又中又英｜A brainteaser

Do you prefer red wine or white wine? That’s an easy question for some people but a brainteaser for others. Wine connoisseurs will have no problem answering that question. But the question will be a brainteaser for newbies. A brainteaser is a problem that is difficult to solve, or a question that is hard to answer, especially one which people enjoy trying to solve. A wine connoisseur is a person who knows a lot about wine. A newbie is an inexperienced person who has just started something, such as a new job or drinking wine.

Ordinary Hong Kong wine drinkers usually drink red wine when they go out to eat. I seldom see them drinking white wine. But wine connoisseurs will pair their wine with the dish they are eating. Wine pairing means choosing wines with a flavour that matches the flavour of food. Red wine matches best with red meat like beef. White wines pair best with seafood. But is white wine or red wine healthier? This question can also be a brainteaser. I read a recent Wall Street Journal article that said figures from the US wine industry show white wine sales grew faster than sales of red wine this past year.

One reason could be Americans are now eating more seafood and chicken than steaks. Another reason could be that white wines have lower alcohol content than red wines. But the Mediterranean diet, which prioritizes healthy foods such as vegetables, nuts, fruits, olive oil and seafood, recommends red wine because it promotes heart health and lowers cholesterol.

你较喜欢红酒抑或白酒？对一些人来说这条问题很易答，但对另一些人来说却是难题（brainteaser）。品酒师（wine connoisseurs）要答这道问题就不会觉难，但对新手（newbies）来说就会是个难题（brainteaser）。A brainteaser是个难以解决，又或难以回答的问题，尤其是人们喜爱竭力拆解的谜题。A wine connoisseur是对酒品知之甚详的鉴赏家。A newbie则是缺乏经验的新手刚刚开始接触新事物，例如开展新的工作又或开始品尝葡萄酒。

香港一般喝葡萄酒的人，外出吃饭时多数会喝红酒，我就很少见他们喝白酒。但品酒师（wine connoisseur）会为他们吃的佳肴搭配适合的葡萄酒（pair their wine）。Wine pairing是根据食物的味道，搭配味道相宜的葡萄酒。红酒就最适合配红肉如牛肉，白酒跟海鲜则最为匹配（pair）。但到底是白酒还是红酒更健康？这条问题也可以是个难题（brainteaser）。我就读到《华尔街日报》新近一篇文章说，美国葡萄酒业的数据显示，上年白酒销售比红酒销售增长更快。

一个原因可能是，美国人现在吃海鲜和鸡肉多于牛肉；还有另一个原因可能是，白酒比红酒的酒精含量要少。但Mediterranean diet，就是以健康食物例如蔬菜、果仁、生果、橄榄油和海鲜为主的地中海饮食，则推荐红酒，因为它能促进心脏健康，降低胆固醇。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻