舌尖上的中国与饮食文化双语

Bon appetite《舌尖上的中国》与饮食文化

We all love the food we grow up on, but we also seek adventure in the food we have never tasted. A hugely popular TV documentary series puts the spotlight on a culinary tradition that should make China proud. Of all the subjects fit for documentary filmmaking, food is probably not high on the priority list.

我们喜欢那些从小吃到大的食物，但也会去尝试那些从未尝过的食物。大型电视纪录片《舌尖上的中国》播出令国人自豪的传统美食。在这纪录片的所有主题中，食物不是最主要的主题。

There have been a smattering of fictional feature films with food as the main theme, such as Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman - but food in such films is the icing on the cake, while the human drama is the cake, per se.

只有很少的故事片是以食物为主要题材，例如李安的《饮食男女》，影片中的食物可算锦上添花，然而最主要的还是人物剧情本身。

That's why A Bite of China has been such a surprise hit since first appearing on our TV screens in 2012.

这就是为何《舌尖上的中国》在2012年开播以来反响巨大的一个原因。

Without anything like a promotional fanfare, the series has attracted a following larger than the biggest drama or comedy shows.

没有过多地推广宣传，但《舌尖上的中国》这个系列却拥有一大批粉丝，比最大型的戏剧或喜剧演出还受欢迎。

Its main ingredient is the clever interweaving of human stories with the preparation of food. But in this case, the audience mainly sees the human stories as the appetizer, and details about the food as the real beef.

纪录片在描述食物取材时，巧妙地融入人们的故事。在这种情况下，观众就把人们的故事当作开胃菜，把对食物的详细介绍当作主菜。

There were even some complaints when human characters took up more screen time than the dishes.

当然，当影片过多地刻画人物而不是介绍美食时，也会引起观众的抱怨。

But still, the runaway success of this well-made TV recipe has whipped up a food frenzy in the Middle Kingdom.

但这丝毫不影响《舌尖上的中国》在中国的成功，还激起人们对食物的狂热。

Items featured on the show have seen their sales skyrocket within a short time of being aired. In the first season, a rare mushroom made its way from a Tibetan forest into an upmarket coastal city restaurant.

在第一季中，一种西藏森林中的稀有蘑菇被运到沿海城市的一所高级餐厅中。

The difficulty in collecting the elusive fungus meant an eye-watering price on the menu. As well as its fantastic taste, the filmmakers probably quite rightly considered the livelihood of the collectors when they highlighted that particular delicacy.

由于这些稀有的菌类食物取材困难，所以餐厅菜单上的菌类价格就高的惊人。制片人在强调这种独特的美味时，不单考虑食材的美妙口感，而且还考虑到采集者的生活。

But it still had an unexpected fallout: So many people (the rich, of course) were alerted to it, that demand shot up and the fragile ecosystem where it grows is now threatened.

纪录片仍出现始料未及的结果：那就是太多的有钱人开始注意它，需求涌动，导致当地脆弱的生态系统面临威胁。

In Season 2, which has just ended, the show switched its focus to items more affordable to everyone. No longer were rare delicacies the main attraction, and so maybe gastronomic enthusiasm has been dampened slightly.

在刚刚结束的第二季中，纪录片把食材的重心放在那些人人可得的食材上。不再以稀有美食来吸引观众，所以观众的烹饪激情或许有些减退。

For many, curiosity remains the main driving force behind high-end Chinese cuisine.

对于很多人来说，在博大精深的中国烹饪背后，好奇仍然是主要的驱动力。

Some seek out rare plants and animals in the name of gaining better health benefits, or delectability.

为了更加健康，体验更美味的食物，人们就会去寻找那些稀有的动植物。

But I challenge that.

但是我却很怀疑这个。

I have been enticed to try a few such rare delicacies in my time, and the truth be told, they are often not as delicious as billed.

我曾被劝说去尝试一些稀有美食，但事实是，它们常常没有宣传中所描述的那般美味。

On a trip to Hainan, one fish I was sold for 10 times the price of a regular one was not half as tasty as the lesser option.

有一次在海南，我以10倍于普通价的价格买了条鱼，之后发现还没有普通价的鱼一半好吃。

No, it is the inaccessibility that raises the perceived value of some items.

要提升对食物价值的认知是有难度的。

The thought of eating items only a few can afford is the reason why some species are endangered. In that sense, the makers of A Bite of China have been right to steer away from those rare edibles that represent status symbols in high society.

鉴于此，制片人通过《舌尖上的中国》避开那些象征着上流社会的稀有食材是正确的。

But maybe the biggest upside of the series is the awakening of love among a wider swath of the Chinese public, simply for the food they consume on a daily basis.

或许这个系列的最大正能量是唤醒了神州大地上的人们对日常饮食的热爱。

It is not every day that people treat what they eat as part of their culture. But it could certainly be argued that Chinese food is the only part of Chinese tradition that has deeply touched almost every other culture around the globe.

日常生活中，人们不会把饮食当作其文化的一部分。但是，中国的传统文化中只有中国饮食能深深地影响世界上其他国家的文化，当然这点肯定是有争议的。

In the US, for instance, even small towns with no Chinese inhabitants have Chinese restaurants.

例如，在美国，就算居住地没有中国人，也会有中国的餐厅。