一位记者尝试了TikTok推荐的餐厅

我花了几个小时刷TikTok，跳进了餐厅视频的数字兔子洞，然后跟着我的主页推荐随意去不同餐厅吃了一个星期。

双语精读

TikTok is many things: a place for slime videos, a free therapy session, the leading source of information in America right now, and, for some, the ultimate restaurant resource.

TikTok身兼数职：它是一个可以看史莱姆视频的地方，是免费的疗愈课程，是目前美国最前沿的信息来源，而且对一些人来说，还是一个终极餐厅资源库。

With a properly tuned algorithm, TikTok can become a never-ending scroll of rhythmic recommendations from critics of varying reliability, many of whom have been paid by restaurants for their P.R.-approved opinions.

TikTok采用了经过适当调整优化的算法，可以有节奏地提供划不到底的种草视频，发布这些种草视频的评论者有的可靠，有的不可靠，其中许多人的观点经过了餐厅公关部的批准，而且可以从中拿钱。

How trustworthy are their suggestions, really? And what can a diner expect from these spots, when videos have promised them perfect vibes, hot singles and even religious enlightenment?

他们的建议到底有多可信？当短视频承诺这些餐厅可以让食客获得完美的氛围、性感的单身汉，甚至宗教开悟时，食客们能抱有什么期待？

To find out, I spent hours on TikTok, going down a digital rabbit hole of restaurant videos, then dined for a week at the whim of my For You Page.

为了找出答案，我花了几个小时刷TikTok，跳进了餐厅视频的数字兔子洞，然后跟着我的主页推荐随意去不同餐厅吃了一个星期。

1. 'New York's hottest new restaurant': Meduza Mediterrania.

1. “纽约最火的新餐厅”：美杜莎地中海餐厅。

Thistle Swann and Jacob Cummings, who met on Hinge, put their faith in the internet once more to choose their anniversary dinner locale. "I just looked up 'fancy restaurants' on TikTok," Mr. Cummings said.

希瑟·斯旺和雅各布·卡明斯是在约会软件Hinge上认识的，他们在选择周年纪念晚餐地点时决定再次把信念寄托在互联网上。“我直接在TikTok上搜索‘时髦餐厅’，”卡明斯说。

That's how the couple, both 25, found themselves below a huge fake tree sprouting from the middle of the dining room at Meduza Mediterrania, a clubstaurant in the Meatpacking district with a strict dress code (no sweatpants, shorts or jerseys) and a pricey raw bar.

于是这对同为25岁的情侣就坐在了一棵巨大的假树下，这棵假树从美杜莎地中海餐厅的中央耸立而出，这家餐厅是位于米特帕金区的一个俱乐部餐厅，有严格的着装要求(不能穿运动裤、短裤或运动衫)和价格昂贵的海鲜吧。

Meduza's website calls it "a dining experience that takes you on a journey to a world of sunlit coasts, sparkling waters and vibrant culture." I didn't find any geographic marvels, but I was surprised to find the food terrific.

美杜莎网站称“在这里就餐可以让你感受到阳光灿烂的海岸、波光粼粼的海面和充满活力的文化”。我没有在餐厅发现任何地理奇观，但我惊讶地发现那里的食物超级赞。

The couple agreed, though admittedly, they never go out for nice dinners. "But," Mr. Cummings said at the end of the meal, "I'm gonna be honest, it was not $800 delicious."

两人也认为食物很好，“但是，”卡明斯在用餐结束时说，“老实说，没有好吃到值800美元。”

2. 'Literally a religious experience': Quality Bistro.

2. “简直是真正的宗教体验”：优质小酒馆。

"Your life will be forever changed," said Rebecca Schneider, who posts as @boujeebitesonly, about a (comped) dinner at Quality Bistro - specifically, the table-side butter service.

“你的人生将永远改变。”丽贝卡·施耐德在优质小酒馆吃了（免费）晚餐后说，她的TikTok账号是boujeebitesonly，她特别提到了桌边黄油服务。

Here's how the profound event begins: A server carts over a bucket with a half-foot mound of butter emerging from it. With a wooden spatula, they scoop out a baseball-size blob of butter, smear it onto a marble plate and top it with pimente d'espelette, minced shallots and salt.

这个隆重的服务是这样开始的：服务员用小推车运来一个大桶，里面盛着半英尺高、堆得冒出桶沿的黄油堆。服务员用木铲挖出一块棒球大小的黄油，涂在大理石盘子上，然后在上面放上埃斯佩莱特辣椒、红洋葱末和盐。

For $38, the butter plate comes with oiled toast, radishes and a bouquet of their leaves, cornichons, two dips, a cold leek dish and slices of ham folded like linen napkins.

一盘黄油的价格是38美元，附带油煎吐司、樱桃萝卜和一束萝卜叶子、腌黄瓜、两份蘸酱、韭葱凉菜和叠得像亚麻餐巾一样的火腿片。

I wouldn't say I found God at Quality Bistro, but more disappointingly, I didn't find a husband.

我不会说我在优质小酒馆找到了上帝，但更令我失望的是，我也没有找到老公。

After seeing a number of videos mention the hunky clientele - Ariana Nathani (@ariana.nathani) said "everybody here was a finance daddy," and Tiff Baira (@tiffbaira) called it "the best NYC restaurant to meet eligible bachelors" - I found only groups of millennial women drinking espresso martinis and families celebrating birthdays, sparklers in their desserts.

我看到很多视频都说来这里吃饭的客人高大英俊--爱丽亚娜·那桑尼(@ariana.Nathani)说“这里的所有人都是金融帅大叔”，蒂芙·贝拉(@tiffbaira)说这里“是最能遇到黄金单身汉的纽约餐厅”--但我只看到一群群喝浓缩咖啡马提尼的千禧一代女性，以及甜品上插着烟花棒、正在庆祝生日的家庭。

词汇预习

• source [高考]

  美[sɔːrs] | 英[sɔːs]

  n. 来源；发源地；原始资料 v. 从...获得

• code [高考]

  美[koʊd] | 英[kəʊd]

  n. 密码；法规；准则 v. 制成法典；把 ... 编码

• diner [高考]

  美[ˈdaɪnɚ] | 英[ˈdaɪnə(r)]

  n. 【C】用餐者；车形餐馆

• eligible [高考]

  美[ˈelɪdʒəbl] | 英[ˈelɪdʒəbl]

  adj. 有资格的；合适的

• server [高考]

  美[ˈsɜrvə(r)] | 英[ˈsɜ:və(r)]

  n. 服务器；侍者；辅祭者；发球者；托盘

• geographic [高考]

  美[ˌdʒiə'ɡræfɪk] | 英[ˌdʒi:ə'ɡræfɪk]

  adj. 地理的；地理学的

• trustworthy [高考]

  美[ˈtrʌstwɜːrði] | 英[ˈtrʌstwɜːði]

  adj. 可信赖的

• profound [高考]

  美[prəˈfaʊnd] | 英[prəˈfaʊnd]

  adj. 深奥的；渊博的；极度的；意义深远的

• reliability [高考]

  美[rɪˌlaɪə'bɪləti] | 英[rɪˌlaɪə'bɪlɪti]

  n. 可靠性

• bucket [高考]

  美[ˈbʌkɪt] | 英[ˈbʌkɪt]

  n. 【C】水桶；（机器上的）桶装物；大量 vi. 颠簸行进；下倾盆大雨 vt. 装在桶里

• session [高考]

  美[ˈseʃn] | 英[ˈseʃn]

  n. 会议；会期；开庭期；学期；一段时间

• faith [高考]

  美[feɪθ] | 英[feɪθ]

  n. 信仰；信念；信任

• fancy [高考]

  美[ˈfænsi] | 英[ˈfænsi]

  vt. 想象；爱慕；认为；想要 n. 爱好；幻想；想像力 adj. 华丽装饰的；复杂的；引人注目的；时髦的；昂贵的，豪华的

• raw [高考]

  美[rɔː] | 英[rɔː]

  adj. 未加工的；生的；原始的；湿冷的 n. 触到某人的痛处

• finance [高考]

  美[ˈfaɪnæns] | 英[ˈfaɪnæns]

  n. 金融；财政；资金 vt. 给 ... 提供资金；负担经费

• anniversary [高考]

  美[ˌænɪˈvɜːrsəri] | 英[ˌænɪˈvɜːsəri]

  n. 周年纪念；周年纪念日

• religious [高考]

  美[rɪˈlɪdʒəs] | 英[rɪˈlɪdʒəs]

  adj. 宗教的；虔诚的；严谨的；修道的 n. 修道士；尼姑

• marble [高考]

  美[ˈmɑːrbl] | 英[ˈmɑːbl]

  n. 大理石；弹子，弹珠 vt. 使有大理石的花纹

• once more [高考]

  美[wʌns mɔːr] | 英[wʌns mɔː(r)]

  再一次； 又一次

• bar [高考]

  美[ bɑːr] | 英[bɑː(r)]

  n. 酒吧；条；横木；栅 vt. 禁止；阻挠；闩上；在 ... 设栅栏

• onto [高考]

  美[ˈɑːntə , ˈɑːntu] | 英[ˈɒntə , ˈɒntu]

  prep. 到 ... 上

• scoop [高考]

  美[skuːp] | 英[skuːp]

  n. 铲子；勺；舀取；穴；独家新闻 vt. 挖空；舀取；抢先报道（获得）

• ultimate [高考]

  美[ˈʌl.tə.mət] | 英[ˈʌltɪmət]

  adj. 根本的；极限的；最后的；终极的 n. 终极；极品；根本

• terrific [四级]

  美[təˈrɪfɪk] | 英[təˈrɪfɪk]

  adj. 可怕的；极好的；非常的；危险的

• linen [四级]

  美[ˈlɪnɪn] | 英[ˈlɪnɪn]

  n. 亚麻布；亚麻线；亚麻制品 adj. 亚麻布制的；亚麻的

• therapy [四级]

  美[ˈθerəpi] | 英[ˈθerəpi]

  n. 疗法；治疗

• enlightenment [四级]

  美[ɪnˈlaɪtnmənt] | 英[ɪnˈlaɪtnmənt]

  n. 启蒙 n. 【佛教】 开悟

• a number of [四级]

  美[ə ˈnʌmbər əv] | 英[ə ˈnʌmbə(r) ɒv]

  许多；若干（后接可数名词的复数形式）

• leading [四级]

  美[ˈliːdɪŋ , ˈledɪŋ] | 英[ˈliːdɪŋ , ˈledɪŋ]

  adj. 领导的；指导的；主要的；在前的

• faith in [六级]

  美[feθ ɪn] | 英[feiθ in]

  对 ... 的信心

• vibrant [专四]

  美[ˈvaɪbrənt] | 英[ˈvaɪbrənt]

  adj. 震颤的；响亮的；充满活力的；精力充沛的；(色彩)鲜明的

• smear [专四]

  美[smɪr] | 英[smɪə(r)]

  v. 涂抹；弄脏；诽谤 n. 污点；涂料；诽谤

• scroll [专八]

  美[skroʊl] | 英[skrəʊl]

  n. 卷轴；画卷；名册；卷形物 v. 卷动

• leek [专八]

  美[liːk] | 英[liːk]

  n. 韭葱；青蒜

• blob [专八]

  美[blɑb] | 英[blɒb]

  n. 小圆块；小斑点；一滴 v. 弄脏

• slime [专八]

  美[slaɪm] | 英[slaɪm]

  n. 烂泥；黏液 v. 涂上黏泥

• whim [专八]

  美[wɪm] | 英[wɪm]

  n. 一时的兴致；奇想

• clientele [考研]

  美[ˌklaɪənˈtel] | 英[ˌkliːənˈtel]

  n. 客户

• God [考研]

  美[ɡɑːd] | 英[ɡɒd]

  n. 神；偶像；(复数)[英]剧院顶层楼座的观众；(大写)上帝 int. 天呐

• sunlit [托福]

  美[ˈsʌnˌlɪt] | 英[ˈsʌnlɪt]

  adj. 被日光照射的

重点讲解

TikTok is many things: a place for slime videos, a free therapy session, the leading source of information in America right now, and, for some, the ultimate restaurant resource.

TikTok身兼数职：它是一个可以看史莱姆视频的地方，是免费的疗愈课程，是目前美国最前沿的信息来源，而且对一些人来说，还是一个终极餐厅资源库。

therapy  n. 治疗；疗法

【例】to undergo drug therapy

接受药物治疗

She's in therapy. 

她在接受心理治疗。

【拓展】chemotherapy  n. 化疗

retail therapy  购物疗法；“包”治百病

【近义词】treatment  n. 治疗

【拓展】therapeutic  adj. 治愈的；让人放松的

tune  v. 调音；调整；调节

【例】to tune oneself to a slower life 

使自己适应节奏较慢的生活

【拓展】finely-tuned  adj. 经过仔细调节的

【例】The race car's engine is finely-tuned for maximum performance.

这辆赛车的引擎经过了仔细调试，目的是发挥最优性能。

With a properly tuned algorithm, TikTok can become a never-ending scroll of rhythmic recommendations from critics of varying reliability, many of whom have been paid by restaurants for their P.R.-approved opinions.

TikTok采用了经过适当调整优化的算法，可以有节奏地提供划不到底的种草视频，发布这些种草视频的评论者有的可靠，有的不可靠，其中许多人的观点经过了餐厅公关部的批准，而且可以从中拿钱。

therapy  n. 治疗；疗法

【例】to undergo drug therapy

接受药物治疗

She's in therapy. 

她在接受心理治疗。

【拓展】chemotherapy  n. 化疗

retail therapy  购物疗法；“包”治百病

【近义词】treatment  n. 治疗

【拓展】therapeutic  adj. 治愈的；让人放松的

tune  v. 调音；调整；调节

【例】to tune oneself to a slower life 

使自己适应节奏较慢的生活

【拓展】finely-tuned  adj. 经过仔细调节的

【例】The race car's engine is finely-tuned for maximum performance.

这辆赛车的引擎经过了仔细调试，目的是发挥最优性能。

How trustworthy are their suggestions, really? And what can a diner expect from these spots, when videos have promised them perfect vibes, hot singles and even religious enlightenment?

他们的建议到底有多可信？当短视频承诺这些餐厅可以让食客获得完美的氛围、性感的单身汉，甚至宗教开悟时，食客们能抱有什么期待？

vibe  n. 气氛；氛围

【例】The vibes weren't right. 

这气氛不对头。

【近义词】atmosphere/ambience  n. 氛围

【拓展】vibe manager/moodsetter  气氛组

at whim  心血来潮地；任性地

【例】My duties seem to change daily at the whim of the boss. 

我的职责似乎随着老板的兴致每天改变。

【近义词】at will  随意地；任意地

【拓展】whimsical  adj. 心血来潮的；稀奇古怪的

To find out, I spent hours on TikTok, going down a digital rabbit hole of restaurant videos, then dined for a week at the whim of my For You Page.

为了找出答案，我花了几个小时刷TikTok，跳进了餐厅视频的数字兔子洞，然后跟着我的主页推荐随意去不同餐厅吃了一个星期。

vibe  n. 气氛；氛围

【例】The vibes weren't right. 

这气氛不对头。

【近义词】atmosphere/ambience  n. 氛围

【拓展】vibe manager/moodsetter  气氛组

at whim  心血来潮地；任性地

【例】My duties seem to change daily at the whim of the boss. 

我的职责似乎随着老板的兴致每天改变。

【近义词】at will  随意地；任意地

【拓展】whimsical  adj. 心血来潮的；稀奇古怪的

1. ‘New York’s hottest new restaurant’: Meduza Mediterrania.

1. “纽约最火的新餐厅”：美杜莎地中海餐厅。

locale  n. 地点；场所

【例】the locale for the wedding/of the story

婚礼地点/故事发生地点

【近义词】place/location/spot/venue  n. 地点/场馆

sprout  n. & v.

1. 作名词：新芽；苗

【例】bean sprouts  豆芽

bamboo sprouts  竹笋

Rice Sprout Song 《秧歌》

2. 作动词：发芽；抽条；涌现

【例】The seeds/leaves sprouted.

种子发芽了/长出新叶了。

Tall buildings have sprouted in the city.

城市里许多高楼拔地而起。

Thistle Swann and Jacob Cummings, who met on Hinge, put their faith in the internet once more to choose their anniversary dinner locale. “I just looked up ‘fancy restaurants’ on TikTok,” Mr. Cummings said.

希瑟·斯旺和雅各布·卡明斯是在约会软件Hinge上认识的，他们在选择周年纪念晚餐地点时决定再次把信念寄托在互联网上。“我直接在TikTok上搜索‘时髦餐厅’，”卡明斯说。

locale  n. 地点；场所

【例】the locale for the wedding/of the story

婚礼地点/故事发生地点

【近义词】place/location/spot/venue  n. 地点/场馆

sprout  n. & v.

1. 作名词：新芽；苗

【例】bean sprouts  豆芽

bamboo sprouts  竹笋

Rice Sprout Song 《秧歌》

2. 作动词：发芽；抽条；涌现

【例】The seeds/leaves sprouted.

种子发芽了/长出新叶了。

Tall buildings have sprouted in the city.

城市里许多高楼拔地而起。

That’s how the couple, both 25, found themselves below a huge fake tree sprouting from the middle of the dining room at Meduza Mediterrania, a clubstaurant in the Meatpacking district with a strict dress code (no sweatpants, shorts or jerseys) and a pricey raw bar.

于是这对同为25岁的情侣就坐在了一棵巨大的假树下，这棵假树从美杜莎地中海餐厅的中央耸立而出，这家餐厅是位于米特帕金区的一个俱乐部餐厅，有严格的着装要求(不能穿运动裤、短裤或运动衫)和价格昂贵的海鲜吧。

locale  n. 地点；场所

【例】the locale for the wedding/of the story

婚礼地点/故事发生地点

【近义词】place/location/spot/venue  n. 地点/场馆

sprout  n. & v.

1. 作名词：新芽；苗

【例】bean sprouts  豆芽

bamboo sprouts  竹笋

Rice Sprout Song 《秧歌》

2. 作动词：发芽；抽条；涌现

【例】The seeds/leaves sprouted.

种子发芽了/长出新叶了。

Tall buildings have sprouted in the city.

城市里许多高楼拔地而起。

Meduza****’s website calls it**** “a dining experience**** that**** takes you on**** a journey to**** a world of**** sunlit**** coasts****,**** sparkling waters**** and vibrant culture.” I didn****’t find**** any geographic**** marvels,**** but I was surprised to**** find**** the food**** terrific****.****

美杜莎网站称“在这里就餐可以让你感受到阳光灿烂的海岸、波光粼粼的海面和充满活力的文化”。我没有在餐厅发现任何地理奇观，但我惊讶地发现那里的食物超级赞。

The couple**** agreed****,**** though**** admittedly****,**** they**** never go**** out for nice**** dinners.**** “But****,” Mr****.**** Cummings**** said**** at**** the end of**** the meal****,**** “I’m gonna**** be**** honest****,**** it**** was not $800**** delicious.”

两人也认为食物很好，“但是，”卡明斯在用餐结束时说，“老实说，没有好吃到值800美元。”

2. ‘Literally a religious experience’: Quality Bistro.

2. “简直是真正的宗教体验”：优质小酒馆。

comped  adj. 免费的；补偿的

【例】a comped ticket  免费赠票

comped days off  （加班后的）几天调休

【拓展】a complimentary ticket  赠票

compensatory days off  几天调休

“Your life will be forever changed,” said Rebecca Schneider, who posts as @boujeebitesonly, about a (comped) dinner at Quality Bistro — specifically, the table-side butter service.

“你的人生将永远改变。”丽贝卡·施耐德在优质小酒馆吃了（免费）晚餐后说，她的TikTok账号是boujeebitesonly，她特别提到了桌边黄油服务。

comped  adj. 免费的；补偿的

【例】a comped ticket  免费赠票

comped days off  （加班后的）几天调休

【拓展】a complimentary ticket  赠票

compensatory days off  几天调休

Here’s how the profound event begins: A server carts over a bucket with a half-foot mound of butter emerging from it. With a wooden spatula, they scoop out a baseball-size blob of butter, smear it onto a marble plate and top it with pimente d’espelette, minced shallots and salt.

这个隆重的服务是这样开始的：服务员用小推车运来一个大桶，里面盛着半英尺高、堆得冒出桶沿的黄油堆。服务员用木铲挖出一块棒球大小的黄油，涂在大理石盘子上，然后在上面放上埃斯佩莱特辣椒、红洋葱末和盐。

smear  v. 涂抹；弄脏；使模糊

【例】His glasses were smeared. 

他的眼镜脏了。

Her makeup was smeared.

她的妆花了。

to smear one’s reputation

玷污某人的名誉

【近义词】smudge  v. 变模糊；弄脏

For $38, the butter plate comes with oiled toast, radishes and a bouquet of their leaves, cornichons, two dips, a cold leek dish and slices of ham folded like linen napkins.

一盘黄油的价格是38美元，附带油煎吐司、樱桃萝卜和一束萝卜叶子、腌黄瓜、两份蘸酱、韭葱凉菜和叠得像亚麻餐巾一样的火腿片。

smear  v. 涂抹；弄脏；使模糊

【例】His glasses were smeared. 

他的眼镜脏了。

Her makeup was smeared.

她的妆花了。

to smear one’s reputation

玷污某人的名誉

【近义词】smudge  v. 变模糊；弄脏

I wouldn’t say I found God at Quality Bistro, but more disappointingly, I didn’t find a husband.

我不会说我在优质小酒馆找到了上帝，但更令我失望的是，我也没有找到老公。

eligible  adj. 

1. 有资格的；具备条件的

【例】be eligible for the pension

符合领养老金的条件

2. （男女对象）中意的；合适的

【例】As a successful doctor with a good personality, he is considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the city.

作为一名成功的医生并且性格很好，他被认为是这座城市最合适的单身汉之一。

After seeing a number of videos mention the hunky clientele — Ariana Nathani (@ariana.nathani) said “everybody here was a finance daddy,” and Tiff Baira (@tiffbaira) called it “the best NYC restaurant to meet eligible bachelors” — I found only groups of millennial women drinking espresso martinis and families celebrating birthdays, sparklers in their desserts.

我看到很多视频都说来这里吃饭的客人高大英俊--爱丽亚娜·那桑尼(@ariana.Nathani)说“这里的所有人都是金融帅大叔”，蒂芙·贝拉(@tiffbaira)说这里“是最能遇到黄金单身汉的纽约餐厅”--但我只看到一群群喝浓缩咖啡马提尼的千禧一代女性，以及甜品上插着烟花棒、正在庆祝生日的家庭。

eligible  adj. 

1. 有资格的；具备条件的

【例】be eligible for the pension

符合领养老金的条件

2. （男女对象）中意的；合适的

【例】As a successful doctor with a good personality, he is considered one of the most eligible bachelors in the city.

作为一名成功的医生并且性格很好，他被认为是这座城市最合适的单身汉之一。

课后练习

• Why did the author decide to dine at restaurants recommended on the For You Page?

  A. Because the author was paid by the restaurants to promote them.

  B. Because she was attracted by the TikTok videos about restaurants.

  C. Because she was looking for entertainment during her spare time.

  D. Because she wanted to verify TikTok's restaurant recommendations.

• How did the author actually feel about Meduza Mediterrania?

  A. She was disappointed by the expensive raw bar.

  B. She was surprised to find the food very delicious.

  C. She was impressed by the amazing decoration there.

  D. She agreed with the couple that it wasn’t worth $800.

• What makes the dinner at Quality Bistro special?

  A. The unique table-side butter service.

  B. The exceptional customer service at the table.

  C. The many dishes coming with the butter plate.

  D. The religious atmosphere and generous portion.

• What was the author disappointed about at Quality Bistro?

  A. The lack of divine experience.

  B. The late arrival of her husband.

  C. The absence of handsome single men.

  D. The noises from the birthday celebration.