英语畅谈中国文化 50 主题 第 24 章 Chinese Hospitality 中国人的待客之道A：I was invited to a traditional Beijing household for dinner once. It was an eye-opening experience. The girl who invited me was my colleague. Her father was over 60 years old. He didn’t eat much but was constantly proposing a toast. His wife was busy cooking in the kitchen all the time. I asked her to join us but her husband said “No, she doesn’t.” After dinner, I asked my colleague why her father didn’t eat much and why her mother didn’t join us. She said that was an old tradition. Her father was there to keep me company because I was a guest of honor and usually women did not eat with the guests.A：我曾到一个老北京家里做客，可真是开了眼了。请客的是这家的女儿，她是我的同事。她的父亲六十多岁，作为主人，他在饭桌上几乎没吃什么，只是隔一会儿就端起酒杯劝酒。他的太太一直在厨房里忙着。我们招呼她一起吃，同事的父亲说“她不上桌”。告辞出来，我问同事为什么她父亲几乎不吃东西，而她母亲一直不加入我们。她说这是老礼数。她父亲把我们当作贵客所以要陪酒，而女人一般是不和客人同桌的。B：I had a similar experience too. I always feel spoiled to be a guest in a Chinese household. The host usually prepares a sumptuous meal. The kids are sent to the neighbors so the guests can have a peaceful meal. Usually, they would start preparing for our visit days ahead. Even though there would be a lot of food on the table, the host would still say “We don’t have much, so please bear with us.” They keep putting food on my plate despite the fact I may not like certain food. I usually feel very embarrassed. Some hosts even force their children to perform a song or recite a poem for me.B：我也有过同样的经历。到中国人家里做客总感觉他们招待得很隆重：上一大桌菜，小孩子被赶到邻居家，以便客人吃得...
