Dinner Buried at Dawn

Near a small lake covered in steam, Polly found a row of big pots next to deep holes in the black ground. A cook in a thick apron lowered a sealed pot into each hole using a rope. Polly landed nearby to watch, curious what could be worth cooking in a hole in the ground.

Ved en lille sø dækket af damp fandt Polly en række store gryder ved siden af dybe huller i den sorte jord. En kok i et tykt forklæde firede en forseglet gryde ned i hvert hul med et reb. Polly landede i nærheden for at se på, nysgerrig efter hvad der kunne være værd at koge i et hul i jorden.

Each pot was full of meat, sausage, cabbage, and vegetables. The holes are heated from below by the volcano, to about the same heat as boiling water. No fire is used at all. The heat comes only from deep underground, through cracks marked with stone rings long ago.

Hver gryde var fuld af kød, pølse, kål og grøntsager. Hullerne varmes op nedefra af vulkanen, til omtrent samme varme som kogende vand. Der bruges slet ingen ild. Varmen kommer kun dybt nede fra, gennem sprækker markeret med stenringe for længe siden.

The cook showed Polly, mostly with his hands, that the pots stay buried for six or seven hours. People go visit the lake or the town while they wait. Then they come back to dig up their dinner.

Kokken viste Polly, mest med hænderne, at gryderne bliver liggende i seks eller syv timer. Folk tager hen til søen eller byen, mens de venter. Så kommer de tilbage og graver deres aftensmad op.

When the first pot came out, thick steam rose up, and the smell of cooked meat filled the air. Polly did not stay to eat, but she watched the cook carry the pot away, proud of a meal the mountain had cooked.

Da den første gryde kom op, steg tyk damp til vejrs, og duften af kogt kød fyldte luften. Polly blev ikke for at spise, men hun så kokken bære gryden væk, stolt over et måltid, som bjerget havde lavet.