为什么爱吃臭豆腐

婷婷，这个夜市真热闹，人这么多，好像什么都能吃到。

Tingting, this night market is so lively, there's such a crowd, it feels like you can eat anything here.

对啊，我从小就常来这个夜市，好吃的东西很多。你闻，那个方向气味很特别，我们过去看看？

Right, I've been coming to this night market since I was a kid, there's so much good food. Do you smell that? Something over there smells really distinctive. Want to go take a look?

什么气味？太臭了，我都不敢往前走了！

What is that smell? It's so stinky I don't even dare go any closer!

这是臭豆腐，我们夜市最有名的小吃，也是我最喜欢的。老板，来两份！

That's stinky tofu, the most famous snack at this night market, and also my favorite. Boss, two servings please!

两份？！你真的要吃吗？这个气味让我有点想吐，你怎么一点反应都没有？

Two servings? Are you seriously going to eat that? This smell is making me feel a little sick. How are you not reacting at all?

我从小吃到大，早就习惯了。你知道臭豆腐为什么这么臭吗？

I've eaten it since I was little, so I got used to it long ago. Do you know why stinky tofu smells this strong?

不知道，也不太想知道。是不是因为放的时间太长，坏了？

No idea, and I'm not sure I want to know. Is it because it's been sitting out too long and gone bad?

不是坏了，是发酵。豆腐放进一种特别的水里，时间长了就会发酵，气味就变得很特别，这个方法很传统，很多地方的人都用发酵做食物。

It's not spoiled, it's fermented. The tofu sits in a special kind of liquid, and over time it ferments and develops this distinctive smell. It's a traditional method, and people in a lot of places use fermentation to make food.

发酵？那不是跟做酒、做醋差不多吗？可是酒和醋没有这么臭啊。

Fermented? Isn't that similar to making wine or vinegar? But wine and vinegar don't smell nearly this bad.

方法差不多，但是用的东西不一样，发酵出来的气味也不一样。你别只闻气味，臭豆腐的口感才是重点：外面炸得很脆，里面还是软的。

The method is similar, but what goes into it is different, so what comes out smells different too. Don't judge it only by the smell though, the texture is really the main point of stinky tofu. The outside is fried until crispy, and the inside stays soft.

脆和软，我倒是能想象。可是如果受不了这个气味，是不是就吃不到那个口感了？

Crispy and soft, I can actually imagine that part. But if you can't stand the smell, doesn't that mean you never get to the texture?

是有点难，但是世界上很多有名的食物都是这样：咖啡，还有很酸、很臭的食物，很多人第一次吃的时候，也觉得气味不好，味道很苦。

It is a bit hard. But a lot of famous foods around the world are like this: coffee, and various sour or pungent foods. Plenty of people find the smell off putting or the taste bitter the first time they try them.

所以你的意思是，喜欢一个味道，不是天生的，是可以慢慢学会的？

So you're saying that liking a taste isn't something you're born with, it's something you can gradually learn?

对，我是这么想的。你看小孩子，一开始很多都不喜欢喝茶、吃辣的东西，长大以后才慢慢喜欢上。习惯了，口感就变得不一样了。

Right, that's what I think. Look at little kids, at first a lot of them don't like drinking tea or eating spicy food, and only gradually grow to like it. Once you're used to something, the texture feels different too.

可是我有个同学，从小在中国长大，到现在也不吃臭豆腐，闻到就跑。这怎么解释？

But I have a classmate who grew up in China from childhood, and even now she still won't eat stinky tofu, she runs the moment she smells it. How do you explain that?

这我也没办法解释。可能每个人的舌头真的不一样，有的人天生就更怕这种气味，闻不了。所以我觉得，一半是天生的，一半是练出来的。你不吃怎么知道喜不喜欢？

I can't really explain that either. Maybe everyone's tongue really is different, and some people are just born more afraid of this smell and can't handle it. So I think it's half something you're born with and half something you train. How would you know if you like it if you don't try it?

好吧，我试试！外面真的很脆，里面是软的，气味也没有刚才那么可怕，但是这个味道很特别，我现在还说不清自己喜不喜欢。

All right, I'll try it. The outside really is crispy and the inside is soft, and the smell doesn't seem as scary now, but the taste is very unusual, and right now I honestly can't say whether I like it or not.

说不清也没关系，你已经比很多人勇敢了，至少你敢咬了这一口。你觉得，如果你在这儿住得久一点，会不会慢慢喜欢上？

It's fine if you can't say for sure. You're already braver than a lot of people, at least you dared to take that bite. Do you think if you lived here longer, you might slowly come to like it?

有可能，但也有可能不会。口感这部分，我是真的喜欢的，脆脆的，软软的，很有意思。可是这个气味，我现在还是有点忍不住难受。也许喜不喜欢一个味道，真的一半是天生的，一半是练出来的，我还需要时间。

Maybe, but maybe not too. The texture part, I honestly do like, crispy and soft, it's quite interesting. But this smell, I still can't fully help finding it a little unpleasant right now. Maybe whether you like a taste really is half something you're born with and half something you train, and I still need more time.

没关系，你不用现在就决定。你敢试，这已经很好了。下次我们再来这个夜市，你可以再吃一次，看看感觉一不一样。

That's fine, you don't have to decide right now. Just daring to try it is already great. Next time we come back to this night market, you can eat it again and see if it feels different.