I arrive at Brasserie Zédel just in time for a 1pm lunch to find Sir Stephen Wall already perched on a banquette at one of the restaurant’s closely-packed tables. Sir Stephen, a former diplomat, greets me and says: “Oh, thank goodness, you are not wearing a tie. I’ll take mine off as well. I was only wearing it in your honour.” He removes his bright red tie and sits facing me, in a white shirt and blue blazer. “Ties are so incredibly uncomfortable, aren’t they?” he says and we chat about why, nonetheless, men insist on wearing them. “When I was working, it was the uniform,” he says. “And I wore the uniform.”
我及时赶到Brasserie Zédel酒馆，约好与斯蒂芬•沃尔爵士(Sir Stephen Wall)在下午一点共进午餐，却发现他早已坐在长条软座上等候，餐馆里的餐桌摆放得满满当当。这位退休外交官握着我的手说：“感谢上帝，你今天没系领带。我也解了它，系它只是应酬您的午餐会。”说完，就赶忙解下自己的鲜红色领带，然后在我对面坐了下来。他今天内穿白衬衣，外穿蓝色夹克。“系领带感觉特不爽，是吧？”他说，然后我俩就聊起尽管难受之极、但男士仍坚持系它的原因。“我上班那阵子，要求穿制服，”他对我说。“所以我只得如此。”