They're like, "This is just some common weed."

他們會說，「只是常見的野草啊！」

"How can this be used by Michelin star restaurants?"

「怎麼會是米其林餐廳的食材？」

And I think that's what's changing.

我想這種思維正在改變。

People wanna go back to things that are sort of raw.

人們想要返璞歸真。

[From Weed to Table - A Great Big Story Made Possible by Toyota RAV4.]

[野草上菜—A Great Big Story 節目由 Toyota RAV4 贊助播出。]

[Flemington, New Jersey.]

[弗萊明頓，紐澤西州。]

My name is Tama Matsuoka Wong, and I'm a forager.

我叫做 Tama Matsuoka Wong，我是一名野外覓食家。

When I first hear the word forager, I didn't really know what it meant.

當我第一次聽到這個稱呼時，我並不知道意思是什麼。

But then I found out that it's sort of like doing a dance with nature and finding the secret foods in the wild.

我隨後了解到，這就好像在和大自然共舞、找尋野外的秘密食材。

Most of the restaurants I work with are Michelin star restaurants, such as Gramercy Tavern, restaurant Daniel, Cosme, and a number of others.

和我合作的大多是米其林餐廳，像是格拉梅西酒館、丹尼爾餐廳、科斯梅及其他。

I came from a different background.

我來自一個不同的背景。

I didn't study horticulture.

我沒學過園藝。

I didn't study botany.

也沒讀過植物學。

I went to Harvard Law School, and I practiced a career for decades in investment banking.

我就讀於哈佛法學院，在投資銀行領域執業過數十年。

I always liked nature; I always liked food.

我一直都很喜歡大自然，一直都很喜歡食物。

I was a failed gardener, so I was trying to find good recipes for my weeds that I found out were good to eat.

我是一名很糟糕的園丁，我發現一些野菜吃起來很不錯，於是試著找適合的食譜。

So, people just started asking me for this.

所以人們開始和我打聽這些。

I started getting more and more involved.

我開始有更多的參與。

It was super creative, impactful, and it just took me.

料理這行要很有創意，影響力很大，讓我深深著迷。

Most of the stuff that I get is from around my house but you, you could find common weeds anywhere.

大多數的東西是從我家附近找來的，不過你在任何地方都能找到尋常的野草。

Probably I deal with between four and 500 different plants a year.

我每年會接觸大約四、五百種不同的植物。

Some of my favorite ingredients are sumac, wild brassica, I like wild shiso, and cattail shoots.

其中我最愛的有鹽膚木、野生蕓薹、野生紫蘇和蒲筍。

People don't realize that all the stuff around them is good food.

人們不知道周遭的這一切都是很好的食物。

In two meters of ground, you could have 50 different plants.

只要有兩平方公尺的土地，你就能種出 50 種不同的植物。

Fifty, and that's nature.

多達 50 種，這就是大自然。

It can be something amazing that you can enjoy, and you don't even have to go too far to get it.

你無需跋涉千里，就能享用一些令人驚艷的食材。

When I first started bringing my weeds to very elevated restaurants...

我一開始帶我的野草到高端餐廳時…

Oh, wow, that's beautiful.

哇，太美了。

I didn't know you're supposed to call chefs Chefs because I'm just a forager.

我不知道是不是該稱呼他們為廚師，我只是一個野外覓食家。

So the cattail: we are going to pickle them with cucumber and some chili flakes.

香蒲的部分：我們現在要將它們與小黃瓜還有辣椒片一起醃漬起來。

Well, the thing I love is that the chefs just see the huge beauty in every of these plants.

我很喜愛的是，廚師從每種植物中看出極大的美麗。

They love them like they're little jewels.

他們熱愛這些食材，仿佛視它們為珠寶。

And I don't feel like it's my product; I feel like it's nature's product and that they respect the plant.

我不認為它們是我的產品；我認為它們是大自然的產品，廚師尊重這些植物。

So, it's a huge bond.

是一種很深的羈絆。

It's not about the chef or me.

重點不是在廚師或我。

It's about the plant.

重點是植物本身。