| Many people say there are three kinds of delicious meals in the world. Everyone includes Chinese and French food, the only argument being over which is the third. Some favor Italian meals, some suggest Turkish, while others vote for Thai cooking. Although opinions differ widely, people have a consensus that diet tends to reflect different ethnic habits, cultures and even ways of thinking. |
許多人說世上有三種美味佳肴。大家都把中國大餐和法國大餐列在其中，唯一爭論的是誰屬第三，有些人喜歡意大利大餐，有些人說是土耳其大餐，而有些人說是泰國大餐。雖然意見各不相同，但大家都認為飲食反映出不同的民族有不同的生活習(xí)慣，不同的文化，甚至不同的思維方式。 |
| During a dinner party in a restaurant in Beijing several years ago, dishes were served very slowly. About 20 people, including some international experts, attended the party, which was held by my department to celebrate New Year’s Day. |
幾年前在北京的一次宴會上，當(dāng)時一道道菜上得很慢。那天約20人出席宴會，其中包括一些外國專家，這是我們部門舉辦的一個新年慶祝會。 |
| The banquet had been going on for about one hour but only half of the dishes had been served by then. This particular half had already included seven to eight dishes. |
宴會進行到大約一小時，菜剛剛上了一半，但這一半已經(jīng)包括了八道菜。 |
| An American lady who sat next to me was visiting China for the first time. She thought the party might be coming to an end since so many dishes had been served already. I told her this was not so. She asked me, “Do you Chinese often treat guests with so many dishes?” I said, “In China, we usually order many more than 10 dishes for our guests for such kind of party.” |
坐在我旁邊的一位美國女士是首次訪問中國。她當(dāng)時以為上了這么多菜，宴會可能該結(jié)束了了。我告訴她情況不是這樣。她問我：“你們中國人經(jīng)常點這么多菜款待客人嗎？”我說：“在中國，在這樣宴會上我們經(jīng)常給客人點十道以上的菜。” |
| The American lady was very surprised. “There are so many delicious foods served for a department party. No wonder Chinese cuisine is so famous.” |
這位美國女士很吃驚。“一個部門聚會竟然點這么多道菜，難怪中國菜這么出名?！?/span> |
| But after a while, she asked me another question. “There is a strange phenomenon. You Chinese eat so many delicious foods, but why are you so thin? By contrast, we Americans eat less than you Chinese do, so why are we fatter and stronger than you Chinese?” |
但是過了一會兒，她又問了我一個問題：“有一個奇怪的現(xiàn)象：你們中國人吃這么多美食，怎么長得這么瘦呢？相反，我們美國人吃得比你們中國人少，但為什么我們長得比你們中國人胖而且結(jié)實呢？” |
| I was tongue-tied at that time, not sure how to answer. What she said, after all, was reasonable. Most of my Chinese colleagues at the table that day were thin and weak looking, while all the Americans there looked so strong and healthy. |
我一時無從回答。她說的的確對。那天出席宴會的我的中國同事大都又瘦又弱，而在場的美國人看上去又壯又結(jié)實。 |
| One of my colleagues explained to her that China is a hospitable nation. “When treating guests, we usually prepare or order a full table of dishes. Only in this way can we feel that our guests are not being neglected,” she said. |
我的一位同事給她解釋說中國是個禮儀之邦?！翱畲腿藭r，我們經(jīng)常點一大桌菜。我們認為只有這樣才會讓客人感到主人的熱情，”她說。 |
| Personally I think Chinese pay particular attention to the preparation of meals so they have a very exquisite balance of color and flavor in various dishes to complement reach other; meanwhile, Westerners pay closer attention to the aspects of nutrition and health protection. This is the main difference between Chinese and Westerners in their concepts of diet. It also somewhat reflects the difference between Chinese and Westerners in terms of overall diet culture. |
我個人認為，中國人準(zhǔn)備飯菜時，很講究飯菜的色香味均衡搭配，而西方人更注重營養(yǎng)和健康保養(yǎng)。這點是中國人和西方人在飲食方面觀念不同之處。這也在某種程度上反映出中國人和西方人飲食文化的不同。 |
| Chinese food is also different from Western food in the ways we prepare it before cooking and our ways of eating it. Chinese cut the original ingredients into bite sizes, then stir fry, fry or steam them for a short time. They eat the food with chopsticks without any real need for further cutting. Westerners tend to cook ingredients in bigger pieces and then leave the individual to cut the food on their plates with knives and forks. |
中餐和西餐的不同也表現(xiàn)在餐前的準(zhǔn)備工作方面。中國人通常將原料切成每口大小，翻炒或蒸煮一小會兒。他們用筷子吃，不需要再用刀切。西方人喜歡將原料大塊烹調(diào)，然后讓食用者自己用刀叉將盤子里的食物切開。
（China.org.cn 李京榮 譯）
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