寻遍纽约, 只为一碗兰州拉面

几个月前，我掉进了一个兔子洞。其实是一个拉面洞。

双语精读

My Obsessive Quest for a Thrilling Beef Noodle Soup

寻遍纽约，只为一碗令人心动的牛肉拉面

A few months ago, I fell down a rabbit hole. Actually, it was a noodle hole. It all started with an Instagram photo: a bowl of steaming beef broth as clear as a polished window, with a tight coil of noodles, a crimson puddle of chili oil, thin shingles of beef and radish, and cilantro leaves peeking through the broth.

几个月前，我掉进了一个兔子洞。其实是一个拉面洞。一切始于一张Instagram图片：一碗热气腾腾的牛肉汤，汤底清澈如擦亮的窗玻璃，一团紧实筋道的面条，一汪鲜红的辣椒油，薄薄的牛肉片和萝卜片，以及从汤里探出头的香菜叶。

The whole thing was so cartoonishly pristine it seemed ripped from an anime series. That image touched off an obsession in the way only an alluring picture of noodles you randomly scroll past on the internet can.

整张图片像卡通片一般纯净，仿佛是从动漫中直接撕下来的。这张图片让我着了迷，有时你在网上偶然刷到一张诱人的面条图片，只有这种图片会让你莫名着迷。

I had never even tasted the dish - called Lanzhou lamian, or Lanzhou beef noodle soup - yet it had all the makings of my new favorite food. I went into research-paper mode, and learned that this wasn't just any regional dish.

我甚至从未吃过这种食物——它叫兰州拉面，或兰州牛肉面——但它具备成为我的美食新宠的所有要素。我进入了论文研究模式，了解到这不仅仅是一道普通的地区特色菜。

Several historians told me about Ma Baozi, a Hui Muslim from Lanzhou, a city in northwestern China, who in 1915 began selling a translucent beef soup with hand-pulled noodles; it proved a staple business for Hui Muslims, and later became hugely popular throughout the country as inexpensive, filling breakfast food.

几位历史学家讲述了马保子的故事，他是一位来自中国西北城市兰州的回族穆斯林，1915年，他开始卖一种汤底清澈的手工拉面，这成为了回族穆斯林的主要营生，后来这种实惠且饱腹的早餐在全国各地广受欢迎。

I watched mesmerizing videos of chefs pounding and stretching noodles by hand at a school in Lanzhou, where people travel from across the world to master the craft of noodle pulling. And then I ate 16 bowls of noodles.

我观看了异常吸引人的拉面视频，厨师们在兰州的一所学校里手工捶打和拉伸面条，人们从世界各地来到这里学习拉面技艺。然后我吃了十六碗拉面。

Lanzhou is not exactly a tourist destination, and its beef noodles are not as widely known outside China as dishes like mapo tofu or dan dan noodles. But in recent decades, the dish has begun to go the way of pad Thai.

兰州并不算是旅游城市，兰州牛肉面在中国以外的知名度也不如麻婆豆腐或担担面那样高。但在最近几十年里，这道菜开始走上了和泰式炒河粉一样的道路。

Local government officials in China have promoted it - subsidizing Lanzhou noodle restaurants and touting the city's noodle schools - to stimulate tourism and economic development, said Christopher St. Cavish, a food writer in Shanghai.

旅居上海的美食作家克里斯托弗·圣卡维什说，中国地方政府推广了兰州拉面，为兰州拉面馆提供补贴，并大力宣传兰州的拉面学校，目的是刺激旅游业和经济发展。

Everyone I spoke to had a differing opinion about the ideal version. "Balanced and very aromatic, yet not overly exciting," said Wei Guo, who grew up in Lanzhou and runs the Chinese food blog Red House Spice.

我采访过的每个人对完美拉面都有不同的看法。“味道平衡且香气浓郁，但不要太过辛辣，”魏国（音译）说，他在兰州长大，现在运营中国美食博客“红屋香料”。

Lucas Sin, a chef in Shanghai told me, "You should be able to really taste the skill of the chef, and the way the noodles are being pulled." And Carolyn Phillips, a food historian and cookbook author who specializes in Chinese cuisine, said the soup "should be flavored subtly but uniquely with spices and herbs."

上海厨师卢卡斯·辛告诉我：“要能够真正尝到厨师的手艺，以及面条是怎么拉出来的。”专门研究中国菜的美食历史学家兼食谱作者卡罗琳·菲利普斯说，汤底“应该用香料和草药调出含蓄而独特的味道”。

I kept all that in mind as I flitted across this frigid city and slurped bowl after bowl, my frosty cheeks thawing in the steam of each broth. Here are the three restaurants whose distinctive soups most jolted my senses awake - and the reasons you might visit them.

我穿梭在寒冷的纽约，心中牢记这些话，一碗接一碗地喝汤，冻得冰凉的脸颊在每碗汤的热气中逐渐回暖。以下三家餐厅的独特汤底最能唤醒我的感官，我也写下了你可能会去光顾的理由。

词汇预习

economic [高考]
美[ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪk] | 英[ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk]
adj. 经济的，经济学的；有利可图的；节约的
ideal [高考]
美[aɪˈdiːəl] | 英[aɪˈdiːəl]
adj. 理想的；完美的；空想的；观念的
n. 理想；典范；目标
regional [高考]
美[ˈriːdʒənl] | 英[ˈriːdʒənl]
adj. 地区的；局部的；当地的；方言的
n. 分部
inexpensive [高考]
美[ˌɪnɪkˈspensɪv] | 英[ˌɪnɪkˈspensɪv]
adj. 廉价的；便宜的
distinctive [高考]
美[dɪˈstɪŋktɪv] | 英[dɪˈstɪŋktɪv]
adj. 独特的，有特色的，与众不同的
obsession [高考]
美[əbˈseʃn] | 英[əbˈseʃn]
n. 困扰；沉迷；着魔；妄想
frosty [高考]
美[ˈfrɔsti] | 英[ˈfrɒsti]
adj. 霜冻的；严寒的；冷若冰霜的；灰白色的
destination [高考]
美[ˌdestɪˈneɪʃn] | 英[ˌdestɪˈneɪʃn]
n. 目的地；终点
tight [高考]
美[taɪt] | 英[taɪt]
adj. 紧的；紧身的；密集的；拮据的
adv. 紧紧地；牢固地；迅速地
chef [高考]
美[ʃef] | 英[ʃef]
n. 厨师；主厨
cuisine [高考]
美[kwɪˈziːn] | 英[kwɪˈziːn]
n. 烹饪；佳肴
stimulate [高考]
美[ˈstɪmjuleɪt] | 英[ˈstɪmjuleɪt]
vt. 刺激；激励；鼓舞
vi. 起刺激作用
mode [高考]
美[moʊd] | 英[məʊd]
n. 方式，样式，模式，风格，时兴
pad [高考]
美[pæd] | 英[pæd]
n. 便签纸；衬垫；发射台；公寓；脚印；肉趾
n. 低沉声音；缓慢行走的马
v. 填塞；夸大
v. 轻轻走
staple [高考]
美[ˈsteɪpl] | 英[ˈsteɪpl]
adj. (食物、产品或活动)主要的，基本的
n. 主要部分，重要内容；订书钉
vt. 用订书机装订；把…分级
where [高考]
美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
adv. 在哪里；在那个地方
conj. 在 ... 地方
radish [四级]
美[ˈrædɪʃ] | 英[ˈrædɪʃ]
n. （小）萝卜
coil [四级]
美[kɔɪl] | 英[kɔɪl]
n. 卷；圈；线圈
v. 盘绕；卷成圈
randomly [四级]
美['rændəmlɪ] | 英['rændəmlɪ]
adv. 任意地；随便地；胡乱地
uniquely [四级]
美[jʊ'niklɪ] | 英[jʊ'ni:klɪ]
adv. 独特地；唯一地；珍奇地
historian [四级]
美[hɪˈstɔːriən] | 英[hɪˈstɔːriən]
n. 历史学家；编史者
in the way [四级]
美[ɪn ði we] | 英[in ðə wei]
挡道，妨碍某人；[英]在场，在眼前，在附近
opinion about [四级]
美 | 英
有关 ... 的意见
learned [四级]
美[lɜːrnd , ˈlɜːrnɪd] | 英[lɜːnd , ˈlɜːnɪd]
adj. 有学问的；博学的
overly [六级]
美[ˈoʊvərli] | 英[ˈəʊvəli]
adv. 过度地；极度地
not as [六级]
美 | 英
不如...那样
fell [专四]
美[fel] | 英[fel]
vt. 砍伐；击倒
n. 丘原；沼泽地
adj. 凶残的；毁灭性的
scroll [专八]
美[skroʊl] | 英[skrəʊl]
n. 卷轴；画卷；名册；卷形物
v. 卷动
aromatic [专八]
美[ˌærəˈmætɪk] | 英[ˌærəˈmætɪk]
adj. 芳香的
n. 芳香植物；芳香族化合物
crimson [专八]
美[ˈkrɪmzən] | 英[ˈkrɪmzn]
adj. 深红色的
n. 深红色
v. 变得绯红；染成深红色
translucent [专八]
美[trænzˈluːsnt] | 英[trænzˈluːsnt]
adj. 半透明的
frigid [专八]
美[ˈfrɪdʒɪd] | 英[ˈfrɪdʒɪd]
adj. 寒冷的；冷淡的；(指女性)性冷淡的
pristine [专八]
美[ˈprɪstiːn] | 英[ˈprɪstiːn]
adj. 原始的；未受损的；清新的；纯朴的
Shanghai [专八]
美[ʃæŋˈhaɪ, ˈʃɑŋ-] | 英[ˈʃæŋhai]
v. 诱拐；诱骗；强行使当水手
n. 上海（中国城市）
hugely [考研]
美[ˈhjuːdʒli] | 英[ˈhju:dʒli]
adv. 巨大地；非常地
subtly [考研]
美['sʌtlɪ] | 英['sʌtlɪ]
adv. 敏锐地；巧妙地；精细地

重点讲解

My Obsessive Quest for a Thrilling Beef Noodle Soup

寻遍纽约，只为一碗令人心动的牛肉拉面

steaming adj. 热气腾腾的

【例】a steaming cup of coffee

一杯冒着热气的咖啡

The weather is steaming hot.

天气又热又潮。

【拓展】steam n./v. 蒸汽/蒸（食物）

【例】steam power 蒸汽动力

steamed fish 蒸鱼

A few months ago, I fell down a rabbit hole. Actually, it was a noodle hole. It all started with an Instagram photo: a bowl of steaming beef broth as clear as a polished window, with a tight coil of noodles, a crimson puddle of chili oil, thin shingles of beef and radish, and cilantro leaves peeking through the broth.

几个月前，我掉进了一个兔子洞。其实是一个拉面洞。一切始于一张Instagram图片：一碗热气腾腾的牛肉汤，汤底清澈如擦亮的窗玻璃，一团紧实筋道的面条，一汪鲜红的辣椒油，薄薄的牛肉片和萝卜片，以及从汤里探出头的香菜叶。

steaming adj. 热气腾腾的

【例】a steaming cup of coffee

一杯冒着热气的咖啡

The weather is steaming hot.

天气又热又潮。

【拓展】steam n./v. 蒸汽/蒸（食物）

【例】steam power 蒸汽动力

steamed fish 蒸鱼

The whole thing was so cartoonishly pristine it seemed ripped from an anime series. That image touched off an obsession in the way only an alluring picture of noodles you randomly scroll past on the internet can.

整张图片像卡通片一般纯净，仿佛是从动漫中直接撕下来的。这张图片让我着了迷，有时你在网上偶然刷到一张诱人的面条图片，只有这种图片会让你莫名着迷。

pristine adj. 纯净的；未受破坏的；原始的

【例】pristine, pollution-free beaches

没有污染的纯净海滩

The car is in pristine condition.

这辆汽车是全新的。

I had never even tasted the dish — called Lanzhou lamian, or Lanzhou beef noodle soup — yet it had all the makings of my new favorite food. I went into research-paper mode, and learned that this wasn’t just any regional dish.

我甚至从未吃过这种食物——它叫兰州拉面，或兰州牛肉面——但它具备成为我的美食新宠的所有要素。我进入了论文研究模式，了解到这不仅仅是一道普通的地区特色菜。

have the making of sth 具备成为某物的条件

【例】You have all the makings of a good doctor.

你具备成为一个优秀医生的一切素质。

【拓展】making n. 必要条件；构成要素

Several historians told me about Ma Baozi, a Hui Muslim from Lanzhou, a city in northwestern China, who in 1915 began selling a translucent beef soup with hand-pulled noodles; it proved a staple business for Hui Muslims, and later became hugely popular throughout the country as inexpensive, filling breakfast food.

几位历史学家讲述了马保子的故事，他是一位来自中国西北城市兰州的回族穆斯林，1915年，他开始卖一种汤底清澈的手工拉面，这成为了回族穆斯林的主要营生，后来这种实惠且饱腹的早餐在全国各地广受欢迎。

staple adj. 主要的；基本的

【例】Rice is a staple food in East and Southeast Asia.

米饭是东亚和东南亚国家的主食。

Cotton and tea are the staple exports of that country.

棉花和茶叶是那个国家的主要出口产品。

【近义词】major/basic adj. 主要的；基本的

I watched mesmerizing videos of chefs pounding and stretching noodles by hand at a school in Lanzhou, where people travel from across the world to master the craft of noodle pulling. And then I ate 16 bowls of noodles.

我观看了异常吸引人的拉面视频，厨师们在兰州的一所学校里手工捶打和拉伸面条，人们从世界各地来到这里学习拉面技艺。然后我吃了十六碗拉面。

craft n. & v.

1. 作名词：手艺；技艺

【例】traditional crafts like basket-weaving

像编篮子之类的传统工艺

the craft of storytelling

讲故事的技巧

2. 作动词：手工制作；精心制作

【例】a beautifully crafted necklace

制作精美的项链

a carefully crafted speech

精心准备的讲话

【拓展】handicraft n. 手工艺品

craftsmanship n. 工匠精神；高超手艺

兰州并不算是旅游城市，兰州牛肉面在中国以外的知名度也不如麻婆豆腐或担担面那样高。但在最近几十年里，这道菜开始走上了和泰式炒河粉一样的道路。

Local government officials in China have promoted it — subsidizing Lanzhou noodle restaurants and touting the city’s noodle schools — to stimulate tourism and economic development, said Christopher St. Cavish, a food writer in Shanghai.

旅居上海的美食作家克里斯托弗·圣卡维什说，中国地方政府推广了兰州拉面，为兰州拉面馆提供补贴，并大力宣传兰州的拉面学校，目的是刺激旅游业和经济发展。

Everyone I spoke to had a differing opinion about the ideal version. “Balanced and very aromatic, yet not overly exciting,” said Wei Guo, who grew up in Lanzhou and runs the Chinese food blog Red House Spice.

我采访过的每个人对完美拉面都有不同的看法。“味道平衡且香气浓郁，但不要太过辛辣，”魏国（音译）说，他在兰州长大，现在运营中国美食博客“红屋香料”。

specialize in 专攻；专门研究

【例】He specialized in criminal law.

他专攻刑法。

The shop specializes in hand-made chocolates.

这家商店专营手工制作的巧克力。

【近义词】be expert in sth 某领域的专家；专攻某领域

specialty n. 特产；特长；特色

Lucas Sin, a chef in Shanghai told me, “You should be able to really taste the skill of the chef, and the way the noodles are being pulled.” And Carolyn Phillips, a food historian and cookbook author who specializes in Chinese cuisine, said the soup “should be flavored subtly but uniquely with spices and herbs.”

上海厨师卢卡斯·辛告诉我：“要能够真正尝到厨师的手艺，以及面条是怎么拉出来的。”专门研究中国菜的美食历史学家兼食谱作者卡罗琳·菲利普斯说，汤底“应该用香料和草药调出含蓄而独特的味道”。

specialize in 专攻；专门研究

【例】He specialized in criminal law.

他专攻刑法。

The shop specializes in hand-made chocolates.

这家商店专营手工制作的巧克力。

【近义词】be expert in sth 某领域的专家；专攻某领域

specialty n. 特产；特长；特色

I kept all that in mind as I flitted across this frigid city and slurped bowl after bowl, my frosty cheeks thawing in the steam of each broth. Here are the three restaurants whose distinctive soups most jolted my senses awake — and the reasons you might visit them.

我穿梭在寒冷的纽约，心中牢记这些话，一碗接一碗地喝汤，冻得冰凉的脸颊在每碗汤的热气中逐渐回暖。以下三家餐厅的独特汤底最能唤醒我的感官，我也写下了你可能会去光顾的理由。

thaw v. （结冰后）解冻，融化

【例】The ice is thawing.

冰雪开始融化了。

Leave the meat to thaw before cooking.

让肉解冻后再烹煮。

Their relationship started to thaw.

他们的关系缓和了一些。

课后练习

What fascinated the author a few months ago?
A. An Instagram photo of a bowl of noodles.
B. A painting of a dish from an anime series.
C. An Instagram video of how to cook noodles.
D. A wildly popular regional dish on the internet.
According to the text, what is the origin story of Lanzhou beef noodle soup?
A. It was first sold by a Hui Muslim from Lanzhou in 1915.
B. It was invented by chefs in a famous school in Lanzhou.
C. It was a traditional dish with a long history in Eastern China.
D. It was a Chinese dish combined with the flavors of pad Thai.
How has Lanzhou beef noodles become popular in recent decades?
A. It has attracted people with its unique taste.
B. The local government has promoted it.
C. Tourists have spread its reputation .
D. Many food writers have praised it.
What did the author do after talking to several food experts?
A. The author wrote a food blog about Lanzhou beef noodles.
B. The author tried to create her ideal version of the noodles.
C. The author searched the city to find impressive beef noodles.
D. The author published a cookbook specializing in Chinese cuisine.