1. Even at home, food and drink are given relatively little attention. The coffee is often just as bad as it is in the cafés. British supermarkets sell far more instant coffee than (what the few people who drink it often call) ‘real’ coffee. Instant coffee is less trouble. Meals tend to be eaten quickly and the table cleared. Parties and celebrations are not normally centred around the food.

即使在家里，饮食得到的关注仍相对较少。咖啡通常和外面卖的一样糟糕。英国超市里卖的速溶咖啡数量更远远超过（少数爱喝咖啡的人称之为）“真正的”咖啡。速溶咖啡相对较好。人们吃饭速度很快，餐桌随即收拾干净。各种聚会和庆祝活动，一般也都不会在食物上下功夫。

2. Ultimately, the explanation for these poor standards, low expectations and lack of general interest in food and drink is historical. Until the second half of the twentieth century, the ruling classes in Britain- and thus the opinion leaders-had been educated at boarding schools (see chapter 14) where they were, deliberately, given rather plain food to eat.

最后，对于食品的低水平、低期望和兴趣普遍缺乏的解释要归于历史方面。直到二十世纪下半叶，英国的统治阶级，暨舆论的领导者──一直在寄宿学校接受教育，他们在那里得到的食物都是些粗食淡饭。

3. British people are also showing increasing interest in the pure enjoyment aspect of food. There are numerous cookery and food programmes on TV, all of them watched with close enthusiasm. It is possible, then, that the negative reputation of British food will eventually become a historical hangover. Attitudes have changed, but the quality of food in everyday life is still poor because these changes have not had enough time to change habits and expectations.

英国民众在食品的纯粹享受方面也表现出越来越浓厚的的兴趣。他们对电视上有许多的烹饪和饮食节目都充满热情地密切关注。这样一来，英国食品的负面名声将最终成为历史后遗症是可能的。人们的态度已然发生变化，但日常生活中的食品质量仍然很差，因为这些态度上的改变尚缺足够的时间来改变饮食习惯和期望。

4. Not so long ago, going to a restaurant was a rare event for most British people. Regular eating out was confined to the richest section of society. By now, a far larger number of people do it. But because of this history, there remains an element of snobbery attached to it.

还在不久前，去饭店就餐这种事对大多数英国人还是很罕见的，经常在外吃饭的仅限于富人。可现在大多数人都去饭店吃饭。但由于历史原因，它却带上了势利的因素。

5. Finally, there are establishments in the centre of towns which are commonly referred to as ‘tea rooms’. They are open only during the day and cater for a different kind of clientele with waitress service. They serve scones and other light snacks (and, of course, tea).

最后，在城镇中心还有一些通常被称为“茶室”的服务机构。店内配有女服务员，仅在白天开放。他们向顾客提供司康饼和其他一些点心小吃（当然，还有茶）。

6. Fast food outlets are probably more common in Britain than they are in most other countries. Cynics might claim this is because the British have no taste. However, their popularity is probably better explained sociologically.

快餐专营店在英国可能比在大多数其他国家更常见。愤世嫉俗的人也许会说这是因为英国人没有品味。然而，英国快餐店的普及从社会学角度来解释或许会更好。

7. The British attitude to alcohol in Britain is ambivalent. On the one hand, it is accepted and liked as an integral, deeply-rooted part of the national culture. And the prevalent attitude to getting drunk is that, provided this does not lead to violence, there is no shame attached. On the other hand, the puritan tradition has led to the widespread assumption that drinking is something dangerous which should therefore be restricted, with regard to both who can do it and also where it can be done.

英国人对酒的态度是又恨又爱。一方面，它作为英国文化中必不可少的、根深蒂固的一部分而为人接受并喜爱。人们对饮酒的普遍态度是，只要此种行为不会导致暴力，就没有羞耻可言。另一方面，清教徒的传统则导致了许多人认为，饮酒是危险的事情，应该对饮酒者和售酒场所加以限制。

8. Nevertheless, alcohol, especially beer, remains an important part of the lives of many people. The occasional trip across the channel solely for the purpose of buying cheaper beer and wine in France or Belgium in such a regular part of many people’s calendar that it has led to a well-known colloquial coinage-the ‘booze cruise’.

然而，酒类饮品，尤其是啤酒，仍是许多人生活的重要组成部分。偶尔横渡英吉利海峡只为到法国和比利时购买更便宜的啤酒和葡萄酒，这仍是很多英国人生活中的常事，由此产生了人们杜撰的一个俗语----“booze cruise”（酒的巡航）。

9. Nevertheless, pubs have retained their special character. One of their notable aspects is that there is no waiter service. If you want something, you have to go and ask for it at the bar. This may not seem very welcoming and a strange way of making people feel comfortable and relaxed. But to British people it is precisely this. To be served at a table is discomforting for many people. It makes them feel they have to be on their best behaviour. But because in pubs you have to go and fetch your drinks yourself, it is more informal.

不过，英国的酒吧仍保有其与众不同的特色。其中之一就是店内没有服务员。如果你想点什么东西，你必须去吧台提出要求。在某些人看来这有点奇怪，难以接受。但英国人要的就是这个。坐在餐桌旁接受服务让许多人感到不自在，这使他们觉得自己必须循规蹈矩。可是在酒吧，你必须自己起来去买饮品，就大可不必那么正式了。

10. A notable aspect of British pubs is their frequent appeal to the idea of tradition. For example, each has its own name, proclaimed on a sign hanging outside, always with old-fashioned associations.

英国酒吧的一个显著的特色，是他们经常会想方设法唤醒人们的传统意识。例如，每个酒吧都有自己的名字，写在挂在店外的招牌上，这些名字往往与历史或传统有所关联。