文章摘自Harper's Magazine, 有興趣的人可以逛逛那個網站，
它是美國第二長壽的雜誌（最早發行於1850年6月），僅次於《科學人》
今天來看一個非常“本土”（local）的文章，
只不過這個地方我們大都不熟悉。
題外話，當別人談起自己十分熟稔的區域，
是否會想當然耳的認為他人都該對該地略知一二呢？
這是一篇關於加州聖華金谷（San Joaquin Valley）的隨筆；
聖華金谷既然有“谷”，就表示那是一片起伏不大的平原，
總之該區涵蓋了加州的八個縣，面積大，
但名聲卻不怎麼好；因其農牧業發達的緣故（惡臭），
再加上犯罪率高、怪人滿佈，
大家都戲稱該區為“加州的腋窩”（the armpit of California）
意思就是加州的臭水溝。
好啦，作者某日開車由5號州際高速公路經過聖華金谷，
在途中停了下來稍作休息，也有感而發紀錄下她的所見所聞。
這篇文章用詞輕鬆，就像在跟讀者對話一樣。
廢話不多說，讓我們來看看前三段吧！
POSTCARD — April 23, 2015, 8:00 am
2015年4月23日早上八時發佈
Driving the San Joaquin Valley
駛過聖華金谷
An afternoon with Starbucks customers in the armpit of California.
一個與喝星巴克的人在加州腋窩度過的午後
Sunset in the San Joaquin Valley. Photo by the author. 聖華金谷日落，作者攝。
The nearly three hundred flat miles of Interstate 5 running through California’s San Joaquin Valley are some of the most loathed in America. If travelers stop at all along this section of highway, it’s to visit the Petro stations, Starbucks, Del Tacos, and In-N-Out Burgers that dot the roadside. In the parking lots of these chain stores, drivers lean against their cars and smoke cigarettes, enjoying a moment of sunshine before quickly resuming their trip. Though the San Joaquin Valley, together with the Sacramento Valley, produces a quarter of America’s produce, many Californians refer to the area as “the armpit of California,” dismissing it as a roadside bathroom break, or joking about it being the haunt of rednecks and meth-heads.
穿越加州聖華金谷的5號州際公路（I-5）近300英里，平平坦坦，但卻是美國國內最惹人厭的地方。如果駕駛會在這段公路停下，多半是去加油，或是去星巴克、梅德福或In-N-Out漢堡；這些店點綴了這條漫漫長路。在這幾家店的停車場，駕駛們背靠著車、抽著菸，享受片刻陽光再趕路。雖然聖華金谷和薩克拉曼多谷（Sacramento Valley）農產量是美國農產值的四分之一，許多加州人仍稱這個區域為“加州的腋窩”，只當作公路旅途的休息站，上個廁所或打趣說鄉巴佬和神經病霸佔了這個地方。
“I don’t even know what town I’m in,” said Alex, a thirty-three-year-old Angeleno I met outside a Starbucks on I-5 between the tiny towns of Mettler and Lebec. “I just got out of the car. I’m ready to leave.” Alex chewed gum and leaned against the fence. With her black hair piled on top of her head, she wore black leggings under a long black sweater with a skeleton’s ribs printed on the front. Growing up in Los Angeles, she’d driven this stretch of highway many times but preferred to pass the time sleeping or playing cards.
“我根本不知道我在哪個鎮，”33歲的洛杉磯人Alex說著。我們在5號州際公路旁的星巴克外遇到的，在梅特勒和雷貝克的小鎮之間。“我才剛下車，不過已經準備上路了。”Alex嚼著口香糖，倚在圍欄上。她一頭黑髮盤在頭頂，穿著黑色長版毛衣和黑色內搭褲，褲子正面有腿骨印花。在洛杉磯長大，Alex已經開過這條公路無數次，但她寧願睡覺或打牌來打發時間。
Built at the center of a vast parking lot between a McDonald’s and a Mobil gas station, the Starbucks had a long line inside and a busy drive-through. When two men pulled up in a dark minivan, I asked if I could talk with them about the area. One of the men, who gave his name as René, was a German-born cameraman driving from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley to shoot a corporate film for Mercedes. He and his traveling companion, who was also a cameraman, drove through the valley a few times a year. René knew it was important as an agricultural region. But, he said, the four-year-long drought in California was a sign that farmers needed to shift gears. “You read stuff on the Internet,” he said, “and I guess it’s true, how much water is needed to raise one pound of chicken meat, or how much water is needed to grow one tomato. Those are scary numbers. I would really think that everybody would blame Los Angeles—and yes, the front lawns, that might be a problem when they water them excessively, but it’s not that bad. What we use on a daily basis, as far as drinking, showering and all that, is nothing compared to what agriculture seems to need, if you really learn about these numbers, man.”
那家星巴克蓋在一個廣闊的停車場中間，兩邊是麥當勞和美孚加油站。店裡隊伍大排長龍，店外得來速也忙得不可開交。一輛深色小麵包車停下時，我問他們是否能跟我聊聊這個區域。其中一個男人自稱René，生於德國，是從洛杉磯來的攝影師，正準備去矽谷給賓士拍企業宣傳片。他和他的攝影師同伴一年要開這條公路好幾次。René知道聖華金谷是很重要的農業區，但他說，加州長達四年的旱災就表示農夫們該停工了。“你也看過網路上的那些東西，”René說，“我想這假不了，養一磅雞肉需要多少水，長一顆蕃茄需要多少水。這些數字很嚇人，我真的認為大家會怪到加州頭上---沒錯，怪罪美國大草坪。農夫灌溉過度就會有問題，但也沒那麼糟。老兄，如果你真的曉得那些數字的話，我們的日常用水，包括喝的水、洗澡水等等，和農業用水比起來根本不算什麼。”
單字：
1. Interstate 5：5號州際公路，簡稱I-5，北起華盛頓州與加拿大的邊界，南到加州聖地牙哥和墨西哥的邊境，全長1381英里（約2222公里）
2. Petro Stations 加油站
3. produce (n)：農產量
4. dismiss A as B：把A輕視為B
5. Angeleno：洛杉磯人
6. pile up one's hair：盤髮，綁包包頭
7. pass the time：打發時間
8. drive through：得來速
9. pull up：（車）停靠路邊
10. Silicon Valley：矽谷
11. shift gears：立即停下手邊工作
