“入乡随俗”的中国菜

Chinese food is not a foreign concept to the United States. But some recipes have gotten lost in translation.

The latest example is the Chinese smashed cucumber trend that has recently popped up in New York City.

The New York Times reported that many of Manhattans restaurants now offer smashed cucumbers dressed with sauces such as sesame oil with garlic and yogurt.

Julia Goldberg， a sous-chef at Superiority Burger in the US， told The New York Times， “Theres something about the roughness， and the variety of shapes and sizes. That you participate in smashing is incredibly satisfying.”

This isnt the first time that US chefs have embraced Chinese cooking techniques， while steering away from original recipe. Nor will it be the last.

Chefs in the US lean on flavors that American taste buds are attracted to， but by evolving the taste in this way， the original Chinese recipe is sometimes ignored.

General Tsos Chicken， chop suey and fortune cookies are among the most popular Chinese dishes in the US. However， “Chinese people dont crack open fortune cookies after every meal... Most Chinese people dont even know what chop suey actually is，” Shanghai-based journalist Jamie Fullerton told Business Insider.

Chefs specializing in Chinese cuisine want Americans to try their food. So they changed the ingredients， the cuts of meat and the presentation to suit American palates.

This is a cultural compromise to make consumers happy. At the same time， they are turning the food into something less Chinese and more American.

美国人对中国菜早已司空见惯。不过，有些中国食谱在漂洋过海之后都已面目全非。

最近的例子就是风靡纽约的拍黄瓜。

《纽约时报》报道称曼哈顿的许多餐馆现在开始供应用芝麻油、大蒜和酸奶调味的拍黄瓜。

美国超级汉堡餐厅的副主厨朱莉娅·哥德堡告诉《纽约时报》：“拍出来的黄瓜很粗糙，形状各异，大小不一，不过这是个很棒的体验。”

这不是美国厨师第一次采用中国的烹饪方法，同时对原始菜谱进行改革，当然也不会是最后一次。

在美国，厨师们会根据美国人的口味调整菜谱，不过经过这种口味的演变，原始的中国菜谱有时候就被忽略了。

在美国，左宗棠鸡、炒杂烩和幸运饼干是最受欢迎的中国菜。但是驻上海的美国记者杰米·富勒顿告诉《财经内幕》：“中国人餐后基本不吃幸运饼干……大部分中国人甚至不知道什么是炒杂烩。”

专做中餐的厨师想让美国人尝尝他们的手艺，于是他们依据美国人的喜好调整了配料、切肉的手法和摆盘的样式。

这是为了迎合消费者做出的文化让步。同时，他们也让食物少了些中国味，多了些美国味。