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你有多久没吃方便面了(instant noodles)?
小时候,再穷也要每天买包干脆面,因为不能辜负刚集到一半的水浒英雄卡。
出门坐火车,到了饭点就掏出方便面,开水一冲,热气糊满了眼镜,车厢里顿时香飘四溢。不到十分钟,满满一碗滋溜下肚,要是能加根肠(ham sausage)、来包榨菜(pickle)就香到心坎里了。
饥肠辘辘的夜晚,在寝室边吃泡面边刷剧,吃完面再嘬几口汤,既能填饱肚子,又能温暖孤独的灵魂。
出了国也要带几包方便面,因为对于远在他乡的留学党来说,一碗泡面能吃出家的感觉。
的确,方便面开袋即食,有烟火气,是80、90后居家旅行必备单品。
英国广播公司(BBC)最近也操心上了中国的方便面,称之为“终极方便食品”。
Easy to make and cheap to buy, instant noodles have long been China's ultimate convenience food.
方便面操作简单,价格实惠,长久以来是中国的终极方便食品。
Be it a snack for students, a meal on the train, or just the go-to choice for hungry workers, more than 46.2 billion packets were sold in China in 2013.
方便面是学生党的快餐,火车上的餐食,或是饥肠辘辘的打工者的不二之选,2013年,中国卖出了超过462亿袋方便面。
说到这,文章笔锋一转:然而到了2016年,中国方便面的销量却骤减(tumble)。
But by 2016 those sales had tumbled to 38.5 billion packets, according to the World Instant Noodle Association. That's a drop of almost 17%.
世界方便面协会数据显示,到了2016年,方便面年销量下降至385亿袋,降幅接近17%。
该报道称,世界其他区域的市场上,方便面销量基本稳定,所以这是一个很不寻常的现象。
双语君(微信ID:Chinadaily_Mobile)仔细想了想,吃泡面好像真的成了久远的回忆,好怀念那熟悉又陌生的味道。
这一有意思的现象已经引发了多家媒体报道:
《商业内幕》:中国农村经济发展导致方便面销量下降
《南华早报》:外卖是什么?中国人网上点餐更多,方便面吃得更少
—— 研究人员称消费者更注重营养价值,不仅仅是填饱肚子
《缅甸时报》:中国的发展扼杀了方便面产业
从标题中似乎看出了方便面销量下降的端倪,下面我们就仔细分析下BBC的报道,看看他们给出的原因。
1. 消费者想要更好的食物
BBC认为,方便面在中国销量大幅下跌,一个重要因素是中国消费者对饮食的期望正在不断提高。(One factor in the slump could well be that some Chinese consumers are upping their expectations in the dining department.)
BBC援引中国日报的报道说:
"The decline of instant noodle sales shows a shift in China's consumption patterns," said Zhao Ping of the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade," he told the China Daily. "Consumers are more interested in life quality than just filling their bellies these days."
中国国际贸易促进委员会赵平向《中国日报》介绍:“方便面销量下降表明中国的消费模式发生了转变。如今,与填饱肚子比,消费者更感兴趣的是如何提高生活质量。”
你有没有发现,进餐已经不仅仅是追求“饱腹”,而是一种享受生活的方式。
如今,分享“网红店”、晒“网红饮料”变成了朋友圈新时尚。秀色可餐的食物(food porn)琳琅满目、五花八门,成为社交媒体上一道风景线。
不好看的食物怎么能好吃。
除了颜值,大家对食物也有了更“个性化”的追求,开始选择更健康、更营养、更走心的食物。说到底,是我们的生活水平大幅提高了。
2. 人口迁移:农村劳动力正在返乡
Until 2014 the number of rural Chinese who had moved to cities had been on the rise. But that trend has now reversed for two consecutive years (and is expected to keep doing so when the 2017 data comes out).
直到2014年,进城就业的中国农村人口数量一直呈上升态势。但连续两年,这一趋势呈现逆转,并至少持续到2017年。
Last year 1.7 million fewer migrant workers lived in cities than in 2015, which quite plausibly could be eating into noodle sales.
2016年,在城市生活的农民工数量比2015年减少了170万。城市中农村务工人口减少,很可能会侵蚀方便面的销量。
几十年前,农民工人背井离乡,到城市寻求谋生的机会。他们生活拮据,希望能多攒点钱,寄给远方的亲人。节衣缩食成为无奈的选择,一顿饭凑乎一口就过去了。
BBC文章称,理论上来说,方便面的一大消费者之一是外来打工者(migrant workers):
They are away from home, often living in cramped conditions with limited cooking facilities, and keen to save as much money as they can to send back to their families.
他们远离家乡,生活条件简陋、烹饪设施有限,希望能多攒点钱寄回家。
而近几年,农村经济崛起,越来越多农民收入增长,外出务工不是唯一的致富途径,城市也不再是农民工人们唯一的选择。更多人可以留在家乡建设自己的家园。
3 出行:基础设施改善,生活习惯改变
中国“新四大发明”(new four inventions)已经享誉世界了:高铁、移动支付、网购、共享单车。
居于四大发明之首的高铁的速度约250公里/小时,大大缩减了人们旅途的耗时。
Chinese trains and stations have improved. Journeys are quicker, and the range of food options are far more international - meaning noodle sales on the railways have fallen.
中国的火车和车站环境都改善了,车速更快了。车上食物的种类也更加国际化了,这意味着火车上方便面的销量下降了。
以前,乘坐火车时感觉道路漫漫,从西至东动辄耗时三五天,于是很多人在路途中靠方便面饱腹。
高铁的普及使得行程缩减为短短几个小时,乘客们不必在车上充饥了。
此外,坐飞机的人也越来越多了……
And then there is the boom in aviation as middle class Chinese people spend billions flying on domestic and international holidays instead of using trains.
假期里,中等收入群体乘飞机(而非乘火车)出游的开支已达到数十亿美元,中国航空市场正迎来空前繁荣。
4 外卖:另外一种“快餐”
About 730 million people in China now have access to the internet according to government figures. And about 95% of those are using smartphones to connect. And apps that offer food delivery to your home, office or wherever you happen to be are a real boom industry.
根据政府部门数据,目前中国互联网覆盖人口约为7.3亿。其中95%的人使用智能手机上网。而给用户住宅、办公室或其他任何地方提供上门送餐的APP是一项真正繁荣的产业。
如果你问远在国外的小伙伴们最缺什么,“外卖”无疑是高票回答之一了。
足不出户,只需要轻轻动动手指,花费几十元和半个小时,就算是深夜也能享受到美味,甚至可以拥有在朋友圈“放毒”的特权。这可是国外小伙伴们和外国友人们享受不到的待遇呀!
有了这样方便快捷的美味,方便面的“方便”就不再是个独一无二的优势了。
这四点原因看下来,觉得还蛮有道理的。
不过,如果你还是放不下泡面,时不时想吃一碗,但又担心不健康,那么下面我们给大家介绍泡面的5种健康吃法,好吃到爆,要不要试一试?
泡面的5种健康吃法
➀ 培根鸡蛋泡面
❶ In a small pot, add the chicken broth, a few pieces of sliced tomato, water, chili paste and 1/2 of the flavor packet, and bring to a gentle simmer for 5-7 minutes. Taste and adjust to your liking. Remove from heat.
在小锅中加入鸡汤、几片西红柿、水、辣椒酱、一半调料包,小火慢煮5-7分钟。根据个人喜好调节口味。然后把锅从火上端走。
❷ Bring water to a boil. Add the noodles, separating them with chopsticks as they soften, about 3 minutes. Drain immediately and place into serving bowl.
烧开水,加入方便面,煮软后用筷子分开,3分钟后滤水取出,放入碗中。
❸ Carefully pour soup over noodles and garnish with bacon, tomato slice, scallions, nori and sesame oil. Cut the boiled egg in half and gently place on top of noodles. Serve immediately.
将汤汁浇在面条上,点缀上培根、西红柿片、小葱、紫菜、麻油。将煮熟的鸡蛋切成两半,温柔地放在面条上。开吃吧!
➁ 奶酪黄油泡面
❶ Bring a pot of water to boil and add noodles. Boil 1 minute, or 1 minute 15 seconds.
锅里烧开水,加入方便面,煮1分钟到1分15秒钟。
❷ Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Spray a little oil and toss them around.
在滤锅中滤干面条,用凉水冲一遍。浇点油,搅拌一下。
❸ Heat butter in a large saucepan on medium heat and add flour to make a roux. Cook about a minute.
在大锅中用中火加热黄油,加入面粉,制成面粉糊,煮一分钟。
❹ Pour in the milk and cook until it becomes frothy and thick, stir occasionally.
倒入牛奶,煮至汤汁粘稠起泡,不时搅拌一下。
❺ Reduce heat to low and gradually add cheese. Add chili paste and salt and stir until cheese is melted.
转为小火,加入奶酪。加入辣椒酱、盐,搅拌至奶酪融化。
❻ Increase heat to medium to medium/low and add noodles. Cook until heated through, about 1-2 minutes. Add milk a tablespoon at a time if you want the sauce to be looser.
转为中低火,加入面条。煮1-2分钟,让面条完全加热。如果想让汤汁稀一点,可以一次加一勺牛奶。
➂ 韩式香辣干拌泡面
❶ Cook the noodles for about 3 minutes. Drain the noodles and run water over them.
面条煮三分钟,滤干水,用冷水冲一遍。
❷ Combine the spicy Korean chili seasoning, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and honey. Whisk to mix thoroughly, then toss with the noodles.
将韩式辣椒调味料、酱油、麻油、米醋、蜂蜜充分搅拌,然后和面条拌匀。
➃ 沙拉干脆面
❶ In a large bowl mix together cabbage, carrots, onion, chicken, and almonds.
在一个大碗里放入卷心菜、胡萝卜、洋葱、鸡肉、杏仁。
❷ Remove the seasoning packets from the ramen noodle packages and set aside for use in the dressing. Place noodles in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Add the noodles to the bowl with the cabbage.
把方便面中的调料包取出,待用。把面饼放入一个大自封袋,用擀面杖碾碎,然后将碎面放入蔬菜碗里。
❸ Mix dressing ingredients — vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, white sugar, chicken flavored ramen seasoning packages — together.
把调味料搅拌好,包括植物油、白醋、酱油、白糖、鸡肉味方便面调味包。
❹ Pour desired amount of dressing over salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
按照个人口味将适量调味料浇在沙拉上,充分搅拌,开吃吧!
➄ 风味炒面
❶ Whisk the sauce ingredients — rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, minced ginger — together in a bowl and set aside.
将白醋、麻油、酱油、海鲜酱、红糖、蒜蓉、姜蓉在碗中搅拌均匀,制成调味料备用。
❷ Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat, and cook the noodles according to package directions.
将锅中水煮沸,放入面饼,按包装说明煮熟备用。
❸ Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, ginger, mushrooms, broccoli, and peppers, and saute for about a minute.
同时,在炒锅中放油,烧至七成热、泛油光,加入蒜、姜、蘑菇、西兰花、辣椒翻炒约一分钟。
❹ Add the scrambled egg, if using, and stir until it's mostly set up. Mix in with the vegetables.
加入打散的鸡蛋,炒至鸡蛋成块,然后和蔬菜一起翻炒。
❺ Add the noodles. Drizzle the sauce over the stir fry, plus a big pinch of cilantro, and mix well.
加入面条,大火快炒,浇上酱汁,再加一把香菜,翻炒均匀。
❻ Garnish with scallions and more cilantro before serving.
上桌前撒上小葱和香菜。
馋了没?赶紧自己动手做一碗香喷喷的泡面吧……
(来源:中国日报双语新闻微信 编辑:左卓 焦洁 实习生:吴雨浛)
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