橘燈

今早打開食物盒，整片晨光空氣即被牛油與巧克力濃香注滿。近日在一家四十多年老的名牌小餅店裏學藝，老闆娘警告說請過些人學了數個月都做一不好一款糕或餅，被師傳請回家耕田，但在這種靜靜老區傳統小餅店廚房中學藝的機會太珍貴了，所以那天老闆娘說可以晚上去跟師傳學做蛋撻時，就算知道未必很容易，又要晚一點點睡、並答應至少花一段時間學習(不能數天學成)，仍瞬即說好。老師傳很好人、細心又有耐性，卻不像一般二十一世紀的老師般凡事都鼓勵讚好，只是不時走過來撿查修正，然後拋下一句「認真點，不是玩啊」或「快手啲」一開始的日子當然只有幫忙用刀刮乾淨撻模，和拿着空撻摸不段重覆練習按撻皮手勢的份兒。沒想到站着做這微動作竟如此累。但一邊聽他年輕時在尖沙嘴領月薪二十元做餅的小故事和其他做生意的秘決都很有趣。

當然還有那置身大雪櫃、舊焗爐、漫天面粉間的體驗。距離能夠做出完美蛋撻相信還有好一段日子(現在仍在學按撻皮，看，相中桌上那盤就是我做的)，而且蛋撻要新鮮出爐才好吃，所以帶了漂亮的鮮焗朱古力曲奇回偵探社給偵探同僚。在周街都是Laduree, Angelina, jean paul hevin 的香港，這小小曲奇未必是最好味道，但老師傳對自己小店用吉百利朱古力、法國入口忌廉和高級牛奶仍然十分自豪，當然還有那每一搓一拌都是手做的心機。幸好偵探們都說很好味道。「個個小朋友食完都心掛掛要返嚟買架，外面餅店都不捨得用這些材料。」他知道我是畫畫的，便提議我學做港式傳統蛋糕，雖然未能講出兩者的關係。哈哈。大概是因為他有這樣子的想像!  (早年畫的故事)我又告訴老闆娘近日在拍戲，當中一個小朋友角色經常拿蛋撻派給陌生人，戲中正是用了這家餅店的餅盒做道具，她聽後很歡喜。
離開時外面街道處處點着黃燈、飄着食物香，一直很喜歡這區，要好好記住和珍惜現在這份怗靜。像梵高筆下那些小街，那麼黑卻那麼豐富多采。
'An immense yellow lantern illuminates the terrace, the facade, the side walk and even casts light on the paving stones of the road which take a pinkish violet tone. The gables of the houses, like a fading road below a blue sky studded with stars, are dark blue or violet with a green tree. Here you have a night painting without black, with nothing but beautiful blue and violet and green and in this surrounding the illuminated area colours itself sulfur pale yellow and citron green. It amuses me enormously to paint the night right on the spot. Normally, one draws and paints the painting during the daytime after the sketch. But I like to paint the thing immediately. It is true that in the darkness I can take a blue for a green, a blue lilac for a pink lilac, since it is hard to distinguish the quality of the tone. But it is the only way to get away from our conventional night with poor pale whitish light, while even a simple candle already provides us with the richest of yellows and oranges.' Van Gogh, 1888