‘Mooncake Mania’ on Chinese Holiday

中國節日的「月餅熱」

【新聞關鍵字】

1. mania: n. 瘋狂；狂熱

2. Moon Festival: n. 中秋節(外國稱月亮節)

3. swept up: v. phr. 打掃、橫掃

4. approach: v. 接近

5. pastry: n. 酥皮點心(如餡餅、水果派)

6. symbolism: n. 象徵性

Anchor: As Chinese around the globe celebrated the Moon Festival this weekend, many found themselves swept up in the search for the perfect mooncake.

新聞主播：當全球的中國人慶祝本週末的中秋節時，很多人全身投入尋找十全十美的月餅。

STORY: For Chinese people around the world it’s that time of year again… 新聞內容：對全球華人來說，真是一年容易又中秋…

Every year as the Chinese Moon Festival approaches, from Hong Kong to Shanghai to London–Chinese people around the world are buying boxes of sweet bean paste pastries as gifts for family and friends. 每當中秋節來臨時，從香港到上海到倫敦，全球的中國人買了一盒又一盒的紅豆泥酥餅給家人、朋友當禮物。

They’re called mooncakes. And, like the holiday fruitcake in Western culture, the mooncake in Chinese culture is more important for its symbolism and tradition than for its taste. In fact, many of these cakes are said to go uneaten. 它們稱為月餅，而且，就像西方文化節日裡的水果蛋糕一樣，月餅在中國文化中，象徵性及傳統比口味要重要的多了，事實上，這些月餅很多都沒吃。

【新聞關鍵字】

7. variety: n. 多樣化；變化

8. enthusiast: n. 熱心者

9. confection: n. 西點

10. to come into fashion: v. phr. 流行

11. sorbet: n. 冰糕

12. cornucopia: n. 豐富的

But that may be changing. As Chinese tastes become more “global,” there is an ever-greater variety of mooncake flavors on the market. It’s no longer just limited to the traditional lotus seed paste or red bean paste. 但這情形可能在改變。如同中國人的口味全球化，市場上月餅口味的變化也越來越多樣，不再限制於傳統蓮子酥或紅豆餡。

Now mooncake enthusiasts can enjoy dainty custard-filled cakes, or delicate white sugar powder confections. Flavors like green tea and even shark’s fin have come into fashion.

現在熱愛月餅人士喜歡可口奶凍月餅，或細緻的白糖粉西點月餅，像綠茶口味，甚至魚翅口味都風行一時。

And jumping on the trendy mooncake band wagon, ice cream giant Häagen Dazs has created a line of high-end, ice cream-filled mooncakes for those really seeking to make an impression. In these “cakes,” the traditional preserved duck egg yolk is replaced by a sphere of mango sorbet.

跟上流行的月餅風潮，冰淇淋龍頭Häagen Dazs為尋找創新的人研發了冰淇淋月餅，這些創意「月餅」中，芒果冰糕完全取代傳統的蛋黃酥。

Some mooncake purists are, of course, crying foul–commenting that these days anything round can be called a mooncake. But the cornucopia of new mooncake flavors and styles is sure to bring one welcome change: more mooncakes in the belly and less in the bin.

當然，有些月餅純粹主義者叫罵，批評最近什麼餅都算月餅，但是新式月餅豐富的口味及風味確實受到歡迎：因為月餅都吃進肚子裡，而不是丟進垃圾桶。

本則影音新聞出處：新唐人電視台英語新聞

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