

5. Versatility n. 技术全面；用途广泛;

6. Tater-tots 薯块

7. Privilege [ˈprɪvəlɪdʒ] n. v. 特殊利益; 优惠待遇;

8. Gnocchi [ˈnjɑːki] n. 意大利团子(用面粉和马铃薯做成);

9. Hypothetical [ˌhaɪpəˈθetɪkl] adj. 假设的; 假定的;

10. Viola [viˈoʊlə] n. 中提琴;

解析：

1. “If you had to choose one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

本文以提问开篇，这是一种比较常见的方式，其目的是引起读者的兴趣，让读者思考，试图引起和读者的共鸣。读到这里，大家的脑海中都会浮现各种不同的食物，你能想到的食物是什么呢？

2. These tubers are the perfect sustenance due not only to their nutritional qualities but, most notably, to their remarkable versatility. Potatoes may be prepared in a myriad of dishes.

出人意料的答案，是不是？作者的答案不是什么珍馐美味，而是最最平凡无奇，毫不起眼的食材-土豆！意不意外？让我接着往下读，看看平凡的土豆，能给我们带来怎样不平凡的体验。

3. Creamy mashed-potatoes come first to mind, with their fluffy hills of whipped-bliss gracing one’s tongue so delicately. The thought of golden tater-tots follows; deep-fried potatoes cooked perfectly so as to create a slow crunch when chewed.

一段对土豆各种吃法的描述，极强的画面感，甚至隔着屏都能闻到奶酪撒发的诱人香气，尤其读到“拿起一块炸的微焦的土豆，送进嘴里慢慢咀嚼。”这个情节的描述，让我们忍不住舔舔嘴唇，似乎自己正在细品一块醇香的炸土豆。

4. Oh potatoes, how I love you. And when asked what to eat exclusively for the rest of my life, I will enthusiastically respond “potatoes!”, for by picking one, I choose an abundance.

“噢，土豆！”作者终于解释了自己对土豆无限热爱的原因：选择了一个，等同于选择了很多种食物。但，这一句其实仅仅是个过渡，起到了承上启下的作用。作者在此基础上，又赋予了土豆新的涵义：多种吃法，映射出了不同背景不同阶层的人，也引申到自己。

5. To a casual onlooker, this question may appear inconsequential in its hypothetical nature, but as they say; you are what you eat. My inclination towards the varied is not contained to my food habits—it is a recurring theme throughout my life. I regularly switch from my mom’s house to my dad’s. I’ve moved twelve times. I have a fifteen-year-old sister and a two-year-old brother. I’m a dog and a cat person.

本段，我们看到了作者阅历，这已经超越了作者对土豆是一种食物的认知，丰富的人生经历与前边土豆的花式吃法和丰富口味形成了呼应。相信作者从这些经历中也领悟出了人生的哲理。

6. “If you had to choose one subject to study, one occupation to pursue, one thing to do, for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

又是一句提问，虽然没有明示自己的答案。却含蓄的揭示了作者的人生态度，也预示着文章即将升华。

7. Recently, I have discovered that I really like to code; I’m sure in the coming years I will explore things I didn’t know I was interested in.

以小见大，从研究土豆的各种吃法和口感，作者发现了土豆的玄妙，一个最普通的食材，通过不断地探索和尝试，就会产生不同的口感和味道；犹如自己经历的十二次搬家一样，每一次都是对陌生环境的探究。这也让我们看到了作者对自己人生既定目标的坚定态度：就像自己对土豆的热爱一样，不断扩展自己对未知领域的探究范围。

8. I don’t have an answer to what exactly it is I want to do for the rest of my life. I love English and political science, but I have yet to find such an all-encompassing response as potatoes. What I’ve realized though, is that I don’t have to sacrifice all for one.

在作者眼中，土豆为他揭示的人生哲理就是：不必为一个目标而牺牲一切。全文在一个发人深思的结论中完美收尾。

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