You:我想你应该听说过这个,在饭店里你和你的朋友争着付帐。
David:Yeah, that’s a part of Chinese culture. You can see that in other cultures too, but not so much in American culture. 是的,这可能是中国人的传统习俗。别的国家也有这种习俗,但是在美国文化传统里就不打常见。
You:但我和我朋友有时候分摊费用,而不是大吼:“我来买单!我来买单!” My friends and I sometimes split the cost equally instead of shouting, “let my pay! ...No, let me pay!”
David:In the U.S., it is common for people to split the bill after a meal. They call this habit “going Dutch”. For example, after a meal, I would turn to you and say, “Let’s go Dutch.” Do you know any other polite customs related to eating or drinking? 在美国,人们一般都是分摊餐费。人们把这种习惯叫“go Dutch”。例如,在吃完饭后,我通常会说“Let’s go Dutch.”。你还知道其他跟吃喝有关的礼貌习俗吗?
You:In my hometown in Inner Mongolia, people like to drink a lot at mealtimes, especially when guests are over. If you visit me at my place, I’ll try my best to get you as drunk as possible.
在我的家乡内蒙古,人们喜欢在吃饭的时候,尤其是有客人来的时候,喝很多酒。如果你去我家玩,我会努力把你灌醉。
David:Really? That’s very funny. 是吗?那可挺有意思的。
You:Yeah, that’s our way of being polite. If you drink so much that you pass out at my place, you would make my parents very happy.
是啊,这是我们表示礼貌的方式。如果你在我家醉倒了,我爸爸妈妈会很开心的。
David:Very interesting.真有趣。
You:I actually don’t like it very much. It pleases the family but sometimes makes the guests feel uncomfortable.
实际上,我不太喜欢这样。虽然主人高兴了,但有时会使客人觉得不大舒服。