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A:
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纽约真好玩啊！唉，快六点了，我们去吃饭吧。
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Niǔyuē zhēn hǎowán a! ài, kuài liù diǎn le, wǒmen qù chīfàn ba.
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New York is a lot of fun! Whew! It's almost 6! Let's go eat.
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B:
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好啊，今天你想吃什么？
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hǎo a, jīntiān nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?
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Okay. What do you want to eat today?
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A:
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这两天都清一色的西餐，我都吃腻了，有点想念家乡的口味了。要不我们试试这里的中国菜吧。这附近有什么中国餐馆吗？
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zhèliǎngtiān dōu qīngyīsè de xīcān, wǒ dōu chī nì le, yǒudiǎnr xiǎngniàn jiāxiāng de kǒuwèi le. yàobu wǒmen shìshi zhèlǐ de zhōngguó cài ba. zhè fùjìn yǒu shénme Zhōngguó cānguǎn ma?
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These past two days have been nothing but Western food and I'm getting tired of it. I miss the tastes of home. How about we try some Chinese food. Are there any Chinese restaurants in the area?
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B:
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这里最常见的就是中式自助餐。
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zhèlǐ zuì chángjiàn de jiùshì zhōngshì zìzhùcān.
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Around here you're most likely to see Chinese buffets.
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A:
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这个好啊，我饿死了，正好多吃点。
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zhè ge hǎo a, wǒ è sǐ le, zhènghǎo duō chī diǎnr.
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That's fine. I'm starving and ready to eat a lot.
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B:
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但是一般中式自助餐的味道都很不正宗，菜的卖相也很不好。
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dànshì yībān zhōngshì zìzhùcān de wèidao dōu hěn bù zhèngzōng, cài de màixiàng yě hěn bù hǎo.
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However, the taste of most Chinese buffets isn't authentic. The presentation of the food isn't great either.
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A:
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真的吗？怎么个不好呀？
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zhēn de ma? zěnme gè bù hǎo ya?
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Really? Is it that bad?
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B:
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嗯……大概就是酸酸甜甜的酱汁里放上肉和蔬菜。或者把肉炸一炸。反正看起来就像一团浆糊一样。
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ng4…… dàgài jiùshì suānsuāntiántián de jiàngzhī lǐ fàng shang ròu hé shūcài. huò zhě bǎ ròu zhá yī zhá. fǎnzhèng kàn qǐlái jiù xiàng yī tuán jiànghú yīyàng.
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Yeah... Most of it is just meat and vegetables covered in sweet and sour sauce. Or the meat is deep fried. Anyway, it all looks like a bunch of mush.
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A:
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咦，听起来也没食欲。那还有别的吗？
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yí, tīng qǐlai yě méi shíyù. nà háiyǒu biéde ma?
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Man, hearing about it makes me lose my appetite. Are there other places to go?
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B:
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还有一些环境不错的中国餐厅。这些地方的菜看起来比自助餐厅好点，至少是一盘一盘的。
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háiyǒu yīxiē huánjìng bùcuò de Zhōngguó cāntīng. zhèxiē dìfang de cài kàn qǐlái bǐ zìzhùcāntīng hǎo diǎnr, zhìshǎo shì yīpán yīpán de.
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There are some Chinese restaurants with a nice atmosphere. The food at these places looks better than at the buffets. At least it's served by the dish.
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A:
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我猜味道也都是酸酸甜甜的吧。美国人怎么那么喜欢甜酸酱啊？
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wǒ cāi wèidao yě dōu shì suānsuāntiántián de ba. Měiguó rén zěnme nàme xǐhuan tiánsuānjiàng a?
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I'm guessing it's also all sweet and sour flavored. Why do Americans like sweet and sour so much?
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B:
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我也不知道，反正在美国流行的中国菜都是我在中国没见过的。什么陈皮牛啦、左将军鸡啦、蟹角啦……哦，对了，还有他们最爱的西兰花，什么菜里都要搁点儿西兰花，什么西兰花炒牛肉啦、西兰花炒鸡肉啦……
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wǒ yě bù zhīdào, fǎnzhèng zài Měiguó liúxíng de zhōngguó cài dōu shì wǒ zài Zhōngguó méi jiàn guo de. shénme chénpíniú la、 Zuǒjiāngjūnjī la、 xièjiǎo la…… ò, duìle, háiyǒu tāmen zuìài de xīlánhuā, shénme cài lǐ dōuyào gē diǎnr xīlánhuā, shénme xīlánhuā chǎo niúròu la、 xīlánhuā chǎo jīròu la……
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I don't know. Anyway, popular American Chinese food is all stuff I've never seen in China. Stuff like Orange Chicken, General Tso's Chicken and Crab Rangoons. Oh, that's right, they also love broccoli. They put a bit of broccoli in every dish. Stuff like Beef with Broccoli, Chicken with Broccoli.
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A:
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啊哟，我连听都没听说过。他们怎么会以为这些是中国菜啊？
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āyō, wǒ lián tīng dōu méi tīngshuō guo. tāmen zěnme huì yǐwéi zhèxiē shì zhōngguó cài a?
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Jeez, I've never even heard of those. How could they think that this is Chinese food?
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B:
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这个嘛，大概就叫做入乡随俗了，跟在中国的西餐一样的原理，大多数都根据中国人的口味改良过的。你想，美国人都不会啃骨头的，你给他来个泡椒凤爪，他不就傻眼了？
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zhè ge ma, dàgài jiù jiàozuò rùxiāngsuísú le, gēn zài Zhōngguó de xīcān yīyàng de yuánlǐ, dàduōshù dōu gēnjù Zhōngguórén de kǒuwèi gǎiliáng guò de. nǐ xiǎng, Měiguó rén dōu bùhuì kěn gǔtou de, nǐ gěi tā lái gè pàojiāofèngzhuǎ, tā bù jiù shǎyǎn le?
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Yeah... it's basically what you'd call “Doing what the Romans do”. It's the same idea behind Western food in China. A lot of it has been adapted to Chinese tastes. Think about it. Americans don't pick out the bones from their food. If you give one spicy pickled chicken feet, then wouldn't he be shocked?
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A:
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那我怎么办啊？我想吃中国菜呀，我饿死了呀。
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nà wǒ zěnme bàn a? wǒ xiǎng chī Zhōngguó cài ya, wǒ è sǐ le ya.
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Then what am I supposed to do? I want to eat Chinese food. I'm starving!
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B:
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别急嘛，我还有一个秘密武器。
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bié jí ma, wǒ háiyǒu yī gè mìmì wǔqì.
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Don't worry. I still have a secret weapon.
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A:
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什么啊？快说！
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shénme a? kuài shuō!
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What? Tell me quick!
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B:
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嘿嘿，中国城啊！走吧！
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hēihēi, Zhōngguó chéng a! zǒu ba!
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Haha, Chinatown! Let's go!
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