Why are China instant noodle sales going off the boil[1]?
中國方便面的銷量為何不再沸騰？
[1]go off the boil：to lose interest or become less urgent 失去興趣；不再緊迫
They were really excited about the project, but now they seem to have gone off the boil.
當初他們對這個項目非常感興趣，可現(xiàn)在似乎已經(jīng)沒有激情了。
Easy to make and cheap to buy, instant noodles have long been China's ultimate convenience food.
長久以來，容易做價格又便宜的方便面（又稱即食面或泡面）都是中國的最佳即食食品。
Be it a snack for students, a meal on the train, or just the go-to[2] choice for hungry workers, more than 46.2 billion packets were sold in China in 2013.
不管是給學生當零食、在火車上當簡餐，還是作為加班人士的充饑之選，2013年方便面在中國內(nèi)地和香港賣出了462億包。
[2]go-to：used to describe the best person to deal with a particular problem or do a particular thing, or the best place to get a particular thing or service （為解決某個問題或做某件事情的）必找的（人）；（為找到某件物品或服務的）必去的（地方）
He was the company's go-to guy for new ideas.
他是公司里新點子的必找之人。
But by 2016 those sales hadtumbled[3]to 38.5 billion packets, according to the World Instant Noodle Association. That's a drop of almost 17%.
根據(jù)世界方便面協(xié)會的數(shù)據(jù)，2016年，中國內(nèi)地和香港地區(qū)的方便面銷量已跌至385億包，跌幅近17%。
[3]tumble：to fall a lot in value in a short time （價值）暴跌，驟降
Share prices tumbled yesterday.
昨天股票大跌。
Given most other instant noodle markets have remained fairly steady over the past few years (with the notable exception ofIndia where?the recall ofMaggi noodles led to a sharp drop in 2015) - it is an unusual pattern.
這一案例非同尋常，因為全球其他方便面市場在過去幾年均保持穩(wěn)定（除印度2015年召回馬吉面條導致銷量大幅下降外）。
So what's going on? Well here are some theories - which suggest instant noodles could be, in many ways, a great indicator of how China is changing.
這是怎么回事？有觀點認為，方便面銷量的下降，可能標志著中國社會諸多方面正在發(fā)生的深刻變化。
○
Aspiration: Customers want better food
渴望：消費者想要更好的食物
The recipe for instant noodles is fairly straight forward: Just add boiling water, a sachet[3] of sauce, and some small packets of dehydrated vegetables and meat.
方便面的制作方法“直截了當”：只需加入開水，一袋調(diào)料，以及一些細碎的脫水蔬菜和肉。
[3]sachet：a small closed container made of paper or plastic, containing a small amount of something, usually enough for only one occasion （通常內(nèi)容物僅夠用一次的）小袋，小包
a sachet of sugar
一小袋免費洗發(fā)水
As appetising as that sounds, one factor in theslump could well be that some Chinese consumers are upping their expectations in the dining department.
盡管聽起來很開胃，但銷量下滑的一個因素很可能是，中國消費者對飲食的期望正在不斷提高。
"The decline of instant noodle sales shows a shift in China's consumption patterns," said Zhao Ping of the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade," he told the China Daily."Consumers are more interested in life quality than just filling their bellies these days."
“方便面銷量下降表明中國的消費模式發(fā)生了轉(zhuǎn)變”，中國國際貿(mào)易促進委員會的趙平說，“如今，與填飽肚子比，消費者更感興趣的是如何提高生活質(zhì)量?！?/p>
○○
Population shift: Rural workers are going home
人口遷移：農(nóng)民工正在返鄉(xiāng)
One of the big consumers of instant noodles - the theory goes - are migrant workers.
方便面的一大消費群體是外來民工。
They are away from home, often living in cramped[4] conditions with limited cooking facilities, and keen to save as much money as they can to send back to their families.
農(nóng)民工離開了家鄉(xiāng)，常常居住在煮食條件有限的狹小空間里，并且希望多省點錢寄回老家。
[4]cramped：not having enough space or time 狹小的；狹窄的；受空間（或時間）限制的
a cramped room/house
狹小的房間／房子
Until 2014 the number of rural Chinese who had moved to cities had been on the rise.
直到2014年，進城就業(yè)的中國農(nóng)村人口數(shù)量一直呈上升態(tài)勢。
But that trend has now reversed for two consecutive years (and is expected to keep doing so when the 2017 data comes out). Last year 1.7 million fewer migrant workers lived in cities than in 2015, which quite plausibly[5] could be eating into noodle sales.
但最近兩年，這一趨勢已連續(xù)出現(xiàn)逆轉(zhuǎn)。2016年，在城市生活的農(nóng)民工數(shù)量比2015年減少了170萬。預計最新出爐的數(shù)據(jù)將顯示，這一趨勢在2017年得以延續(xù)。城市中農(nóng)村務工人口的減少，很可能會侵蝕方便面的銷量。
[5]plausibly(adv.)
plausible (adj.)：seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed 貌似真實（或可信）的
a plausible explanation/excuse
貌似有理的解釋／借口
○○○
Travel: Infrastructure improving, habits changing
旅游：出行方式升級了，習慣也在改變
Travelling in China 20 years ago, I filled my stomach (and time) by eating pot after pot of instant noodles during cross-country train journeys, which sometimes lasted three days or more.
20年前在中國旅行時，橫跨全國的火車行程往往需要三天甚至更長時間。為了填飽肚子和打發(fā)時間，我吃了一碗又一碗方便面。
But Chinese trains and stations have improved. Journeys are quicker, and the range of food options are far more international - meaning noodle sales on the railways have fallen.
現(xiàn)在，中國的火車和火車站已經(jīng)改良了。車速現(xiàn)在更快，食物的選擇也比以前國際化得多，這意味著方便面在火車上的銷量會下跌。
And then there is the boom in aviation as middle class Chinese people spend billions flying on domestic and international holidays instead of using trains. Almost 500 million domestic and international journeys were taken in 2016, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
與此同時，中等收入群體乘坐飛機的比例上升了，他們在假期里往往不再坐火車。根據(jù)中國民航局的數(shù)據(jù)，2016年國內(nèi)和國際航班飛行次數(shù)總共達到近5億次。
But given a third of all domestic flights were delayed last year (according to industry body IATA), that is a lot of passengers waiting around, so maybe airports could be a good place to boost noodle sales.
不過，考慮到去年有三分之一的國內(nèi)航班出現(xiàn)延誤（根據(jù)行業(yè)組織IATA的數(shù)據(jù)）、旅客被迫等候的狀況，機場可能是一個促銷方便面的好地方。
○○○○
Smartphones and the internet: There's another form of 'quick food'
智能手機與互聯(lián)網(wǎng)：另一種“即食品”
About 730 million people in China now have access to the internet according to government figures. And about 95% of those are using smartphones to connect. And apps that offer food delivery to your home, office or wherever you happen to be are a real boom industry.
根據(jù)政府部門數(shù)據(jù)，目前中國互聯(lián)網(wǎng)覆蓋人口約為7.3億。其中95%的人使用智能手機上網(wǎng)。而給用戶住宅、辦公室或其他任何地方提供上門送餐的APP是一項真正繁榮的產(chǎn)業(yè)。
Their menus are undoubtedly more expensive than a pot of instant noodles. But these meals can still be inexpensive. And arguably more tasty.
毫無疑問，他們的菜單往往比一碗方便面貴。但這些食物仍然價格公道，而且更加美味。
