Delicacies in Beijing 奥运美食

Olympic visitors encounter unique delicacies in Beijing

Here in the Back Alley food markets, one of the most interesting foods you can try, are live scorpions. They take live scorpions and fry them, and put them on a stick, put them in your mouth. Taste just like any other fried food you’d ever have. Very delicious, very delicious. Look scary, taste like French fries. No kidding.

I would like to try er, starfish. Starfish. No no no starfish. Yeah, Yes! All you need is a little Chairman Mao, you can have lunch anywhere. Looks like a starfish, one of the most beautiful creatures in the sea, about ready to go into my tummy. Very hot, tastes like catfish. Tastes like catfish. Seasoning, somewhat of occasional seasoning, very salty. It's fried and very hot, just got I, very interesting, you look inside there, it’s black. I don’t know what that is.

Look around here, everything up here is some sort of raw meats, insects. Everything is taken here and fried. As scary as it looks, you just have to assume it's been fried enough to stay safe once you eat it. And judging by the crowd of people that are out here, you know, you have to feel it's a safe place to eat. You have a lot of concerns about eating new foods, you know, my rule of thumb, follow the crowds, whatever the crowds are eating at must be good food and must be safe food. See if you will enjoy something as much as I am.

I’m Mark Carlson, the Associated Press, in Beijing

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. scorpion : n-count 蝎

A scorpion is a small creature which looks like a large insect. Scorpions have a long curved tail, and some of them are poisonous.

2. French fries : n-plural 炸薯条

French fries are long, thin pieces of potato fried in oil or fat.

Potatoes that have been cut into thick to thin strips, soaked in cold water, blotted dry, then deep-fried until crisp and golden brown. They are called pommes frites in France and chips in Britain. The name does not come from the fact that their origin is French, but because the potatoes are "frenched"-cut into lengthwise strips. Other versions of french-fried potatoes are shoestring potatoes (matchstick-wide) and steak fries (very thick strips).

3. starfish : n-count 海星

A starfish is a flat, star-shaped creature with five arms that lives in the sea.

4. tummy : n-count

You can use tummy to refer to the parts inside your body where food is digested. Tummy is often used by children or by adults talking to children.

5. catfish : n-var 鲶(科)鱼

Catfish are a type of fish that have long thin spines around their mouths.

6. seasoning : n-mass

Seasoning is salt, pepper, or other spices that are added to food to improve its flavour.

参考中文翻译：

在后巷食品街，你能够品尝到最有趣的一种小吃是活蝎子。抓到活蝎，用油炸过，穿在一根小木棍上，入口味道就像其他的油炸食物一样。味道非常好。看上去很吓人，但是吃起来味道就像炸薯条。这绝对不是开玩笑。

我想尝一下海星。只需要一点点钞票，随处都可以吃到美味的午餐。海星，海水中最漂亮的生物之一，马上就要成为我的腹中之物了。很辣，味道像鲶鱼。它是用油炸的，加了一些调料，看上去黑黑的，不知道是什么，让我非常感兴趣。

看看周围，到处都是新鲜的肉和昆虫。所有的东西都是带到这里之后现场做的。这些东西看上去很吓人，吃的时候你必须假设已经完全炸熟了，吃的时候是安全的。通过水泄不通的食客来看，你会感觉到在这里吃东西很安全。尝试一种新的事物时，你知道，我的原则是跟风，别人吃的最多的东西肯定是好吃的，安全的。看一下你会不会像我一样喜欢这里的小吃。