Traveling in Taipei 4 / 台北城市生活旅行 4

IKEA的夢想

在美國，我是個窮酸的留學生。當時，烹飪只是為了糊口，但是我居然莫名地想要一個美麗寬敞的廚房，櫥櫃裡擺滿一套套精緻的餐具，客人來訪時，就不用拿出連自己都覺得羞赧的回收免洗餐盤。

在法國，我只是個過客。借用別人小巧溫馨的廚房固然開心，但是我始終知道，那並不屬於我。

在台灣，我習慣且依賴這裡的外食文化，但是我還是那麼想要一座廚房。七八坪大的空間裡，點著溫暖的橘色燈光，在一天忙碌的工作生活之後，爐子上烹煮著簡單卻香味四溢的蔬菜湯，等著湯沸滾時，我站在爐灶前，安靜地想著晚上要繪畫的圖像。

雖然我的夢想還未實現，IKEA卻已為我勾勒出未來的藍圖，現在，你也看得到。

The IKEA Dream

In the US, I was a poor student. I wasn't into cooking, but I desperately wanted a spacious and beautiful kitchen. Sets of exquisite plates and bowls filled the cupboards. When the visitors came, I didn't have to take out the recycled recycle-free paper cups, which I quite felt ashamed of.

In France, I was nothing but a visitor. I had a borrowed kitchen. It was full of homey décor and sincere feeling. No matter how delighted I was in using it, I was always aware of the fact that it didn't belong to me.

In Taiwan, I am so used to take-out food. In fact, I would feel terribly upset without it. Still, I want a kitchen badly. The small space has a soft feel with the warm orange light. After a day's hard work, it's a place for me to relax. I breathe hard to take in the lovely smell of veggie soup boiling on the gas stove. While waiting for the soup, I think quietly about the picture I am going to do tonight.

My dream hasn't come true yet, but IKEA has sketched its contour for me. And now, you get to see what it is like.