An Ordinary Home-Cooked Meal 　　　　　　　　　　　 David J. Firestein 　 　　　 你邀请过外国客人到家里吃饭吗？如果有的话， 　　你在餐桌上是怎么说和做的呢？是否和David 所 　　描述的一样呢？

I remember having the opportunity to eat dinner at the home of a Chinese friend and her family shortly after I arrived in China as a student. The family had invited me to their home for "an ordinary home-cooked meal." I was pleased to accept the invitation and relieved that it wouldn't be a very formal affair.
he family greeted me very warmly when I arrived at their home. After talking for about twenty minutes, they suggested that we move to the dinner table. Only then did I realize the magnitude of their effort: there were so many dishes on the table that I couldn't see the table itself. For this "ordinary home-cooked meal," the family had prepared about fifteen separate dishes!
As we sat down to eat, my friend's mother said, "Unfortunately, there's not very much here; this is just an ordinary dinner." Even having spent little time in China, it was clear that the family had gone to considerable effort in preparing this feast. I doubted that this would truly be considered an "ordinary home-cooked meal" in any country.
I thought, in the United States, if someone had put this type of effort into a meal, they would surely have proudly said something like "These dishes are my specialties; my mother taught me how to make them.
I spent just about all day working on them so you could taste the real thing! I sure hope you enjoy the meal." For Americans, this kind of pride shows that the host took the guest seriously and put his or her best effort into the meal; it's their way of showing respect for the guest. In China, this type of attitude would generally be considered boastful and improper.

As I began to eat, members of the family all said to me, "Just have what you like; help yourself." At the same time, however, they continued to give me some of every dish. Everything was delicious, to be sure. But there were three or four dishes I particularly liked. I tended to eat more of those.
For the other dishes, I finished whatever the family gave to me, even when I didn't want any more. Each time I did, though, the family would give me more, thinking that by eating all of a dish, I was indicating that I wanted to continue eating that dish.
Moreover, every time we had nearly finished a dish, they replenished it from the kitchen. I explained that in the United States, "seeing the bottom" of all the plates is the ideal ending to a meal; it means that the guest has thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Clearly, in China "seeing the bottom" of a dish is a sign that the hosts have not prepared enough.
That meal left a deep impression on me. Having spent nearly three years in China, I'm now quite used to the unique elements of Chinese hospitality. I've come to realize that while both Americans and Chinese are warm and gracious hosts, Americans and Chinese tend to show their warmth in very different ways.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 家常便饭

　　我记得那是在来中国后不久，我应邀到一个中国朋友家去吃饭，他们
家请我去吃顿"家常便饭"，我很高兴地接受了邀请。在知道了那天晚餐不是很正式之后，我就松了一口气。

　　当我到了她家时，全家人热情地招呼我，在谈了约20分钟后，他们提
议坐到餐桌前。到那时我才知道了他们所准备的规模。

　 桌上摆了那么多的菜，我都看不见桌面了。为了这顿"家常便饭"他们做了15个菜。

　 当我们坐下来准备进餐时，朋友的妈妈说："真是不巧，菜不多，只是个便饭"。虽然到中国时间不长，但我很清楚这一家子花费了相当大的力量来准备这顿饭。我想，在任何一个国家，都不会真的认为这是一顿"家常便饭"吧？在美国，如果谁下了这么大功夫准备饭菜，他一定自豪地说上些"这些菜是我的拿手菜，我妈妈教的我，我花费了一整天准备它们，你们才尝到了真正的好味道，我希望你们吃得高兴"这样的话。对于美国人来说，这类的"自夸"表明了主人很看重客人，并且尽了全力来准备饭菜。这是对客人表示尊重的一种
方式。而在中国，这样做会被人认为爱夸耀，很不合适。

　 当我开始吃饭时，全家人都对我说："想吃什么就吃什么，别客气。" 可一边说着，他们又接二连三地给我夹每个盘子里的菜。 的确，每道菜都很好吃，但有三四个菜我特别喜欢，想多吃点，不过对于夹给我的别的菜，也都吃了，即使我不想再吃，然而，每次我吃完后，这家人就又给我添上，他们以为，只要我吃完了什么菜，就意味着还想吃这道菜。
而且，每当一道菜要吃光时，他们又去厨房满上。我告诉他们，在美国，所有的盘子见了底，是最理想的结果，它意味着客人非常喜欢这顿饭。而在中国，"见底"则标志着主人准备得不充足。

　 那顿饭留给我深深的印象。在中国度过了三年后，我已经习惯了中国人好客的独特方式，虽然美国人和中国人都很热情好客，但却以非常不同的方式表达他们的热情。