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smashed cucumber / 拍黄瓜 / (pāihuánɡɡuā) 

A: I learned a new dish today. It's called smashed cucumbers. 

我今天新学了一道菜,叫做拍黄瓜。

(wǒ jīntiān xīnxuéle yīdàocài, jiàozuò pāihuánɡɡuā.)

B: What's smashed cucumbers? I've only tried fried shrimps with cucumbers before. 

什么是拍黄瓜呢？我以前只吃过虾仁炒黄瓜。

(shénmeshì pāihuánɡɡuā ne? wǒ yǐqián zhīchīɡuò xiārén chǎo huánɡɡuā.)

A: Smashed cucumbers are a common Chinese cold dish. The main ingredients are cucumbers and all kinds of spices are used to make them.

拍黄瓜是一道中国家常凉菜。它的主料是黄瓜,然后加上各种调料拌制而成。

(pāihuánɡɡuā shì yīdào zhōnɡɡuó jiāchánɡ liánɡcài.tāde zhǔliào shì huánɡɡuā, ránhòu jiāshànɡ ɡèzhǒnɡ tiàoliào bànzhì érchénɡ.)

B: How does it taste like?

它吃起来怎么样呢？

(tā chīqǐlái zěnmeyànɡ ne?)

A: Smashed cucumbers are cool and refreshing. They taste delicious and are a suitable dish for summer.

拍黄瓜清凉爽口,味道鲜美,非常适合夏季食用。

(pāihuánɡɡuā qīnɡliánɡ shuǎnɡkǒu, wèidào xiānměi, fēichánɡ shìhé xiàjì shíyònɡ.) 

B: It sounds very tempting. I want to give them a try. 

听上去很诱人,我也想尝一尝。

(tīnɡshànɡqù hěn yòurén, wǒ yěxiǎnɡ chánɡyīchánɡ.)

A: No problem. But be careful, bacteria can easily grow in cold dishes during summer, so you have to pay extra attention to hygiene.

没问题。不过要注意,夏天凉菜制作过程容易有细菌滋生,要注意卫生。

(méiwèntí.bùɡuò yào zhùyì, xiàtiān liánɡcài zhìzuò ɡuòchénɡ rónɡyì yǒu xìjūn zīshēnɡ, yào zhùyì wèishēnɡ.)

Illustration: Liu Rui/Global Times