VOA慢速英语2020 美国最受欢迎的民族菜是什么？

For years, the United States has been called a melting pot– a place where different individuals or groups of people are mixed together.And the countrys food preferences show that.

多年来，美国一直被称为大熔炉——不同个体或群体混杂在一起的地方。而这个国家的饮食偏好也表明了这一点。

Many Americans learn about and enjoy different cultures through food.One study shows that Mexican food is the most popular ethnic¹ food in the largest number of states.It is especially popular on the U.S. West Coast.But Chinese food is the top ethnic food nationwide.

许多美国人通过食物了解和享受不同的文化。一项研究表明，墨西哥菜是美国大多数州最受欢迎的民族菜。它在美国西海岸特别受欢迎。但中国菜是全美最受欢迎的民族菜。

"Both cuisines³ have a rich history connected to the large immigrant Chinese and Mexican populations in the U.S." notes Georgie Mihaila.She is with a food-based blog called Chefs Pencil.

乔琪·米哈拉指出：“这两种菜肴都有着悠久的历史，而这些历史与美国大量的华裔和墨西哥移民有关。”她为一个名为Chef’s Pencil的美食博客网站工作。

The website was the idea of professional chefs, the men and women who prepare meals for top restaurants.It used information from Googles search engine to identify the most popular ethnic food in the country.

这个网站是专业厨师的主意，专业厨师是为顶级餐厅准备饭菜的人。该网站利用谷歌搜索引擎中的信息来确定该国最受欢迎的民族菜。

Mihaila said that as generations of immigrants settled in the U.S.,they made their food more readily⁴ available and less costly⁵.

米哈拉说，随着一代又一代的移民在美国定居，他们让自己的民族菜变得更容易买到，也更便宜。 

Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese restaurants are also gaining fans across the country.Their popularity⁶ is no accident, either.

泰国餐厅、韩国餐厅、越南餐厅和日本餐馆也在全美范围内受到追捧。这些餐厅受到欢迎也不是偶然。

In 2002, for example, Thailands government started training chefs and sending them out to share their cuisine² with the world.The aim of the "Global Thai" culinary diplomacy⁷ program was to increase the number of Thai restaurants worldwide.

例如，2002年，泰国政府开始培训厨师，并派他们出去与世界分享泰国菜。“全球泰国”烹饪外交计划是为了在世界范围内增加泰国餐厅的数量。

Millennials are leading the push for more diverse food experiences.Millennials are now the nations largest age group.They are generally between the ages of 26 and 40.And they are likely to share their eating experiences on social media.

千禧一代正在引领更多样化的饮食体验。千禧一代现在是美国最大的年龄群体。他们通常在26岁到40岁之间。而且他们很可能会在社交媒体上分享自己的饮食体验。

"Its not just about the food, but also the atmosphere, the culture, about ...experiencing something fun and memorable," Mihaila said.

“这不仅仅是关于食物，还和氛围、文化，以及体验一些有趣与难忘的事情有关，”米哈拉说。 

In general, she added, Americans are making more adventurous⁸ food choices.

她补充说，总的来说，美国人在食物选择上更喜欢冒险。 

"Many of them are seeking new experiences, both when dining out and when cooking for themselves," she said."I think the pandemic was a great example of that with people trying out more foods that they would cook at home."

她说：“很多美国人都在寻求新的体验，无论是外出就餐还是自己做饭。”“我认为这次的疫情大流行就是一个很好的例子，人们尝试了更多可以自己在家里做的食物。”

Often, Chinese, Mexican and other ethnic food restaurants are less pricey than other eateries.

通常，中国、墨西哥和其他民族菜餐厅比其他餐厅便宜。 

But that is also changing.

但那种情况也在改变。 

Mihaila said, "You have restaurants opening up across the countrythat are serving ethnic foods like Mexican, Thai or Indian, that are positioned to serve the upper end of the market."

米哈拉说：“你可以看到全国各地都开设了一些餐厅，它们提供墨西哥、泰国或印度等民族菜，定位高端市场。”

Such businesses, she added, have seen great success.

她补充说，这类生意取得了巨大成功。 

Im Ashley Thompson.

阿什利·汤普森为您播报。 

1 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

2 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

3 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

4 readily   

adv.欣然地，容易地，很快地，立即

参考例句：

• I promise all costs will be readily returned.我保证所有的费用会迅速偿还。
• Most plastics do not readily conduct heat or electricity.大多数塑料不易传热或导电。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

7 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

8 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。