每日英語 #144: Meals and Meal Times 餐點與用餐時間

2024/10/08閱讀時間約 7 分鐘

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Meals and Meal Times 餐點與用餐時間

It can be confusing to hear Americans talk about meals. Both “supper” and “dinner” mean the same thing: the last meal of the day that is served in the evening.

聽美國人談論餐點時可能會令人困惑。「晚餐」（supper）和「晚餐」（dinner）都指的是同一件事：一天中最後一頓晚間的餐。

In most parts of the United States, especially in “urban” (city) areas, you’ll hear “dinner” more often than “supper.” “Supper” is also a bit old-fashioned in most parts of the country.

在美國的大部分地區，尤其是在「城市」（urban）地區，你更常聽到「dinner」而不是「supper」。「Supper」在大部分地區聽起來有點過時。

You may hear it used for talking about eating that meal at home; it’s less common to hear someone say that they are having supper at a restaurant.

你可能會聽到人們在家裡吃這頓飯時使用它；但在餐廳裡吃晚餐時，較少聽到有人說他們在吃「supper」。

In some “rural” (countryside) and Southern parts of the U.S., you may hear “dinner” used instead of “lunch” to mean the meal in the middle of the day, and “supper” used instead of “dinner” to mean the last meal of the day.

在美國的某些「鄉村」（rural）地區和南部地區，你可能會聽到用「dinner」來代替「午餐」（lunch）表示一天中間的那頓飯，而用「supper」來代替「晚餐」（dinner）表示一天的最後一頓飯。

However, this usage is also becoming less common these days and the terms “breakfast,” “lunch,” and “dinner” are the most commonly used to describe the three meals Americans typically eat each day.

然而，這種用法如今也越來越少見，「早餐」（breakfast）、「午餐」（lunch）和「晚餐」（dinner）是描述美國人每天通常吃的三餐最常用的詞彙。

For most Americans, mealtimes are as follows:

對於大多數美國人來說，用餐時間如下：

Breakfast – 6:00 to 9:00 a.m.
早餐——上午6:00到9:00
Lunch – 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
午餐——上午11:00到下午1:00
Dinner/Supper – 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
晚餐——下午6:00到晚上8:00

Of course there are many “exceptions” (things that do not follow the rules) depending on people’s schedules and preferences, but these are times that you can expect a restaurant to serve these types of meals.

當然，根據人們的日程安排和喜好，有許多「例外」（不遵循規則的情況），但這些時間是你可以期望餐廳提供這些餐點的時間。

Many restaurants in many cities close at 9:00 p.m. on “weekdays” (Monday through Friday) and at 10:00 on “weekends” (Saturday and Sunday).

許多城市的餐廳在「平日」（星期一到星期五）晚上9:00關門，週末（星期六和星期天）則在10:00關門。

You will still be served if you arrive anytime before closing time, but “latecomers” (people who arrive after the appointed time) will be “turned away” (not allowed to enter).

如果你在關門時間前抵達，餐廳仍會為你提供服務，但「遲到者」（到指定時間後才到達的人）將會被「拒之門外」（不允許進入）。

There are, of course, restaurants that “cater to” (are made for; are specifically for) late-night “diners” (eaters), and many of these are open 24 hours.

當然，也有一些餐廳是專門「迎合」（專門為）深夜「用餐者」（食客）的，這些餐廳許多都24小時營業。