Jun is the cook on a space station. His kitchen is small and white. Everything in it floats.
俊是一座空间站上的厨师。他的厨房又小又白，里面的东西全都漂浮着。
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.
今天是船长的生日。俊想做她最爱吃的东西。她喜欢汤面。可是在太空里，汤是个大问题。
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.
俊把热水倒进碗里。水留不住，一团圆圆的水球升了起来，飘过他的鼻尖。俊用一块布把它接住。
"Water has no floor here," he says. "It goes everywhere."
“这里的水没有地面，”他说，“它哪儿都去。”
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.
他试了试带盖子的杯子。他放进面条和水，摇了摇杯子。面条撞到盖子上，像长长的黄头发一样粘在那里。俊笑了，可是这碗汤乱七八糟。
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.
接着他试了带吸管的袋子。这个好一点，水留在袋子里了。可是面条太长，卡在吸管里。俊拉了又拉，忽然一根面条飞了出去，打在墙上。
The doctor looks into the kitchen. "Please keep the soup away from my room," she says. "Last time, I found peas in my bed."
医生往厨房里看了一眼。“请把汤离我的房间远一点，”她说，“上次我在床上发现了豌豆。”
"Sorry," says Jun. "Today is a hard day for me."
“对不起，”俊说，“今天对我来说是很难的一天。”
Then the pilot floats in. She holds a small book. "It smells good in here," she says. "What do you make?"
这时飞行员飘了进来，手里拿着一本小书。“这里好香啊，”她说，“你在做什么？”
"Noodle soup for the captain," says Jun. "But the noodles do not stay still."
“给船长做汤面，”俊说，“可是面条不肯待着不动。”
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.
飞行员四下看了看。她看见墙上那个黏黏的托盘，它能固定住面包和米饭。“为什么不用那个呢？”她问。
"Soup is not sticky," Jun says.
“汤是不黏的。”俊说。
"Then make it sticky," she says. "Make it thick, like a sauce."
“那就让它变黏，”她说，“做得稠一点，像酱汁一样。”
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.
俊想了想，觉得这主意不错。他用一点点水煮面条，把面条切短，加了蒜、盐和满满一大勺面粉。他搅啊搅，汤变得又稠又暖，牢牢地挂在勺子上。
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.
俊试了试。他把勺子朝上，朝下，又整个转了一圈。面条一动不动，像一顶小帽子扣在勺子上。
"It works!" he says.
“成功了！”他说。
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.
他把黏托盘放到桌上，在每个座位前放一把勺子，每把勺子上放一小团面条。他还为派对添了一盏蓝色的小灯。
At six o'clock the crew comes. The captain floats in last. She sees the table and stops.
六点钟，船员们来了。船长最后一个飘进来。她看到桌子，停住了。
"Happy birthday!" everyone says. They sing a song. The song is loud and not very good. The captain laughs.
“生日快乐！”大家说。他们唱了一首歌，声音很大，却不怎么好听。船长笑了。
Jun gives her the first spoon. She puts it in her mouth. She closes her eyes.
俊把第一把勺子递给她。她把勺子放进嘴里，闭上了眼睛。
"It tastes like my mother's kitchen," she says. "How do you do it?"
“这味道像我妈妈的厨房，”她说，“你是怎么做到的？”
"The pilot helps," says Jun. "And I use a lot of flour."
“飞行员帮了忙，”俊说，“还有，我用了很多面粉。”
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.
大家吃了起来。一分钟后，每把勺子都空了。医生还要，飞行员还要，连船长也还要。
Jun looks at the empty pot. Then he takes the flour. He starts a new pot.
俊看着空空的锅。然后他拿起面粉，开始煮新的一锅。
