美国人出书向世界介绍中国白酒

Can there ever be a good reason for drinking 300 shots of baijiu, China's distilled liquor famed for burning the esophagus and causing calm people to burst into song? For American Derek Sandhaus, the answer is yes.
这种令食道产生灼烧感、让沉稳的人突然唱起歌来的中国蒸馏酒吗？对美国人德里克・桑德豪斯(Derek Sandhaus)来说，答案是肯定的。

All that 'research' paid off for Mr. Sandhaus, who lived in China from 2006 to 2013. His book, 'Baijiu: The Essential Guide to Chinese Spirits,' will be released this month by Penguin China. The author, who now lives in Virginia, also has a blog called '300 Shots at Greatness,' where he posts pictures of his liquor cabinet, describes his Kansas-born parents trying baijiu, and recounts a story of President Nixon nearly burning down the White House after attempting to set some baijiu on fire.
桑德豪斯的“研究”终于有了成果，他的新书《白酒：中国烈酒必备指南》(Baijiu: The Essential Guide to Chinese Spirits)本月将由企鹅中国(Penguin China)出版。现居住在美国弗吉尼亚州的桑德豪斯曾在2006至2013年间在中国生活，他还有一个名叫“300 Shots at Greatness”的博客，该博客张贴有自己酒柜的照片，描述了自己出生在堪萨斯州的父母试饮白酒的故事，还讲述了美国总统尼克松(Richard Nixon)试着点燃白酒结果险些在白宫引发大火的轶事。

Mr. Sandhaus admits he probably imbibed closer to 600 shots of baijiu in the course of his work. Scene Asia talked to the 31-year-old about his love of China's national drink. Edited excerpts:
桑德豪斯坦言说，自己在创作这本书的过程中可能喝了将近600杯白酒。“风尚亚洲”(Scene Asia)栏目与31岁的桑德豪斯聊了聊他对这一中国名酒的热爱。以下是经编辑的访谈摘录：

How did you get the idea for the book?
问：你是如何想到要写这本书的？

It came to me several years ago, when I was on my way back from one of the banquets that people in China often get invited to. I was thinking how unpleasant I found the experience of drinking lots of shots of baijiu. I wanted to figure out why foreigners dislike the experience so much, whereas the people of China love and celebrate it.
答：几年前我参加了一场酒宴；在中国人们经常会受邀参加此类酒宴。在回去的路上我在想，白酒喝多了的感觉非常不舒服。我想弄清楚为什么外国人如此厌恶这一体验，而中国人却酷爱并且颂扬它。

Did you ever learn to like it?
问：那你后来喜欢上白酒了吗？

There was a theory going around that if you drank 300 shots that was the threshold - you would go from someone who hated it to someone who appreciated it. That theory sounded like hogwash.
答：如今流传有一种理论，说如果你喝够了300杯白酒，那你就能对白酒由恨转爱。这理论听着很扯。

Did it take you 300 shots?
问：你是在喝了300杯白酒后喜欢上它的吗？

It didn't even take 100 shots. It came down to just finding types of baijiu that appealed to my tastes. China has around 10,000 distilleries of almost all shapes and sizes. There is almost certainly one that is better suited to your taste.
答：连100杯都不到我就喜欢上了。其实就是要找到能迎合自己口味的白酒。中国有上万家酿酒厂，产品种类繁多，几乎各种规格都有，肯定有一款白酒更符合你的口味。

I hate baijiu.
问：我很讨厌白酒。

When someone tells you they hate baijiu, the first thing to remember is that baijiu at the standard level is about 50%-60% alcohol by volume, whereas vodka or whiskey is around 40%. So the trouble is not the taste, but the taste of that much alcohol. Some baijiu are watered down to 38%-40%, which might make it easier, although you're still dealing with a lot of weird tastes and flavors.
答：当有人说讨厌白酒时，首先要记住的是，标准白酒的酒精含量在50%至60%之间，而伏特加和威士忌的酒精含量在40%左右。所以说问题出在了白酒酒精含量太高，而并非酒的味道本身。有些白酒的酒精含量被冲淡至了38%到40%，喝起来可能会舒服一点。不过你仍要在千奇百怪的口感和香型中进行挑选。

Also, baijiu is the Chinese word for all of their traditional spirits. When a lot of people say they don't like the taste, they don't like the specific taste of the type of baijiu they're drinking.
还有一点，白酒是中国所有传统烈酒的统称。很多人说自己不喜欢白酒，实际上指的是其所喝某一类白酒的特定口感。