中國的午餐文化

石斯琳

摘自：chinadaily.com

Aoife Inman 著

引言： 俗話說，早吃好，午吃飽，晚吃少。無論是上班族還是學(xué)生黨，對他們來說，每天的午餐絕對不可敷衍。來自英國的奧伊菲在中國結(jié)束了短暫的實習(xí)之后，卻對我們最習(xí)以為常的午餐文化印象深刻，并對此羨慕不已。這羨慕從何而來？英國人又是怎么吃午餐的呢？我們來聽聽她怎么說。

Lunch in China is a big deal. It remains a part of Chinese culture. When Im back home in England， all the time I admire and am forever nostalgic1 for it. I have tried hard to explain to Chinese colleagues this vast cultural difference between my home and here in China.

At home， at work， at school， British lunchtime is far from a celebrated or even acknowledged2 part of the day. We seem eager to get it over alone in a quiet place. Those at desk jobs pull out plasticwrapped sandwiches： sad white bread and vegetables that are far from appetizing3. In Beijing I saw a different side to midday. Lunch was early， eleventhirty， and it lasted until one. This was not the same for everyone. But those without the luxury4 to shut up shops or leave offices for an hour still gathered in small groups to share a meal， in a way that is rarely seen in England.

午餐在中國意義重大。它是中國文化的組成部分。當(dāng)我回到英國之后，我仍然對中國的午餐文化久久不能忘懷。我還努力嘗試跟中國同事解釋中英兩國這種巨大的文化分歧。

不管是在家，在公司還是在學(xué)校，英國的午餐時間絕對不會像在中國一樣是一個值得慶?；蛘叩玫焦J(rèn)的時間段。我們英國人似乎迫不及待地想獨自一人找個安安靜靜的地方打發(fā)午餐時間。一到午餐時間，那些文員就拿出塑料包裝的三明治：可憐的白面包加蔬菜一點兒也不能引起食欲。在北京，我感受到了正午時間的另一面。午餐開始得很早（大概在十一點半），并持續(xù)到一點鐘。但并不是每個人都這樣。有些人沒辦法為了吃午餐而關(guān)閉商店或者離開辦公室長達(dá)一個小時之久，但是他們?nèi)匀粫奂谝黄鹣碛梦绮?。這種現(xiàn)象在英國可以說是很少見的。

Not only is the culture of eating in China different， so too is the emphasis5 on good， cooked food especially among young people. In China I saw a different side to every mealtime. Food was a social activity， a acknowledged and respected part of the day. Chinese families， workers and students eat together. Food is shared and the time is regarded as a moment of reunion6 within busy lives. This is a value and practice we should hold more dearly in our lives in Britain.

在中國，不僅僅是飲食文化別具一格，年輕人們引領(lǐng)的一種注重精心烹飪食物的觀念也是一種獨特的現(xiàn)象。我在中國的每一餐都看到了不同的一面。食物已然是一種社會活動，是一天當(dāng)中被眾人認(rèn)可并尊重的一部分。不管是中國家庭、員工還是學(xué)生，他們都會聚在一起享受午餐。食物都是大家一起分享的。享用午餐的時光就是享受與朋友家人相聚的時光。中國的這種價值觀與習(xí)慣值得我們英國學(xué)習(xí)。

Notes：

1. nostalgic [] adj. 懷舊的；鄉(xiāng)愁的

2. acknowledged [] adj. 公認(rèn)的，得到普遍認(rèn)可的

3. appetizing [] adj. 開胃的；促進(jìn)食欲的

4. luxury [] n. 奢侈品 5. emphasis [] n. 強(qiáng)調(diào)；重點

6. reunion [] n. 重聚；（班級或?qū)W校的）同學(xué)會，同窗會endprint