方便面是世界上最成功的工业化食品之一。这种食品为什么如此受人欢迎？它是如何被发明的？又是什么让它火遍全球，成为了既省时又省钱的首选方便食品？本期节目讨论方便面的前世今生。

词汇：food 食物

What do a student in China, an office worker in the UK and an astronaut in space all have in common? They all eat instant noodles. And they're not alone – over 100 billion servings of instant noodles are consumed globally each year, making them one of the world's most successful industrial foods. But how did this happen?

中国的学生、英国的上班族和太空中的宇航员有什么共同之处?他们都吃方便面。他们并不孤单——全球每年消费超过1000亿份方便面，使其成为世界上最成功的工业食品之一。但这是怎么发生的呢?

Put simply, they're cheap to produce and cheap to buy, which was exactly what their creator intended. Momofuku Ando, a Japanese entrepreneur, spent a year perfecting the recipe just after the Second World War. He wanted to make something similar to traditional Japanese ramen noodles, while using the wheat flour given to Japan as food aid by the US government. His creation was instantly popular, playing a part in Japan's post-war economic rise. Even in the year 2000 – according to a poll by the Fuji Research Institute – instant noodles were voted Japan's most successful invention, ahead of high-speed trains, laptops and karaoke.

简而言之，它们生产和购买都很便宜，这正是它们的创造者所希望的。日本企业家安藤百福(Momofuku Ando)在第二次世界大战后花了一年时间完善这一配方。他想用美国政府作为粮食援助给日本的小麦粉，制作类似日本传统拉面的东西。他的作品立即受到欢迎，对日本战后的经济崛起起到了一定作用。早在2000年，根据富士研究所的一项民意调查，方便面就被评为日本最成功的发明，超过了高速列车、笔记本电脑和卡拉ok。

But Japanese people are not alone in their devotion to instant noodles. According to the World's Instant Noodles Association, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and India – in that order – all consumed more instant noodles than Japan in 2021. Instant noodles' popularity abroad is in part due to how easy they are to adapt to local tastes. In Thailand, for example, you can get green curry flavour, while in Mexico the noodles are garnished with lime and salsa. And it seems that consumers have grown to expect innovation. Nissin, the food company founded by Ando, launches over 300 products yearly, just in Japan, according to employee Kasura Suzuki.

但并非只有日本人热爱方便面。根据世界方便面协会的数据，2021年，中国、印度尼西亚、越南和印度的方便面消费量都超过了日本。方便面在国外很受欢迎，部分原因是它们很容易适应当地人的口味。例如，在泰国，你可以吃到绿咖喱味的面条，而在墨西哥，你可以用酸橙和莎莎酱来装饰面条。而且消费者似乎越来越期待创新。安藤创立的日清食品公司每年仅在日本就推出300多种产品，员工铃木Kasura Suzuki说。

Instant noodles have their critics, too. Their rise in popularity has come at an environmental cost – they're made with palm oil, contributing to deforestation, and their packaging is plastic. And while they are a hot, tasty and filling meal, instant noodles don't have much nutritional value, and include high levels of salt and fat. Nevertheless, instant noodles are undoubtedly lifesavers in emergency or extreme situations.

方便面也有批评者。它们的流行是以环境为代价的——它们是用棕榈油制成的，导致森林砍伐，它们的包装是塑料的。虽然方便面是一种热、美味、饱腹的食物，但它没有太多的营养价值，而且盐和脂肪含量很高。然而，方便面无疑是紧急或极端情况下的救星。

More than 60 years after their invention, instant noodles have become the default food for anyone short on money, time, or even a kitchen.

在方便面被发明60多年后，它已经成为任何缺钱、没时间、甚至没厨房的人的默认食物。

词汇表

serving （供一人食用的）一份
consume （大量地）吃，吃掉
industrial foods 工业化食品，经大规模生产和加工制成的食品
creator 发明者
wheat flour 小麦粉
food aid 食品援助
creation 创造物
economic rise 经济增长
invention 发明
devotion to 对…的热爱、热衷
adapt 改变以适应
taste (n) 口味
green curry flavour 青咖喱口味
garnish with 在（食物）上加（饰菜）
salsa 萨尔萨辣酱（洋葱、番茄和辣椒制成的辣味调汁）
consumer 消费者
innovation 创新
launch 推出
come at a cost 有代价的
palm oil 棕榈油
filling 容易填饱肚子的
nutritional value 营养价值
lifesaver 救星，能救急的事物
default 首选，默认的选择

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. How many servings of instant noodles are eaten around the world each year?

2. True or False? The creator of instant noodles wanted to make them cheap.

3. Which country ate the most instant noodles in 2021?

4. What are two criticisms made of instant noodles?

5. Are instant noodles useful in an emergency?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The recipe makes enough for six _______.

tastes                            wheat flours                 food aids                 servings

2. She's an excellent doctor. Her _______ her patients is clear for all to see.

food aid                         devotion to                   due to                      innovation

3. Remember to _______ the soup _______ herbs and chilli before eating.

nutritional value            devotion to                   garnish with              founded by                  

4. Always carry a battery pack with you. If your mobile phone dies, it can be a _______.

innovation                     critic                             lifesaver                    default

5. For many people in the UK, black tea is the _______ hot drink.

filling                             currency                       default                       trade

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. How many servings of instant noodles are eaten around the world yearly?
Over 100 billion servings of instant noodles are consumed globally each year.

2. True or False? The creator of instant noodles wanted to make them cheap.
True. Momofuku Ando intended to make a product that was cheap to produce and cheap to buy.

3. Which country ate the most instant noodles in 2021?
According to the World's Instant Noodles Association, China consumed the most instant noodles in 2021.

4. What are two criticisms made of instant noodles?
Instant noodles production has negative consequences for the environment, and instant noodles are not very nutritious.

5. Are instant noodles useful in an emergency?
Yes, they can be lifesavers.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. The recipe makes enough for six servings.

2. She's an excellent doctor. Her devotion to her patients is clear for all to see.

3. Remember to garnish the soup with herbs and chilli before eating.

4. Always carry a battery pack with you. If your mobile phone dies, it can be a lifesaver.

5. For many people in the UK, black tea is the default hot drink.

文章来源BBC，侵权删，本文仅用于英语学习。