美国驻中国员工Tiffany跟中国同事Kelly聊天儿,说起中西餐的差别。比如,美国人饭桌上永远看不到鱼头或是鸡头。Tiffany大发感慨道,
T: In some ways, perhaps the Chinese approach to meat-eating is more honest. If you’re eating a chicken, well, that’s what a chicken looks like!
K: Huh…that’s interesting. So you think Western people are trying to forget that the chicken was a living animal?
T: Maybe. I think many American kids don’t really understand that chicken nuggets are made out of real chickens.
Tiffany觉得中国人的吃法更真实,而西方人则不希望把盘子里的肉跟活生生的动物联系在一起。结果是,Many American kids don’t really understand that chicken nuggets are made out of real chickens. 很多美国孩子并不知道炸鸡块其实是用活生生的鸡做的;
K: But if you don’t use all of the animal…isn’t that wasteful?
T: Oh, it’s very wasteful. America has a big problem with being wasteful. We really need to learn to use things more efficiently.
K: Maybe Americans should try being more adventurous with food. When I was there it seems everybody ate pretty much the same things every day!
T: Yeah, that’s another good thing about Chinese food; there are a million different dishes with a million different flavors. You can try something new everyday!
Kelly觉得,美国人在饮食方面应该大胆些。More adventurous with food. Adventurous is spelled a-d-v-e-n-t-u-r-o-u-s, 意思是具有探险精神。Tiffany表示,美国人吃的东西千篇一律,而中国菜却是there are a million different dishes with a million different flavors,变幻无穷。
K: But I do think Chinese food can sometimes be too greasy!
T: Yeah, but American food is greasy too. I think overall, Chinese people must be eating a pretty healthy diet because there are so few people here with weight problems. Back home it’s a really big problem!
K: Well, I’ve gained a few too many kilos myself recently. I need to cut down on the meat and eat more fruit and vegetables. Hey! That reminds me! There’s a new vegetarian restaurant downtown…want to come try it with me?
T: Sure! Lets have another adventure!
Kelly说,有些中国菜太油腻,too greasy, greasy is spelled g-r-e-a-s-y. Tiffany却觉得,中国人饮食相对健康a pretty health diet,因为中国体重超标的人并不多。Back home it’s a really big problem,这在美国可是大问题。这也提醒了Kelly,她说自己最近长了好几斤,需要cut down on the meat and eat more fruit and vegetables. 少吃肉,多吃蔬菜水果。她立即拉Tiffany去城里新开的一家vegetarian restaurant素菜馆去尝尝鲜。