唐人街是中国海外移民社群的文化符号,象征着华裔人群的身份认同,在看了那么多疫情方面的各种新闻后,今天带你领略下不同角度下的疫情视角。以下内容摘自英文外刊的节选。
'Who Are We For?' How the Virus Is Testing the Identity of Chinatown
“我们为谁服务” 疫情是如何考验唐人街的身份认同
Hop Kee is a basement Cantonese eatery offering $9.5 shrimp lo mein. Hwa Yuan Szechuan is a three-story, white-tablecloth restaurant where the whole fish with hot bean sauce is $45.
合记饭店是一间开在地下室的小酒馆,店里供应9.5美金一碗的虾仁捞面,华源四川是一家3层楼大的高级四川餐厅,卖着45元一份的豆瓣鱼。
Both have long histories in Manhattan's Chinatown and a deep aversion to delivery apps.
这两家都在曼哈顿的唐人街开了很久,同时非常抵触送餐应用。
So when the coronavirus pandemic shut down all on-site dining, almost no one was able to enjoy their food, forcing them to confront difficult questions about modernization and adaptation that may reshape the businesses across the storied neighbourhood.
因此,当疫情关闭了所有堂食的餐馆后,几乎没有人可以在他们那里享受食物,逼迫他们面对关于适应现代化,重塑该区商业格式的棘手问题。
Since its formation around the 1870s, Chinatown has managed to preserve its working-class immigrant character. Now, the economic suffering has intensified the long-simmering generational divided, between younger people who believe Chinatown must get with the times to survive and older people who worry about it becoming a theme park of instagrammable desserts and $18 Asian-fusion cocktails.
唐人街始于1870年代,并且成功保留了工薪阶级的移民特色,但是现在的经济困难加剧了酝酿已久的世代分歧,年轻一代觉得唐人街必须顺应时代变化才能生存,而老一代则担心唐人街会变成网红式主题公园,充斥着网红款甜点以及18美金一杯的亚洲混合鸡尾酒。
Longtime residents say they understand when businesses try to survive by diversifying their clientele, especially if those customers explore other stores in the area. But they also worry about trendier establishments turning the neighbourhood into a caricature of Chinatown.
在唐人街久居的居民表示他们理解商家试图丰富客户群体求生的做法,尤其是这些客户还会光临附近的其它商店,但他们同时也担心这种追潮风会让唐人街看起来像一幅滑稽的唐人街漫画。
'They do attract a crowd that's less respectful of the culture or don't appreciate it,' said Geoff Lee, 68, a lifelong Chinatown resident. They look at Chinatown more as a novelty than a true identity.
68岁的李杰夫在唐人街住了一辈子,他说道:“多样化确实招来了一群不太尊重或是不太欣赏唐人街文化的人群”,唐人待对他们而言,更多是一种新鲜体验,而不是真正的身份认同。
2020-07-07
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