全球美食孵化园：邀请外国美食来中国

Listen up, fellow foodies. It’s high time to revolutionize culinary exchanges between China and the West. 美食家朋友们，听我说。现在是中西方交流烹饪革命的时候了。 We’ve seen the success that special economic zones have enjoyed in China, with policy incentives that attract foreign investment. 我们已经看到中国经济特区的发展成果，政策激励吸引着外国投资。 Imagine establishing a “special gastronomic zone”, where China could make it ultra-convenient for foreign restaurateurs to set up kitchens. 我们可以想象j建立一个“美食特区”，中国能够为来此开餐厅的外国老板提供极大的便利。 Understandably, foreign chains might be hesitant to invest in the real estate and equipment needed to launch in a market that, despite the potential, poses uncertainties as well. 可以理解的是，外国连锁企业也许会犹豫是否为将要投放市场的门店和设备投资，尽管这个市场潜力巨大，但也带来了不确定性。 Why not reduce the risks for, and thereby the reluctance of, foreign food interests that might want to test the waters in China? 为什么不设法减少想在中国试水的外国餐饮的收益风险，从而增强他们开店的意愿呢? One way to do so would be a food “incubator” — but more on that in a moment. 一种方式是食品企业“孵化园”——但这还需要时间。 First, some morsels for consideration from a recent visit to the United States, where the inspiration for this proposal snowballed. 首先，从最近一次访问美国的情况来看，有些问题是值得考虑的，这一提议的启发像滚雪球一样不断增长。 The first stop was a long-awaited return to Taco Bell, the pseudo-Mexican-food chain where crunchy tacos and fat burritos share the menu with warm, puffy soft-shell delights known as chalupas, which are stuffed with cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and special sauce. You can also gorge on crispy grilled tortillas filled with tender chicken and gooey melted cheese, washing it down with a refreshing Baja Blast Mountain Dew, the ocean-blue soda that’s a Taco Bell exclusive. 第一站是久违的塔可钟（Taco Bell）的回归，这个模仿墨西哥食品的连锁店菜单上提供酥脆的炸玉米饼和高脂玉米卷饼，配上温和、松软的美味馅料，里面塞满了切达干酪、切成丁的西红柿、生菜和特殊的酱汁。你也可以就着塔可钟特色海蓝色苏打水——巴哈爆炸激浪（Baja Blast Mountain Dew），狼吞虎咽地吃下塞满了松软鸡肉和融化芝士的酥脆烤墨西哥薄饼。 Mouth-watering, no? Well, Taco Bell said in January that it was returning to China, and it opened an outlet in Shanghai, but the fast food giant has been slow to deliver. 是不是馋的口水都要流出来了？今年1月，塔可钟曾表示将返回中国，并在上海开设了一家门店，但这家快餐巨头的配送速度一直很慢。 Maybe it’s hesitant because its first foray into the Middle Kingdom was a disappointment (it pulled out in 2008). But, oh, how the climate has changed. It’s time for Taco Bell to (making a play on its ad slogan) make another run for the border. 也许它的踌躇来自第一次涉足这个东方古国时的失败经历（它在2008年退出中国）。但是，哦，时代一直在变。塔可钟是时候（在它的广告标语上做点文章）再尝试进入中国市场一次了。 Another contender in China would be Arby’s. If luscious roast beef or ham on a sesame seed bun doesn’t grab you, how about a chicken parmesan/pepperoni sandwich oozing melted mozzarella cheese, or fried potato cakes and fruit turnover pies, or small sandwiches, known as sliders, filled with such delights as zesty buffalo-wing chicken slathered with blue cheese? 在中国的另一个竞争者是阿贝兹（Arby’s）。如果裹在芝麻面包里的美味烤牛肉或火腿没有吸引你，那么来一块渗透着融化意大利干酪的鸡肉三明治或意大利香肠三明治，或者炸土豆饼和圆水果派，再或者塞满了涂着蓝色奶酪的水牛城炸鸡翅的迷你三明治如何？ There’s also Wendy’s, which offers juicy burgers at a budget price, sea-salt french fries, buttery baked potatoes and scrumptious chili with cheese. 还有温迪餐厅（Wendy’s），它们提供物美价廉的多汁汉堡，盐焗薯条，凃着美味辣椒酱和芝士的黄油烤土豆。 All these and more — fire-grilled chicken from El Pollo Loco, anyone? — might easily be lured to China by a food incubator pilot zone. 所有这些甚至更多连锁餐厅——比如El Pollo Loco的火烤鸡肉，有谁要来一份？——很容易被食品企业孵化园吸引到中国。 The zone’s centerpiece would be a hive of trial-basis restaurants, food court style, in a highly visible central location. The incubator would be furnished with a variety of adjustable kitchen setups — fryers, grills and ovens — to accommodate restaurant businesses that would rotate into the mix for a test run. 该区域的中心将在地理位置极佳的地段建立一批试点餐厅，提供各种风格的食物。这个孵化园将配备各种可调节的厨房设备，比如炸锅、烤架和烤箱，以适应那些在试点阶段不断混合、循环使用厨房的餐饮企业。 With minimal investment and lowered risk, restaurateurs could wade, rather than dive headlong, into the market waters. And a ready audience of adventurous customers in China could sample a wide range of treats — making the food hive a popular epicurean destination as well as providing valuable feedback to foreign expansion candidates. 通过最低限度的投入和降低风险，餐馆老板们可以涉水而行而不是一头扎进市场的洪流里。一群富有冒险精神的中国顾客可以品尝到各式各样的美食——让美食蜂房成为一个受欢迎的美食家聚集地，同时也为准备扩大市场的外国餐饮候选者提供有价值的反馈。 In fact, properly executed, this could be a trial marriage made in heaven. 事实上，如果运行得当，这个试点项目将是天作之合。