[职场礼节美语之十六]喝汤是件麻烦事

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(Office ambience)

 

C：Mary, 看到菜谱上的汤就让我想起一句英文："As the ships sail out to sea, I spoon my soup away from me." 不过，我一直没有弄懂这句话究竟是什么意思？

 

M：Oh, that's a little rhyme that helps children remember the correct way to eat soup.

 

C：喝汤还有正确不正确的呀？ 不就是一勺一勺舀了往嘴里放吗？

 

M：美国人在正式场合喝汤时有一定之规。"I spoon my soup away from me" means you spoon the soup toward the front of the bowl and then bring the spoon back to your mouth.

 

C：(若有所思地)用调羹往汤碗的外边舀，然后再把调羹收回来送到嘴边。Why so complicated?

 

M：这样可以避免勺下面的汤滴在桌布上或衣服上。

 

C：Mary，let's each order a soup and try it out. I'm hungry, I want a clam¹ chowder.

 

M：Clam chowder with sea food and meat. It's too filling. 我不饿，要个清汤就行了。

 

(Soup arrives and they start to eat. Sounds of slurping²)

 

M：陈豪，你吃得好香呀！ It sounds as if you're enjoying your soup..

 

C：It's delicious! 味道真好。

 

M：But I'm sorry to say that slurping is considered bad manners in Western etiquette³.

 

C：听说过西方人喝汤不能有声音。这汤也太烫了。我吹吹再吃。

 

M：不要吹。 If your soup is too hot, stir it slightly or simply wait.

 

C：又不能出声，又不能吹。那我就用勺搅动搅动，等它凉一点。

 

M：陈豪，你注意到没有，我喝的是清汤。我在勺的边上往里喝。而你的clam chowder 里面有肉，土豆等，没法从边上往里放。

 

C：That's right。我的杂烩里好多东西，没法象清汤那样往嘴里喝。

 

M：This is a good restaurant. The soup is wonderful, we should come more often.

 

(Sound of spoon scraping the bowl)

 

M：Chen Hao，don't scrape your bowl. Just tip your bowl away from you to retrieve⁴ the last spoonful of soup.

 

C：把碗往外抬起一点，让汤都到一边去。Mary, what are the main points that I need to remember?

 

M：Spoon the soup toward the center or front of the bowl and then bring the spoon back to your mouth; slurping is considered bad manners in Western etiquette; if the soup is too hot, stir it slightly or simply wait; tip your bowl away from you to retrieve the last spoonful of soup.

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