White House seeks new head chef 白宫物色新大厨
Top chefs across the US are franticallydusting off their CVs - the White House has announced it is looking for a new executive chef.
The coveted post has been held for 11 years by Walter Scheib, who is packing up his white toque to pursue "other opportunities".
Mr Scheib was hired by former First Lady Hillary Clinton from a resort in West Virginia popular with politicians.
He is known for a contemporary style which emphasises regional produce.
The office of the First Lady, Laura Bush, will be overseeing the appointment of his successor.
However, spokeswoman Rachel told reporters that the position would not be advertised.
Asked how candidates would be selected and whether foreign chefs would be considered, she said: "I cannot comment on the selection process."
As executive chef at the White House, Mr Scheib's duties include preparing all menus and meals for the First Family and their private entertaining, as well as office and State Dinners.
In an online chat on the White House website, he said he cooked casual food such as hamburgers, fench fries and barbecues for Mr and Mrs Bush.
All food - bar condiments, oils and vinegars - are madefrom scratch. US produce is used whenever possible.
Planning for a State Dinner takes two months, he said, starting with a tasting dinner for the First Lady, after which the menu is revised and a second tasting may or may not be held.
A list of guests' individual and dietary food preferences are sent to the kitchen in advance.
"Typically, we try to highlight the best and most interesting in American food, wine and entertaining," he said.
"American cuisine consists of influences from all countries, so we try to feature flavour combinations or cooking techniques from the guest country as part of the State Dinner menu," he added.
全美国的顶级大厨们都满怀热情地重新翻出求职履历，因为白宫最近公开宣布正在物色一位新的首席大厨。
这个令人垂涎的职位被沃尔特·沙伊布占据了11年之久，现在他正收起自己的白色厨帽，打算寻求“其他的机会”。
沙伊布是被前第一夫人希拉里·克林顿请进白宫的，之前他供职于西弗吉尼亚一个很受政界人士青睐的度假胜地。
他以注重地方特色口味的现代风格而闻名。
第一夫人劳拉·布什的办公室将监督其继任者的选拔过程。
然而，发言人雷切尔对记者说，这一职位是不会通过广告来公开招聘的。
当被问到怎样挑选候选人，以及是否会考虑外国厨师时，她说：“我不能对选拔过程发表评论。”
身为白宫的首席大厨，沙伊布的职责包括为第一家庭准备所有的菜谱和膳食，还要负责他们的私人宴请、办公室聚餐及国宴等。
在白宫网站上的一次网络聊天中，他说他经常为布什夫妇做一些家常食品，比如汉堡包、炸薯条和烤肉等。
所有的食物，包括油、醋和其他调味品，都是现买现做的，并尽可能选用美国产品。
他说，准备一场国宴通常要花两个月时间。第一夫人先要品尝一遍计划菜品，接着对菜单进行修改，然后可能还会第二次“试餐”。
客人的个人喜好和饮食偏好都将列成单子，事先送进厨房。
“一般来说，我们总是试图突出美国食物、酒和宴饮过程中最好、最有趣的部分。”他说。
他补充说：“美式烹调风格受到了世界各国的影响，因此我们会尽量在国宴的部分菜谱里加入外宾本国的饮食风味或烹饪技巧。”
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Vocabulary: Chinese Alphabe Pinyin: dust off: 掸掉灰尘，重新使用[温习]，开始练习 french fries : 炸薯条，炸土豆片 from scratch : 从零开始，从无到有，白手起家
