雙語：為什么外國人喜歡飯后吃甜點?

　　If you ask for cheesecake after dinner at a Chinese restaurant,you don’t really know about the Asian diet.

　　如果你在一個中餐廳就餐后點奶酪蛋糕，那么你就是對亞洲飲食一點兒也不了解。

　　I am sorry to break it to you, but most Chinese restaurantsdon’t serve dessert.

　　我很抱歉讓你掃興了，但事實上大多數(shù)的中餐廳真的是不提供甜食的。

　　Why not? Well, before I answer that question, I would like to know why Westerners always haveroom for dessert.

　　為什么呢?這樣，在我回答這個問題之前，我很想知道為什么西方人總是在飯后還能吃得下甜食。

　　The other night, I went out for dinner with an American friend. After having a big bowl of Caesarsalad, mashed potatoes, and pan-fried chicken the size of my head with lemon sauce, I was so fullthat I almost died.

　　某天晚上，我和一個美國朋友一起出去吃晚餐。在吃了一大碗凱撒沙拉，土豆泥，炸雞和像我的頭那么大一杯檸檬汁后，我簡直要撐死了。

　　At that very moment, my friend asked, "What would you like for dessert? Cheesecake or abrownie?"

　　就在這時，我的朋友問，“你想要什么甜點?奶酪蛋糕還是巧克力蛋糕?”

　　I looked at her slim figure and wondered how she could have room for dessert after the heavymain course.

　　我打量著她苗條的身材，想著在吃了這樣一頓大餐后，她胃里怎么還能裝得下甜點?

　　"Maybe Asians have a relatively smaller stomach," I thought.

　　我想，“也許亞洲人的胃相對小些。”

　　The physiological explanation is: Our stomach is a flexible organ.

　　而生理學的解釋是，我們的胃是一個能屈能伸的器官。

　　"If you eat slowly and chew the food well, it is easier for your stomach to digest it, and you canhave dessert," she said.

　　朋友說，“如果你細嚼慢咽，食物就能更好的被消化，然后你就可以吃甜點了。”

　　I don’t know when this Western tradition began. But the trend of having a dessert after dinner isdeclining. More and more people are cutting it out to become healthier and stay fit. The one-dishmeal is on its way back.

　　我不知道這個西方的傳統(tǒng)是從什么時候開始的，但是餐后吃甜點的這個趨勢已經(jīng)開始下降。為了保持健康，越來越多的人餐后都不吃甜點了，又回歸到了只有一個主菜。

　　Let’s get back to the question of why most Chinese people do not have a habit of having dessertafter dinner. Well, sweets are considered snacks in China. Chinese people don’t eat it after dinner.

　　現(xiàn)在讓我們言傳正傳：為何中國人沒有餐后吃甜點的習慣?其實，甜點在中國被視為零食。中國人飯后是不吃零食的。

　　Quite the opposite, sometimes Chinese people eat sweets before dinner. I remember I was notallowed to have sweets before dinner when I was little. My parents knew that if I did, I would nothave room for dinner.

　　恰恰相反的是，有時中國人在飯前吃零食。我還記得小時候，在飯前大人不讓我吃零食。父母知道如果吃了零食，那一定就不能好好吃飯了。

　　Moreover, the Chinese diet values wellness. Many Chinese people believe food is medicine. Thus, ifpeople want to stay healthy, they keep away from sweets. 　　更重要的是，中國飲食注重健康。多數(shù)中國人認為食物是具有藥性的。因此，如果人們想要保持健康，就要遠離零食。

　　As for those who crave the sweet stuff, they can go to special dessert places. 　　而對于那些對甜點上癮的人來說，他們可以去特別的甜品店。

　　These shops are very popular in Hong Kong and Macao where desserts like black sesame icecream, sweet red bean soup, and tofu pudding are great bedtime snacks. They are open until verylate in the evening.

　　在香港和澳門，這樣的甜品店很常見，出售如黑芝麻冰淇淋、紅豆羹、豆腐布丁等夜宵。這些店子一直開到深夜才打烊。

　　It remains a mystery to me how the locals stay so slim.

　　可是神奇的是，當?shù)厝丝雌饋矶己苊鐥l。

　　"Wait. Chinese people do eat dessert - the fruit plate," my friend reminded me.

　　我的朋友提醒我，“等一下，中國人其實是吃甜食的——水果拼盤。”

　　Yes, Chinese people don’t usually order dessert, but restaurants do serve fruit platters, mostlycomprising fruits that are in-season, such as watermelons, tomatoes, apples and oranges. I love it.I feel like those fruit slices are light and fresh after a heavy meal.

　　確實，中國人不怎么點甜食，但是餐廳里提供有水果拼盤，比如西瓜、圣女果、蘋果和橙子等時令水果。我很喜歡吃。在吃過大餐后，水果切片給人感覺很清爽也很新鮮。

　　Scientists claim that you can use willpower to stop craving sweets. The secret is to eat withmindfulness. They suggest focusing on the food you eat and how full you become, which overtime can reduce your desire for dessert.

　　科學家稱可以用意志力拒絕甜食。秘密是用正念吃東西。他們建議專注于你所吃的食物，專注于你已吃飽了，這樣就能慢慢的弱化你對甜食的欲望。

　　Does it really work? You tell me.

　　這樣真的奏效嗎?你說呢?