Room for One More Story

[Куплет 1] By noon the avenue was full of smoke and song, My little iron pan was keeping time all along. A woman from oaxaca brought a pinch of dried chile, A man from seoul leaned over: “try this pear with sesame.” I had a pot of beans and a bowl of bright green herbs, We traded little kitchen truths between the shouted orders. The ticket line kept curling past the painted festival signs, And every new suggestion found a place beside the lime. [Алдынғы қайырма] One taste, then another, A story changing hands; I turn the heat and listen— That’s how a good thing lands. [Қайырма] Come closer, take a taste, Let the whole wide table meet. A little smoke, a little sweet, A bright spark underneath. From every road and every shore, We bring a little more; Come closer, take a taste— There’s room for one more story. [Куплет 2] The cook beside me stirred a saffron-colored broth, While someone rolled fresh dough and dusted flour off their palms. I tucked in roasted corn, a squeeze of orange, toasted seed, Then passed the spoon around the line to see what it might need. A kid with a paper crown declared it “festival gold,” The brass band hit the corner and the afternoon turned bold. My apron wore the evidence: red pepper, thyme, and steam, And strangers were comparing notes like members of a team. [Алдынғы қайырма] One taste, then another, A story changing hands; I turn the heat and listen— That’s how a good thing lands. [Қайырма] Come closer, take a taste, Let the whole wide table meet. A little smoke, a little sweet, A bright spark underneath. From every road and every shore, We bring a little more; Come closer, take a taste— There’s room for one more story. [Көпір] When the last tray leaves the counter, And the band packs up its brass, I’ll remember all those voices In the flavors that we passed. No recipe could hold it; No one kitchen owns the flame. We made a meal together, And we each went home with names. [Final chorus] Come closer, take a taste, Let the whole wide table meet. A little smoke, a little sweet, A bright spark underneath. From every road and every shore, We bring a little more; Come closer, take a taste— There’s room for one more story. [Аутро] There’s room for one more story, Come closer, take a taste.