2022年经济学人 在泰国，大麻成了合法调味品

Asia

亚洲版块

Cooking with cannabis

大麻烹饪

Pot cuisine¹

锅煮菜肴

THC is the new MSG

THC是新的味精

BAN LAO RUENG does not resemble a den² of iniquity³.

班老荣格不像一个藏污纳垢之地。

A two-hour drive from Bangkok, the Thai capital, the restaurant caters⁴ to families and old folk.

这家餐厅距离泰国首都曼谷两小时车程，餐厅主要服务家庭和老人。

Gauzy curtains frame the windows and doilies decorate bags of cookies on sale at the counter.

窗户上挂着薄纱窗帘，柜台上出售的饼干袋上装饰着小垫子。

The menu features such classics as tom yumsoup and khanom pang⁵ na moo(crispy pork toast).

菜单上有汤姆·尤姆苏普和卡农·庞纳穆（脆猪肉吐司）等经典菜肴。

Yet a closer look reveals the presence of an illicit⁶ ingredient: cannabis.

然而，仔细观察就会发现一种非法成分的存在：大麻。

Illicit, that is, until recently.

之前非法，也就是说，最近合法了。

For decades Thailand, like many other Asian countries, harshly punished anyone caught with the demon⁷ weed.

几十年来，泰国和其他许多亚洲国家一样，严惩任何与恶魔草有关的人。

But the government has turned over a new leaf.

但政府已经翻开了新的一页。

In 2019 the country became the first in Asia to legalise pot for medical purposes.

2019年，该国成为亚洲第一个将大麻用于医疗目的合法化的国家。

A year later the government announced that parts of the plant containing less than 0.2% THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis, could legally be used in cosmetics⁸ and food.

一年后，政府宣布，大麻中的精神活性化合物THC含量低于0.2%的部分植物可合法用于化妆品和食品中。

In November last year Ban Lao Rueng became the first restaurant in the country to serve cannabis-infused dishes.

去年11月，班老荣格成为该国第一家提供含大麻菜肴的餐厅。

At least a dozen more have since sprung up.

此后，至少又出现了十几家。

What accounts for the reversal?

是什么导致了这种逆转？

There is growing awareness⁹ in government that Thailand's punitive¹⁰ drug-control regime is ineffective.

政府越来越意识到泰国惩罚性的药物管制制度是无效的。

Relaxing cannabis laws was also politically expedient¹¹.

放松大麻法律在政治上也是权宜之计。

In order to make up the numbers to form a coalition¹², Thailand’s ruling party needed the support of Anutin Charnvirakul, the leader of a small party that campaigned to have the green stuff partially¹³ decriminalised.

为了获得足够的票数组成政治联盟，泰国执政党需要阿努丁·查恩维拉库的支持。查恩维拉库是一个小党派的领导人，该政党致力于让绿色材料部分合法化。

He was appointed deputy prime minister and health minister, and allowed to keep his promise.

他被任命为副总理和卫生部长，并且他被允许去履行诺言。

There is a long tradition in Thailand of cooking with cannabis.

泰国有着用大麻烹饪的悠久传统。

Thais began mixing the plant, which is native to Asia, into herbal remedies and then food centuries ago.

几百年前，泰国人开始将这种原产于亚洲的植物混合到草药和食品中。

Even after it was criminalised in 1934, many Thais carried on cooking with it.

即使在1934年它被定非法后，许多泰国人仍继续用它做饭。

Chakree Lapboonruang, a 30-something Bangkokian, says his father regularly tossed cannabis leaves into the pad gaprao(basil chicken stir-fry) he cooked for the family.

查克雷（一个30多岁的孟加拉人）说，他的父亲经常把大麻叶扔进他为家人做的pad gaprao（罗勒鸡炒菜）。

"When you have something tasty, [cannabis] makes it better," Mr Chakree says.

查克雷先生说：“当你吃到可口的东西时，大麻会让它变得更好。

"It's just like MSG, except it's natural."

它就像味精，只是它是天然的。”

Food-and-drink companies are seeing green.

食品和饮料公司看到了商机。

In April Ichitan, Thailand’s biggest teamaker, launched two drinks infused with terpene, a compound responsible for cannabis’s pong.

今年4月，泰国最大的饮品制造商Ichitan推出了两种含有萜烯的饮料，萜烯是一种与大麻相互作用的化合物。

The Pizza Company, a Thai fast-food chain, recently introduced "Crazy Happy Pizza"; its toppings include one deep-fried cannabis leaf.

泰国快餐连锁比萨饼公司最近推出了“狂欢比萨饼”；它的配料包括一片油炸大麻叶。

Weed is good for business, says Mr Chakree, an owner of Kiew Kai Ka, a trendy restaurant in Bangkok.

查克雷先生是曼谷一家时尚餐厅Kiew Kai Ka的老板，他说，大麻对生意有好处。

There is not enough THC in the food to make people high.

食物中的THC含量不足以使人兴奋。

Yet when customers eat dishes from his restaurant’s cannabis menu, he laughs, they "get hungrier".

然而，他笑着说，当顾客吃到餐馆大麻菜单上的菜时，他们“变得更饿了”。

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 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

3 iniquity   

n.邪恶；不公正

参考例句：

• Research has revealed that he is a monster of iniquity.调查结果显示他是一个不法之徒。
• The iniquity of the transaction aroused general indignation.这笔交易的不公引起了普遍的愤怒。

4 caters   

提供饮食及服务( cater的第三人称单数 )； 满足需要，适合

参考例句：

• That shop caters exclusively to the weaker sex. 那家商店专供妇女需要的商品。
• The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. 这家精品店为特定的顾客群服务。

5 pang   

n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷

参考例句：

• She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
• She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。

6 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

7 demon   

n.魔鬼，恶魔

参考例句：

• The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。
• He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。

8 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

9 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

10 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

11 expedient   

adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计

参考例句：

• The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
• Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。

12 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

13 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。