a 7-year-old selling lemonade

前两天报纸上登了一篇题为Sorry, Kid: No License, No Lemonade的文章,全文如下:

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

When health inspectors cite you for it, get famous.

Julie Murphy, a 7-year-old Oregonian, set up a lemonade stand on July 29 at an art fair in northeast Portland. County health inspectors shut her down, however, telling Julie and her mother, Maria Fife, that they needed a temporary restaurant license, which costs $120. The penalty for selling food without a permit, they warned, was $500. At 50 cents a cup, that's a lot of lemonade.

Others at the fair urged the family to give away the lemonade, and they wrote "free" and "suggested donation" on Julie's sign with a marker. But the inspectors were unmoved.

Julie left the fair in tears.

This, of course, is the kind of incident that the Internet was made for. "Oregon Fascists Shut Down 7-Year-Old's Lemonade Stand," one blogger blared on a pickup of a local newspaper article. Another posted photos of police officers and federal agents in riot gear with the caption "WHERE'S THE REST OF THE BOOTLEGGED LEMONADE?"

On Thursday, Jeff Cogen, the Multnomah County chairman, called Ms. Fife and her daughter to apologize. "My kids sell lemonade, and I sold lemonade as a kid," Mr. Cogen said in an interview.

The Health Department employees were doing their jobs, he said, and "there's a reason those laws exist," but "a 7-year-old selling lemonade isn't the same as a grown-up selling burritos out of a cart." As for the health inspectors, Mr. Cogen said he had "engaged them in a conversation" about professional discretion.

Ms. Fife, who recently graduated from nursing school and is living with her daughter in an aunt's house in the Portland suburbs, said she was gratified by the apology and stunned by the response to the incident. "It just kind of exploded," she said.

Julie declined a request for an interview. "She's overwhelmed, and I'm just letting her chill out," her mother said.

Besides, she had to get ready. A local tire store and a radio station were sponsoring a lemonade stand for her on Friday night.

不知道是不是我英文不够好,把文章会错意了,反正我看下来文章的大致的调调是,七岁的小孩子卖柠檬水,玩玩的,城管放着大把的不法商贩不抓,跟小孩子一本正经,又罚款又怎么的,把小孩子都吓坏了。文中还引用当地一个高级政府官员的话,大概意思是说,关于临时餐馆执照的法律条文之所以存在的确有其原因,但执法人员在执行时需要使用他们的“专业判断”(professional discretion)。反正到最后,政府方面有人出面赔礼道歉,然后这个小女孩或许会在一家当地轮胎店和一家广播电台的赞助下,重新出山卖柠檬水。

如果文章的意思和事情的前前后后真的如我所理解的那样,那这个就大大的不对了。早年之所以当地会就临时餐馆营业执照颁布法律条文,想必是当时出了一些食品卫生相关的事故,比如一些人吃了无照经营的路边摊(street vendor),回去拉肚子了,食物中毒了,死翘翘了,于是当地就颁布法令,要求所有的路边摊都必须经过一定的审查并获得临时餐馆营业执照,以确保当地民众的食品安全。如果法律的初衷如此,那么无论是七岁还是七八十岁,都应该遵守该法令。即便是一个七岁小女孩卖的柠檬水,也有可能因为原材料保管不善、腐败变质、细菌含量超标等原因,让喝了她的柠檬水的人都上吐下泻。

这条新闻的调调,看着让人觉得更像是国内的报纸上的文章。

告别 (by Daphne)

三年前结束在美国的半退休生活后,就再没有更新过博客。忙是借口,根本原因是,我必须承认,我的上升星座摩羯在和我的月亮星座狮子的对峙中渐据上风,导致倾诉的意愿日淡一日。谈不上除却巫山,那样的做作, 有点不堪。但我无法否认,如今能够让我说服自己匀点时间吃个饭聊个天的男人,多少要有些尽在不言中的云淡风清的神情,听到仓央嘉措的这一句不会错愕:一个人,需要隐藏多少秘密,才能巧妙地渡过一生。

所以这一篇,无处落地,却又难得的不吐不快。

伤离别,在Eric飞去西雅图定居的这个炎夏的早晨,突如其来的伤感,令自己措手不及。前一天半夜才回的上海,和Eric通了个电话,以为就是完成告别了,那一头的美国触手可及,真不算个事啊。五年前我离开上海去底特律生活,特意关照父母不要去送我。起飞的早上六点,门铃响起,父亲提着早餐站在门口,说:吃一点再走,到那里就吃不到了。那是他退休的第一年,忽然有大把的时间回望 人生。以后每一次飞回底特律,父亲惯例会在我起飞的早上六点按响我的门铃,手里提一份简单的上海本地早餐,坚持送我到机场。五年后的今天,父亲替我ps的那张如脂如玉的美人照一直放在母亲床头,我和Eric却不知道他正在和谁一起,度过余生。

在Eric飞去西雅图定居的这个炎夏的早晨,我在六点醒来,眼前却是五年前父亲站在门口手提早餐等着送我去机场的那个图景。那一瞬间,那个图景乌云压顶,我翻身起床洗漱,在镜中,终于不得不直面内心的怅然和伤感:Eric真的要走了,这一走,再回来,人世有多少变迁,谁知晓。中美直飞的航班每天都有,便宜到快赶上涨价后的京沪头等舱,我们都想当然地觉得太阳第二天还会升起。五年后,父亲却已经是心口永远的隐痛。人世无常,人世无常,年轻时我们不懂,无从懂。

在Eric飞去西雅图定居的这个炎夏的早晨,我送别Eric回到家,母亲已经起床了,我告知Eric走了,我去送了,别担心,她看着我,看着我,忽然说:这小囡啊,昨晚他来看我,天太热,我给他切了个西瓜,看着他在桌边吃,我就去屋里取点东西,一转身出来,他已经走了,都不告诉我一声…….我没有告诉母亲,那也许是Eric刻意选择的方式,母亲竟然也从头至尾没有问过一句,Eric什么时候回来。父母在,不远行,父母在,不远行,那句话,那一刻,颠来倒去地在心里折腾。

五年前,我开始在底特律生活,除草,扫落叶,超速罚款,用烤箱做菜,自己和面做cheese cake, 驾着帆船出海,在势利的Aspen滑雪道上和不知名姓的千万亿万富翁迎面相撞,周转在当地华人的派对enjoy或者假装enjoy, 在中部渺无人烟的洲际高速公路上看着油表亮灯却找不到加油站……一切象是回放, 我旁观着Eric, 一道一道,划出他自己的轨迹。每一段生命,是劫也是缘,都有因果注定。

在Eric飞去西雅图定居的这个炎夏的早晨,我走进客房。装修新家的时候,设计师坚决反对把深蓝色用在客房一整面墙上,我坚持却不告知理由。那个蓝有个幽远的名字,布里斯托蓝。有一年和Eric一起 去看大师,他指点说,蓝色是Eric的主色,他家里最好用蓝色。
Eric, 我不说任何尘世间的祝福,尘世里,一切不定,一切无常,所有世俗的祝福都有苍白的底子。 那么多年,我们也真的很少说什么,只是每一次不言中的默契,都让我感慨血缘的冥冥 。

千言万语,只一句: Eric, 那一片深蓝,为你而留。