中國人方便麪記憶 味蕾上的溫情

Growing up in China as a kid, my childhood smelled like instant noodles.
作爲一個在中國長大的孩子，我的童年回憶起來充滿了方便麪的味道。

It is no secret that many Asians love eating instant noodles. It is a dried noodle block; all you need to do is to pour hot water over the par-cooked noodles, add the flavoring powder and some seasoning oil, wait for 2-3 minutes, and then it is ready. It usually comes with a strong smell that fills up the whole house.
很多亞洲人都愛吃方便麪，這已經不是祕密了。它是一種乾麪塊，你只需要在這已經熟了的面塊上衝上開水，加上調味包和醬包，等上兩到三分鐘，就可以開吃了。通常，泡麪濃濃的氣味會瀰漫整個房間。

It was invented by a Japanese man in 1958 during the food shortages in the post-war period. Thanks to its convenience and taste, this quick and easy meal soon became a global food.
1958年，由於戰後食物匱乏時期，一個日本人發明出了方便麪。由於它方便又味美，很快就風靡全球。

China is the world's most instant noodle-loving nation. It is also the biggest consumer with people eating over 40 billion packs of instant noodles a year, about half of the world's total, according to a report in The Jakarta Post last year.
據《雅加達郵報》去年的一篇報道指出，中國是全球最愛吃方便麪的國家，也是全球最大的方便麪消費國，一年的時間內大約吃掉了全球一半數量的方便麪--400億包。

One of the reasons so many Chinese people love it is because it is cheap. Back in the early 1990s, one pack of huafeng, a local Chinese instant noodle, cost only half a yuan ($0.07). It was so cheap that even a kid could afford it with his or her pocket money.
這麼多中國人愛吃方便麪的原因之一是它很便宜。追溯到上世紀90年代，一袋華豐方便麪（一箇中國本土方便麪品牌）售價才5毛錢（0.07美元）。它的價格如此便宜，以至於小孩拿着零花錢都買的起。

I remember when I was little, instant noodle was the only snack I had. As a kid, I loved eating the uncooked instant noodles. I just added the salt flavoring and crushed them up in the bag. Sometimes, when I got angry and wanted to destroy something, I would go to a convenience store and secretly smash all the instant noodles they had. I never got caught though.
我記得在我小時候，方便麪是我僅有的零食。那時，我喜歡直接幹吃方便麪，加上調料粉，把它們在袋子裏壓碎。有時，當我生氣了，想搞點什麼小破壞，我就會去一個便利店，偷偷的把它們的方便麪全部壓碎。不過我可從來沒被逮住過。

In my memory, the train in China smells like instant noodles too because almost everyone eats it on the train. "The first bite is the best," my childhood friend, who is obsessed with instant noodles, told me. "The strong smell from the just-made instant noodles is so good."
在我的記憶中，中國的火車上也滿是方便麪的味道，因爲幾乎火車上每個人都會吃它。我的發小非常癡迷於方便麪，他說，“第一口吃下去感覺真好。剛泡好的方便麪的那種濃香實在是讓我陶醉。”

But not everyone thinks the same way. Earlier this year, instant noodles were banned from being sold on trains because the authorities said the smell is so strong that it affects the air quality inside the trains. It is not forbidden to eat it on the train though. For me, instant noodles are also banned at home because my mother sees it as junk food with no nutritional value.
不過，並非人人都這麼認爲。鐵路部門就認爲方便麪的味道太大了，影響車廂內空氣質量，今年初，火車上開始禁售方便麪。然而，火車上還是允許吃方便麪的。而對我來說，我的家裏也禁吃方便麪，因爲媽媽認爲它是垃圾食品，沒有營養。

Even though there were reports saying eating too much instant noodles might cause cancer, it doesn't seem to have stopped Chinese people from eating it. In recent years, however, Chinese people are losing taste for instant noodles.
儘管有報道稱吃太多的方便麪會致癌，不過這並沒有嚇倒中國人，人們還在繼續吃着。不過近年來，中國人的方便麪熱開始減退。

According to the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology, from 2000 to 2010, up to 90 percent of the instant noodle companies closed in China. The reason? It is because migrant workers, the main consumer group, changed their food preferences as their income grew.
據中國食品科學技術學會的數據顯示，從2000年到2010年，中國高達90%的方便麪企業倒閉。原因是什麼？因爲隨着消費方便麪的最大羣體——農民工的收入提高，他們的飲食習慣發生了改變。