留学生在中国 第15期 Fast Food 快餐

 　　Popular American Fast Food

　　受欢迎的美国快餐

　　David：Why are KFC and McDonalds so popular here in China?

　　为什么肯德基和麦当劳在中国这么受欢迎？

　　You：I think many people like the ambiance in this kind of restaurants.

　　我觉得是因为人们很喜欢快餐店那种气氛。

　　David：People in the US usually describe fine dining restaurants as having ambiance, but not fast food joints¹.

　　美国人通常认为只有在上档次的饭店才会有气氛，而在快餐店里是找不到什么气氛的。

　　You：But maybe they are only considered fast food restaurants in foreign countries. In China, many young people feel a modern ambiance when dining in McDonalds, KFC and other western fast food restaurants.

　　在西方国家，肯德基和麦当劳只被认为是快餐而已。而在中国，许多年轻人觉得能在肯德基，麦当劳或是其他的西式快餐馆吃饭是挺现代的事。

　　David：But the food is very different from Chinese food. Do people think it really tastes good?

　　西式快餐和中餐完全不同，人们真的觉得西式快餐好吃吗？

　　You：Some people think it is tasty, but some don't.

　　有些人觉得好吃，另外一些人就不觉得好吃。

　　David：It is a different style of eating also. Most fast food comes packaged for individual consumption². Although you may go with friends to a fast food restaurant, people usually order for themselves and do not share food. Sharing food over dinner is the typical custom in China. Do people mind?

　　快餐的吃法也与中餐不同。多数快餐都是独立包装供个人消费的。你可以同朋友一起去快餐店，但都是各点各的，各吃各的。中国人已经习惯了同吃一桌菜，分开的话他们不介意吗？

　　You：People get used to it. However, to appeal to this Chinese custom, many of these places are also offering³ family meal packages for groups of people. By the way, I'm curious about something. Could you tell me, does the food at KFC in China taste the same as the ones in the US?

　　习惯了。但有些地方为了迎合中国的饮食习惯，也提供一些家庭装的快餐。另外，我想知道中国的肯德基和美国的肯德基味道一样吗？

　　Divid:I would have a guess. It would be the same, since it is the same company. But now as I think about it, I think the KFC tastes better in the U.S.

　　要我说，味道应该是一样的，因为它们隶属于同一家公司。但是现在就我的经验来看，美国的肯德基味道更好。

　　words： ambiance = ambience

　　气氛，氛围，环境

　　by the way

　　另外，此外

1 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

2 consumption   

n.消费，消耗，消费额，消耗量，结核病

参考例句：

• Consumption of oil has declined in recent years.石油消耗量在最近几年下降了。
• The meat was condemned as unfit for human consumption.这种肉已被宣布不适宜人们食用。

3 offering   

n.提供，奉献物，牲礼

参考例句：

• What is your competition offering?你的竞争者提出的条件是什么？
• The police are offering a big reward for information about the robbery.警方出大笔赏金要求提供那起抢劫案的破案线索。