Xiaoming: Hi Peter, it has been a while since we met last time.
小明: 彼得你好!好久不见!
Peter: Yeah, thank you for taking me out for authentic Chinese food.
彼得: 是的,感谢你带我出来品尝地道的中国菜。
Xiaoming: My pleasure, it's what I promised last time. This restaurant is best known for Hangzhou cuisine.
小明: 不客气,上次见面时我答应你的嘛!这家餐厅是很有名的杭帮菜餐厅。
Peter: It's embarrassing that I have difficulty in using the chopsticks.
彼得: 有点尴尬的是我还不太会用筷子。
Xiaoming: I totally understand. You need some practice first.
小明: 我完全理解,你需要一些练习。
Peter: All right. This is a good opportunity to practice. May I ask what are the small bowl for?
彼得: 对的。现在就是练习的好时机。我能问一下这个小碟子是干嘛用的么?
Xiaoming: Oh, it is actually for dipping sauce like vinegar and soy sauce.
小明: 哦,它是用来蘸酱料的,比如醋和酱油。
Peter: I see. Why there is a plate under the rice bowl?
彼得: 我明白了,那这个碗下面为什么还有个盘子?
Xiaoming: It is usually for keeping non-edible pieces, such as fish bones and shells.
小明: 它是用来放鱼骨头、贝壳这些东西的。
Peter: To some extent, it is more complicated than the western cuisine.
彼得: 可以说,吃中餐比西餐要复杂一些。
Xiaoming: That makes eating Chinese food more fun, don't you think so?
小明: 所以吃中餐才更有意思啊,你觉得呢?
Peter: I agree.
彼得: 我同意。
见到许久未见的朋友时,表达“好久不见”,可用“It has been a while.”,有时也用“Haven’t seen you for a long time.”或“Long time no see.”。后者貌似是中式英语,实际却已被以英语为母语的人群采纳为惯用说法,由此可见语言表达也绝非一成不变,而是顺势动态发展的。
在描述食物时,我们通常会提到“地道、正宗”,它的英文是authentic,英语中常说:
authentic food(地道的菜肴)、authentic taste(地道的口味)、authentic delicacy(正宗的美食)
中餐常见餐具的英文表达:chopsticks(筷子)、communal chopsticks(公筷)、sauce bowl(小碟子)、plate(餐盘)、soup bowl(汤碗)、wet washcloth(擦手巾)
本期文本由浙江旅游职业学院曹健老师提供