If you ask for cheesecake after dinner at a Chinese restaurant, you don’t really know about the Asian diet.

　　如果你在一个中餐厅就餐后点奶酪蛋糕，那么你就是对亚洲饮食一点儿也不了解。

　　I am sorry to break it to you, but most Chinese restaurants don’t serve dessert.

　　我很抱歉让你扫兴了，但事实上大多数的中餐厅真的是不提供甜食的。

　　Why not? Well, before I answer that question, I would like to know why Westerners always have room for dessert.

　　为什么呢？这样，在我回答这个问题之前，我很想知道为什么西方人总是在饭后还能吃得下甜食。

　　The other night, I went out for dinner with an American friend. After having a big bowl of Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, and pan-fried chicken the size of my head with lemon sauce, I was so full that I almost died.

　　某天晚上，我和一个美国朋友一起出去吃晚餐。在吃了一大碗凯撒沙拉，土豆泥，炸鸡和像我的头那么大一杯柠檬汁后，我简直要撑死了。

　　At that very moment, my friend asked, "What would you like for dessert? Cheesecake or a brownie?"

　　就在这时，我的朋友问，“你想要什么甜点？奶酪蛋糕还是巧克力蛋糕？”

　　I looked at her slim figure and wondered how she could have room for dessert after the heavy main course.

　　我打量着她苗条的身材，想着在吃了这样一顿大餐后，她胃里怎么还能装得下甜点？

　　"Maybe Asians have a relatively smaller stomach," I thought.

　　我想，“也许亚洲人的胃相对小些。”

　　The physiological explanation is: Our stomach is a flexible organ.

　　而生理学的解释是，我们的胃是一个能屈能伸的器官。

　　"If you eat slowly and chew the food well, it is easier for your stomach to digest it, and you can have dessert," she said.

　　朋友说，“如果你细嚼慢咽，食物就能更好的被消化，然后你就可以吃甜点了。”

　　I don’t know when this Western tradition began. But the trend of having a dessert after dinner is declining. More and more people are cutting it out to become healthier and stay fit. The one-dish meal is on its way back.

　　我不知道这个西方的传统是从什么时候开始的，但是餐后吃甜点的这个趋势已经开始下降。为了保持健康，越来越多的人餐后都不吃甜点了，又回归到了只有一个主菜。

　　Let’s get back to the question of why most Chinese people do not have a habit of having dessert after dinner. Well, sweets are considered snacks in China. Chinese people don’t eat it after dinner.

　　现在让我们言传正传：为何中国人没有餐后吃甜点的习惯？其实，甜点在中国被视为零食。中国人饭后是不吃零食的。

　　Quite the opposite, sometimes Chinese people eat sweets before dinner. I remember I was not allowed to have sweets before dinner when I was little. My parents knew that if I did, I would not have room for dinner.

　　恰恰相反的是，有时中国人在饭前吃零食。我还记得小时候，在饭前大人不让我吃零食。父母知道如果吃了零食，那一定就不能好好吃饭了。

　　Moreover, the Chinese diet values wellness. Many Chinese people believe food is medicine. Thus, if people want to stay healthy, they keep away from sweets.

　　更重要的是，中国饮食注重健康。多数中国人认为食物是具有药性的。因此，如果人们想要保持健康，就要远离零食。

　　As for those who crave the sweet stuff, they can go to special dessert places.

　　而对于那些对甜点上瘾的人来说，他们可以去特别的甜品店。

　　These shops are very popular in Hong Kong and Macao where desserts like black sesame ice cream, sweet red bean soup, and tofu pudding are great bedtime snacks. They are open until very late in the evening.

　　在香港和澳门，这样的甜品店很常见，出售如黑芝麻冰淇淋、红豆羹、豆腐布丁等夜宵。这些店子一直开到深夜才打烊。

　　It remains a mystery to me how the locals stay so slim.

　　可是神奇的是，当地人看起来都很苗条。

　　"Wait. Chinese people do eat dessert - the fruit plate," my friend reminded me.

　　我的朋友提醒我，“等一下，中国人其实是吃甜食的——水果拼盘。”

　　Yes, Chinese people don’t usually order dessert, but restaurants do serve fruit platters, mostly comprising fruits that are in-season, such as watermelons, tomatoes, apples and oranges. I love it. I feel like those fruit slices are light and fresh after a heavy meal.

　　确实，中国人不怎么点甜食，但是餐厅里提供有水果拼盘，比如西瓜、圣女果、苹果和橙子等时令水果。我很喜欢吃。在吃过大餐后，水果切片给人感觉很清爽也很新鲜。

　　Scientists claim that you can use willpower to stop craving sweets. The secret is to eat with mindfulness. They suggest focusing on the food you eat and how full you become, which over time can reduce your desire for dessert.

　　科学家称可以用意志力拒绝甜食。秘密是用正念吃东西。他们建议专注于你所吃的食物，专注于你已吃饱了，这样就能慢慢的弱化你对甜食的欲望。

　　Does it really work? You tell me.

　　这样真的奏效吗？你说呢？