Akira loved to bake bread. He kept a jar of sourdough starter in his kitchen. It was a mix of flour and water that lived and grew. He fed it every day. He was proud of it.
阿基拉爱烤面包。他在厨房里养着一罐酸面团酵头，那是面粉和水的混合物，是活的，还会生长。他每天都喂它，并为它感到骄傲。
Then he went on a trip for two weeks. He forgot the jar. It stayed at the back of the fridge.
后来他出门旅行了两个星期，把那罐酵头忘了。它一直待在冰箱的最里面。
When Akira came home, he opened the jar. The starter was grey. A dark liquid sat on top, and it smelled sharp and sour.
阿基拉回到家，打开了罐子。酵头变成了灰色。上面浮着一层深色的液体，闻起来又冲又酸。
"It is dead," he said. He felt very sad.
“它死了，”他说。他非常难过。
He called his friend, a baker. "Don't throw it away," she said. "Come to my shop."
他打电话给他的朋友，一位面包师。“别扔掉，”她说，“来我的店里。”
At the shop, she showed him what to do. "First, pour off the dark liquid," she said. "Take two spoons of starter. Put them in a clean jar. Add flour and warm water. Do this twice a day for three days."
在店里，她教他该怎么做。“首先，把上面的深色液体倒掉，”她说，“舀两勺酵头，放进一个干净的罐子里，再加入面粉和温水。每天两次，连续三天。”
On the first day, nothing happened. On the second day, Akira saw a few small bubbles. On the third day, the jar was full of bubbles. It smelled sweet, like fruit.
第一天，什么也没发生。第二天，阿基拉看到了一些小气泡。第三天，罐子里满是气泡，闻起来甜甜的，像水果一样。
On Saturday, he made a loaf. The crust was brown and crunchy, and the inside was soft. He ate three pieces with butter.
星期六，他做了一个面包。面包皮是褐色的，脆脆的，里面软软的。他抹着黄油吃了三片。
Then he took a pen and wrote "STARTER!" on a note. He stuck it on the door of his suitcase.
然后他拿起笔，在便条上写下“酵头！”，把它贴在了行李箱的门上。
