People in different parts of the world have very different ideas about what is good to eat. If you were an Eskimo near the North Pole, you would enjoy the raw meat from seals. If you were a nomad in the desert, you would prefer the roasted meat of sheep and goats. Americans cook the meat of many differen animals, but perhaps their favorite meat is steak. Americans also eat a lot of chicken, as well as fish and other foods from the sea. Some people in India do not eat meat or fish at all. They are called vegetarians.
世界上不同地区的人对于什么东西好吃有着不同的看法。如果你是靠近北极地区的爱斯基摩人，你就会喜欢吃生海豹肉；如果你是沙漠地区的游牧民，你就会喜欢吃烤绵羊和烤山羊肉。美国人烹调很多不同种类的肉食，但是，也许他们最喜欢吃的肉非牛排莫属。美国人也吃很多鸡、鱼和其他海鲜。有些印度人完全不吃鱼或肉，他们被称为素食者。 Even when people in different parts of the world eat the same food, they often prepare it very differently. If you were in Germany, you would find soup that is thick and heavy. If you were in China, you would find soup that is thin and clear. Many people like butter that is fresh and firm, but some people in India——for example like butter when it is melted into an oil. If you asked some Americans how they like their steak cooked, you will get a variety of answers. Some like their steak well-done, whereas others like it rare. Many preper their steak medium that is halfway between rare and well-done. Although people in many countries consider raw meat a delicacy, an American rarely eats any meat that is uncooked. The Irish like plain boiled potatoes, whereas most Americans preper their potatoes prepered in other ways fried baked or boiled and then mashed and served with gravy.
即使世界上不同地区的人吃同样的食物，他们烹饪的手法也千差万别。如果在德国，你会吃到又浓又腻的汤；如果在中国，你会吃到又稀又清淡的汤。许多人喜欢吃既新鲜又硬实的黄油，但是有些人，比如说在印度，却喜欢吃融化成油状的黄油。如果你问一些美国人，喜欢把牛排煎到什么程度，你得到的回答各不相同。一些人喜欢把牛排煎得很熟，一些人喜欢煎得很生，大部分人喜欢煎得适中，介于两者之间，煎得不太熟也不太生。尽管许多国家的人把生肉当做精美的食物，然而美国人却很少吃未煮过的肉。爱尔兰人喜欢清煮土豆，而绝大多数美国人则喜欢用其他方法做土豆——油炸、烘烤或者煮一煮，然后做成土豆泥，上菜时浇上肉汁。 People living in different regions of the same country often preper foods differently. The United States has its regional specialities, too——for example，“southern fried” chicken and the baked beans of Boston. In the southwest, you will find many Mexican foods such as chile con carne（chili, beans, and meat）and tortillas. But there are national foods, too. For example, there are two desserts you would probably rind anywhere in the United States. One is ice cream and the other is apple pie. And all American children like hot dogs and hamburgers. Some people eat their hamburgers “plain”——with nothing on them. Others like theirs “with everything”——with onions, lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and sauces such as ketchup and mustard. If you ask for a cheeseburger, you will get a hamburger with melted cheese. The hamburger is the favourite quick lunch for most Americans.
同一国家不同地区的人烹饪的方法也不尽相同。美国也有地方特色的各种菜肴。比如：南方炸鸡和波士顿的烤豆。在西南方，你可以吃到许多墨西哥食品。像辣椒肉末（辣椒，蚕豆和肉）以及玉米面饼。但也有全国都吃的食物，比如，在美国任何一个地方，你都很可能发现两种甜品，一种是冰淇淋，另一种是苹果派。几乎所有的美国小朋友都喜欢吃热狗和汉堡包。有的人喜欢吃不加任何其他食物的纯汉堡包；而有些人却喜欢夹进各式各样的东西——洋葱，莴笋、新鲜的西红柿、番茄酱和芥末这样的沙司。如果你要来一个芝士汉堡，你就会得到一份带有融化乳酪的汉堡包。汉堡包是大部分美国人最爱吃的快餐食品。
