2020年经济学人 盘子上的移民--中餐在美国的发展(1)

 

Books & arts

来源于《图书与艺术》版块

Immigration on a plate

盘子上的移民

A bao in every steamer

每个蒸笼上都有一个包子

The development of Chinese-American cuisine¹ reflects the community’s own upward trajectory²

美籍华人烹饪的发展反映了社区自身的上升轨迹

For several years, beginning in the mid-2000s, devotees of Chinese food on America’s east coast obsessed³ over a mystery: Where was Peter Chang? A prodigiously⁴ talented—and peripatetic—chef, Mr Chang bounced around eateries in the south-east. One day diners at a strip-mall restaurant in suburban⁵ Richmond or Atlanta might be eating standard egg rolls and orange chicken; the next, their table would be graced by exquisite⁶ pieces of aubergine the size of an index finger, greaselessly fried and dusted with cumin, dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Or by a soup made of pickled mustard greens and fresh sea bass⁷, in its way as hauntingly perfect and austere⁸ as a Bach cello⁹ suite¹⁰. A few months later, Mr Chang would move on.

从21世纪中期开始，连续数年，美国东海岸的中餐爱好者们正为一个谜而着迷：张鹏亮在哪里？作为一名天赋异禀、四处奔波的厨师，张鹏亮在美国东南部的餐馆里奔波。某天在里士满郊区或亚特兰大的一家购物中心餐厅用餐的顾客，可能会吃到标准的蛋卷和橙汁鸡；接下来，他们的餐桌上将会出现食指大小的精致茄子，无油煎炸，撒上孜然、干辣椒和花椒。或者用酸菜和新鲜海鲈鱼做成的汤，就像巴赫的大提琴组曲一样完美而又简朴，令人回味无穷。几个月后，张鹏亮就会离开。

He now seems to have settled down, running a string of restaurants bearing his name between Rockville, Maryland, and Virginia Beach. His latest—Q by Peter Chang—in the smart Washington suburb of Bethesda, may be his finest. The space is vast and quasi-industrial, with brushed concrete floors, massive pillars and not a winking¹¹ dragon in sight. Order a scallion pancake, and what appears is not the typical greasy¹² disc but an airy, volleyball-sized dough¹³ sphere. Jade¹⁴ shrimp¹⁵ with crispy rice comes under what looks like an upturned wooden bowl (perhaps, you think, for the shells). On inspection¹⁶ the bowl turns out to be the rice. Thumping¹⁷ through it with a spoon reveals perfectly¹⁸ cooked shrimp floating in shamrock-green sauce.

现在他似乎已经安定下来了，在马里兰州罗克维尔和弗吉尼亚海滩之间经营着一系列以他的名字命名的餐馆。他最新的餐馆Q by Peter Chang位于漂亮的华盛顿郊区贝塞斯达，可能是他餐馆中最高档的。餐馆空间很大，有点工业化的感觉，有刷过的混凝土地板，巨大的柱子，没有一条眨眼的龙。点一份葱油泡饼，你看到的不是那种典型的油腻的饼盘，而是一个通风的、排球大小的面团球。虾仁锅巴，下面是一个翻过来的木碗(也许，你认为，是用来装壳的)。细看，这碗原来是米饭做的。用勺子敲一下，你会发现煮熟的虾浮在三叶草绿酱里。

A tab for two at Q can easily top three figures—several times the outlay¹⁹ on an average Chinese meal. Nor is Mr Chang’s the only such restaurant in the area: like many big American cities, Washington has seen a rise in high-end Chinese cuisine. That is good news, and not just for well-heeled gourmands²⁰ who can tell shuijiao from shuizhu. The culinary trend is underpinned²¹ by two benign²² social ones. Chinese-Americans are becoming wealthier and more self-confident; and customers are shedding old stereotypes²³ about Chinese food. To put it another way: sometimes a dumpling is more than just a dumpling.

在Q by Peter Chang餐厅，两个人的价格很容易超过三位数——是普通中餐价格的好几倍。张鹏亮的餐厅也不是该地区唯一一家这样的餐厅：和许多美国大城市一样，华盛顿也见证了高端中餐的崛起。这是个好消息，而且是个不仅仅针对可以区分水饺和水煮的富有美食家的好消息。两种良性的社会趋势支撑着这一烹饪趋势。美籍华人正变得更加富有和自信；消费者们正在摆脱对中国食物的陈旧成见。换句话说:有时候饺子不仅仅是一个饺子。

1 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。

2 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

3 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

4 prodigiously   

adv.异常地，惊人地，巨大地

参考例句：

• Such remarks, though, hardly begin to explain that prodigiously gifted author Henry James. 然而这样的说法，一点也不能解释这个得天独厚的作家亨利·詹姆斯的情况。 来自辞典例句
• The prices of farms rose prodigiously. 农场的价格飞快上涨。 来自互联网

5 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

6 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

7 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

8 austere   

adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的

参考例句：

• His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
• The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

9 cello   

n.大提琴

参考例句：

• The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
• She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。

10 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

11 winking   

n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• Anyone can do it; it's as easy as winking. 这谁都办得到，简直易如反掌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The stars were winking in the clear sky. 星星在明亮的天空中闪烁。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

13 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。

14 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

15 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

16 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

17 thumping   

adj.重大的，巨大的；重击的；尺码大的；极好的adv.极端地；非常地v.重击(thump的现在分词)；狠打；怦怦地跳；全力支持

参考例句：

• Her heart was thumping with emotion. 她激动得心怦怦直跳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He was thumping the keys of the piano. 他用力弹钢琴。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

18 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

19 outlay   

n.费用，经费，支出；v.花费

参考例句：

• There was very little outlay on new machinery.添置新机器的开支微乎其微。
• The outlay seems to bear no relation to the object aimed at.这费用似乎和预期目的完全不相称。

20 gourmands   

n.喜欢吃喝的人，贪吃的人( gourmand的名词复数 )；美食主义

参考例句：

• The food here satisfies gourmands rather than gourmets. 这里的食物可以管饱却不讲究品质。 来自辞典例句

21 underpinned   

v.用砖石结构等从下面支撑（墙等）( underpin的过去式和过去分词 )；加固（墙等）的基础；为（论据、主张等）打下基础；加强

参考例句：

• The report is underpinned by extensive research. 这份报告以广泛的研究为基础。
• The statue of Diana was underpinned with charred piles. Diana雕像是建造在炭化了的木桩上的。 来自辞典例句

22 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

23 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》