溫補的玉林養生法 荔枝配狗肉
The annual Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, which will open this week coinciding with the summer solstice, has drawn domestic and international condemnation from the animal-rights crowd. But one aspect of the festival gets little attention: Why lychees with dog meat?
玉林將在本週迎來一年一度的夏至荔枝狗肉節。狗肉節遭到了國內外動物權益保護羣體的譴責，但它的其中一個方面卻鮮有人關注：爲什麼用荔枝搭配狗肉？
There are hints in traditional Chinese medicine, which takes as holistic view of food. Ingredients are seen not just as a sum of carbohydrates, protein, fat and vitamins. They are believed to have yin and yang properties that contribute to the body’s internal balance.
對食物持有一種整體性觀念的中醫提供了一些解釋。食材不僅僅被視作碳水化合物、蛋白質、脂肪和維生素的集合體。它們還被認爲具有影響人體內部平衡的陰陽屬性。
According to traditional Chinese medicine, some foods, like lamb and onion, have warm energy. Others, like rabbit and asparagus, are said to have cool energy. Both dog meat and lychees are seen as warming.
中醫認爲，一些食物，如羊肉和洋蔥，是溫的。還有一些食物，如兔肉和蘆筍，則被認爲是涼的。狗肉和荔枝都被認爲是溫的。
To the uninitiated, the logic may seem mysterious. But many Chinese adhere to these principles, and it is not uncommon to hear a friend say he or she is “shanghuole,” or has too much internal fire. In traditional Chinese medicine, excessive internal heat is tied to symptoms like cold sores and dehydration, which can be treated by eating “cooling” foods like cucumber or watermelon.
對不瞭解情況的人而言，上述邏輯可能顯得頗爲神祕。但很多中國人都會遵循這些原則。我們時常會聽到一個朋友說自己“上火了”，即內火太大。從中醫的角度看，上火是和脣皰疹、脫水等症狀聯繫在一起的，可以通過吃黃瓜、西瓜等“涼性”食物來治療。
In parts of China, dog meat is typically consumed in the winter because it is seen as warming and restorative.
在中國的一些地方，人們一般到了冬天才吃狗肉，因爲將其視爲有助於恢復元氣的溫性食物。
But in the southern Chinese city of Yulin, some say eating dog meat and drinking lychee liquor on the summer solstice is an old tradition. Lychees are locally grown in the subtropical clime, and the concept of “yire gongre,” or using heat to attack heat, is also prevalent.
但在南方城市玉林，一些人說，在夏至那天吃狗肉和喝荔枝酒屬於古老習俗。荔枝是產自當地的亞熱帶水果；“以熱攻熱”的理念在那裏很流行。
Critics say the festival itself may have been a marketing ploy started around 2009 to increase sales of dog meat and lychees.
批評人士稱，狗肉節本身或許是爲了增加狗肉和荔枝的銷量而在2009年前後出爐的營銷伎倆。
