第25章 Foreign Cultures 谈论外国文化(10)
The history of Sake is very complicated and full of ceremonies。 It is a part of many Japanese rituals， from sealing wedding vows to blessing a new home， to being used as an offering to the shrines of gods。 There is physical evidence of fermented rice beverages dating back to 300BC。 The type and style of Sake we are most familiar with today came into existence about the 16th century and did not see much change until the middle of the 20th century。 Chilled Sake came about in the mid－20th century due to a better understanding of the complicated process of turning rice into a fermentable sugar。 Traditionally， quality Sake was heated gently （not baked in a cask as is common in many American Japanese restaurants） to diminish bitterness and allow some of the musty lees character to vaporize， leaving fresh， clean flavors。 Science and technology has shown the Sake masters， that many of the ancient traditions of making Sake are essential， but it has also shown them how to make clean and more intensely flavored Sake that does not need to be heated。 Today， all quality Sake is enjoyed chilled。
Despite what you may have heard， Sake is not a wine， nor is it a beer， although it is similar to beer in the fact that both are fermented from a type of grain。 The difference is that in beer the enzymes needed to convert the starch into a fermentable sugar are created during malting， whereas in Sake the enzyme to convert the rice into a fermentable sugar is a special mold known as koji， which must be propagated and added。 Also， during Sake production， saccharification （the conversion of starch into sugar）， happens at the same time and in the same vessel as the fermentation （these are two separated stages in beer production）。 As the rice is being converted into sugar， the yeast is converting the sugar into alcohol。 This is what makes Sake fermentation so difficult—if saccharification happens too slowly， the yeast will starve， and if it happens too fast， the yeast is overwhelmed and can’t function so the sugar is not converted to alcohol。 This process is known as “multiple parallel fermentation” and is the reason why Sake can ferment naturally to 20％～22％ alcohol。
和服和清酒是日本人推崇的两样东西，它们代表着日本人不同的气质。对于女人，能有一件上好的和服是她们的梦想，而对于男人，不论在什么情况下，都愿意一尝清酒的美味，而清酒的美味也一直为世人称道。去日本，不能错过的应该就是这两样了。
Key words ＆ Sentences
关键词句全知道
The kimono is Japan’s national costume， which once got fashionable throughout the island。
和服是日本的民族服装，曾经风靡日本全岛。
As the kimono is so dear， people just wear it on important festivals。
由于和服比较昂贵，人们一般只在重大节日才穿。
The girls regard having a high－grade showily kimono as a great honor and their parents would try to fulfill their hopes。
姑娘们以拥有一套高档华贵的和服为荣耀，父母们都尽量满足女儿的这一愿望。
The kimono is not only produced complicatedly but also not easy to wear。 The young people mainly couldn’t wear it， if have to， they will ask for help。
和服不仅制作复杂，穿起来也十分麻烦。年轻人基本上不会穿，必须穿时，会请人帮忙。
The foreigners seem to like it very much， many blond girls even swagger through the street with wearing the kimono pajamas。
和服深受老外的喜爱，有不少金发碧眼的女郎甚至穿着和服睡衣招摇过市。
Sake is Japan’s national treasure。 The Japanese say sake is a gift received from god。
清酒是日本的国粹。日本人常说，清酒是上帝的恩赐。
Sake can be seen in large banquets， wedding ceremonies， bars and even on normal people’s table。
在大型的宴会上，结婚典礼中，在酒吧间或寻常百姓的餐桌上，人们都可以看到清酒。
There are more than 2000 sake factories throughout the Japan， the many well－known sake factories are concentrated in Kobe of Kanto and places near Kyoto。
日本全国有大小清酒酿造厂2000余家，日本著名的清酒厂多集中在关东的神户和京都附近。
Sake is good for skin as well as can promote blood circulation， and also have a therapeutic effect on inflammation injuries。
清酒不仅有美肤的作用，还能促进血液循环，对外伤发炎也有治疗作用。
More than 17 kinds of amino acids are contained in sake， including 8 kinds of human essential amino acids which can not be synthesized by ourselves。
清酒含有17种以上的氨基酸，其中包括8种人体所必需且不能合成的氨基酸。
People are paying more and more attention to the inorganic ions in sake。
清酒中的无机离子越来越受到重视。
Sake gets minerals from raw materials of millet and mineral water。
清酒从原料小米和矿泉水中得到矿物质。
Let’s Talk！
开始交流吧！
Tom： It’s the first for me to meet you parents， what should I bring as a gift？
汤姆：第一次去见你的父母，我要带什么礼物呢？
Lucy： My dad likes to drink， you can get him some wine。
露西：我爸喜欢喝酒，给他带点儿酒吧。
Tom： What is your father’s favorite kind？
汤姆：你爸有特别喜欢喝的酒吗？
Lucy： As long as a bottle of good wine， he will drink。
露西：只要是好酒，他都喝。
Tom： That’s good。 Two days ago a colleague brought me a bottle of Japanese sake， I will bring it to your dad。
汤姆：那好，前两天有个同事给我带了瓶日本的清酒，我带去给你爸爸。
Lucy： Japanese sake？ What kind？ I haven’t heard of it。
露西：日本清酒？什么样的啊，我没听说过啊。
Tom： It enjoys a high reputation in Japan。 It tastes very special， loved by the Japanese。
汤姆：清酒在日本人心中有很高的地位。它的味道很特别，深受日本人的喜爱。
Lucy： Is alcohol level high？ Will it harm the body？
露西：那它酒精度高吗？会不会对身体有伤害？
Tom： 18 degrees is not high enough to harm human body。 It is a very light wine， you can have a try。
汤姆：18度，不算高，不会伤害身体的，是一种很清淡的酒，可以尝尝啊。
Lucy： Well， there it is。 We’ll see my parents tomorrow。 Do not forget to bring it。
露西：那好吧，就带它了。我们是明天见我爸妈，你可别忘了带。
Tom： Certainly not， I’ll put it in the car right now。
汤姆：肯定不会忘，我现在就把它放进车厢里去。
Lucy： Ah， good idea。
露西：嗯，好主意。
Vodka and Ballet
伏特加酒与芭蕾舞
说起欧洲文化，不能不提两个话题，一个是伏特加，一个就是芭蕾。下面我们就来认识一下吧。
伏特加是一种经蒸馏处理的酒精饮料，是由水和经蒸馏净化的乙醇所合成的透明液体，一般更会经多重蒸馏从而达到更纯更美味的效果。市面上品质较好的伏特加一般是经过三重蒸馏的。在蒸馏过程中除水和乙醇外，还会加入马铃薯、菜糖浆及黑麦或小麦，如果是制作有味道的伏特加，则会加入适量的调味料。
芭蕾属于欧洲古典舞蹈，由法语ballet音译而来。芭蕾舞孕育于意大利文艺复兴时期，17世纪后半叶开始在法国发展流行并逐渐职业化，在不断革新中风靡世界。芭蕾舞最重要的一个特征即演员表演时以脚尖点地，故又称脚尖舞。
Realize Vodka and Ballet
认识伏特加和芭蕾舞
1伏特加和芭蕾舞的简介
Vodka is a mostly clear beverage rectified from any alcohol of agricultural origin， with the most common raw materials being relatively high in starch or sugar； for example grain， potatoes or molasses。 The spirit is distilled up to around 96％ ABV before being diluted with water to bottling strength， generally between 35％ and 50％ ABV。 It is often flavored， and is one of the world’s most popular spirits。