VOA标准英语2015--经济下滑和卢布贬值打击莫斯科餐厅

经济下滑和卢布贬值打击莫斯科餐厅

MOSCOW—

Moscow's casual dining scene has grown exponentially in the past decade, but Russia's economic decline, the drop in the value of the ruble and high inflation are taking a toll¹.

Igor Bukharov, president of the Russian Federation² of Restaurateurs & Hoteliers, estimated that as many as 30 percent of restaurants in Moscow might be forced to close this year as Russians tighten³ their belts.

“The restaurants close down not only because of a high rent or low purchase power of the population, but because of our gastronomic⁴ culture," he said, "as people come to restaurants not just to dine, but they come for leisure time.”

Bukharov said midrange restaurants are suffering the most as Russians look to cheaper fast food to save money.

Many landlords peg⁵ restaurant space to U.S. dollars or euros, so the drop in the value of the Russian currency effectively doubled their rates.

Anton Lyalin, managing partner of steakhouse chain Toro Grills⁶, said he had not choice but to cut costs at his business.

“Any crisis turns you to be more creative, to be more efficient," he said. "We have to see where we spend money in terms of labor⁷. We have to see where our costs are and we have to cut them. To still survive, we have to renegotiate our deals about rent, which was a big deal for the last two months in the whole industry.”

Lyalin sources meat locally, so, unlike European-themed restaurants, his operation was not terribly hurt by Russia's ban on Western food imports.

But a newer seafood⁸ restaurant  it opened, featuring lobster⁹, had to switch to Russian crab¹⁰ after authorities put a stop to lobster imports.

For Muscovites who want to cook at home but may not be great at it, Katerina Cronstedt, a Swedish citizen born in Russia who is managing director of family-run Katerina Hotels, founded an online dinner kit¹¹ delivery service.

“It's becomes too expensive to go to restaurants, but people still want high-quality food, which we can offer them," she said. "And, since we're based in a restaurant, an existing restaurant that has been around for 15 years, we have access to professionals, we have access to great quality meats and fish, which you cannot get in the shop.”

Cronstedt said that while occupancy rates in her hotel chain have gone down slightly, her dinner kit delivery service is booming.

Restaurant owners say that despite the pain of the economic downturn, the cost-cutting and competition will ultimately benefit consumers as their spending focuses on the best quality for the best price.

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

3 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

4 gastronomic   

adj.美食（烹饪）法的，烹任学的

参考例句：

• The gastronomic restaurant is a feature of the hotel. 美食餐厅是这家饭店的一个特色。 来自互联网
• The restaurant offers a special gastronomic menu. 这家餐馆备有一份特别的美食菜单。 来自互联网

5 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。

6 grills   

n.烤架( grill的名词复数 )；（一盘）烤肉；格板；烧烤餐馆v.烧烤( grill的第三人称单数 )；拷问，盘问

参考例句：

• Backyard barbecue grills could be proscribed. 里弄烤肉店会被勒令停业的。 来自辞典例句
• Both side inlets have horizontal grills and incorporate impressive fog lamps. 两侧进气口的水平烤架并纳入令人印象深刻的雾灯。 来自互联网

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

9 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

10 crab   

n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气

参考例句：

• I can't remember when I last had crab.我不记得上次吃蟹是什么时候了。
• The skin on my face felt as hard as a crab's back.我脸上的皮仿佛僵硬了，就象螃蟹的壳似的。

11 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。