天亮前的厨房

太阳还没出来，市场就很吵。近江町有很多小小的通道，都在一个屋顶下面。卖鱼的人把鱼放在冰上，排得很整齐。地上都是水。到处都是冷冷的海水味。

Before the sun came up, the market was loud. Omicho has narrow aisles under one roof. The sellers put fish on ice in neat rows. The floor was wet. Everything smelled of cold salt.

这个市场是一七二一年开始的。以前的国王把所有卖食物的人放在城堡旁边。现在还是差不多一样。大家都叫它城市的厨房。

This market started in seventeen twenty-one. The old rulers put all the food sellers in one place near the castle. Little has changed. People call it the kitchen of the city.

冬天的早上最吵。十一月开始卖螃蟹。大螃蟹放在木盘子里。每只螃蟹都有一个牌子，写着它从哪个港口来的。最大的螃蟹很贵。

Winter mornings are the loudest. Crab season starts in November. Big crabs lie in wooden trays. Each crab has a tag from its port. The biggest ones cost a lot of money.

快到中午的时候，市场就安静了。木盘子叠在一起。有人在洗地上的水。Polly坐在一个空箱子上，看着这一切。

By late morning it is over. The trays are stacked. Someone washes the floor. Polly sat on an empty box and watched.