Birthday Noodles in Space

Jun is the cook on a space station. His kitchen is small and white. Everything in it floats.

Jun adalah juru masak di sebuah stasiun luar angkasa. Dapurnya kecil dan serba putih. Semua benda di dalamnya melayang.

Today is the captain's birthday. Jun wants to make her favorite food. She loves noodle soup. But soup is a big problem in space.

Hari ini kapten berulang tahun. Jun ingin membuatkan makanan kesukaannya. Sang kapten suka sup mi. Tetapi sup adalah masalah besar di luar angkasa.

Jun puts hot water in a bowl. The water does not stay there. It goes up in a round ball. It floats past his nose. Jun catches it with a cloth.

Jun menuangkan air panas ke dalam mangkuk. Air itu tidak tinggal di sana. Air itu naik menjadi bola bundar. Bola itu melayang melewati hidung Jun. Jun menangkapnya dengan selembar kain.

"Water has no floor here," he says. "It goes everywhere."

"Di sini air tidak punya lantai," katanya. "Dia pergi ke mana-mana."

He tries a cup with a lid. He puts in the noodles and the water. He shakes the cup. The noodles hit the lid. They stick there like long yellow hair. Jun laughs, but the soup is a mess.

Dia mencoba cangkir bertutup. Dia memasukkan mi dan air. Dia mengocok cangkirnya. Mi itu membentur tutup. Mi-mi itu menempel di sana seperti rambut kuning yang panjang. Jun tertawa, tetapi supnya berantakan.

Next he tries a bag with a straw. This is better. The water stays inside. But the noodles are too long. They stop in the straw. Jun pulls and pulls. Then one noodle shoots out. It hits the wall.

Berikutnya dia mencoba kantong dengan sedotan. Ini lebih baik. Airnya tetap di dalam. Tetapi mi-nya terlalu panjang. Mi itu tersangkut di sedotan. Jun menarik dan menarik. Lalu satu helai mi melesat keluar. Mi itu menghantam dinding.

The doctor looks into the kitchen. "Please keep the soup away from my room," she says. "Last time, I found peas in my bed."

Sang dokter menengok ke dapur. "Tolong jauhkan sup itu dari kamarku," katanya. "Terakhir kali, aku menemukan kacang polong di tempat tidurku."

"Sorry," says Jun. "Today is a hard day for me."

"Maaf," kata Jun. "Hari ini hari yang sulit bagiku."

Then the pilot floats in. She holds a small book. "It smells good in here," she says. "What do you make?"

Lalu sang pilot melayang masuk. Dia memegang sebuah buku kecil. "Baunya enak di sini," katanya. "Kamu masak apa?"

"Noodle soup for the captain," says Jun. "But the noodles do not stay still."

"Sup mi untuk kapten," kata Jun. "Tapi mi-nya tidak mau diam."

The pilot looks around. She sees the sticky tray on the wall. It holds the bread and the rice in place. "Why not use that?" she asks.

Sang pilot melihat sekeliling. Dia melihat nampan lengket di dinding. Nampan itu menahan roti dan nasi agar tetap di tempat. "Kenapa tidak pakai itu saja?" tanyanya.

"Soup is not sticky," Jun says.

"Sup itu tidak lengket," kata Jun.

"Then make it sticky," she says. "Make it thick, like a sauce."

"Kalau begitu, buat saja jadi lengket," katanya. "Buat kental, seperti saus."

Jun thinks about this. He likes it. He cooks the noodles in a little water. He cuts them short. He adds garlic, salt, and a big spoon of flour. He stirs and stirs. The soup gets thick and warm. It holds on to the spoon.

Jun memikirkan hal itu. Dia menyukainya. Dia memasak mi dengan sedikit air. Dia memotongnya pendek-pendek. Dia menambahkan bawang putih, garam, dan satu sendok besar tepung. Dia mengaduk dan mengaduk. Supnya menjadi kental dan hangat. Sup itu menempel pada sendok.

Jun tests it. He turns the spoon up. He turns it down. He turns it all the way around. The noodles do not move. They sit on the spoon like a small hat.

Jun mengujinya. Dia mengangkat sendok ke atas. Dia menurunkannya ke bawah. Dia memutarnya sampai berputar penuh. Mi-nya tidak bergerak. Mi itu bertengger di sendok seperti topi kecil.

"It works!" he says.

"Berhasil!" katanya.

He puts the sticky tray on the table. He puts a spoon at every seat. On each spoon he puts a nest of noodles. He adds a small blue light for the party.

Dia meletakkan nampan lengket di atas meja. Dia menaruh sebuah sendok di setiap kursi. Di setiap sendok, dia menaruh segulung mi. Dia menambahkan lampu biru kecil untuk pesta.

At six o'clock the crew comes. The captain floats in last. She sees the table and stops.

Pukul enam, para awak datang. Sang kapten melayang masuk paling akhir. Dia melihat meja itu dan berhenti.

"Happy birthday!" everyone says. They sing a song. The song is loud and not very good. The captain laughs.

"Selamat ulang tahun!" seru semuanya. Mereka menyanyikan sebuah lagu. Lagunya keras dan tidak terlalu bagus. Sang kapten tertawa.

Jun gives her the first spoon. She puts it in her mouth. She closes her eyes.

Jun memberinya sendok pertama. Sang kapten memasukkannya ke mulut. Dia memejamkan mata.

"It tastes like my mother's kitchen," she says. "How do you do it?"

"Rasanya seperti dapur ibuku," katanya. "Bagaimana kamu melakukannya?"

"The pilot helps," says Jun. "And I use a lot of flour."

"Sang pilot membantu," kata Jun. "Dan aku memakai banyak tepung."

The crew eats. In one minute, every spoon is clean. The doctor asks for more. The pilot asks for more. Even the captain asks for more.

Para awak makan. Dalam satu menit, semua sendok sudah bersih. Sang dokter minta tambah. Sang pilot minta tambah. Bahkan sang kapten pun minta tambah.

Jun looks at the empty pot. Then he takes the flour. He starts a new pot.

Jun menatap panci yang kosong. Lalu dia mengambil tepung. Dia mulai memasak panci yang baru.