和老外聊天的地道口语第77期:喝茶还是咖啡?

Zhao: in China at least, coffee is often associated with an exotic, well-to-do bourgeois¹ lifestyle. Coffee is often considered a hobby of the well-educated, middle-class people.

Tony: maybe that's why some young chaps often spend a whole afternoon in a coffee bar, surfing the net or just typewriting something with  laptop. While they are savoring² a coffee at a leisured pace, they are actually showing off!

Z: yes. Behind a lifestyle, there is a culture. Young people easily become blind worshippers of a Westernized life. While they may not really life coffee, they think it desirable and enviable to be lavish³ with money in those high-consumption places.

T: then what about tea? We need to bear in mind in the first place that tea, rather than coffee, jas been the most popular drink for the Chinese people.

Z: well. Tea reprements another facet⁴ of popular culture. While a coffee bar is usually quiet and resonates with soft, elegant music, a teahouse is often a noisy, crowded, public space. People visit teahouses to associate with others, playing chess, chatting, or simply listening to operas.

T: what a pity that the traditional teahouses, as depicted⁵ Lao She, keep fading away so quickly in this metroplis. It is not easy to find an old-fashioned teahouse that suits the ordinary people's spending powerm either. Teahouses of today all feature a cozy⁶, comfortable environment, and high-quality services, but can easily cost you a good deal—just like a coffee bar.

Z: well, that's true. In a sense, it is not so much what you drink that really counts, as where and how you drink.
在中国,说起咖啡,人们往往会想到异国情调,小资的优越生活方式.喝咖啡通常被认为是有修养的中产阶级的习惯.
也许,这便是有些年轻人动不动就花一整个下午泡在咖啡吧,摆开笔记本电脑,上上网,或者只是打打文件的原因吧.他们悠闲地品着咖啡,其实也是在炫耀自己.
嗯.生活方式背后就是文化.年轻人很容易就迷信西式生活.他们也一定喜欢咖啡,但坚信,在那些高消费场所花钱至少令人羡慕.
那你说喝茶怎么样?要知道,中国人最喜欢的饮料不是咖啡,而是茶.
嗯,茶大概是代表了大众文化的另一个侧面.咖啡吧是那种安静,高雅,余音缭绕的地方,茶馆则往往是嘈杂,拥挤的公共空间.人们去茶馆是想跟人说说话,下下棋,或者只是听听戏.
可惜啊,在北京这个大都市,老舍笔下那种传统茶馆正在迅速地销声匿迹.普通人去的起的那种老茶馆再也难找到了.如今的茶馆都是那种舒适,惬意的环境,还有高档的服务,但是太贵了,跟咖啡厅几乎不相上下.
这是实话,在某种意义上,重要的仿佛不再是喝什么了,而是在哪儿喝,怎么喝.
 

1 bourgeois   

adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子

参考例句：

• He's accusing them of having a bourgeois and limited vision.他指责他们像中产阶级一样目光狭隘。
• The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois.法国革命受到中产阶级的鼓励。

2 savoring   

v.意味，带有…的性质( savor的现在分词 )；给…加调味品；使有风味；品尝

参考例句：

• Cooking was fine but it was the savoring that he enjoyed most. 烹饪当然很好，但他最享受的是闻到的各种味道。 来自互联网
• She sat there for a moment, savoring the smell of the food. 她在那儿坐了一会儿，品尝这些食物的香味。 来自互联网

3 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

4 facet   

n.(问题等的)一个方面；(多面体的)面

参考例句：

• He has perfected himself in every facet of his job.他已使自己对工作的各个方面都得心应手。
• Every facet of college life is fascinating.大学生活的每个方面都令人兴奋。

5 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

6 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。