美国驻中国员工Tiffany 跟中国同事Kelly聊天儿。
Kelly Yan: So Tiffany, you’ve been working with us here in China for a few months now. Are you still feeling culture shock?
Tiffany Scolini: Yes, a bit. But it’s much better than the first few weeks. Back then I was really a fish out of water.
K: Remember the first time I took you to eat real Chinese food? You barely touched anything!
T: I know! I was scared! A lot of the food here is very different from back home. And the Chinese restaurants I’ve been to in America are very different from here.
Tiffany来中国几个月，文化上还是有些不习惯，I am still feeling culture shock a little bit. 不过，跟刚开始比已经强多了。刚来那会儿，I was really a fish out of water. 就象离了水的鱼，意思是跟环境格格不入，特别不自在。Kelly第一次带Tiffany去中国餐馆吃饭，Tiffany几乎没动筷子，因为这儿的中餐馆跟美国的中餐馆差别太大了。
K: Yeah. We Chinese like to joke about American Chinese food. It’s really not very authentic.
T: Yes, that’s true. But I think it’s true all around the world. You really have to be in the food’s original country to truly experience it. My family is Italian and in Italy they think American-Italian food is awful!
K: Oh, but I love pizza!
T: Me, too! But the pizza in Italy isn’t anything like American pizza. In the U.S. we like to borrow the general idea of a food, and then we give it an American twist.
吃中国饭去中国，吃意大利菜去意大利，这样才能吃到最正宗的，authentic, a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c, authentic. 在美国，虽然什么都能吃得到，但是美国人喜欢把别人的菜拿来，give it an American twist，加入美国自己的特色。
K: I remember when I was in the States I ordered fish one time. When the dish arrived I was surprised to see just a little chunk of meat. I thought “Where is the head and tail?”
T: (laughs) Oh…yes. In the States we almost never leave the head and tail on a fish! Americans are kind of squeamish when it comes to dead animals. We would never – not in a million years – leave the head on a chicken!
K: Yeah, that’s right! I never saw a chicken head when I was there.
Kelly回忆说，她在美国点鱼，结果上来的只是一盘鱼肉。原来，美国人不吃鱼头和鱼尾。Tiffany解释 说，Americans are kind of squeamish when it comes to dead animals，美国人对杀生非常敏感。 Squeamish意思是容易受惊的，神经质的。Americans would never–not in a million years – leave the head on a chicken. 美国人绝不会把鸡头留在盘子里。这里说的not in a million years, 一百万年都不会，是强调的意思。Tiffany对中国菜还有哪些印象呢？我们下次继续听。