VOA英语2010年-New York Burger Company Hopes to Succeed at

New York City has every kind of restaurant imaginable, from Albanian to Zambian. A French family of restaurateurs of Romanian and Vietnamese ancestry¹ will soon enter this international mix. They will serve the American hamburger. But although the burger is a perennial² favorite, their restaurant will be on a busy street corner with a history of failed restaurants. Some say the location is jinxed, but the family has taken precautions to avoid the worst.

The corner of 10th Avenue and 23rd Street in Manhattan is considered a great location for a restaurant. Except that four restaurants failed there over the last ten years, including the last one, which lasted only nine months. Some restaurant magazines have said the location is cursed.

But these French siblings³ are undaunted. They will be partners in the first franchise⁴ of the expanding New York Burger Company. Brice Moldovan says their burgers will appeal to the city's multi-ethnic mix.

"There are certain ingredients that put all together are more towards Italian, Mexican, English, whatever they actually like in their own culture and food," explaine Moldovan.

The space is being remodeled to remove all traces of the failed restaurants. But just in case the new décor and menu aren't enough, a local Buddhist⁵ priest was asked to bless the premises⁶. And so too were a Roman Catholic priest, who sprinkled the restaurant with holy water, and a Rabbi, who, at the entrance placed a Mezuzah containing words from the Torah, the Jewish holybook. The rabbi said the mezuzah indicates a building has been blessed.

None of the clergymen said they believe in jinxes. They said they bless not just babies and homes, but businesses if asked. Reverend Chodo says a successful business must be conscientious⁷.

"We can call it spirituality, we can call it awareness⁸, but I think both are important to not just be mindlessly bringing products into our city, our country, to our restaurants, but to really understand what it is, where it comes from, how we prepare it, and how it's consumed," said Chodo.

Brice Moldovan promises fresh food, seasonal⁹ menus, and prompt service. With such ingredients and a great location, he is confident his new restaurant, which opens December 14, will not be jinxed.

1 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

2 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

3 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

4 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

5 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

6 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

7 conscientious   

adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的

参考例句：

• He is a conscientious man and knows his job.他很认真负责，也很懂行。
• He is very conscientious in the performance of his duties.他非常认真地履行职责。

8 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。

9 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。