日本新食趣：好吃不怕髒

The floor's sticky, the paint's peeling from the walls, and when your meal arrives there's a greasy thumbprint on the plate. But don't worry--the food at this restaurant lives up to its three stars.

黏乎乎的地面，斑駁剝落的牆壁，端上來的菜盤子上還有油膩的大拇指印，但別擔心，這家餐館獲得三顆星評級，它的菜餚不會讓你失望。

No, not from Michelin. These stars are awarded by Japan's latest hit TV show, 'Kitanachelin,' in which Tokyo's cheapest, filthiest, but most delicious eateries are visited and rated by a bunch of comics and TV stars dressed in evening wear more suitable for dinner at The Ritz.

然而，這並非來自法國美食雜誌《米其林》(Michelin)的美食評級，而是日本最新一檔電視節目“Kitanachelin”給出的評價。在這檔節目中，一羣喜劇演員和電視明星穿上更適合去麗茲酒店(Ritz)赴宴的晚裝，在東京街頭尋訪那些價格最便宜、看上去最髒，但味道最好的美味佳餚。

The title combines the Japanese word for dirty (kitanai) with the name of the hallowed French foodie guide, which launched a Tokyo edition in 2007.

“Kitanachelin”是把日語中的“骯髒”(kitanai)和“米其林”(Michelin)這兩個詞揉合在一起創造出來的。《米其林》雜誌曾於2007年發行過一期專門介紹東京美食的指南。

The Japanese are renowned gourmets, but two decades of economic stagnation and the worst recession since World War II have put the finest cuisine beyond the reach of many wallets and expense accounts. The good news is that there are gems to be found at the other end of the cost scale, as long as you don't mind the odd filthy apron or wobbly table.

日本人素以喜好美食著稱，但二十年來的經濟低迷以及最近一輪自二戰以來最嚴重的經濟衰退使許多囊中羞澀的日本人面對價格昂貴的美食望而興嘆。好在便宜的菜餚中也有一些可供挖掘的亮點，前提是你不介意怪模怪樣髒兮兮的圍裙，或是搖搖晃晃的餐桌。

The Fuji TV show cheekily sports a riff on the Michelin man for its logo. It started as a segment on a popular comedy program and grew into a series of hour-long specials, tapping into a recent trend toward what locals are calling, B-kyu gurume, or B-class gourmet--good, cheap, unfussy food, That goes along with the wider trend of budget-conscious Japanese consumers shunning department stores and luxury goods in favor of Uniqlo clothing and 99-yen grocery stores.

富士電視臺(Fuji TV)推出的“Kitanachelin”厚着臉皮借用了“米其林輪胎先生”(Michelin man)作爲招牌形像。這檔節目起初是個熱門的喜劇欄目，後來發展成爲每期一小時的系列片，專門介紹東京本地人所謂的“B檔菜”，也就是那些好吃、便宜、也不太講究的菜餚。這一定位正好契合精打細算的日本消費者越來越普遍的節儉之風，他們避免去百貨公司和奢侈品專賣店買東西，轉而青睞優衣庫(Uniqlo)品牌的衣服，以及每件99日圓的雜貨店。

Once featured on 'Kitanachelin,' the show's popularity means a restaurant will likely see a surge in customers. Aroyna Tabeta, a grimy but authentic Thai hole-in-the-wall joint under some train tracks near the Wall Street Journal's office, had a long line outside the night after it won two stars on the show.

“Kitanachelin”節目很受歡迎，也就是說，一旦哪家餐館獲得好評，慕名而來的食客數量很可能激增。Aroyna Tabeta是一家鋪面狹小、衛生條件不好、但很地道的泰式餐廳，位於《華爾街日報》東京辦公室附近；自從獲得“Kitanachelin”的兩星級評價後，每晚都有長長的隊伍排在餐廳外等待。

The launch of the Michelin guide in 2007 caused a flurry of excitement in the Japanese media. But for many residents, it merely confirmed what they already knew: that the city has the best food in the world. In the 2010 edition of its guide to Tokyo, Michelin awarded its coveted 3-star rating to 11 restaurants--one more than Paris, and more than London and New York combined.

2007年發行的《米其林》東京美食指南讓日本媒體興奮不已，紛紛進行報導，但對許多本地人來說，這只是確認了東京依然是一個國際美食之都，而他們早就知道這一點。在2010版的東京美食指南中，《米其林》給東京的11家餐廳評了令人夢寐以求的三顆星評級──比巴黎還多一家，並超過了倫敦和紐約加起來的總和。

Michelin declined to comment on the Japanese TV show, but has said it continues to branch out in Japan.

《米其林》雜誌拒絕置評日本電視節目“Kitanachelin”，但表示將繼續擴大對日本美食的探尋。