摘要：每次和朋友在食堂吃饭，李都要假装自己不喜欢吃豌豆。可看到托盘上那些被丢弃的豌豆，他内心总会无比惋惜。帕克赛德小学的三年级学生好像都讨厌豌豆，唯独他是个例外。李最喜欢卡特餐厅的豌豆，在他看来，那是“全宇宙最好吃”的豌豆。它们颗颗饱满圆润，色泽翠绿，一口下去，丰富

Best-in-the-Universe Peas

By Erin Guendelsberger

Art by Gladys Jose

Lee pressed his fork against the cafeteria tray once, twice, three times, stabbing a single pea with each strike. He looked at the peas for a moment before putting them in his mouth.

“Yuck!” said Lee’s friend Carl. “I don’t know how you eat those things.” Carl’s pile of peas sat untouched on his tray.

“My mom says I have to eat at least a few veggies,” Lee said, shrugging.

Lee, Carl, and their friends Naveen and Pete stood up to deposit their dirty trays on the tray rack. As Lee set his down, he looked longingly at his discarded peas. He could feel his mouth watering, but he turned his head and walked away. Lee was an undeniable lover of peas. He loved fresh peas, frozen peas, and canned peas. He loved peas mixed with other vegetables and peas all by themselves.

Lee’s family knew that he loved peas, of course. His dad made them with chicken tenders every Friday night. Lee didn’t mention his love of peas to his friends at school, though. Loving peas was just something you didn’t do when you were a third grader at Parkside Elementary.

By far, Lee’s favorite peas came from Carter’s, a restaurant his family visited for special occasions. Lee called Carter’s peas “best-in-the-universe peas.” They were plump, round, and the perfect shade of green. When he bit into them, they squished into a flavor explosion.

Lee’s family was going to Carter’s this Saturday to celebrate his birthday. He couldn’t wait!

After school, Lee and his friends met their parents on the playground. Lee’s mom said, “Hey, sweetie. We were just talking about your birthday. Would you like to invite your friends to come along to Carter’s?”

Lee smiled. Yes! Friends at his birthday dinner would be great! Then his smile froze. Wait. Friends at his birthday dinner would mean no best-in-the-universe peas. Eating a few peas in the cafeteria was one thing, but he couldn’t order peas on purpose in front of his friends.

Lee looked at Carl, Naveen, and Pete. What could he say? “That sounds awesome!”

On Friday evening, Lee’s dad called him into the kitchen.

“Hey, buddy,” his dad said as he cut chicken into strips for dinner. “Do you want peas tonight, or would that be pea overkill since we’re doing Carter’s tomorrow?”

“Let’s have peas,” Lee said. “I don’t know if I’ll order them at Carter’s this time.”

His dad stopped cutting. “Really? I thought they were your favorite.”

“They are,” Lee said. “But I don’t know. I might get French fries.”

“Hmm,” his dad said, looking at him. “You should order whatever you want, birthday boy.” He started cutting again. “You can’t go wrong with Carter’s French fries or peas. Delectable!”

Lee laughed. His family always shouted “Delectable!” when they talked about good food.

Later that night, Lee thought about what his dad had said, that he should order whatever he wanted. Could he do that in front of his friends? Would they make fun of him if he ordered peas?

On Saturday, Lee’s family and friends sat around a big table at Carter’s, looking at their menus. Lee’s friends talked about their orders—various sandwiches, all with fries, of course. Lee saw exactly what he wanted on the menu: the French-dip sandwich with a side of peas. But he didn’t say anything.

Soon the server came over. “Are you ready to order?”

Lee’s dad said, “Yes! And I think we should start with the birthday boy.” He looked at Lee, smiling.

“Happy birthday!” said the server. “What would you like?”

It was the moment of truth. Should he order peas? Lee had to decide now.

“Um,” Lee said, “may I have the French-dip sandwich?” He leaned his head closer to the server and mumbled, “With a side of peas?”

“Did you say ‘peas’?” asked the server, loudly. Lee inhaled. He felt his face getting hot.

“Yes,” he said. “Peas, please.”

Lee looked toward his friends, but they weren’t looking at him. They were all examining their menus again. He exhaled.

When it was Carl’s turn to order, he said, “I’d like a cheeseburger with some applesauce.”

Naveen said, “Can I get grilled cheese and coleslaw?”

Pete said, “I’d love a chicken sandwich and sweet-potato fries.”

Lee grinned. No one had mentioned applesauce, coleslaw, or sweet-potato fries when they were talking about their orders before. Had they changed their minds? Was it because he ordered peas?

The food arrived, and it was delectable. Everyone got their own unique favorite. And Lee ate every best-in-the-universe pea on his plate.

本文选自《英语沙龙》（原版阅读）2025年4月刊

来源：世知社