中西酒文化對比（1）
A Comparison between Chinese and Western Cultures of Spirits
酒作為一種飲品，得到大多數(shù)中外人士的滿腔熱愛。唐代詩人李白在《月下獨酌》詩中理直氣壯地說：“天若不愛酒，酒星不在天，地若不愛酒，地應無酒泉，天地即愛酒，愛酒不愧天?！本眠h的詩人李白用優(yōu)美的詩歌表達了東方人對酒的熱愛，同時也表現(xiàn)了東方釀酒業(yè)的源遠流長。同樣著名的葡萄酒之父巴斯德更是把葡萄酒比做賜予萬物生命的陽光。因此，我們很難分出李白和巴斯德誰對酒更熱愛一些。
Spirit as a drink is heartily loved by most people, Chinese and foreigners as well. As the romantic lines go in the poem the Solitary Drinker under the Moon by Li Bai, the great poet in the Tang Dynasty: “Should heaven fancy no liquor, the Liquor Star should not live in heaven; should the earth love no liquor, there should be no liquor spring on earth; since heaven and earth are fond of liquor, a lover of liquor will not be ashamed as such before them.”?These graceful lines from ancient times, while expressing the oriental love for liquor, testify the time-honored liquor-making in China. Equally noted is the father of wine, Louis Pasteur, who compared wine to sunlight giving life to living things. In this sense, it is hard for us to tell which of these two men were more attached to alcohol.
無論是中國還是西方國家，都創(chuàng)造出輝煌燦爛的酒文化，豐富了人類文化寶庫。但是，如果仔細思考一下，就會發(fā)現(xiàn)對酒的喜愛雖然相同，但中西方文化之間的差異，卻造成了中國人和西方人欣賞酒的角度有所不同，也就延伸出中西方酒文化的種種不同。
Both China and the West have been contributing to the treasure house of human civilization with their own brilliant cultures of sprits. Still, a careful scrutiny will reveal that, for all the same fondness for spirits, the difference between Chinese and Western cultures leads Chinese and Westerners to appreciate spirits from different perspectives, and thus the various differences between Chinese culture of spirits and that of the West. ?
一、酒種的不同
1. Difference in categories
酒的用料與品類上，中國最具特色、最著名的是以糧食為原料釀造的黃酒、白酒，習慣上稱作糧食酒；西方最具特色、最著名的是以葡萄為原料釀造的葡萄酒、白蘭地等，不妨統(tǒng)稱作葡萄酒。
In terms of raw materials and categories, the most characteristic and celebrated spirits in China are yellow spirit, white spirit brewed with grain, thus called grain spirits; while the most characteristic and noted spirits in the West are wine and brandy brewed with grapes, and we may call them generally as grape spirits.
中國的酒文化源遠流長，雖然歷史最長的當屬黃酒，但最能代表中國酒的莫過于白酒了，從某種角度可以說中國的酒文化酒是白酒文化。因為在中國的諸多酒種中，她歷史悠久、工藝成熟、至今為止仍是世界上產量最大的蒸餾酒。
Chinese culture of spirits goes far back in history, but though the yellow spirit appeared as the earliest one, none other than the white spirit is in a better position to represent Chinese spirits. In some sense, it is safe to say that Chinese culture of spirits is the culture of white spirit, for, of the numerous spirits of China, it enjoys a long history, mature techniques and still remains the distilled liquor with the greatest output in the world.
中華文明產生在黃河流域，這里土壤肥沃、氣候溫和，很早成為農業(yè)大國，早在一萬多年前中國就與西亞、中美洲成為世界上最早的三個農業(yè)中心。中國五谷類糧食產量大、品種多，糧食在滿足了人們食用的功能，還有剩余，這為糧食釀酒奠定了基礎。
Chinese civilization originated in the Yellow River basin, where the fertile land and temperate climate made China a big agricultural nation every early in history, one of the three agricultural centers of the world (the other two being Western Asia and Central America) as early as more than 10,000 years ago. The great varieties of grain with huge outputs not only satisfy food consumption but allow surpluses, a foundation for brewing spirits with grain. ?
而被稱為西方文明搖籃的希臘地處巴爾干半島，三面環(huán)海，境內遍布群山和島嶼，土壤相對貧瘠，屬于典型的地中海式氣候，不利于糧食作物的生長，谷類作物產量低，僅能滿足食用，很難有富余的用來釀酒。而更喜歡沙礫土壤的葡萄，以其耐旱性和對地中海式氣候的適應性而在希臘廣泛種植，葡萄酒滿足了西方人對酒類的需求。
In contrast, Greece, the cradle of Western culture, located in Balkan Peninsula, surrounded by the sea on three sides, dominated by mountains and islands, with barren land and a typical Mediterranean climate, disfavors the growth of grain, which has a low yield and can only meet the needs for food consumption and hardly deliver any surplus for making spirits. Instead, grape, more easy with sandy earth and suited to the arid Mediterranean climate, is widely cultivated in Greece. And therefore, the grape spirits satisfy the Western needs for spirits.
二、釀酒工藝不同
2. Difference in brewing techniques
在酒的釀造工藝上，中國主要以糧食為原料，講究料、水、曲三者統(tǒng)一，采用固態(tài)與半固態(tài)、復式發(fā)酵方法；西方主要以葡萄為原料,則重在講究料為核心、桶和窖為保障，采用液態(tài)、單式發(fā)酵方法。
As far as the brewing techniques are concerned, grain is used as the main raw material in the Chinese brew, a unification of the material, water and yeast, and solid fermentation, semi-solid fermentation and duplex-type fermentation are adopted; grape is the main material in the Western brew, with raw materials as its core, wine caskets and cellar as its guarantee, and liquid, simplex fermentation is adopted.
三、酒杯不同
3. Difference in drinking vessels
中國古代酒器以青銅器、漆器和瓷器聞名。中國酒器以形象優(yōu)美，裝飾眾多著稱。而且中國古代酒器大多是成套出現(xiàn)，其中最典型的就是商周時期的青銅器。青銅酒器中煮酒器、盛酒器、飲酒器、貯酒器、禮器一應俱全。就像現(xiàn)在的茶具一樣。后來的漆器、瓷器上面的花紋也是十分動人。另有一些很奇特的酒器，如：夜光杯、倒流壺、鴛鴦轉香壺、九龍公道壺、瀆山大玉海等。但現(xiàn)在大多數(shù)家庭使用的酒具都是西洋酒器。
Ancient Chinese drinking vessels, noted for being made of bronze, lacquer ware and porcelain, with graceful shapes and variegated decorations, most of them coming in sets, are most typical to the bronze vessels from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, classified as vessels for heating, containing, drinking, storing spirit, and sacrificing, just like the tea sets of today. And the decorative designs on the lacquer wares and porcelain wares of the later times are equally fascinating. To top that, there are some exceptionally fancy drinking vessels, such as the Cup of Phosphorescent Jade, Refuent Pot, Mandarin Duck Ever-Changing Fragrant Pot, Nine-Dragon Justice Pot, Dushan Great Sea of Jade, and etc. Drinking vessels used in most Chinese households today, however, are Western ones. ?
西方酒器多是玻璃制品，講究透明。這樣才能觀察出酒的檔次高低。西方酒器輕巧方便，現(xiàn)以被大多數(shù)中國家庭所接受。西方人注重喝什么酒應用什么酒具。所以他們有葡萄酒杯、白酒杯、紅酒杯、白蘭地酒杯等。
Western drinking vessels, mostly made of glass, and crystal, make it easy to see the quality of the spirit. Light and easy to handle, they gain general acceptance by Chinese families. And as Westerners attach much attention to drinking different spirits from different vessels, different cups are specially designed for grape spirits, white spirits, red spirits, brandy, and etc.
在酒杯方面中西兩方差別較大。而西方酒器現(xiàn)在占明顯優(yōu)勢。中國的傳統(tǒng)酒器在普通家庭中已十分罕見。
For all the differences, the Western drinking vessels now have a predominant position, and it is rare to find a traditional Chinese drinking vessel in an ordinary Chinese household.
