自古以來，中國就有“國以民為本，民以食為天”的說法。中華文明，發展至今已形成了魯菜、川菜、湘菜、粵菜、浙菜等諸多菜系。近年來，隨著中西方飲食文化的不斷交流，中餐也越來越受到外國人的青睞。那么，這些國外友人在嘗試中餐的過程中會遇到哪些驚喜和挑戰呢？讓我們通過Amirah的經歷，一起來感受一番吧。

By Amirah Ahmad

言佳 注

Orange chicken, beef and broccoli, a cup of fried rice and you have Chinese food. At least, that’s how I categorized the nation’s entire food supply until I came here. In China, food isn’t simply a meal for a foreigner. It’s an experience. Failing to order the right food and grappling with my chopsticks are only parts of the adventure when I sit down in a restaurant.

Ordering food has been one of the most challenging aspects of this trip. Often times, not every dish has a photograph displayed, so essentially it all becomes a childish guessing game of my father and I guessing what type of vegetables or meat we’re eating. The experience can be just as grueling for the waiters as it can be for us. Waiters dread serving us since we take triple the time to order food in comparison to the locals. In one of our favorite Sichuan restaurants, it took 3 waiters and 15 minutes for us to order only our drinks. I simply wanted water, but my dad wanted to try one of the fresh juice options they had listed on the menu. There were two problems, however. There were neither pictures nor English on the menu. After several hand gestures and charades, he ended up ordering just a coca cola to simplify things.

One of our most embarrassing moments, however, was at XiabuXiabu, a very famous hotpot chain. Whenever we had passed by the restaurant it was always busy, so we thought the place was worth a visit. We walked in and a girl was hollering through her microphone, and to my horror she was speaking to us. We didn’t know how to respond so we approached her and simply told her, “English.” She nodded to tell us she understood and had us wait until a couple seats opened up. Five minutes later she gestured us to sit down, and as soon as we did the entire restaurant, or so it seemed, stared at us. Uncomfortable already, we had the most difficulty ordering our meal, since there were so many steps to the entire process. Fortunately, the waitress was very patient and successfully gave us our food. Although it was not the best food I’d eaten in Beijing, it was certainly entertaining dropping things into the boiling pot of soup and watching the liquid ripple as the food helplessly drowned to the bottom of the pot. Too many times to count, however, noodles or pieces of lettuce slipped through my chopsticks onto the table. Once, I tried picking up a dumpling to show my father and dropped the ball onto his pants and we both stared at it as it rolled onto the floor. I looked behind me and people were snickering to themselves, obviously at my chopstick skills.

Chopsticks, however, are the least of my worries regarding food. The plethora of unusual foods can be interesting but also intimidating. One night, my father and I were strolling down Wangfujing Food Street that’s packed with various food stalls. I saw every possible food... on a stick. Scorpions, sea horses, starfish, and snake were just a few of the meats available for grilling. As I walked down the street, food vendors would poke their heads out and call to me to try their food since my foreign face stuck out in the crowd. Some of them would even tickle their scorpions on display to have their creepy, crawly legs fling about in the air.

Although I’m not willing to try food that still have their limbs attached to them, I am having a wonderful time trying out other street food. My hutong branches out from Nanluoguxiang, a popular tourist destination for food and random shopping. I’ve tried the fried tofu, slathered in sauce. I’ve also had a couple of Japanese fish balls which I enjoy eating as well as being made. The lady flipping them over and shuffling the balls around with two flimsy skewers amazes me every time. For breakfast on the weekends, I often have Chinese pancakes and banana milk. Other favorites of mine are spicy corn cobs and scallops that are still in their shell dressed with garlic and noodles and grilled over a hot fire.

The bakeries here are also worthy of mentioning. With the pretentious thinking that Americans are the best bakers, I was pleasantly surprised to taste Beijing’s heavenly bread. Not only is the quality very good, the options for different pastries and bakeries are endless. One of my favorites, however, is Holiland Bakery. The kitchen is free for everyone to peer in since the glass separating it from the store is completely clear.

Other than Chinese food, I’ve been having a taste of other Asian foods as well. A couple of weeks ago, I had dinner at a restaurant that specialized in Korean barbeque. We ordered lamb and beef and I had a field day trying the different colored sauces. The fresh meat that came off the grill was exceptional, and Mary, our Chinese friend, showed us how to wrap the meat with carrots, onions, and sauce with a piece of leafy green lettuce.

When we visited Tianjin, we found a small, authentic Thai restaurant which was owned by an old Thai woman. The owner, maybe of about 75 years old, befriended us as we flipped through her menu standing outside the restaurant. With her welcoming smile, she drew us in. On the walls hung many pictures of her and other people as well as people who seemed like Thai royalty. The Tom Yum soup, spinach, and chicken curry were all superb.

Although I am from America, I can handle my fair share of spicy food. Our favorite restaurant, a nearby Sichuan restaurant, has the spiciest dishes. We’ve tried the broiled fish , tofu, fried cabbage, and fried lamb and we have yet to try more. The spice has just enough heat to bring tears to your eyes, a bright red shade to your lips, and the perfect amount of flavor to warm your soul.

Although we may have our fair share of difficulties regarding food, our experiences give the best stories to tell. No matter how bizarre the foods are or how challenging it is to understand the menu, the hospitality the waiters and waitresses grant us is exceptional. The servers are always very understanding of our situation. They always greet us and bid us farewell with a radiant smile, even when they realize they have to clean up the noodles slipped through my clumsy chopsticks.

Vocabulary

1. orange chicken: 陳皮雞，這是在美國北部許多中式快餐店流行的一道中國菜，用甜橙口味的醬汁淋在炸雞塊上而做成；beef and broccoli: 西蘭花炒牛肉。

2. grapple with: 努力對付，盡力克服（困難）。

3. 通常，（菜譜上）不是每道菜都配有照片，所以我和父親會猜測我們正往嘴里塞的究竟是什么類型的蔬菜和肉，這基本上成為了我們兩人之間一種幼稚的猜謎游戲。

4. grueling: 折磨人的，使人精疲力竭的。

5. dread: 不愿意，厭惡；triple: 三倍的量。

6. charade: （用動作、圖畫或書寫表示的）字謎游戲。

7. XiabuXiabu: 呷哺呷哺，一家吧臺式火鍋連鎖餐飲店。

8. holler: 喊叫，大喊。

9. 雖然這不是我在北京吃過的最美味的食物，但把食材扔進沸騰的湯鍋中，當食物無可奈何地下沉到鍋底時，看著那液狀的波紋，無疑是一件有趣的事兒。

10. lettuce: 萵筍，萵苣；slip: 滑脫，滑落。

11. snicker: 暗笑，竊笑。

12. plethora: 過多，太多；intimidating: 嚇人的，令人恐懼的。

13. stroll: 散步，漫步；stall: 小攤，售貨攤。

14. scorpion: 蝎子；sea horse: 海馬；starfish: 海星；grill: 在烤架上炙烤。

15. vendor: 賣主，小販；poke out: 伸出；strike out: 引人注意，突出。

16. tickle: 輕彈，輕摸；crawly: 〈口〉令人感到毛骨悚然的；fling: 揮動（手臂、腿等）。

17. branch out: 擴大（活動、興趣等的）范圍；Nanluoguxiang: 南鑼鼓巷，北京東城區的一條著名胡同，位于北京歷史文化保護區內。

18. flip over: 翻轉，翻過來；shuffle: 把……移來移去，把……到處挪動；flimsy: 易損壞的，劣質的；skewer: 串肉簽，烤肉叉。

19. cob: 玉米棒子芯，玉米穗軸；scallop: 扇貝，扇貝肉；dress with: 為……做配料。此處提到的兩道菜分別是辣玉米棒子和蒜蓉粉絲烤扇貝。

20. bakery: 烘烤食品的總稱（包括面包、糕餅和餅干等）。

21. pretentious: 自負的，自大的。

22. pastry: 各式烘烤糕點（如蛋糕、甜面包等）。

23. peer: 窺視。

24. field day: 特別愉快的時刻。

25. exceptional: 獨特的，品質優良的；green lettuce: 生菜。

26. Tom Yum soup: 冬陰功湯，也稱為泰式酸辣湯，是一道著名的泰國菜；spinach: 菠菜；superb: 極好的，最佳的。

27. broiled fish: 烤魚。

28. 這辣勁恰好能讓你淚水盈眶，唇邊泛紅，并為溫暖你的心靈提供了完美的滋味。

29. bizarre: 稀奇古怪的，怪誕的；hospitality: 殷勤，好客；grant: 滿足（愿望、要求等）。

30. radiant: 燦爛的，喜悅的；clumsy: 笨手笨腳的。

（來源：英語學習雜志 編輯：丹妮）