我的舌尖在中国

国际朋友说WORLD SPEAKING

我的舌尖在中国

My Taste of China

要想留住他的心，先要留住他的胃。美食的诱惑，是不能阻挡的。年轻的国际朋友们，他们到中国来，味蕾是否习惯？他们最喜欢的中国菜是什么？最吃不惯的中国菜又是什么？他们有没有自己尝试做过中国美食？他们国家的美食与中国美食又有什么不同？本期国际朋友说，我们邀请年轻的国际朋友们，谈谈自己在中国的美食体验。

As the saying goes, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. The temptation of good food can hardly be resisted. Are young expatriates used to Chinese dishes after coming to China? What are their favorite Chinese dishes? What Chinese dish is the most difficult to get used to? Have they ever cooked Chinese dishes on their own? What is the difference between the food from their country and Chinese cuisine? In this issue of WorldSpeaking, we invite young international friends to talk about their experiences with food in China.

主持人：吴星铎，中国（Wu Xingduo，China）

嘉宾主持：苏莉，俄罗斯（Anastasia Sukhoretskaya,Russia）

嘉宾(Guests)：比拉尔，巴基斯坦（Muhammad Bilal，Pakistan）；米沙，哈萨克斯坦（Mikhail Chursin，Kazakhstan）；苏锐，赤道几内亚（Jesus Pierrot，Equatorial Guinea)

中国美食初体验

My fi rst experience with Chinese food

米沙：我是宫保鸡丁的粉丝

2013年，我作为一个大三的交换生来到北京语言大学学习，第一天，我没找到食堂，晚上饥肠辘辘的我在五道口附近的一个饭馆吃了第一顿中餐，我点的菜是宫保鸡丁，我是之前在学习中文的课程中知道这道菜的。第一次吃的时候，我发现，这个菜量特别大！特别多！在我们哈萨克斯坦的饭馆，菜量往往不会那么多。这个大盘子装的宫保鸡丁，又辣又甜，这是在我的国家没有的味道。我的感觉是味道有点奇怪，但是特别好吃。我一边吃一边想，在国外这么远，能吃到和家乡菜完全不一样的、但又特别好吃的菜，我的心里也就越发踏实起来。从此，宫保鸡丁成为我的最爱。 后来一个中国朋友还教我怎么做宫保鸡丁，我的手艺还不错。

Mikhail: I am a fan of Kung Pao Chicken

In 2013, I came to Beijing Language and Culture University as a junior exchange student. On the fi rst day, I could not fi nd the canteen. Having starved all day, I had my fi rst Chinese meal at a restaurant near Wudaokou, where I ordered Kung PaoChicken, which I learned of from my previous Chinese course. After it was served, I found the portion extremely large! Probably a little too much! The portions in restaurants in Kazakhstan are normally not so large. The Kung Pao chicken was both spicy and sweet, which is normally not found in Kazakh cuisine. I found the taste a little unusual, but extremely delicious. As I enjoyed it, I thought, how nice it is to have food that is completely different from that of my hometown, and yet so delicious. It was very comforting. Since then, Kung Pao Chicken has become my favorite. A Chinese friend even taught me how to cook it. I am quite good at it.

苏锐：我在食堂试了一个多月

我第一次来中国去的是长春，那时候就知道中国的饭菜和非洲的完全不一样。在中国上大学，我在食堂看到了数不清的饭菜，也不知道哪个吃得惯，哪个吃不惯。于是我就想了个办法，就是刚开始的一个月左右，我每天都买不同的饭菜，如果吃着不可口下次就不买了，如果觉得好吃，我就记下来。我记得当时我最多的时候每天买四种不同的饭菜。这样，一个多月过去了，我大概摸清了自己喜欢哪几种。我比较喜欢炒米饭，和非洲的饭味道有点类似。但说实话，北方多数的菜我都吃不惯，因为总是混合着很多东西，像米沙喜欢的宫保鸡丁，又是鸡丁，又是花生，又是大葱，我最吃不惯了。我喜欢肉就是肉、菜就是菜、饭就是饭的那种，单一而清楚的食物。我有很多南方的朋友，我自己也经常去南方，我发现南方的饭菜比较合我的胃口，比如米线，我就比较喜欢。

Jesus Pierrot: Eating at the canteen for a month

I went to Changchun when I fi rst came to China. I knew that Chinese cuisine was completely different from African cuisine. When I went to college in China, I saw countless dishes at the canteen. However, I was unsure of which dish I would get used to and which dish I would not. So I fi gured this out by trying different dishes almost daily for the fi rst month. If a dish did not appeal to me, I would not buy it next time; if it were good, then I would take note. I remember at that time, I would try as much as four different dishes. Just like that, after a month, I fi gured out which ones I like. I like fried rice, which tastes a little similar to an African rice dish. But to be honest, I could not get used to most of the Northern dishes, because they were always a mixture of many ingredients. For example Kung Pao Chicken which Mikhail likes; there are chicken cubes, peanuts and green Chinese onions. I had the most diffi culty getting used to it. I prefer pure and focused dishes.For me, meat is meat, vegetables are vegetables, and rice is rice. I have a lot of Southern friends, and I go to the south quite frequently myself. I found Southern food to be much more appealing, such as the rice noodles which I like it a lot.

Bilal: Family affection towards strange delicacies

I am privileged as compared to other overseas students, due to the fact that my big brother lives in China, and I have a Chinese sister-in-law. For me, although coming to China felt strange, I was accompanied and guided by family. This allowed me to become accustomed very easily. When I came to Beijing to attend school in September 2015, my big brother had lived here for seven years. The night my brother and sister-inlaw picked me up from the airport, we had Kung Pao Chicken and Peking Duck together. I was fascinated by the taste of Kung Pao Chicken the fi rst time I had it. It has become a dishI order without fail ever since. The fi rst time I had the Peking Duck, I knew it would be delicious just by looking at the sliced duck. However, the cucumbers, scallions, pancakes, sauces in saucers and most of all chopsticks, frustrated me. Since my brother taught me, I’ve loved the dish ever since.

左起：比拉尔、米沙、苏锐

比拉尔：陌生美味中满溢亲情

相比其他留学生来说，我有一点儿优势，就是我的大哥在中国，而且我有一位中国嫂子，所以我到中国来，虽陌生，却有亲人陪伴、向导，很快就适应了。我2015年9月来北京上学的时候，我大哥已经在北京7年了，哥哥嫂嫂把我从机场接回来的当天晚上，我们三个一起去品尝了宫保鸡丁、北京烤鸭。第一次吃宫保鸡丁我就对那个味道着迷了，以至于后来宫保鸡丁成为我的必点菜。第一次吃北京烤鸭的时候，我看着烤鸭切片，感觉会非常好吃，只是看着一碟一碟的黄瓜、大葱、卷饼、调味酱什么的，最重要的是我当时还不会用筷子，我就发愁了，说这怎么吃呢？于是我哥哥就教我应该怎么去吃，的确和我想的一样，非常美味。

Anastasia Sukhoretskaya: It is hard to watch your fi gure in China

I came to Beijing Foreign Studies University in 2009 to study Chinese, and never had Chinese food before. The first time, I ordered Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork. The portion was large and the taste delicious. I also liked the steamed stuffed buns. My appetite increased day by day. In the fi rst week I could only eat a fi fth of the portion, then two fifths in the second week. Two months later I could eat the whole dish, and four months later, a whole portion of Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork was not enough for me, even with the steamed buns. As a result, I gained more than ten kilograms. When I went home after a semester, my parents could hardly recognize me. Now, I mainly have Western food to maintain my weight.

苏莉：在中国保持体重是件难事

我2009年到北京外国语大学学习中文，在这之前从来没有吃过中国菜。第一次点菜点了鱼香肉丝，盘子特别大，菜量特别多，我发现很好吃，还有包子我也喜欢吃。我的饭量与日俱增，第一周我只能吃鱼香肉丝的百分之二十，第二周变成了百分之四十，两个月之后一盘菜就能全吃了，等到四个月后，一盘鱼香肉丝已经不够我吃了，包子也是。后来大概胖了十多公斤吧，一个学期之后，我回国后，父母都认不出我了。现在，为了保持体重，我基本上都在吃西餐。

The most unique Chinese dishes

Mikhail: In my opinion, the most unique Chinese dish is “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall”. I have wanted to taste it ever since I heard the story behind this dish. I heard that “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall”was initially named “Jar of Delicacies”. As the story goes, there was an eminent monk traveling through Fuzhou. When he was staying at a hotel, the neighbor was entertaining guests with the “Jar of Delicacies”. When the monk smelt it, he jumped over the wall just to taste it. That was how “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall” got its name. When I actually had “Buddha Jumps Over the Wall”, I found it odd looking, but it tasted better than it looked. It was fi lled with precious seafood ingredients, which I have never had in my country.

最奇特的中国菜

米沙：在我看来最奇特的中国菜是“佛跳墙”。当我从朋友那里听了佛跳墙的故事后，我就一直希望品尝一下。我听说，“佛跳墙”最开始叫“满坛香”，有一位高僧，传经路过福州，在旅店住宿的时候，正好隔壁以“满坛香”宴奉宾客，高僧闻了之后，跳墙而入，品尝这道名菜，“佛跳墙”因此而得名。当我真正吃到佛跳墙的时候，发现这个菜看起来非常奇怪，外观不敢恭维，但是吃起来真的很好吃，里面有种珍贵的海鲜成分，我在我们国家从来没吃过这样的菜。

苏锐：鱼翅在我看来非常奇特，据说营养非常丰富。所谓鱼翅，就是鲨鱼鳍中的细丝状软骨。当然，人类对鱼翅的食用，致使鲨鱼数量大幅下降，对自然生态已经造成威胁。

Jesus Pierrot: The shark fin is very peculiar to me, and it is said to be very nutritious. The shark fi n is actually the fi lamentous cartilage from a shark’s fi n. Naturally, the consumption of shark fi ns has threatened shark populations and marine ecology.

苏莉：我吃过一种好像坏了的鸡蛋，但很好吃。我一开始一看颜色，以为坏掉了，吃完之后发现很可口，原来它的名字叫皮蛋，很奇特。

Anastasia Sukhoretskaya: I had eggs that seem to have gone rotten, but they were delicious. I saw the color and thought they had gone bad. It defi nitely tasted better than it looked. It was actually preserved egg, which was very peculiar.

至今难以接受的中国菜

Chinese dishes you cannot accept to this day

米沙：在我们国家是不吃鸭爪的

我只在中国吃过一次鸭爪，真的觉得不好吃。它是一种凉菜，不合我的口味。在哈萨克斯坦，我们其实也吃鸡爪、猪蹄、牛肚儿等有些国家的人不习惯的肉类，唯独没有鸭爪，我觉得这种食物我难以接受。

Mikhail: People in my country do not eat duck feet

I’ve only had duck feet once in China. It was not very good, in my opinion. It was cold and unappealing to me. People in my country actually eat chicken feet, pig feet and tripe, which are undesirable cuts of meat foreigners are not used to. But never duck feet. That’s why I fi nd it hard to accept.

苏锐：一切混合起来的饭菜我都不喜欢

我喜欢简单清晰的菜，混合起来的饭菜我都不喜欢，包括所有馅儿类的食物，包子、元宵，我老担心它们没熟，吃不惯。我最不喜欢的是皮蛋瘦肉粥，我不太能理解这个食物，太复杂了，这到底是饭，是汤，是粥，还是菜？

Jesus Pierrot: I don’t like anything that is a mixture

I like clear and focused dishes, not dishes with mixed ingredients, including any food with stuffi ng, such as steamed stuffed buns and rice dumplings. I’m always paranoid that they might not be cooked thoroughly. What I dislike the most is the minced pork congee with preserved egg, which I do not understand. It is too complicated. I don’t know if it is rice, soup, porridge or a dish.

比拉尔：为什么螃蟹上桌前还是活着的？

我现在可以接受中国的大部分饭菜，唯一不行的就是海鲜。鱼可以吃一些，但其他不习惯，尤其是螃蟹。有一次我和朋友一起吃饭，我点的肉串，他们点了螃蟹，螃蟹上来的时候居然还活着！我就问这个你们怎么吃啊，他们就蘸着酱汁吃，朋友说在中国很多人吃螃蟹。但我看到那个螃蟹之前还活着，而且还差点跑掉，实在接受不了。

Bilal: Why are crabs still alive when they are served?

I can accept most Chinese dishes by now. The only food that I cannot accept is seafood. I eat some types of fi sh, but not shellfish, especially crabs. Once I was dining with some friends, when I ordered pork shashlik and they ordered crabs.The crabs were served live! I asked how it was to be eaten. They just dipped the live crabs in sauces and ate them. I know in China crabs are a delicacy. But I saw the crabs were served live and almost crawling away. It was too foreign to me.

中国美食DIY

米沙：给爸妈做道中国菜

回到哈萨克斯坦后，我给爸爸妈妈做了我拿手的宫保鸡丁，但是我们在家里做的时候不放辣椒，他们不太喜欢吃辣。大概要做一个小时，每次做完，我都和爸爸妈妈一起吃，他们对这道菜的评价非常好。在哈萨克斯坦可以买到和中国差不多的食材，我们国家离新疆很近，所以很多人会做新疆的拉条子和炒面片等。我还参加过一个美食节目，教100名外国人怎么做烤鸭，我当时学会了怎么烤怎么切，不过现在可能已经忘了。

Chinese food DIY

Mikhail: Cooking Chinese dishes for my parents

I made Kung Pao Chicken for my parents when I returned to Kazakhstan, but I did not use peppers as they do not like spicy food. It took me about an hour of preparation. Every time I cooked, the food was praised. We are able to buy almost all the Chinese ingredients in Kazakhstan, due to our proximity with Xinjiang. Many locals can cook Xinjiang noodles and fried noodles. I even joined a food program and taught around a hundred foreigners to cook roast duck. I learned how to roast and slice, but now I have probably forgotten how.

苏锐：自己包的饺子硬着头皮也要吃下去

我们学校组织了包饺子活动，200多个学生在一个大厅里一起动手，体验中国的传统文化，我们包得还凑合，其实我自己不喜欢吃饺子，包完煮好，自己的成果也只能硬着头皮吃。我自己会做饭，基本都是做西餐。

Jesus Pierrot: I made dumplings. I ended up biting the bullet and fi nishing them

Our school organized a dumpling making activity, with more than 200 students working together in a hall and experiencing traditional Chinese culture. Our work was not too bad, but I actually do not care too much for dumplings. After the dumplings were finished and cooked, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and eat the fruits of my labor. I can cook but mostly Western dishes.

比拉尔：在做菜方面，我可以说是过目不忘

我也包过饺子，一次是春节时和中国嫂子一起包的，今年和学校一起在外面做活动，也是包的饺子。现在我会炒一些中国菜。其实我根本没学过做菜，都是看别人怎么做，我就会了，我觉得自己可能有烹饪的天赋，不管是巴基斯坦菜还是中国菜，以前没有学过，但是我给朋友们做，他们非常喜欢。

Bilal: I am gifted with an extraordinary retentive memory when it comes to cooking

I made dumplings before, once was with my Chinese sister-inlaw during the Spring Festival, and this year at an event with the rest of our school. Now, I can cook some Chinese dishes. As a matter of fact, I never learned to cook, I just learned by sight. I think I may have a talent for cooking. Be it Kazakh or Chinese dishes, when I cook, my friends like the food.

家乡风味推荐

米沙：一定要吃“五个手指”

别什巴尔马克（Beshbarmak）可以说是哈萨克斯坦的国菜，意思是“五个手指（手抓肉）”。在炖熟的羊肉、牛肉里加上汤、面片等食材，这是哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦等地宴会上的主菜。一般来说如果人多，我们会选比较昂贵的骆驼肉或者马肉。煮肉之后，我们放一些面，然后放土豆，就是这么吃的。这是我们最有名、最好吃的菜。

Recommendation of hometown delicacies

Mikhail: You must have “fi ve fi ngers”

Beshbarmak is practically the national dish in Kazakhstan, meaning “fi ve fi ngers (fi nger snatched meat)”. Dough patches, mutton and beef are cooked in a stew. It is a main course at dinner parties in Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan and other surrounding countries. Normally when there are a lot of people, we would use more expensive meats such as camel or horse. After the meat is stewed, we add some dough and potatoes. This is our most famous and delicious dish.

苏锐：我最喜欢的是炸香蕉

Jesus Pierrot: My favorite is deep-fried bananas

我最喜欢吃的是炸香蕉，我们那里叫Platano Frito。味道非常好吃，可以吃得饱，在我们国家非常受欢迎。我自己在中国也尝试做过炸香蕉，有时候，我的姐姐也会从家乡给我寄一些来吃。

What I like the most is deep-fried bananas, which we call Platano Frito. It tastes extremely good and is popular in my country. I tried to cook deep-fried bananas in China, and sometimes, my sister would send me some from home.

比尔亚尼(Biryani)是比拉尔的最爱

苏锐最喜欢的炸香蕉

比拉尔：比尔亚尼是我的最爱

比尔亚尼（Biryani）是非常好吃的羊肉米饭或鸡肉米饭或菜饭，有点像手抓饭。我们用来做比尔亚尼的米比泰国的米还长，我的一个中国朋友评价说饭粒像小虫子，这也是我的拿手菜，很受我的中国朋友和老师欢迎。

Bilal: Biryani is my favorite

Biryani is a very delicious mutton, chicken or vegetable rice, similar to the Xinjiang rice. The rice we use for Biryani is an even longer grain than Thai rice. A Chinese friend of mine commented that the rice grain looked like a bug. It is my specialty, and is popular with my Chinese friends and teachers.

苏莉：尝尝俄罗斯沙拉

俄罗斯沙拉是一道用黄西红柿、紫甘蓝、生菜、胡萝卜丝、葡萄干等为主料制作的美食，但其实在俄罗斯我们叫它法式沙拉。沙拉吃起来很健康，也很好吃。

Anastasia Sukhoretskaya: Try the Russian salad

Russian salad is a delicacy consisting of yellow tomatoes, purple cabbages, lettuce, shredded carrots and raisins as the main ingredients. We actually call it French salad. Salad is healthy and delicious.

美食小点评

所有人：菜品最丰富的当然是中国菜，最受欢迎的除了中国菜之外还有意大利菜、日本菜。味道最美的菜，是妈妈做的菜。（中文整理：吴星铎、王兆峰，英文整理：何波）

Comments on delicacies

Everyone: Chinese cuisine has immense variety. In addition to Chinese dishes, other popular cuisines include Italian and Japanese cuisine. The most delicious foods are the ones cooked by mother.

(Chinese version: Wu Xingduo,Wang Zhaofeng; English version: He Bo)