來了北美洲雖已十六年有多，但對這裡的「快餐」文化並未完全接納；對「麥當勞」漢堡包、「肯德基」炸雞等等之速製速成食品更是敬而遠之。幸好，多倫多是個多元文化的社會，除了傳統之歐洲烹調，各式各樣之美食都是應有盡有的。華裔移民更是口福不淺，因為中式餐館多如牛毛，可滿足各方面之需求。
每次從多倫多驅車到美國旅遊時，在連綿不絕的公路兩旁所見的都是那幾家快餐店；除了饑腸轆轆非停車光顧不可，我多會不顧而去，直至找到一家較心儀之食肆為止。我自問不是個饞嘴巴，只是看了那些又油又膩和千篇一律的食物總是嚥不下口去。如果海關容許我携帶食物過境的話，一份自製的三明治或兩條香蕉和一個蘋果便可完滿解決肚子的問題。
這回在半途的Rochester市之Eastview購物廣場停車吃午飯。選中了一家冠冕堂皇之意大利餐廳，怎知道它只是虛有其表的，我們左品右嘗仍吃不出半點意國的風味來。當到達賓夕凡尼亞州的和諧湖(Lake Harmony)時已是夜幕低垂，又到了晚飯時刻；酒店接待員鄭重介紹一家當地之美食店給我們，殊不知一蟹更不如一蟹！
美國的祖先很多是從歐洲大陸移民過來的。歐洲人注重美食舉世聞名，這些講求高質素生活之傳統和烹調藝術為什麼來到美洲大陸之後便變得蕩然無存呢？
法國人說他們生存的目的是為了美食，所以吃得精緻和吃得有品味；據統計，法國人在食物方面的支出是全球之冠。在法國一個名廚受人景仰的程度猶勝於他們的總統；一些著名餐廳永遠都是座無虛席的，食客必須一年前預定才可一償所願。相對來說，美國人是為了生存而食的，所以吃得隨便，充饑了事。麥當勞和肯德基便成為了美國飲食文化之代表，歷久不衰。
我們中國人對飲食和生存又有什麼不同的追求呢？
黄啓樟 2011/11/12
刊於2011/11/25 星星生活週刊 第530期
David:
ReplyDeleteAs the saying goes, “Americans eat to live, Chinese live to eat.” Like I always tease my Chinese friends, particularly those from Hong Kong: “食死罷就!”
Joe
Uncle David,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic. Even for many seasoned travelers, finding a place to ENJOY (not EAT) meal is a challenging proposition. Here are my thoughts after reading your article.
Well, the French have Filet Mignon, the Italians have pizzas and spaghetti, the English have fish and chips, and the Americans have, you said it, hamburgers! Surely enough, fast food industry does not receive an exquisite culinary status here in the US but rather it is symbolic of the "Eat and Run" society that the industrialized US have lived for many decades. Although US is the land for many early European settlers, it is them who have transformed and defined their previous culture to the current one. The current culture, although a derivative from the same heritage, bears many differences including the way we work, play, eat, and live. For example, American work days typically start at 5 or 6am in the morning rather than 9 or 10am comparing with their European counterparts. For many hourly workers, 30 minute lunch break is too short for an a-la-carte menu and therefore a hamburger from a fast food chain offers a reasonable and practical alternative.
When Americans families are on road trips, especially for families with kids, many of us have developed the love-hate-trust relationship with fast food restaurants. We love them because they offer a decent stop for restroom and coffee breaks and ultimately a place to boost the spirit of kids who have been constrained in the cars for hours. We hate them because their food is monotonous and boring. We come to trust them because their products and services have maintained a uniformed standard regardless whether they are situated in the heart of a big city or in a remote country side. Many choose not to spend the extra money at an unknown restaurant where its quality has not been tried and trusted. Fortunately, the fast food industry has undergone several big changes in the positive direction in the past two decades. For example, food is not pre-made anymore prior to order, salads have been added in the menus, and even coffee at McDonald tastes so much better now comparing with twenty years ago. We have witnessed the revolutionary of the coffee industry with the introduction of Starbucks and other premium coffee outlets and it is hopeful that the fast food industry will catch up eventually.
Cheers
Jack
很有意思和切身的話題。即使對於許多經驗豐富的旅客，尋找一個地方來享受膳食（不單是吃）是一個具有挑戰性的命題。讀了你的文章後，我有以下的想法。
法國人有他們的菲力牛排，意大利人有他們的比薩餅和意大利麵，英國人有他們的炸魚和薯條，美國人，正如你所說，有他們的漢堡包！在美國快餐並不是一個精緻美食，不過它是象徵了美國幾十年來“吃完跑”的工業社會。雖然美國是許多早期歐洲移民者的定居地，他們將祖先的文化改變成為美國目前的文化。雖然是同一太祖，但兩種文化相對起來卻蘊藏著許多差異，當中包括了我們的吃，喝，玩，樂，工作，和生活的習慣。例如，美國人的工作日通常是早晨5點或6點開始，與歐洲人上午9時或10時才開始他們的工作實難作比較。對於許多以小時計算的美國僱員，拿30分鐘午休時間來點菜實在是太短了，因此快餐連鎖店的漢堡包提供了方便又實際的選擇。
當美國人去旅行時，特別是對有孩子的家庭，他們對快餐店都會有愛，恨，和信任的關係。愛是因為快餐店提供了一個似樣的廁所和咖啡休息站。對於已在汽車內束縛了幾小時的的孩子們，快餐店更加可以令他們精神振奮。恨是因為他們的食物都是千編一律的單調又枯燥。信任是因為不管他們是否坐落在大城市的中心或偏僻的鄉村，他們的產品和服務都保持著一般的標準。許多人都不會心甘情願在一個未知質素的餐廳花額外的錢。可幸的是，快餐業在過去二十年來經歷了幾個正面的大改變。例如，食品不再預先做好，菜單中添加了沙拉，甚至連麥當勞的咖啡與 20年前比較亦好多了。我們目睹 Starbucks 和其他咖啡店對咖啡業作出的改革，希望快餐業最終將趕上。
乾杯
Jack