又中又英｜To do a double take
Eggs are bad for you. That was the warning by health experts in the past. They said egg yolks had high cholesterol, which could cause heart attacks or strokes. Newer studies in recent years showed eggs can, in fact, be healthy if eaten in moderation. Experts now say people who don't have diabetes or heart disease can eat up to seven eggs a week. The newer studies found that even though eggs increase the bad cholesterol in your body, they also increase the good cholesterol. This creates a balance between the two types of cholesterol.
You must be wondering why this column is about eggs. Some months ago, I cracked open an egg into a bowl to stir before frying it. The egg had two yolks! I was so surprised that I did a double take. To do a double take means to look again in surprise at something unexpected. I didn't dare eat it and discarded it. It was so unusual that I didn't think it would happen again. I was wrong! I bought a carton with six eggs recently. Four eggs had double yolks! When it rains, it pours.
This expression means when something bad happens, it is quickly followed by other bad things one after another. My internet research showed eggs with two yolks mean good luck, not bad luck. The research showed only one in about a thousand eggs has two yolks. I had four in a carton of six eggs. I ate the eggs this time but am still waiting for my good luck.
雞蛋於你無益——這是以往健康專家給出的警告。他們說蛋黃有高膽固醇，從而引致心臟病發或中風。近年一些較新的研究卻顯示，雞蛋若能適量地吃，實際上是健康的。現在專家們說，沒有糖尿病或心臟病的人，一星期可以吃最多七隻蛋。更新出的研究發現，即使雞蛋會為你的身體增加壞膽固醇，它們也能增加好膽固醇。這能達致兩種膽固醇的平衡。
你一定在想，為何我在這裏寫雞蛋？幾個月前，我炒蛋前打了一隻蛋進碗內，準備發打。那隻蛋有雙蛋黃！我很驚訝，於是我 did a double take——to do a double take是因為難以置信而再看一遍。我不敢吃它，把它丟掉了。那是很不尋常的，我不認為會再次發生。但我錯了！我最近買了一盒六隻雞蛋，當中有四隻都是雙黃的！When it rains, it pours.
這句習語的意思是禍不單行，倒霉的事總是接踵而來。我網上的搜尋顯示，雙蛋黃意味着好運而非厄運。研究指，一千隻蛋中只有一隻會出現雙蛋黃，我一盒六隻蛋中卻有四隻是如此。我今次有吃掉那些蛋，卻還在等着我的好運降臨。
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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
