Making Rice

Making Rice, written by Ting Ji.

《做米饭》，作者：季婷

Rice is a very important food for more than half of the world's people. In many Asian countries, rice is eaten at every meal. Many areas of the world have grown rice for thousands of years. In China, scientists discovered rice fields that were over 8 ,000 years old. That means rice has been a part of life in China for a very long time. Growing and cooking rice are a part of China's culture.

对于全世界一半以上的人来说，米饭是非常重要的食物。 在很多亚洲国家，人们每餐都吃米饭。 世界上很多地区种植水稻已经有几千年的历史了。 在中国，科学家们发现了距今8000多年的稻田遗迹。 这说明很久以来，米饭一直是中国人生活的一部分。 种植水稻和烹制米饭也是中国文化的一部分。

There are about 7 ,000 kinds of rice. They include long and short grain rice, sweet rice, wild rice, and brown rice. Rice is low in salt and fat. It is an excellent source of starch. Rice is grown in many countries of the world. It grows in fields called paddies. Some rice needs lots of water to grow. So some rice paddies are flooded with water.

世界上大约有7000种水稻。 其中包括长粒米、短粒米， 糯米、菰米还有糙米。 米饭的盐和脂肪含量都很低。 是优质的淀粉来源。 世界上很多国家都种植水稻。 它生长在叫做水田的田地里。 有些水稻生长需要大量的水。 所以有些稻田里会灌满水。

Many people greet each other by saying, how are you? But in China, people greet each other differently. They say, chi faun mei you. It means, have you eaten rice yet? Rice is used in many other Chinese sayings too. If you say, I lost my rice bowl, it means I lost my job. Throwing a rice bowl on the floor is an insult and a sign of anger.

很多人互相打招呼的时候会说：“你好吗？” 但在中国，人们打招呼的方式不太一样。 他们会说“吃饭了没有？” 这句话的意思是“你吃米饭了吗？” 还有很多其他中文俗语里也有米饭的身影。 如果你说“我丢了我的饭碗”，意思就是“我失业了”。 把饭碗摔在地上是一种侮辱行为，也是表达愤怒的方式。

The Chinese teach their children that they must eat every grain of rice in their bowls. It is a way of showing appreciation for farmers who work hard in the rice fields.

中国人会教育孩子，碗里的每一粒米饭都要吃光。 这是对在稻田里辛苦劳作的农民的一种尊重。

Rice is used to make many things in China. Parts of the rice plant are used to make paper and baskets. But the most important product is food. Rice grain is used for making rice wine and vinegar. Rice can be crushed into rice flour. The flour is used to make rice cakes, noodles, and sweet treats. Rice is used to make many tasty dishes, such as chicken fried rice. You are going to learn to make this dish. But first, you must learn how to make plain rice. It's easy, so let's try it.

在中国，水稻可以用来制作很多东西。 水稻植株的部分可以用来造纸和编篮子。 但最重要的产物还是食物。 米粒可以用来制作米酒和醋。 大米可以磨成米粉。 米粉可以用来做米糕、面条还有甜品。 大米还能做很多好吃的菜，比如鸡肉炒饭。 接下来你就要学做这道菜啦。 不过首先，你得先学会怎么煮白米饭。 这很简单，我们一起来试试吧。