Chat attack

boxed lunch/午餐便当/ (wǔcān biàndānɡ)

A: Want to eat lunch together today?

今天中午一起吃饭吗？

(jīntiān zhōnɡwǔ yīqǐ chīfàn ma?)

B: Not today I'm afraid, I made a boxed lunch. 

我恐怕今天不行,我自己做了午餐便当。

(wǒ kǒnɡpà jīntiān bùxínɡ, wǒ zìjǐ zuòle wǔcān biàndānɡ.)

A: Really? Ok, maybe next time. I heard that you are English. What does an Englishman's boxed lunch have in it? 

是吗？好吧,那下次。听说你是英国人,英国人的午餐便当里都有什么吗？

(shìma?hǎobā, nà xiàcì.tīnɡshuō nǐ shì yīnɡɡuórén, yīnɡɡuórén de wǔcān biàndānɡ lǐ dōuyǒu shenme ma?)

B: For your average student or office worker, they will usually choose a sandwich, a bag of potato chips and some fruit for vitamins. 

对于学生和上班族,他们会选择吃三明治,一袋薯片外加水果补充维他命。

(duìyú xuéshēnɡ hé shànɡbānzú, tāmén huì xuǎnzé chī sānmínɡzhì, yīdài shǔpiàn wàijiā shuǐɡuǒ bǔchōnɡ wéitāmìnɡ.)

A: Sounds simple and nutritious, but a bit too boring for me. In China, people's boxed lunches are usually full of a variety of things, putting together both northern and southern foods.  

听起来简单又营养,但对于我来说有些单调了。在中国,人们的午餐便当非常丰富,汇聚南北菜肴。

(tīnɡqǐlái jiǎndān yòu yínɡyǎnɡ, dàn duìyú wǒ láishuō yǒuxiē dāndiào le.zài zhōnɡɡuó, rénménde wǔcān biàndānɡ fēichánɡ fēnɡfù, huìjù nánběi càiyáo.)

B: Yeah, I know. This stems from China's rich and varied food culture and the rapid development of food delivery platforms.  

是的,我知道。这得益于中国丰富多样的饮食文化和快速发展的外卖送餐平台。

(shìde, wǒ zhīdào.zhè déyìyú zhōnɡɡuó fēnɡfù duōyànɡ de yǐnshí wénhuà hé kuàisù fāzhǎnde wàimài sònɡcān pínɡtái.)

Illustrations: Liu Xidan/GT