[E322]Just add sage|经济学人
本文音频及原文摘自杂志The Economist《经济学人》2016年第3期,China版块。
The regime is trying to preserve a cuisine few people have heard of
| BEIJING
A GIANT wooden bust of Confucius[一尊孔子的巨大木制半身像] greets visitors to the Luweifang restaurant[鲁味坊] in Beijing, where diners may feast on[尽情欣赏,尽情享受;大吃大喝] “literary ginkgo”, braised hog rectum[猪直肠*] and other delicacies['delɪkəsɪz][珍馐;佳肴] said to be part of a centuries-old culinary tradition[传统美食] developed by the ancient philosopher’s family. The restaurant, set up in 2011, is one of dozens across the country purporting to offer such delights. Now China is preparing to bid for[许诺以获支持;投标;争取达到(某个目标)] UNESCO[联合国教科文组织] to register Confucius’s family cuisine[kwɪˈzin][烹饪,烹调法;菜肴] as part of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity[人类非物质文化遗产]”.
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▷ bust [bʌst]
vt.&vi.打破,打碎
n. 半身像;胸像
adj. 破碎,毁坏;破产
She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.
她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像.
▷ braise [brez]
vt. 炖,焖
Or you can broil them, peach them, barbecue them , and even braise them.
或是烘焙, 水煮, 烧烤, 甚至可以炖煮.
▷ culinary [ˈkʌlɪneri]
adj. 厨房的,烹饪的;烹调用的
A three course dinner completes the culinary delights.
做三道菜的一餐就能包含烹饪的所有乐趣。
▷ purport [pərˈpɔ:rt]
vt. 声称;意图;意味着;打算;
n. 意义,要旨;目的,意图
Her letter may purport her forthcoming arrival.
她的来信可能意味着她快要到了.
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China has already logged[记载,记录] Mongolian throat singing[蒙古族呼麦(喉音唱法)], mathematical calculations on the abacus[ˈæbəkəs][算盘] and a form of puppetry['pʌpɪtrɪ][木偶] with UNESCO, as well as more prominent arts such as Peking opera[京剧] and acupuncture[ˈækjʊˌpʌŋktʃɚ][针灸]. Confucian cookery would not be the first culinary entrant[并不是第一个申报的美食]: washoku[和食], traditional Japanese cuisine[日本料理], attained this status in 2013, and North and South Korea have each separately listed kimchi[泡菜], the seasoned[调过味的; 成熟的,老练的], fermented[发酵] vegetables beloved on both sides of the demilitarised zone[非军事区]. Even the “Mediterranean diet[地中海式饮食]” is catalogued.
Confucian gastronomy was included in China’s list of cultural treasures in 2011 (joining Chinese yo-yos[中国溜溜球(抖空竹)], some folk tales[民间故事] and roast duck[烤鸭]). Yet even within China Confucian fare is rarely considered distinctive. Foodies variously divide Chinese cookery into four, eight or ten regional schools, but the philosopher’s tradition is not among them. “The Analects[论语]”, a book of his sayings, praises the scholar who “does not seek the gratification of his appetite” and abjures indulgent[ɪnˈdʌldʒənt][放纵的,纵容的;宽容的;任性的] banquets[宴会,盛宴]. The culinary tradition reportedly emerged from entertaining visiting emperors and highranking officials[帝王高官] to the sage[圣人; 智者; 贤人]’s birthplace—rather than feeding his own gluttony.
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参考《论语》
子曰:“君子食无求饱,居无求安,敏于事而慎于言,就有道而正焉,可谓好学也己.”
The scholar who in his food does not seek the gratification of his appetite, nor in his dwelling is solicitous of comfort, who is diligent in his work, and guarded in his speech, who associates with the high-principled, and thereby directs himself aright,—such a one may really be said to love learning.
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▷ gastronomy [gæˈstrɑ:nəmi]
n. 美食学,烹调法
He studied gastronomy but cannot make a living as a cook.
他学习了烹饪但却无法靠厨艺过活.
▷ fare [fer]
n. 费;票价;乘客;食物;
vi. 吃;进食;进展;遭遇
All we can offer you is humble fare.
就请你粗茶淡饭凑合一顿.
▷ abjure [əbˈdʒʊr]
v. 发誓弃绝,郑重声明放弃(信仰、生活方式等)
The conqueror tried to make the natives abjure their religion.
征服者试著让当地人宣誓放弃他们的宗教.
▷ gluttony [ˈɡlʌtni]
n. 贪吃;暴食
Gluttony is a deadly sin.
暴饮暴食是七宗罪之一。
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Registering Confucius’s family tradition coincides with[与…一致] a wider attempt to standardise['stændədˌaɪz][使合乎规格,使标准化] national cuisine. Last summer the government in Inner Mongolia[内蒙古], a northern province, published the official method for cooking 100 local dishes. Xi’an, home to the famous terracotta warriors[兵马俑] (a UNESCO world heritage site), wants to publish recipes for the city’s five most famous foods, to guard against distasteful rip-offs. They follow a 19th-century tradition for codifying[编纂;整理;将(法规等)整理成典] French haute cuisine[法国菜].
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▷ rip-off
n. 偷窃,骗取;翻版;抄袭之作;仿制品
要价过高的物品;质量次的东西;低劣货
The 100 dollar jacket is such a rip off.
这件100元的夹克根本不值得这个价钱,它太贵了!
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The appeal of Confucian fare is more political than gastronomic. Mao vilified the sage[圣人; 智者; 贤人] as a reactionary[反动派;保守分子], but Communist Party leaders have since rehabilitated[使恢复名誉;给…平反昭雪] him. President Xi Jinping has stressed Confucius’s emphasis on order and hierarchy[等级秩序*]. But the culinary tradition—whatever its provenance[起源;出处]—may prove of limited use. Since Mr Xi’s anti-corruption campaign[反腐行动] has choked the demand for fancy banquets and pricey delicacies, Confucius’s disciples[dɪ'saɪplz][信徒;门徒;追随者;崇奉者] could yet again fall on the wrong side of history.
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▷ choke [tʃoʊk]
vt.& vi. 阻止,扼止;填塞;使窒息;哽咽;
n. 窒息,哽咽;拥塞;
She kept talking and nobody could choke her off.
她说个不停,没人能阻止她.
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