"Luk Tiao" (Teochew dialect meaning to finish drinking)

鹿调[潮语，意译:喝掉]

This morning I went to market to buy coconut water.

今早我去巴杀买椰水喝。

Usually the container I brought with me was sufficient to contain coconut water from three coconuts without it being filled to the brim.

通常我自备的容器可以容纳三粒椰子的椰水而绰绰有余。

This time around the vendor had chosen three big coconuts with a lot of a lot of water until the container was nearly full to the brim.

但是，这次小贩特地挑选了三粒椰水很多的椰子，椰水多到它快要溢出容器来了。

In order not to let the coconut water overflow, I requested the vendor to transfer some of it to a plastic bag.

为了不让椰水溢出来，我向小贩要了一个朔料袋来补装一些椰水。

The vendor replied me in Teochew dialect with a counter suggestion, "luk tiao!"(Here he meant 'to drink some')

谁知道这位小贩没有给我朔料袋，反而以潮语反建议我：“鹿调!” (意思是“喝掉!”一些。)

It never crossed my mind that a simple problem just required a simple solution.

我完全没想到我这么简单的问题小贩可以有这么简单的解决方案。

"Luk tiao" is in fact the best solution at that moment. ("Luk" means to drink. "Luk tiao" literally means "to finish drinking") After all I still have to "luk" the coconut water when I brought it home. When and where  to "luk" the coconut water  was just a matter of time and space.

“喝掉”一些椰水是当时最好的解决方案。反正椰水迟早是要拿要喝的。当场喝椰水或拿椰水回家喝只是差别在时间和地点而已。椰水的最终‘归依处’毕竟是在喝者的肚子里。