2019 年 4 月 24 日
《经济学人》评论：中国最好吃的火锅在哪里？
经济学人
讲解人· Daniel
纪录片与小说译者
资深英语课程设计师
今日导读
冬天太冷，要吃点火锅暖暖身子；夏天太热，要吃点火锅出汗排毒；上火了，吃个清汤锅吧；口腔溃疡好了，吃个火锅庆祝一下。“火锅狂魔”想吃火锅还不是轻轻松松就能想出一百个理由。吃了这么多年火锅，你分得清四川火锅与重庆火锅的区别吗？最近四川火锅与重庆火锅展开了 battle，到底谁才是你心目中的王者呢？外媒又是如何看待火爆的火锅经济呢？让我们跟着Daniel 老师，一起来看《经济学人》的相关报道。
带着问题听讲解
1.词组 bask in 是什么意思？
2.新闻是如何向外国读者介绍四川火锅的？
3.你觉得火锅能够在西方走红吗？为什么？
新闻正文
Twocities tussle over who makes the tastiest Sichuan hotpot
两座城市的角逐：谁做的四川火锅最好吃？
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province,has an ancient rivalry with Chongqing, a city to its south-east. Residents ofChongqing accuse their Chengdu cousins of being pompous. The people ofChongqing are hotheads, Chengdu dwellers shoot back. Both cities share a loveof spice-laden Sichuan cuisine, which in recent decades has conquered Chinesepalates. But they are at war over which has the best Sichuan hotpot—a type ofDIY-cooking that involves boiling vegetables and slices of meat in a communalbroth with chillies and numbing peppercorns.
四川省省会成都有一位宿敌，就是位于它东南方向的城市重庆。重庆市民控诉他们的成都兄弟浮夸自大。成都土著则反击道，重庆人都是急性子。两座城市都对满是香料的四川美食情有独钟，这种美食也在最近几十年征服了中国人的味蕾。但是现在这两座城市争得不可开交，争论焦点是哪里的四川火锅天下第一。四川火锅是一种让食客自己动手烹饪的美食，食客在一盆全桌共用的、满是辣椒和花椒粒的汤中，煮蔬菜和肉片。
A private museum in Chongqing, openedseveral years ago, makes the case for Chongqing-style hotpot. It describes howit developed from a method used to make cheap offcuts of meat taste delicious.But Chengdu is playing catch-up. In January the city sold a plot of land oncondition that the developer build a hotpot museum on part of it.
重庆有一间私人博物馆于几年前开馆，它为重庆风格的火锅做了正面的宣传。它介绍说重庆火锅曾经只是一种将廉价的肉类边角料变得好吃的烹饪方法，并讲述了它是如何一步步发展到今天。不过成都奋起直追。今年一月，这座城市卖掉了一块土地，而购入这块土地的前提条件就是，中标的开发商需要在这片土地的某处建造一座火锅博物馆。
The two cities are among many in China withtheir own styles of hotpot. Hotpot restaurants in China are more profitablethan other kinds, according to iiMedia, a consultancy. Haidilao, a well-knownSichuan-based hotpot chain, raised nearly $1bn when it was listed on the HongKong exchange in September.
中国有许多城市拥有自己特有的火锅风格，而这两座城市就是其中之一。根据艾媒咨询（一家咨询公司）的数据，在中国，火锅餐馆比其他任何形式的餐厅都要更赚钱。去年九月，总部位于四川的著名火锅连锁店海底捞，在香港交易所上市时，筹集了将近 10 亿美金。
Not all Chinese warm to hotpot. Some olderSichuanese disown it altogether. They complain that it is causing an escalationof chilli-use in other dishes that drowns out subtle flavours.
但并不是所有的中国人都变得越来越喜欢火锅。一些老派四川人则彻底和火锅划清界限。他们抱怨说火锅的流行让其他菜系也开始加量使用辣椒，结果盖过了菜品原有的微妙的口感。
But Chengdu’s plans for a museum suggestthat Sichuan hotpot is not only growing in popularity, but is also becomingiconic. If it can set the West on fire, there will be plenty of glory for bothChengdu and Chongqing to bask in.
但是成都计划开设博物馆的行为表明了，四川火锅不仅仅只是越来越流行，它同时还变得越来越有（文化上的）代表性。如果火锅能够在西方走红，那无论是成都还是重庆，都将与有荣焉，如沐春风。
主编：Karen、Linger、Pita
品控：Daniel
审核：Jenny
2019 The Economist NewspaperLimited. All rights reserved.
From “Two cities tussle overwho makes the tastiest Sichuan hotpot”, published under license. The originalcontent, in English, can be found onhttps://www.economist.com/china/2019/04/13/two-cities-tussle-over-who-makes-the-tastiest-sichuan-hotpot.
重点词汇
tussle/ˈtʌsl/
v. 扭打，争斗
e.g.
搭配短语：tussle with sb.
搭配短语：tussle over sth.
搭配短语：a verbal tussle (n.)
rivalry/ˈraɪvlri/
n. 对立，竞争
e.g.
英文释义：a situation in which people,businesses, etc. compete with each other for the same thing
搭配短语：rivalry with sb./sth.
搭配短语：rivalry for sth.
pompous/ˈpɑːmpəs/
adj. 自负的，炫耀的
e.g.
搭配短语：a pompous official
hothead/ˈhɑːthed/
n. 鲁莽、性急的人
e.g.
英文释义：someone who does things or reacts tothings quickly and without thinking carefully first
dweller/ˈdwelər/
n. 居民，居住者
e.g.
近义词：resident
palate/ˈpælət/
n. 味觉
e.g.
英文释义：sense of taste
搭配短语：have a sharp palate
communal/kəˈmjuːnl/
adj. 公用的，共用的
e.g.
英文释义：belonging to or used by a group ofpeople rather than one single person
搭配短语：communal property
numbing/ˈnʌmɪŋ/
adj. 令人麻木的，使人失去知觉的
e.g.
英文释义：making you unable to feel anything
搭配短语：numbing cold
词性拓展：numb (adj.)
numb 例句：My feetgrew numb.
makethe/a case for sth.
为...提供支持
e.g.
英文释义：to offer support for or argue in favorof sth.
例句：Your friend has been making the case forwhy I should hire you.
playcatch-up
追赶，奋起直追
e.g.
相关词汇：catch up
catch up 例句：He wasoff school for a while and is finding it hard to catch up.
plot/plɑːt/
n. （故事的）情节；阴谋诡计；小块土地
e.g.
英文释义：a small piece of land that is used orintended for a special purpose
搭配短语：a vegetable plot
consultancy/kənˈsʌltənsi/
n. 咨询公司
e.g.
词性拓展：consult (v.)
consult 例句：If thepain continues, please consult a doctor.
词性拓展：consultant (n.)
consultant 英文释义：someonewho advises people on a particular subject
consultant 搭配短语：thePresident's consultant on economic affairs
warmto
对...越来越感兴趣，对...越来越有热情
e.g.
英文释义：to become more interested in orenthusiastic about sth.
例句：I start to warm to this theme.
disown/dɪsˈoʊn/
v. 与…断绝关系，和...划清界限
e.g.
例句：I will disown you.
escalation/ˌeskəˈleɪʃn/
n. 迅速上升，大幅度增加
e.g.
词性拓展：escalate (v.)
例句：The price of the tickets escalates.
词性拓展：escalator (n.)
baskin
沉浸在（令人愉快的环境或气氛中）
e.g.
搭配短语：bask in sunshine
拓展阅读
火锅文化
关于火锅的起源，有两种说法：第一种说法认为三国时期的“铜鼎”，就是火锅的前身；另一种说法认为火锅始于东汉，当时的“斗”就是指火锅的原型。而早在 1700 多年前，重庆火锅就在左思的《三都赋》中出现，火锅历史悠久，可见一斑。
火锅作为国民皆知的美食，蕴含了很多文化象征意义。首先，火锅具有良好的民众基础，是上至帝王，下到平民百姓都认可的一种烹饪方式。其次，火锅具有地域性。目前，我国火锅主要分为北派、川系、粤系、云贵系、江浙系等。
总体来说，火锅不单单是一种烹调方式，更是一种饮食文化和生活态度。无论在家里，还是下馆子，只要有一口锅和一盆火，或三两好友聚在一起，或一家老小围炉而坐，蒸腾的热气，翻滚的汤底，千言万语，都在锅里。
以上内容原载于网络，由流利阅读团队修改编辑。