导读:中国的菜系庞杂，即使是中国人也很熟谙中国菜系。那么从外国人的角度，看中国食品是怎样的呢？我们将从留学生的视觉来看中国美食。
Editor’s note: Ivan Diaz Campos comes from Costa Rica in Central America and is a master degree student majored in International Politics in Fudan University. He has lived in Shanghai for four months. This is his first visit to China.
编辑手记：伊凡·迪亚兹·坎波斯来自位于中美洲的哥斯达黎加，他是复旦大学国际政治专业的一名硕士研究生。这是他第一次来中国，在上海已经有四个月。
Food is a fundamental in everyone’s life. It doesn’t matter if you are a student, business man, backpacker or a normal tourist, no matter where you are in China, meal times are very important. China is a great place if you are a food lover and adventurer.
民以食为天。不管你是学生，商人，背包客还是普通游客，也不管你在中国何地，就餐都非常重要。如果你是个美食家或冒险家，那么中国是个不错的选择。
But, if you have just arrived in China, and you are experiencing culture shock for the first time, and if you have very basic Chinese language, then you know the real adventure of eating in China.
但是，如果你初到中国，第一次体验到文化冲击，并且只会非常简单的汉语，那么你就知道在中国进餐将是一种真正的冒险了。
My Chinese language is very poor, so the simple action of ordering food can be a major challenge. In my case, I am lucky, because I live in Shanghai where some restaurants have menus in English, or at least a little description of the dishes. But this is not enough to order food like a normal person, so, I resort to pointing and saying "wo yao zhe ge" (I want that one), pointing is a universal language.
我的汉语非常差，因此就算是简单的点餐，对我来说也是一项重大的挑战。但是我很幸运，我住在上海，上海很多餐馆都提供英语菜单，或者至少会有菜的简单描述。但是要想像正常人一样点餐这还远远不够，最终我选择指着菜单说：“我要这个。” 这个动作可是通用语言。
You will face some diffculties if, like me, you do not eat spicy food. Some dishes in China can be really spicy, such as the famous "Hotpots" in some streets. One of my most utilized phrases is probably "bu yao la" (don’t want spice).
如果你跟我一样不吃辣的食物，你也会有很多麻烦。一些中国菜真的很辣，比如某些街上非常出名的“火锅”。我常用的一句话就是“不要辣。”
The great variety of food, is incredible, and a diverse variety of dishes can be found in the space of just 200 meters. You will face a big problem if you are an indecisive person. Sometimes, I spend more time making the decision about what to eat than I do actually eating the food. It’s hard to decide among dumplings, noodles, roast duck, curry, hundreds of kinds of rice, seafood or Xinjiang food and so on. This huge variety also means there can be a huge difference in price, serving size and flavors.
食物的种类多的更是让人难以置信，仅200米之间就能找到很多种菜肴。如果你不果断，那么你将面临一个重大问题。有时我决定吃什么的时间比真正吃东西的时间还要长。要想在水饺，面条，烤鸭，咖喱，或各种各样的炒饭，海鲜，新疆食品等等中选一样，真的很难。众多种类通常意味着价格，份量以及口味方面有很大不同。
On a special occasion you can go downtown and enjoy a fancy dinner; if you are hungry, go to an "All you can eat" buffet; or if you are an adventurous person with a little bit of Chinese language, you can immerse yourself in the alleyways of Shanghai and you will find delicious food at a very good price, plus experience up close everyday life in the old quarters of the city.
在特殊的日子，你还可以到市中心去享受一次奢侈的晚宴。如果你很饿，那么你可以去吃“包饱自助餐”。又或者你是个有冒险精神的人，并且会说一点点汉语，那么你可以徜徉在上海的巷子里，在那里你能品尝到价格不一的美味食品，此外还能体验上海老城区的日常生活。
Finally, you cannot forget the street food. It is probably not the most healthy option but the flavor is really good. All students know that it is late and you are hungry, the best option is street food. My recommendation is the Chinese hamburger "rou jia mo" and the Chinese BBQ "shao kao". The food in China is a great adventure, I will never forget it. If you are new to the country you know what I mean, and it is not your first time here, just enjoy your meal.
最后，路边小吃不容忽略。当然，这并不是最健康的选择，但口味真的不错。所有学生都知道，夜深而自己饿了时，最好的选择就是路边小吃。我向大家推荐中国式汉堡，即“肉夹馍”，以及中式烧烤。品尝中国食品像一次冒险旅程，我永远都不会忘记。如果你初来乍到，那么你肯定理解我所说的。如果你不是第一次来中国，那就慢慢享受这里的食物吧。
