美食和妈妈为先的意大利

文/Diego

Diego：一个充满想象力的美国文艺青年，弹着夏威夷四弦琴，画着漫画，做着营养师。带着家人看这世界的花花绿绿、草长莺飞，就是人生最大的满足。

Shaped like a boot stepping into the Mediterranean Sea,the country of Italy is just like its shape： enchanting（迷 人 的 ）with unique characteristics.

In Italy,the old and new coexist（和平共处）.As the origin of the Renaissance（文艺复兴）,Italy produced numerous artists and classic works；as the center of modern fashion and trends,Italy is home to the biggestnumberofhigh-end brands.The romantic Romeo and Juliet were Italians, the beautiful sunshine and tasty food belong to Italy too.Most of Italy enjoys a Mediterranean climate,with lots of sunshine and moderate temperature,thus Italy is one of the most livable places on earth.

Italian people are innocent,laid-back and full of passion.People who travel to Italy can easily feel homecoming.

像一只踏入地中海的靴子，意大利这个国家就如它的地形一样，注定妖娆多姿。

在意大利，现代风情与古老文明并存。作为文艺复兴的发源地，意大利拥有无数艺术、文学大师和经典作品。作为当代时尚潮流集中地，意大利又聚集了全世界最多的高级品牌。意大利有浪漫的罗密欧与朱丽叶，更有不分地域的阳光和美食。这里大部分地区属于地中海气候，阳光灿烂，气候温和，是地球上最适宜人类居住的国家之一。

The Irresistible Italian Cuisine

No matter which country in the world you visit,people will always smile when pizza and pasta are mentioned,hardly anyone can say no to them.But there are more Italian dishes besides pizza and pasta.The world’s best coffee,the sweet wine made from grapes kissed by sunshine,the fresh tasty seafood rice,the brightly colored yummy salami（意大利腊肠）,the enchanting tiramisu（提拉米苏）,not to mention gelato（意大利冰激凌）,which everyone loves,etc.

All Italians are born baristas（咖啡师）and chefs.They can make the best meal out of the basic ingredients（原料）.No wonder Italian food is one of the top 3 most popular foods worldwide.

Sometimes it can be difficultfor Italiansto travel abroad.They are often times shocked to see pineapple as pizza toppings and mushrooms in the pasta.Sometimesthey getconfused when people invite them to have a cup of coffee with milk in the afternoon.In the mind of Italians,food has strict rules that just should not be changed.

Mama Is The Family’s Soul

Though many Italians wouldn’t admit they are“mama’s boys”,no one can deny the high intimacy（亲密）and closeness among Italian family members.As a result,mostItalians wouldn’tleave their hometowns.They may continue living with their family after they grow up,sometimes even until their 30s or 40s.In cases of them moving out of their homes,they often live not far from their families,so that they can go back during weekends or weekdays to pay a visit.

意大利人天真烂漫，既悠闲放松，又热情奔放。无论是谁，到了意大利，都会产生一种回到了自己家的“似曾相识”感。

无人能抗拒的意大利美食

无论在世界的哪个角落，提到比萨饼和意大利面，听到的人都会会心一笑，难以抗拒其魅力。但意大利的美食并不止这两样，还有举世闻名的醇香咖啡、被阳光滋润而香甜的葡萄酒、新鲜美味的海鲜焗饭、红艳可口的意式香肠、让人精神一振的提拉米苏和老少皆宜的冰激凌……

And among allfamily members,mama is always the one that has the highest status（地位）.Mother is the soul of the family.She makes tasty coffee and delicious meals,she cleans the house,she brings up children...she might talk too much sometimes,butherlove towardsherchildren is never-ceasing（停止）.It’s an unspoken top priority to respect and love mamas for all Italians.

No wonder Italy is regarded as“The China of the West”.

每一个意大利人都是天生的咖啡师和美食家。他们选用最基本的食材，就能轻易做出最美味的食物。无怪乎意大利菜是全世界最受欢迎的三大菜系之一。

对于意大利人来说，有时候出国旅行会因为本国菜太过出色而成为一件“难事”。他们会因为看到其他国家的人在比萨饼上放菠萝而惊讶，在意大利面中加蘑菇而震惊，也会因为有人邀请他们在午后喝一杯加了奶的咖啡而不解。在意大利人心中，美食原则不可随意改变。

妈妈是灵魂

虽然很多意大利人不愿意承认自己是“黏妈妈的孩子”（意即不愿长大，黏着母亲），但意大利家庭成员之间的亲密性无人能否认。正因为如此，大部分意大利人很少离开自己的家乡。他们会在成年之后一直和自己的原生家庭住在一起，甚至直到三四十岁。即使从家里搬出来，也会尽量选择住在家附近不远处，这样周末或平时就可以方便探访家人。

而在全家所有成员中，母亲永远是地位最高的那个。母亲是全家的灵魂，她做咖啡，做美食，清洁房屋，哺育孩子，即使有时候会唠唠叨叨，但永远都对孩子充满关爱。对母亲的尊重和爱护，几乎是所有意大利人无需言说的基本准则。

难怪，都说意大利是“西方的中国”。