英语畅谈中国文化50主题 13

　　13. The Importance of Chopsticks
A: In the 17th century when the British businessman heard that there were one hundred million people in China, he was determined¹ to go there and sell spoons. He thought even if a spoon would only sell for one penny, he would still make one hundred million pennies. But he didn’t succeed. The Chinese people use chopsticks not spoons.
B: Some people did some research on the origin of China’s chopsticks compared to the knife and fork in the west. One theory is that China was an agricultural society and relied on vegetables for food. Chopsticks were very convenient to those for eating. The westerners, on the other hand, were nomads² and lived on meat. The knife and fork were more practical. Others believe that China didn’t have much industry and therefore people use chopsticks. The west was an industrial society, so their eating utensils³ were made of metal.
A: Sounds interesting. When I first learned that the Chinese use a pair of sticks to eat with, I was curious how they would drink soup. Just like the Indians who use their fingers to eat, do they also use their fingers to drink soup?
B: Whatever the reasons why the Chinese use chopsticks and westerners use knife and fork, it is a result of their respective cultures. Chinese culture is developed around collectivism, which stresses communion and harmony. The western culture emphasizes individualism. In terms of eating customs, chopsticks and knives and forks are two desperate expressions of this cultural difference. The Chinese like to have communal⁴ meals where everybody eats out of the same bowl of food. Chopsticks were used in order to discourage people from eating more than others. This was not only a good way to preserve collectiveness, but also to limit individualism. It is more straightforward⁵ in the west. People eat their meals on their own, and there’s no restriction⁶ on how to eat.
A: That sounds quite reasonable.
B: In addition, table manners are very strict during the Chinese meal. Respect has to be given to the elderly. Each time a dish is served, everyone has to wait until the elder person starts or to cut the ribbon as it is now called. The westerners will simply say “Help yourself” to start. The food is brought to the table all of the same time, so everybody is on the same starting line. This lacks the warm atmosphere which prevails at the Chinese dinner.
A: This may be the reason why it is always very noisy at the Chinese dinner, but quiet in the western restaurant.

1 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

2 nomads   

n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活

参考例句：

• For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
• Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 utensils   

器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物

参考例句：

• Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

4 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。

5 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

6 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。