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第5章 Slow Food for a Fast Life快节奏里的“慢餐”

So if youre too busy, maybe its time you slowed down and enjoyed a meal with a friend.

There has been a new trend in food recently… shifting away from fast food and moving toward “slow food.”

For decadesdecade n.十年, 十 , the pace of life has been increasing for most people. The trouble involved in buying, preparing and cleaning up after a meal was becoming more bother than it was worthapparently.

所以如果你真的很忙,不妨放慢节拍,找位朋友一起津津有味地吃上一顿吧!

快节奏里的“慢餐”

最近在饮食方面有一种新的趋势,即远离“快餐”,转向“慢餐”。

近几十年来,随着人们生活节奏变快,工作繁忙,他们常为做饭洗碗等事烦恼不已。

Fortunately, there were smart business people who took the opportunity to provide “instant” solutions to the problem. Almost overnight, you could drop by the supermarket and buy complete (but raw) meals on a styrofoamstyrofoam n.泡沫聚苯乙烯 tray with plastic wrap over them. All you had to do was drop it in a hot wok (after unwrapping it) and you could be eating a scrumptious (but less than healthy) meal in 5 minutes. Just add salt.

Still too slow? OK, just drive your car up to the fastfood restaurant, order your greasesoaked meal and within 2 minutes it will be handed over to you. With salt.

The problem is health. Fast food has much more oil, salt and empty calories and far less vitamins than food freshly prepared at home. And so, since people have always wanted to live longer and healthier, a small but growing population is choosing not only fresh food, but also organically grown food that hasnt been grown with chemical fertilizers or insecticides.

幸好,聪明的商家抓住时机推出“方便食品”解决了这些问题。几乎在一夜之间,你就能从超市里买到装在泡沫聚苯乙烯盘子上、外面裹着塑料包装的现成生料。你所需要做的就是把它倒进热锅里,五分钟后,你就可以开始动口了。再加点盐!

要是还觉得太慢?好吧,开车到一家快餐店,点份油腻腻的食物,两分钟左右,饭就会送上来。而且已经放了盐!

然而,问题是不利于健康。与在家里现做的饭菜相比,快餐通常含有太多的油脂、食盐和净热量,缺少维生素。由于人人都想健康长寿,于是,有一小部分人(正在增多)开始不但注意食品是否新鲜,还要看是否有机(没有使用过化肥和杀虫剂的食品)。

Another reason for changes in eating habits is undoubtedlyundoubtedly adv.毋庸置疑地, 的确地 social. Over the centuries, meal times have been used to visit, laugh and learn. That doesnt fit with todays hectichectic adj. 发热的, 兴奋的, 狂热的 lifestyle and many people are looking for ways to restore that. Goodbye McDonalds.

Finally, theres something uniqueunique adj.惟一的, 独特的 about planning your meal, buying just the right ingredientsingredient n.成分, 因素 and seeing something on your table that looks just like the picture in your recipe book. A culinaryculinary adj.厨房的, 烹调用的, 厨房用的 Rembrandt! So if youre too busy, maybe its time you slowed down and enjoyed a meal with a friend.

Please pass the salt.

饮食习惯改变的另一个原因无疑是社会因素。几个世纪以来,饮食时间一直被用来相互拜访、娱乐和学习。这与当今的紧张生活方式一点都不符,许多人正在找办法使之恢复原貌。再见啦,麦当劳!

最后,在你规划一餐、购买配料以及欣赏餐桌上与烹调书上一模一样的美景时,感觉真是妙不可言呢。好一幅伦布兰特的厨房画!所以如果你真的很忙,不妨放慢节拍,找位朋友一起津津有味地吃上一顿吧!

请把盐递给我!

在现代都市人的办公桌旁,几乎都有几份快餐店的菜单或者数个快餐店订餐电话。快餐,随着现代都市生活节奏的加快而产生、发展,并迅速成为现代人生活中必不可缺的重要部分。我们不想吃快餐,但我们又不得不吃快餐。本文旨在提出快餐存在健康问题,并提倡由“快餐”转向“慢餐”,自己在家做饭。