2016年CRI Chongqing, Heaven of Food

 

Foreigner or Chinese, it seems that nobody can resist the temptation of Chongqing food.

"The food is awesome¹. We had really a food sightseeing, hotpot and xiaomian and everything, we love Chongqing food. It's different from Europe."

"We usually go to have some delicious food, Ciqikou, Daxuecheng, Nansha, eating hotpot and chongqing noodle."

The spicy² hotpot, or Huoguo in Chinese, is widely seen as the signature food that represents Chongqing's food culture.

Boiled in a spicy broth³ in a simmering pot, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, tofus and seafood⁴. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce.

In Chongqing, the soup in the pot is always mixed with hot pepper oil and local spices to give a pungent⁵, dense⁶ and heavy flavor.

The popularity of Chongqing hotpot can be seen from these numbers -- there are currently over 26 thousand hot pot restaurants in the city, providing job opportunities for more than 500,000 people.

Hu Ning is a waitress at a hotpot restaurant in one of the city's most prosperous commercial zones.

"Chongqing has very good hotpot, which you can find nowhere else. The hot pot in Chongqing is the most authentic⁷ with the best taste. I can't really explain the flavor, it's just spicy, mixed with heavy flavors. It's a normal thing for us Chongqing people to eat spicy food. We can't live without the chili⁸. For example, we like to eat noodles with chili pepper in the morning. But to many people, breakfast should be light and mild. "

But there are other delicious cuisines⁹ in Chongqing as well, and not all of them are spicy.

As you walk through the crowded alleys¹⁰ at the ancient river town of Ciqikou, you will be amazed by the variety the street food available here.

Once a prominent market and trade town for porcelain¹¹ products in the Ming Dynasty by the Jialing River, Ciqikou has now been transformed into a tourism destination for shopping and dining.

Restaurants, food stalls and snack shops are scattered¹² across the town, offering delicacies¹³ ranging from sweet sticky rice cakes, fried Chinese donuts, as well as flavored beef jerky, which are all specialties¹⁴ you find only in Chongqing.

"The sticky rice cake we sell here is a traditional food in Chongqing. It is hand made by striking the rice dough¹⁵ with a stick. Actually it's a common snack food in southwestern region, but the method of making it is different. The rice cake in Chengdu contains more water, but ours is more chewy."

Some shops always have long queues outside them. Chen Mahua is one of them.

Mahua, or fried dough twist, has been a traditional snack for Han Chinese for thousands of years. It is usually considered a specialty¹⁶ in the northern city of Tianjin. But here in Chongqing, Mahua has found another home.

"Tianjin mahua is big in size. But Chongqing mahua is small and crispy. It's quite different. Tianjin's is not as crispy as ours, the texture¹⁷ is soft and it's like bread."

Many say Chongqing food embodies¹⁸ the characteristics of its people -- bold, straightforward¹⁹ and enthusiastic, just like the hot chilies²⁰.

So next time when you get an opportunity to visit Chongqing, never forget to try the food, and you'll soon make friends with the people. 

1 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

2 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

3 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。

4 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

5 pungent   

adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a pungent style.文章写得泼辣。
• Its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts.它的刺激性气味会令恐怖分子窒息，迫使他们从藏身地点逃脱出来。

6 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

7 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

8 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

9 cuisines   

n.烹饪( cuisine的名词复数 )；菜肴；（通常指昂贵的饭店中的）饭菜；烹饪艺术

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the different features of these cuisines? 能不能告诉我这些不同的烹调流派各自有哪些特点？ 来自地道口语脱口SHOW 高中超越版
• Ice sculptures are used as decorations in some cuisines, especially in Asia. 冰雕在某些菜肴中被当作装饰品，尤其在亚洲。 来自互联网

10 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

11 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

12 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

13 delicacies   

n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到

参考例句：

• Its flesh has exceptional delicacies. 它的肉异常鲜美。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• After these delicacies, the trappers were ready for their feast. 在享用了这些美食之后，狩猎者开始其大餐。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗

14 specialties   

n.专门，特性，特别；专业( specialty的名词复数 )；特性；特制品；盖印的契约

参考例句：

• Great Books are popular, not pedantic. They are not written by specialists about specialties for specialists. 名著绝不引经据典，艰深难懂，而是通俗易读。它们不是专家为专业人员撰写的专业书籍。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Brain drains may represent a substantial reduction in some labor force skills and specialties. 智力外流可能表示某种劳动力技能和特长大量减少。 来自辞典例句

15 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

16 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

17 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

18 embodies   

v.表现( embody的第三人称单数 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This document embodies the concern of the government for the deformity. 这个文件体现了政府对残疾人的关怀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

20 chilies   

n.红辣椒( chili的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some people like to harvest the plants, when the chilies are green. 一些人喜欢在辣椒长成绿色的时候就采摘。 来自互联网
• Sprinkle with scallions and sliced chilies and served hot. 洒上葱粒、辣椒丝，趁热上桌。 来自互联网