為啥老外飯后酷愛(ài)吃甜食

If you ask for cheesecake after dinner at a Chinese restaurant, you don’t really know about the Asian diet.

如果你在一個(gè)中餐廳就餐后點(diǎn)奶酪蛋糕，那么你就是對(duì)亞洲飲食一點(diǎn)兒也不了解。

I am sorry to break it to you, but most Chinese restaurants don’t serve dessert.

我很抱歉讓你掃興了，但事實(shí)上大多數(shù)的中餐廳真的是不提供甜食的。

Why not? Well, before I answer that question, I would like to know why Westerners always have room for dessert.

為什么呢?這樣，在我回答這個(gè)問(wèn)題之前，我很想知道為什么西方人總是在飯后還能吃得下甜食。

The other night, I went out for dinner with an American friend. After having a big bowl of Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, and pan-fried chicken the size of my head with lemon sauce, I was so full that I almost died.

某天晚上，我和一個(gè)美國(guó)朋友一起出去吃晚餐。在吃了一大碗凱撒沙拉，土豆泥，炸雞和像我的頭那么大一杯檸檬汁后，我簡(jiǎn)直要撐死了。

At that very moment, my friend asked, "What would you like for dessert? Cheesecake or a brownie?"

就在這時(shí)，我的朋友問(wèn)，“你想要什么甜點(diǎn)?奶酪蛋糕還是巧克力蛋糕?”

I looked at her slim figure and wondered how she could have room for dessert after the heavy main course.

我打量著她苗條的身材，想著在吃了這樣一頓大餐后，她胃里怎么還能裝得下甜點(diǎn)?

"Maybe Asians have a relatively smaller stomach," I thought.

我想，“也許亞洲人的胃相對(duì)小些。”

The physiological explanation is: Our stomach is a flexible organ.

而生理學(xué)的解釋是，我們的胃是一個(gè)能屈能伸的器官。

"If you eat slowly and chew the food well, it is easier for your stomach to digest it, and you can have dessert," she said.

朋友說(shuō)，“如果你細(xì)嚼慢咽，食物就能更好的被消化，然后你就可以吃甜點(diǎn)了。”

I don’t know when this Western tradition began. But the trend of having a dessert after dinner is declining. More and more people are cutting it out to become healthier and stay fit. The one-dish meal is on its way back.

我不知道這個(gè)西方的傳統(tǒng)是從什么時(shí)候開(kāi)始的，但是餐后吃甜點(diǎn)的這個(gè)趨勢(shì)已經(jīng)開(kāi)始下降。為了保持健康，越來(lái)越多的人餐后都不吃甜點(diǎn)了，又回歸到了只有一個(gè)主菜。

Let’s get back to the question of why most Chinese people do not have a habit of having dessert after dinner. Well, sweets are considered snacks in China. Chinese people don’t eat it after dinner.

現(xiàn)在讓我們言傳正傳：為何中國(guó)人沒(méi)有餐后吃甜點(diǎn)的習(xí)慣?其實(shí)，甜點(diǎn)在中國(guó)被視為零食。中國(guó)人飯后是不吃零食的。

Quite the opposite, sometimes Chinese people eat sweets before dinner. I remember I was not allowed to have sweets before dinner when I was little. My parents knew that if I did, I would not have room for dinner.

恰恰相反的是，有時(shí)中國(guó)人在飯前吃零食。我還記得小時(shí)候，在飯前大人不讓我吃零食。父母知道如果吃了零食，那一定就不能好好吃飯了。

Moreover, the Chinese diet values wellness. Many Chinese people believe food is medicine. Thus, if people want to stay healthy, they keep away from sweets.

更重要的是，中國(guó)飲食注重健康。多數(shù)中國(guó)人認(rèn)為食物是具有藥性的。因此，如果人們想要保持健康，就要遠(yuǎn)離零食。

As for those who crave the sweet stuff, they can go to special dessert places.

而對(duì)于那些對(duì)甜點(diǎn)上癮的人來(lái)說(shuō)，他們可以去特別的甜品店。

These shops are very popular in Hong Kong and Macao where desserts like black sesame ice cream, sweet red bean soup, and tofu pudding are great bedtime snacks. They are open until very late in the evening.

在香港和澳門(mén)，這樣的甜品店很常見(jiàn)，出售如黑芝麻冰淇淋、紅豆羹、豆腐布丁等夜宵。這些店子一直開(kāi)到深夜才打烊。

It remains a mystery to me how the locals stay so slim.

可是神奇的是，當(dāng)?shù)厝丝雌饋?lái)都很苗條。

"Wait. Chinese people do eat dessert - the fruit plate," my friend reminded me.

我的朋友提醒我，“等一下，中國(guó)人其實(shí)是吃甜食的——水果拼盤(pán)。”

Yes, Chinese people don’t usually order dessert, but restaurants do serve fruit platters, mostly comprising fruits that are in-season, such as watermelons, tomatoes, apples and oranges. I love it. I feel like those fruit slices are light and fresh after a heavy meal.

確實(shí)，中國(guó)人不怎么點(diǎn)甜食，但是餐廳里提供有水果拼盤(pán)，比如西瓜、圣女果、蘋(píng)果和橙子等時(shí)令水果。我很喜歡吃。在吃過(guò)大餐后，水果切片給人感覺(jué)很清爽也很新鮮。

Scientists claim that you can use willpower to stop craving sweets. The secret is to eat with mindfulness. They suggest focusing on the food you eat and how full you become, which over time can reduce your desire for dessert.

科學(xué)家稱(chēng)可以用意志力拒絕甜食。秘密是用正念吃東西。他們建議專(zhuān)注于你所吃的食物，專(zhuān)注于你已吃飽了，這樣就能慢慢的弱化你對(duì)甜食的欲望。

Does it really work? You tell me.

這樣真的奏效嗎?你說(shuō)呢?