評論
打印
Middle East & Africa
中非版塊
South Africa
南非
Marmageddon
馬麥醬告急
There is no end in sight for the nationwide Marmite shortage
全國范圍內的馬麥醬短缺還沒有結束的跡象
"I am distraught because I am about to finish my last jar,” says Irine Mboweni, a resident of Johannesburg and mother of two.
約翰內斯堡居民、兩個孩子的母親伊琳·姆博維尼說：“我心煩意亂，因為我馬上就要吃完最后一罐了。”
“There is no Marmite on the shelves and I do not know what to do.”
“貨架上沒有馬麥醬，我不知道該怎么辦。”
Amid the many tragedies befalling the world, a shortage of glossy dark goo to spread on bread is surely small beer.
和世界上發生的許多悲劇相比，缺乏可以涂在面包上的光滑的黑色粘稠物無疑是小事一樁。
But not to the millions of South Africans who, quite inexplicably, like the salty sludge and are struggling to cope with the worst Marmite shortage since the end of apartheid.
但對數百萬南非人來說卻并非如此，他們莫名其妙地喜歡這種含鹽的粘稠物，正努力應對自種族隔離制度結束以來最嚴重的馬麥醬短缺。
The love-it-or-loathe-it spread, invented in Britain at the start of the 20th century, is an extract of yeast.
20世紀初，英國人發明了一種叫“愛它又恨它”的醬，它是一種酵母提取物。
It is most commonly eaten spread thinly on buttered toast, but it can also be used to add a rich, vegan-friendly umami flavour to soups, stews and sauces.
它最常見的是涂在涂有黃油的吐司上，但也可以用來在湯、燉菜和醬汁中添加濃郁的素食友好的鮮味。
In South Africa Marmite is indeed thinly spread.
在南非，馬麥醬的分布確實很稀少。
Shoppers first noted shortages at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, when South Africa banned alcohol sales in an attempt to free up beds in hospitals that would otherwise be filled with tipsy drivers or drunken brawlers.
購物者最早注意到馬麥醬短缺是在疫情開始時，當時南非禁止酒類銷售，試圖騰出醫院的床位，否則醫院將擠滿喝醉的司機或醉酒打架者。
The ban had an unexpected consequence.
這項禁令產生了意想不到的后果。
With beer sales on ice, South Africa’s main breweries sharply reduced their production.
由于啤酒銷量下降，南非的主要啤酒廠大幅減產。
With much less lager fermenting in their vats, they were also producing far less brewer’s yeast, the beery by-product that is the main ingredient of Marmite.
由于他們發酵的啤酒少了很多，他們生產的啤酒酵母也少了很多，而啤酒副產品是馬麥醬的主要成分。
Through the course of the pandemic, South Africa imposed four separate alcohol bans, each one of which dealt a blow to Marmite production.
疫情期間，南非分別實施了四項酒精禁令，每一項都對馬麥醬的生產造成了打擊。
Nine months since the lifting of the last prohibition, production ought to have recovered, allowing shops to refill their shelves.
在上一次禁令解除九個月后，生產應該已經恢復，商店可以重新上架。
Yet it has not.
然而，事實并非如此。
When your correspondent recently walked the aisles of 15 grocery stores in Johannesburg, 12 had no Marmite at all.
記者最近在約翰內斯堡逛了15家雜貨店，發現有12家根本沒有馬麥醬。
In the three remaining shops a total of just seven jars could be found, of which three appear to have escaped purchase by hiding behind jars of Bovril, a beef-based cousin of Marmite.
在剩下的三家商店里，總共只找到了七罐，其中3罐似乎是藏在Bovril(一種牛肉制品，類似馬麥醬)的罐子后面才避免被買走。
The branch manager of a large store in eastern Johannesburg says that deliveries still dribble in but fly off the shelves in an instant.
約翰內斯堡東部一家大型商店的分店經理表示，貨物仍然源源不斷地送來，但貨架上的貨物很快就會被搶購一空。
That the shortage continues is because of another hiccup in the supply chain.
持續短缺是因為供應鏈上的另一個問題。
Pioneer Foods, the local manufacturer of Marmite, reportedly said that its production has been slowed by a shortage of sodium carbonate, which is used in the manufacturing process.
據報道，當地的馬麥醬生產商先鋒食品公司表示，由于生產過程中使用的碳酸鈉短缺，其生產速度有所放緩。
Muckraking by the Daily Maverick, a local paper better known for exposing political scandals than for scrutinising sandwiches, found that intermittent cuts in the water supply were also affecting the country’s only Marmite factory.
當地以揭露政治丑聞而不是審查三明治而聞名的報紙——《獨行者日報》揭秘發現，間歇性的供水中斷也影響到了該國唯一的馬麥醬工廠。
Perhaps, though, some good may yet emerge from South Africa’s forced diet of dry bread.
不過，南非被迫吃干面包的現狀可能仍會帶來一些好處。
In a country that is often divided along lines of race or wealth, all boundaries are transcended by love (or hatred) of Marmite.
在一個經常按種族或財富劃分的國家，對馬麥醬的愛(或恨)超越了所有的界限。
“Whether black or white, rich or poor, most South Africans have a jar of Marmite in their cupboard,” says Mrs Mboweni.
姆博維尼夫人說：“無論是黑人還是白人，無論貧富，大多數南非人的櫥柜里都有一罐馬麥醬。”
Your correspondent will neither confirm nor deny snagging Johannesburg’s last seven jars.
你們的記者不會承認也不會否認，他搶到了約翰內斯堡的最后七罐馬麥醬。
Suffice it to say that Mrs Mboweni is no longer short of sludge.
不必多言，姆博維尼夫人不再缺粘稠物了。
