CONVENIENCE FOOD ORFRESH FOOD?
方便食品還是新鮮食品？
A new survey indicates that young people in China much prefer making fresh food to buying prepared food. Mei Lin, for example, is 22and she is a college graduate from Anhui. Mei L has stopped buying cheap food at the supermarket. "I would much prefer my own bowl of noodles with fresh vegetables and a few spices to the packaged noodles I can buy in a store. It's fresher and healthier, especially since I lead an active life, " Mei Lin often goes jogging in the evening and plays tennis at the weekend, in addition to swimming and training for a marathon in Xiamen in the autumn. She believes her fresh food choices help her stay fit and active.
一項新的調查顯示，在中國，年輕人更喜歡做新鮮的食物，而不是買準備好的食物。例如，MeiLin今年22歲，她是來自安徽的一名大學畢業生。MeiLin已經不再在超市購買廉價食品。"比起在商店裡買到的包裝麵條，我更喜歡自己做一碗加了新鮮蔬菜和一些調料的麵條。它更新鮮、更健康，特別是從我過積極的生活開始。"梅琳經常在晚上去慢跑，周末去打網球，此外，她還會遊泳，並為秋季在廈門的馬拉松訓練。她認為，選擇新鮮的食物有助於她保持身體健康和活躍。
But the trend isn't one that only women are taking up. Su Bo, a 26-year-old computer programmer in Shenzhen, says that he has given up eating packaged meals except when he's travelling for work, "For me, it's a matter of wanting to be healthy and having enough energy. I have a very demanding job, and I need a sharp mind and strong body. It does take more time to go shopping, but I find my energy levels are higher when I eat fresh food.」Su Bo used to order many of his meals online, so that he could spend more time working, but he soon stopped this habit. "I realised it wasn't good to never take a break from my job,」 he said. 「Besides, the food often made me ill." For SuBo this meant cooking his own vegetables, eating less meat, and carrying fruit to work for lunch.「 Sometimes I buy one or two baozi from the food store on the corner but I usually make and bring my own lunch to work.」 Like Mei Lin, Su Bo insists that eating healthy food helps him with his fitness routine.
但這種趨勢並不是只有女性才會接受。深圳26歲的電腦程式員蘇波說，除了工作出差的時候，他已經放棄了吃打包的食物，"對我來說，這是一個希望健康和有足夠能量的問題。我的工作要求很高，我需要一個敏銳的頭腦和強壯的身體。逛街確實需要更多的時間，但我發現吃新鮮食物時，我的能量水平會更高。」蘇波曾經在網上訂購了很多飯菜，這樣他就可以花更多的時間工作，但他很快就停止了這個習慣。"我意識到，從來不休息的工作是不好的,」他說,"此外，這些食物經常讓我生病。"對於蘇波來說，這意味著他要自己做菜，少吃肉，中午帶著水果去上班。"有時我會在街角的食品店買一兩個包子，但我通常會自己做午飯，帶著午飯去上班。"和梅林一樣，蘇波也堅持吃健康食品有助於他的日常健身。
Both admit that in times of stress or busy periods at work, they do sometimes give in and eat fast food or packaged meals."Sometimes I just have to eat something on the run,"says Me Lin, "But I always regret it. I am so used to my diet now that when I eat less healthy food, I feel tired.I exercise less as a result." Su Bo insists that he does still sometimes enjoy eating on the go."But I almost always eat healthy meals. Because I live at home and my mother prefers to eat like I do, we often cook together. It's my father who likes to eat fast food in front of the TV.」 he laughs.
兩人都承認，在工作壓力大或忙碌的時候，他們有時也會讓步，吃快餐或包裝食品。"有時候我就是要在邊走邊吃點東西，"梅林說，"但我總是後悔。我現在已經習慣了自己的飲食習慣，少吃點健康的食物就會覺得累，我的運動量也因此減少了。"蘇波堅持認為，自己有時確實還是喜歡邊走邊吃。"但我幾乎都是吃健康的飯菜。因為我住在家裡，我母親也喜歡和我一樣吃飯，所以我們經常一起做飯。倒是我爸喜歡在電視機前吃快餐。"他笑道
When asked whether their eating habits are common among their age group, both Mel Lin and Su Bo say they are. Yet, it'snot clear whether this food trend will be adopted by other young Chinese people. Are Mel Lin and Su Bo unique or are they setting a new trend? It's too early to say.當被問及他們的飲食習慣是否在同齡人中普遍存在時，梅林和蘇波都表示是。然而，這種飲食潮流是否會被其他中國年輕人所採用，目前還不得而知。梅林和蘇波是獨樹一幟，還是在引領新的潮流？現在說還為時過早。