麻辣就是我们的太阳

  Hot and spicy  food is the spirit of our lives

我是成都妹子，我很负责任地告诉你--四川菜，重庆菜大多数就是又麻又辣！而且这是我们的个性。不麻辣不是菜！不麻辣怎会好吃？

I am a Chengdu girl and I can be very responsible to tell you-most of Sichuan and Chongqing dishes are hot and spicy! And this is like our personality too. It won’t be a dish without hot and spicy flavor! How come it be delicious if a dish is not hot and spicy?

这两个地方（曾经为巴蜀一地）都少太阳，多数时间笼罩在浓雾之下，甚至可以用阴霾来形容。每天吃点麻辣就能云开雾散！辣是太阳核心，麻就是给我们力量的万丈光芒，穿透云层，直接照进我们的胸膛＆我们的灵魂。

The weather in these two places (the places were belonged to Ba and Shu area in ancient times) is normally foggy and barely has sunny days. The weather even can be described as haze. People here have hot and spicy food to drive away the haze inside their bodies. Hotness is the center of the sun and spicy flavor is the light that gives us strength, break through the clouds and shine our chests and our souls.

成渝两地都吃火锅，实际上火锅发源地是千年前重庆码头，纤夫们就地取材节约时间，一锅麻辣之后，如同晒足太阳的高梁，都听得见刷刷生长的声音，他们的号子更加响亮了。直到今天，重庆火锅的终极辣也是成都本地人羡慕的，成都的麻辣是要吃得出糖味的麻辣，是一种厚实的麻辣，如同成都女人的个性，钢柔并济，让我们成都人经常吃真正的重庆火锅，也算是一种不小的挑战；而另一个典型的麻辣地带是四川盛产井盐＆“恐龙”的自贡。于是，以重庆为代表的川北一带的菜被称为上河帮；以自贡为代表得川南的菜被称为下河帮。自贡的麻辣是善于使用一种俗称小米辣的新鲜辣椒＆一种绿色的新鲜花椒，这里得厨子也是要辣得人跳才过瘾，才肯罢手。

The custom of eating hotpot in both Chongqing and Chengdu cities originated from Chongqing docks thousands of years ago, in fact. To save time, Boat trackers normal used local food ingredients to cook hotpot. After a pot of hot, they are like sorghum fully dried by the sun, could hear the voices of brush growth that their songs become more resounding. Until today, the ultimate hot and spicy flavor of Chongqing hotpot is still admired by Chengdu people. The hot and spicy flavor in Chengdu has a little sweet taste and it is a thick hot and spicy flavor, like the personality of Chengdu women-soft and tough combined together. It can be even a challenge for Chengdu people to try authentic Chongqing hotpot. In addition, another typical hot and spicy food is in Zigong that is famous for well salt & dinosaurs. Therefore, the dishes in north of Sichuan is called upper rive style represented by Chongqing dishes; the dishes in south of Sichuan is called lower river style represented by Zigong dishes. The hot and spicy flavor of Zigong dishes is commonly known as the use of a fresh hot pepper & a fresh green pepper. Chefs there are also trying to cook the spiciest food until get people to jump up after tasting the food.

重庆人泼辣善于创造其“作品”，粗犷豪迈；成都人刚好善于包装，改良。这不仅表现在火锅上，例如重庆人发明了辣子田螺，是要在花椒辣椒里找田螺吃的，叫人分不清到底辣椒是菜还是田螺是菜，但那种辣椒的霸气＆美感被发挥震撼人心。成都的餐厅很快将它盛在漂亮的白花瓷碗中，放进了高档餐馆，吃得更加精致，并且指导大家享受辣椒中找菜的乐趣。

Chongqing people are brave and open, so they are good at creating their own dishes; Chengdu people are good at improving and decorating dishes. This is not only represented by hotpot, but also by other dishes. For example, Chongqing people created chili pepper with escargot that let people find escargot to eat from the full plate of chill pepper, which confuse people what is the main ingredient in the dish, whether is the chili pepper or the escargot. The spicy flavor and kind of beauty is very impressive. Chengdu’s restaurants put this kind of dish into a nice white porcelain bowl, in a porch restaurant, eating more gracefully, and guide people enjoy the fun to find escargot in the dish.

我喜欢将制味的干辣椒＆嫩青菜一起吃，好比用青菜叶子烫地道的重庆火锅。外地朋友认为我夹菜该小心一点，怎么把辣椒干直接放进嘴里当菜吃呢？结果我吃完了一整盘辣椒＆青菜令到大家目瞪口呆。

I like to eat special made dry chili pepper together with fresh vegetables, like cooking authentic Chongqing hotpot by Chinese cabbage leaves. Friends who come out of the city usually think I should be more careful while eating the food-how can you put chili pepper directly into the mouth like eating vegetables, this is the question they always ask. Finally, after I finished one whole plate of chili pepper with green vegetables, they were amazed totally.

当然，我也能欣赏清谈的菜；也能抛开麻辣欣赏广东菜，香港菜＆外国菜；我甚至可以每天吃“开水白菜”，觉得鲜甜无比，多多益善。但，麻辣无罪，无需担心它对你身体的影响，它能驱除成都盆地侵进你和骨子里的潮湿，它能让你更加勇敢＆强大。

Of course, I can also enjoy light food; also can set aside spicy food and enjoy Cantonese, Hong Kong & foreign food; I can even eat "boiled cabbage” and feel it refreshing and sweet, the more the better. However, hot and spicy food is harmless, don’t need to worry about it has any negative impact to your body, as it can repel the humidity of Chengdu basin that invaded into your body and it allows you more brave& strong.

连外国人都知道成都除了出熊猫，更多脾气温婉的美女；重庆更是长腿大眼美女，不过脾气却十分麻辣。 所以，麻辣使我们的美女瘦身，使我们的美女有白里透红，弹力十足的皮肤。

初来成都的你，可能会被连绵的阴雨天影响情绪，而当你接触到好吃辣椒的人，被这里的浓浓人情味所吸引，然后患上麻辣瘾。最后，很多人选择了在成渝安家落户，终日云里雾里。

Even foreigners are aware that apart from pandas in Chengdu, there also have many pretty women with soft temper; Chongqing beauties have long legs and big eyes with hot temper too. Therefore, the hot and spicy food makes our beauties slim and also has pink and elastic skin.

If you have just come to Chengdu, maybe your mood will be impacted by the drizzling days. But when you meet people who love spicy food, and are touched by the loving atmosphere between people, you will love spicy food too and become addicted to it afterwards. Finally, a lot of people chose to settle in Chengdu or Chongqing, living a happy and bubbling life.