外国人最常误解的中国菜是什么？part1

Hussard 
A lot of westerners love crispy skin stuff so chicken with skin on and not crispy (like soy sauce chicken or free range chicken) is weird to them. Also I guess we have a lot of bone-in stuff. 

很多西方人喜欢脆皮食物，所以带皮但不脆的鸡肉（比如酱油鸡或散养鸡）对他们来说很奇怪。另外，我觉得我们有很多带骨头的食物。

Director_Phleg
I've recently discovered the treasure that is pickled ducks feet. I don't typically like eating skin, or stuff on the bone, but there's something very pleasing about nibbling your way through a duck foot.

我最近发现了腌鸭脚这个宝藏。我通常不喜欢吃皮或带骨的东西，但一点点啃鸭脚的感觉非常令人愉悦。

Mech_pencils 
Yeah some people really have a hard time wrapping their heads around the fact that many Chinese people love chicken/pork skin and gristles.

确实，有些人很难理解许多中国人对鸡皮/猪皮和软骨的喜爱。

No-plane9732
I think a lot of foreigners can’t understand the Chinese love for flavorless mucousy or gelatinous things made into soupy desserts. Lotus root powder (藕粉), silver ear (银耳), peach tree sap (桃胶), honey locust seeds (皂角), that kind of thing. It took me a long time to learn to appreciate those. My mother-in-law’s silver ear and peach sap sweet soup with jujubes eventually made me into a convert, but every time I serve it to foreign friends and family, they have one bite and politely pretend they’re too full to eat any more. They just can’t understand why someone would eat something hot and gooey and gelatinous and only slightly sweet. The only gooey desserts we have in the west are usually gooey from an excess of sugar and fat, like lava cake. We don’t know how to appreciate a bland and healthy-tasting gooey dessert.

我认为很多外国人无法理解中国人为何喜欢那些无味、黏滑或胶质状、做成汤羹甜品的食物。比如藕粉、银耳、桃胶、皂角米这类东西。我花了很长时间才学会欣赏这些。我婆婆做的红枣银耳桃胶甜汤最终让我转变了态度，但每次我招待外国朋友和家人时，他们尝一口就会礼貌地假装吃饱了，不再多吃。他们实在无法理解为什么会有人吃这种热乎乎、黏糊糊、胶质状且只有淡淡甜味的东西。在西方，我们唯一的黏稠甜品通常是因为糖和脂肪过量才变得黏稠，比如熔岩蛋糕。我们不懂得欣赏这种清淡健康口感的黏稠甜品。

I still can’t really appreciate the lotus root powder, though. Maybe I haven’t had a good one yet, but I just can’t do a whole bowl of pure plant goo. At least put some other things in there to vary the texture, please! My husband’s family are from Hangzhou and they treat that stuff like the nectar of the gods. They eat it straight up, or with even less palatable trendy superfoods and supplement powders mixed in.

不过，我还是不太能欣赏藕粉。可能是我还没尝到过好的，但我就是没法接受一整碗纯植物糊糊。至少加点别的东西丰富一下口感吧！我丈夫一家是杭州人，他们把那玩意儿当仙露一样。他们直接吃，或者混入更难入口的时髦超级食物和补充剂粉末。

I think a lot of foreigners have a hard time accepting beans as a sweet food, too. I’ve heard a lot of people complain about biting into a baozi or sticky rice ball expecting yummy chocolate filling only to get a mouthful of sweet red bean baste. 

我觉得很多外国人也很难接受豆子作为甜食。我听过很多人抱怨，咬了一口包子或汤圆，期待美味的巧克力馅，结果却是一大口甜红豆沙。

lurkermurphy
Stinky tofu, that is the worst smell ever, and Chinese people be like "really it doesn't taste as bad as it smells" oh wow what an endorsement

臭豆腐，那简直是世界上最难闻的气味了，而中国人却会说“其实吃起来没闻起来那么糟”——哇，这评价可真够高的

MissSunshine621 
Haha what do you mean, like i genuinely don’t think it’s stinky and honestly it smells good and it tastes really good

哈哈，你这话什么意思？我真心不觉得它臭，说实话闻起来挺香的，吃起来更是美味极了

lurkermurphy
ok that's a better reaction, maybe my friends are just having english problems, but the smell is so so bad to western noses

好吧，这个反应好多了，可能是我朋友们英语表达有问题，但对西方人的鼻子来说，那味道实在是糟糕透顶

MissSunshine621  
Haha totally understandable, I’m assuming you can’t stand the smell of durian and luosifen( snail rice noodles) also? My ex is white and he basically eats everything I eat, even chicken feet that most westerners won’t eat, he tried durian twice and luosifen once, he just can’t do it lol

哈哈完全可以理解，我猜你也受不了榴莲和螺蛳粉的味道吧？我前男友是白人，基本上我吃什么他都跟着吃，连大多数西方人都不碰的鸡爪他都尝过，但榴莲试了两次，螺蛳粉试了一次，他就是接受不了，笑死

lurkermurphy  
i probably never got close enough to durian to ever even smell it and certainly didn't willingly try it ever, and probably every Chinese person who knows me would never even get me to try stinky tofu or any of that lol. i'm the guy i was like at a banquet and the put a full crab in front of me and i was like "wtf do i do with this" and my colleague patiently deshells it and he's like "oh this green bulbous part is like the best part" and i almost wanted to gag and ran out of there to the nearest KFC

我可能从未靠近过榴莲，甚至都没闻过它的味道，更别提主动尝试了。而且，认识我的中国人大概都不会让我尝试臭豆腐或类似的东西，哈哈。有一次在宴会上，他们在我面前放了一整只螃蟹，我当时就懵了：“这玩意儿该怎么吃啊？”我的同事耐心地帮我剥壳，还说：“哦，这个绿色的球状部分可是最好吃的。”我差点没吐出来，赶紧溜出去找最近的肯德基了。

edit: (and i like crab legs, it was just an identical experience to dissecting a frog, and he's like "this organ i don't even know how to say in english is the best part". oh shit now i made myself remember frog legs in the spicy bowl thing: not that gross because they're nicely fried and i don't have to process them myself but still would never eat them)

编辑：（补充一下，其实我挺喜欢吃蟹腿的，但那次经历就像解剖青蛙一样。他还说：“这个器官我甚至不知道用英语怎么说，但这是最好吃的部分。”天啊，现在我又想起在辣锅里吃青蛙腿的情景了：倒没那么恶心，因为炸得挺香，而且不用自己处理，但我还是不会主动去吃。）

baggiboogi
Yeah i actually like the smell and taste

是啊，其实我还挺喜欢那味道和口感的。

SlimNeko
since there are blue cheese and Surstromimng canned fish from Swedish, I still dont understand why people cant accept stinky tofu, they are all fermented stinky food isn't it?

既然有蓝纹奶酪和瑞典的鲱鱼罐头，我还是不明白为什么人们不能接受臭豆腐，它们不都是发酵的臭味食物吗？

pingu_nootnoot
I think that blue cheese is not fermented, strictly speaking. It uses mold from bacteria like penicillum roqueforti.

严格来说，我认为蓝纹奶酪并非发酵制成。它使用的是罗克福尔青霉菌等细菌产生的霉菌。

But the more important difference is in the kind of taste - cheese is eg a lot more „greasy“ and „sticky“. There’s a very cool article about Chinese and Western chefs comparing their use of stinky foods from their own traditions that was published in Slate about 15 years ago: Eating Cheese in China

但更重要的区别在于风味类型——例如，奶酪更“油腻”和“粘稠”。大约 15 年前，《Slate》杂志曾刊登过一篇非常有趣的文章，讲述中西方厨师比较各自传统中臭味食材的运用：《在中国吃奶酪》。

I really like the quote where one of the Chinese chefs describes a cheese as „smells like Russians“

我特别喜欢一位中国厨师对某种奶酪的描述："闻起来像俄罗斯人"

spoorloos3
The type of people that refuse to eat stinky tofu also don't eat blue cheese and surstromming. Just like there's plenty of Chinese people that don't eat stinky tofu.

那些拒绝吃臭豆腐的人同样不会吃蓝纹奶酪和鲱鱼罐头。就像很多中国人也不吃臭豆腐一样。

SlimNeko
fair   

公平

Significant_Mail_69
Yes, I usually don't mind stinky food, but walking around stinky tofu shop it was so bad I wanted to puke. But my friends were ok with it. I believe it can taste good too.

是的，我通常不介意有异味的食物，但经过臭豆腐店时，那股味道实在太冲了，让我直想吐。不过我的朋友们倒觉得还好。我相信它的味道应该也不错。

blobfish_bandit
As a foreigner, I would say something like Stinky tofu or the century egg.

作为一个外国人，我会说是臭豆腐或皮蛋这类食物。

I really enjoy both of those, but obviously, when you first see or smell them, you might be turned off as a foreigner lol. I have tried to get my family back home to try these as an example, and half wouldn't even try.

我其实挺喜欢这两种食物的，但显然，作为一个外国人，当你第一次看到或闻到它们时，可能会感到反感，哈哈。我曾试图让我本国的家人尝试这些食物，结果有一半人连尝都不愿意尝。

MaoMaobae  
Hot pot - my foreign coworker struggles with 1) sharing food 2) mysterious meat and 3) thinly slice meat - they think its cheap meat lol

火锅——我的外国同事难以接受：1）共享食物 2）神秘的肉类 3）薄切肉片——他们以为那是廉价肉呢，哈哈

handsomeboh 
White people think Cantonese food is meant to be greasy because the nonsense that passes for Cantonese food in their home countries is made by economic refugees who don’t actually know how to cook. Real Cantonese food is known for being delicate and uses very little oil with steaming being one of the main techniques and the iconic wok frying based on char rather than grease.

白人认为粤菜应该油腻，是因为他们国家那些所谓的粤菜其实是由不懂烹饪的经济难民做的。真正的粤菜以精致著称，用油很少，蒸是主要烹饪技法之一，标志性的炒菜也讲究锅气而非油腻。

Different-Let4338
Cantonese  food really keeps the original  flavour  of the food. One of my favourites and completely different (and better) to Cantonese food abroad. 

粤菜确实保留了食物的原汁原味。这是我最喜欢的菜系之一，与国外的粤菜完全不同（也更美味）。

Personal_Manner_462
Yoyo could tell a white person crispy lemon chicken is Cantonese

悠悠可以告诉一位白人，柠檬脆皮鸡是粤菜

MaoMaobae
I think Cantonese persevere the original taste of the ingredients - some people find it bland but to me, I can taste what I am eating vs. heavy sauce or seasoning

我认为粤菜保留了食材的原味——有些人觉得清淡，但对我来说，我能尝到食物的本味，而不是厚重的酱汁或调味料

boraras
It also means the ingredients need to be fresh and higher quality. Can't just hide it behind seasoning and oil.

这也意味着食材必须新鲜且品质更高。不能仅仅用调味料和油来掩盖。

chliu528
Not everyone in the world can have prime cuts; some of us have to eat delicious organ and gristle - not just China even in America.

并非全世界的人都能享用上等肉块；我们中的一些人不得不品尝美味的器官和软骨——不仅在中国，即使在美国也是如此。

Always-hungry99
Organs are delicious and nutrient dense.

器官美味且营养丰富。

PPTV-110
In fact, in China, many offal items are more expensive than meat.

事实上，在中国，许多内脏部位的价格比肉还贵。

chliu528
Same in US, have you seen the price for ox tail?

美国也一样，你见过牛尾的价格吗？

boraras
I don't think ox tail counts as offal

我不认为牛尾算内脏

chliu528
I said organ and gristle. Anyways not sure when was last time you bought sweet bread, used to be $1.99 now $10-30: https://rubashkinsmeatstore.com/products/beef-sweet-bread

我说的是内脏和软骨。总之，不知道你上次买甜面包是什么时候，以前是 1.99 美元，现在 10-30 美元：https://rubashkinsmeatstore.com/products/beef-sweet-bread

josethemaster2000
La neta , siendo mexicano la comida China tradicional es muy rica e interesante pero ya sabes cómo son la gente tan "asustadas" porque es diferente y no lleva tanta basura de queso Cheddar y su comida instantáneada

老实说，作为一个墨西哥人，我觉得传统中餐非常美味且有趣，但你也知道人们有多“害怕”，因为它与众不同，而且不像很多快餐那样加那么多切达奶酪。

Ok_Vanilla5661
Century eggs … It’s not a thousand year old and it doesn’t taste that bad

皮蛋……它并非千年陈酿，味道也没那么糟糕

While Americans literally eat spoiled milk ( cheese )

而美国人却实实在在地食用变质牛奶（奶酪）

rauljordaneth
Practically the whole world eats cheese, except for one region...it's not an American thing. In fact, it's so surprising that it isn't eaten in some places. Cheese is one of mankind's greatest foods! All across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and the Americas, for thousands and thousands of years

实际上除了某个地区，全世界都在食用奶酪……这并非美国独有的现象。事实上，某些地方不食用奶酪才令人惊讶。奶酪是人类最伟大的食物之一！数千年来，欧洲、中东、非洲、南亚和美洲各地都在食用

Ok_Vanilla5661  
Nothing wrong with eating cheese

吃奶酪没什么不对

It’s all strange that people freak out over a fermented duck egg when so many of them eat cheese . Which is basically fermented/ aged milk

人们为了一颗发酵鸭蛋大惊小怪，而他们中有那么多人吃奶酪，这真是奇怪。奶酪基本上就是发酵/陈化的牛奶

rauljordaneth 
I think it’s the color. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I buried an egg in a can for years. When I opened it, it was black. It just looks like something that would kill you if you even smell it, while a block of mozarella doesn’t look scary at all

我觉得是颜色的问题。它让我想起小时候把鸡蛋埋进罐子里好几年，打开时已经变黑了。这看起来就像是闻一下都会要命的东西，而一块马苏里拉奶酪就一点也不吓人。

g0ing_postal
A block of bleu cheese looks pretty scary and, if you're not used to it, smells terrible

蓝纹奶酪看起来相当吓人，而且如果你不习惯的话，气味也很难闻

rauljordaneth
Blue cheese is not that common…mozzarella is common and has no taste. I also don’t like blue cheese. There are thousands of different cheeses

蓝纹奶酪并不那么常见……马苏里拉奶酪很常见且没什么味道。我也不喜欢蓝纹奶酪。奶酪有成千上万种不同的种类

g0ing_postal
Imo blue cheese is fairly common. Blue cheese dressing is often served with wings. Cobb salads use blue cheese crumbles. Both are very common foods to find in bars and restaurants.

在我看来，蓝纹奶酪相当普遍。蓝纹奶酪酱常与鸡翅搭配食用，科布沙拉也会撒上蓝纹奶酪碎。这两种都是在酒吧和餐厅非常常见的食物。

I'm just pointing out that some cheese can be disgusting to people and that you happened to choose the blandest most unoffensive cheese as a point of comparison

我只是想指出，有些奶酪可能会让人感到不适，而你恰好选择了最平淡无奇、最不具攻击性的奶酪作为比较对象。

summer_song 
It's just because people who grow up with cheese are used to it. Go to places where there has historically not been cheese and people can't stand the smell of even mild cheeses. I love cheese, but yes, it is rotten milk.

这只是因为从小吃奶酪长大的人已经习惯了。去那些历史上没有奶酪的地方，人们甚至无法忍受温和奶酪的气味。我喜欢奶酪，但没错，它就是变质的牛奶。

rauljordaneth
So are all fermented foods…rotten, yet you enjoy century eggs. Not that many places in the world not have cheese. It is commonplace everywhere from north to south except in east asia

那么所有发酵食品都是...腐烂的，但你却喜欢皮蛋。世界上没有多少地方不吃奶酪。从北到南，除了东亚，奶酪在各地都很常见。

MissSunshine621
Yeah growing up in China I never ate cheese once, that’s between the mid 1990s and 2010ish, i can’t remember exactly when but probably I only had cheese for the first time in my early to mid 20s, I wonder what’s the history of cheese consumption in the rest of the world, like since when the rest of you guys started eating cheese

是的，在中国长大时，我从未吃过奶酪，那是在 1990 年代中期到 2010 年左右。我记不清具体时间了，但可能是在我二十出头到二十五岁之间才第一次尝到奶酪。我想知道世界其他地方食用奶酪的历史是怎样的，比如你们是从什么时候开始吃奶酪的。

rauljordaneth
That’s so crazy to me! It’s something as common as salt and water and meat where I’m from. I can’t imagine a day without cheese in some form or another. It was the biggest culture shock when I visited China for the first time. Everywhere from Africa to South America, cheese is universal except in East Asia. It’s one of mankind’s oldest foods. We are documented to have been eating it 8000-10000 years ago (double the age of China) from early farmers in Mesopotamia. One of our true original foods

这对我来说太不可思议了！在我家乡，奶酪就像盐、水和肉一样常见。我无法想象一天没有某种形式的奶酪会是什么样子。我第一次去中国时，这是最大的文化冲击。从非洲到南美洲，奶酪无处不在，除了东亚地区。它是人类最古老的食物之一。有记载显示，早在 8000 到 10000 年前（比中国的历史还要早一倍），美索不达米亚的早期农民就已经开始食用奶酪了。这是我们真正的原始食物之一。

MissSunshine621
That’s such a long history, I wonder why cheese hasn’t been a part of our diet for the past thousands of years. Though nowadays I think it’s getting popular in China especially among the younger kids, as I watched videos on Douyin where many kids love to eat cheese sticks.

历史如此悠久，我不禁好奇为何奶酪在过去几千年里从未成为我们的饮食一部分。不过如今，我觉得它在中国越来越受欢迎，尤其是在年轻一代中，我在抖音上看到很多孩子都爱吃奶酪棒。

A downside of not eating cheese growing up is that nowadays whenever I have a little bit too much cheese(maybe it would be considered a normal amount for people who eat cheese), it’ll make my stomach gassy

从小不吃奶酪的一个缺点是，现在只要我稍微多吃一点奶酪（对常吃奶酪的人来说可能只是正常量），就会让我的胃胀气。