2019年经济学人 成都火锅VS重庆火锅:谁是老大(1)

 

China

《中国》版块

Regional cuisine¹

地方菜

The gripes of broth²

火锅汤的抱怨

Two cities tussle³ over who makes the tastiest Sichuan hotpot

两个城市争相认为自己做的火锅更好吃

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, has an ancient rivalry⁴ with Chongqing, a city to its south-east. Residents of Chongqing accuse their Chengdu cousins of being pompous⁵. The people of Chongqing are hotheads, Chengdu dwellers⁶ shoot back. Both cities share a love of spice-laden Sichuan cuisine, which in recent decades has conquered Chinese palates. But they are at war over which has the best Sichuan hotpot—a type of DIY-cooking that involves boiling vegetables and slices of meat in a communal⁷ broth with chillies and numbing⁸ peppercorns.

四川省会成都与东南部城市重庆自古以来就在竞争。重庆人指责成都的兄弟们过于自负。重庆人是急性子，成都人则会回击。这两个城市都热爱辛辣的川菜，近几十年来，川菜已经征服了中国人的味觉。但是两个城市正在为哪家的四川火锅最好而争论不休。火锅是一种自己动手的烹调方式，将辣椒和带来酥麻口感的胡椒粒撒进汤里，汤开后将蔬菜和肉片等烫熟。

A private museum in Chongqing, opened several years ago, makes the case for Chongqing-style hotpot. It describes how it developed from a method used to make cheap offcuts of meat taste delicious. But Chengdu is playing catch-up. In January the city sold a plot of land on condition that the developer build a hotpot museum on part of it. Such presumptuous⁹ behaviour will test the famous fiery¹⁰ tempers of Chongqing-ites. Chengdu may be the capital of Sichuan cuisine’s eponymous province, but Chongqing was part of Sichuan for long periods of history until 1997. It is now the capital of its own province-sized region, which is also called Chongqing.

几年前，重庆的一家私人博物馆对外开放，展示了重庆火锅的特色。博物馆展示了火锅从使便宜的边角肉尝起来美味的方法的演变历程。但成都正在迎头赶上。今年1月，成都出售了一块土地，条件是开发商在其中修建一座火锅博物馆。这种挑衅的行为将考验重庆人的火爆脾气。成都可能是川菜的代表，但在1997年以前重庆一直是四川的一部分。现在，重庆是省级行政区、直辖市。

The two cities are among many in China with their own styles of hotpot. The stories behind these dishes reveal how different regions like to see themselves. Chongqing’s is said to highlight the ingenuity¹¹ of the proletariat. Other places describe their hotpots as the sophisticated food of emperors. Some say theirs have military origins: warriors¹² on the march boiling scraps¹³ in their helmets. Hotpot contents are equally diverse. To keep warm in winter, Beijingers boil fatty lamb in a berry broth. Mint-suffused Yunnanese hotpot reflects the province’s links with South-East Asia.

这两个城市在中国众多火锅风格各异的城市中榜上有名。这些菜肴背后的故事揭示了不同地区是如何自我评价的。据说，重庆火锅彰显了无产阶级的创造力。其他地方把火锅描述为皇帝的精致食物。一些人说重庆火锅起源于军事：战士们在行军时在头盔里涮着可吃的食物。火锅的配料食材也呈现出多元化。为在冬天取暖，北京人用葱姜清汤涮肥美的羊肉。云南的薄荷火锅则反映出云南与东南亚的联系。

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 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。

3 tussle   

n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩

参考例句：

• They began to tussle with each other for the handgun.他们互相扭打起来，抢夺那支手枪。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

4 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

5 pompous   

adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities.他有点自大，自视甚高。
• He is a good man underneath his pompous appearance. 他的外表虽傲慢，其实是个好人。

6 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

8 numbing   

adj.使麻木的，使失去感觉的v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Watching television had a numbing effect on his mind. 看电视使他头脑麻木。
• It was numbing work, requiring patience and dedication. 这是一种令人麻木的工作，需要有耐心和忘我精神。 来自辞典例句

9 presumptuous   

adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的

参考例句：

• It would be presumptuous for anybody to offer such a view.任何人提出这种观点都是太放肆了。
• It was presumptuous of him to take charge.他自拿主张，太放肆了。

10 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

11 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。

12 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

13 scraps   

油渣

参考例句：

• Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
• A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。