“Savor the flavor.”

“品尝美味”

When I arrived at college, I was pretty sure the food would be fantastic. I was like, “Oh boy! Eating pizza everyday like in the movies is going to be great! And I’ll get to eat good food all the time, yadda yadda yadda”. Oh, how naive I was. At first, the college dining halls seem like a dream. The first day the utensils seemingly sparkle, the food tastes delicious and you feel like you don’t ever want to leave. Then two months into the semester, you begin to wonder why everything tastes so bad. In all honesty, more of the same can get to be just that; more of the same. Now, now hope is not lost. You and your friends still have the option of going out to eat at restaurants. Yes, it does cost extra money, but if you’re willing to shell out the cash to have good food and a good time it’s well worth it. Here are a few tips to break out of the dining halls and into the awesome diners in your college town.

刚进大学的时候，我理所当然地以为伙食一定很赞，心想：“哇太棒了！我就要像电影里那里天天吃比萨啦！我可以随时享受美味啦！哈哈！”想在回想起来，我那时多么天真幼稚。起初，大学饭堂简直是个天堂，第一天所有的餐具擦得铮亮，所有的食物如此美味，让你流连忘返。两个月后，你开始吃厌了，感到一切都是那么难吃。老实说，吃来吃去就那么几样菜，也不会有什么新花样。现在呢，希望还是有的，虽然饭堂不好吃，你还可以和朋友一起出去下馆子呀。的确，出去吃是要破费一点，但是花点钱买个美味，图个开心也值了。下面奉上一些建议，让你冲出食堂，吃遍大学周边的美味佳肴。

Pick Somewhere Cheap

经济节省

Seeing as we’re all college students, saving money is definitely a must. Pick a place that won’t put too much of a dent into your savings. Eating at the dining halls is already paid for, so don’t add insult to injury by buying a steak every time you go to a restaurant. Trust me, a cheap price doesn’t always equate to a cheap-tasting meal. It’ll also feel better in the long run when you have money to buy that ticket to your friend’s play or to do laundry.

我们毕竟还是没有收入来源的大学生，存钱是很有必要的。选一个较便宜的餐馆不会让你破费太多，学校的伙食费已经付了，所以不要每次去餐馆都点牛排之类的上等菜。相信我，便宜的菜不一定不好吃。在伙食上省点钱，用来以后买票看朋友演的剧或去干洗店。

Build Rapport with the Staff

善待员工

If you want to start a sort of reputation at the restaurant, its pretty much required to build rapport with the staff. Now, I haven’t got any discounts yet, but it doesn’t hurt to be on good terms with the management. Who knows? A good tip and conversation now and again could provide you with a better table and faster service. And even if you don’t get any of these things, its never a bad thing to have the management know who you are when you take your friends out to eat.

如果你想成为一家餐馆受欢迎的顾客，那么就要和那里的员工友好相处。现在，我还没有享受到折扣优惠，但是对员工友善一点有益无害。说不定，时不时给他们一点小费，跟他们愉快地聊聊天，他们会把你服务地更周到。即使你没有得到这些好处，下次你带朋友来吃时管理人员也会认识你。

Try More Than One Restaurant

“货比三家”

Don’t forget to vary things up a bit from time to time. You don’t want to fall in the same trap you got caught in while going to the dining halls. Pick and choose the best restaurants that are worthy of your well-earned cash. It’s like trying on a new shirt or buying a new car. You don’t look at just one item. Despite having been to some pretty average restaurants that wouldn’t much deter me from eating at the regular dining hall, it doesn’t stop me from going out and trying new things.

多去尝尝鲜吧，不要总去那一家餐馆。什么餐馆都去试一试，然后选出最好一家最好的，花你的血汗钱最值的饭馆。这和买衣服买车是同样的道理，货比三家。即使你找到一家口味不错，价钱公道的餐馆，也不要停止尝试新事物的步伐。

It takes effort to go out and find a new place to eat. There are times when you’ll want to stick to the dining halls and suffer through the half-baked dishes that the lunch ladies serve. But if you’re like me and don’t want to eat droopy pizza, wet salad, and bad sushi, go out and make a change.

出去找地方吃不是件简单事。但是想想在食堂里吃的半生不熟的菜，软塌塌的比萨，粘糊糊的沙拉还有那破烂寿司，你最好还是像我一样出去吃饭，换换口味吧！