论“吃相”

 

文/王逢鑫

 

2016年3月，中国游客在泰国“铲虾”的视频引发国内网民关于“吃相”的热议。字面上讲，“吃相”是吃饭的样子和姿态，似乎与个人习惯有关，是“教养”问题。“吃相”，英语译为table manners，有good table manners（良好吃相）和bad/poor table manners（难看吃相），以及proper table manners（高雅吃相）和improper table manners（不雅吃相）之分。吃相优劣，会产生截然不同的效果。例如：

 

1. Grandma said to her grandson, “You should have good table manners, especially in front of guests.”

祖母对她的孙子说：“你应该有个好吃相，特别是在客人面前。”

 

2. The manly woman drank like a fish and ate like a pig. We were all really surprised by her bad table manners.

这个女汉子胡吃海塞。我们都真地被她的难看吃相惊呆了。

 

3. Whether you are eating at a restaurant or dining in your friend’s home, proper table manners are likely to help you make a good impression.

无论你在一家饭店就餐，还是在一个朋友家吃饭，高雅吃相很可能让你给人带来好印象。

 

4. The American has notoriously poor table manners. He slurps his soup, chomps his chocolate cake, spills his salt and belches his blessings.

这个美国人具有臭名远扬的难看吃相。他吸溜吸溜喝汤，吧唧吧唧吃巧克力蛋糕，漫不经心撒盐，而且随随便便打嗝儿。

 

“吃相”还可以译为way of eating。例如：

 

5. I noticed there was some similarity between the dog’s way of eating and its owner’s.

我注意到那条狗的吃相与其主人的吃相有几分相似。

 

一些英汉词典将table manners译为“餐桌礼仪”，又与民族习俗相连，变成文化问题。西方国家的table manners除了表示吃饭的样子，还强调如何使用刀叉和杯盘之类餐具。例如：

 

6. In Western countries, table manners refer to how to behave when you eat a meal, including how to handle cutlery and how to eat in a civilized manner.

在西方国家，餐桌礼仪指你用餐时如何表现，包括如何使用餐具，以及如何以文明方式进食。

 

餐桌礼仪，也可以译为table etiquette。例如：

 

7. All rules of table etiquette are made to avoid vulgarity and ugliness.

餐桌礼仪的所有规则都用来避免粗俗和丑陋。

 

使用刀叉是西方餐桌礼仪的重要内容。下面这篇短文讲述了西方餐具叉子的来历：

 

The Origin of Forks

 

In medieval England, people used to eat with a knife and sometimes with their hands. When forks became quite common in Renaissance Italy, they were not generally accepted in England. The introduction of the table fork into England changed the English people’s way of eating. For instance, the use of forks made it possible for them to consume berries without making their fingers dirty. Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later, the first table fork reached America. Talking of the use of forks, there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in America and what holds true in Britain. For example, in America, when food needs cutting with a knife, people generally cut a bite, then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand. Then they pick up one bite at a time. By contrast, Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down. Early forks had only two tines. The four-tined fork became usual at the end of the 18th century in England.

 

叉子的来历

 

在中世纪英国，人们通常使用刀子吃东西，有时候直接用手。当叉子在文艺复兴时期的意大利变得非常普通时，在英国还未被人们普遍接受。餐桌叉子引入英国改变了英国人吃饭的方式。例如，利用叉子使他们无须弄脏手就可以吃浆果。1608年，叉子引入英国，而25 年以后第一个餐桌叉子传到美国。谈到使用叉子，美国认为正常的事与英国的实际情况之间有一点明显区别。例如，当需要用刀子切食物时，人们一般切下一口能咬的食物，然后将刀子放到一边，再将叉子换到右手。然后，人们一次拿起一口能咬的食物。相比之下，英国人把叉子握在左手，而且也不放下刀子。早期的叉子只有两个齿。18世纪末，四齿叉子在英国已很常见。