又中又英 | A brainteaser | 褚簡寧

　　Do you prefer red wine or white wine? That’s an easy question for some people but a brainteaser for others. Wine connoisseurs will have no problem answering that question. But the question will be a brainteaser for newbies. A brainteaser is a problem that is difficult to solve, or a question that is hard to answer, especially one which people enjoy trying to solve. A wine connoisseur is a person who knows a lot about wine. A newbie is an inexperienced person who has just started something, such as a new job or drinking wine.

　　Ordinary Hong Kong wine drinkers usually drink red wine when they go out to eat. I seldom see them drinking white wine. But wine connoisseurs will pair their wine with the dish they are eating. Wine pairing means choosing wines with a flavour that matches the flavour of food. Red wine matches best with red meat like beef. White wines pair best with seafood. But is white wine or red wine healthier? This question can also be a brainteaser. I read a recent Wall Street Journal article that said figures from the US wine industry show white wine sales grew faster than sales of red wine this past year.

　　One reason could be Americans are now eating more seafood and chicken than steaks. Another reason could be that white wines have lower alcohol content than red wines. But the Mediterranean diet, which prioritizes healthy foods such as vegetables, nuts, fruits, olive oil and seafood, recommends red wine because it promotes heart health and lowers cholesterol.

　　你較喜歡紅酒抑或白酒？對一些人來說這條問題很易答，但對另一些人來說卻是難題（brainteaser）。品酒師（wine connoisseurs）要答這道問題就不會覺難，但對新手（newbies）來說就會是個難題（brainteaser）。A brainteaser是個難以解決，又或難以回答的問題，尤其是人們喜愛竭力拆解的謎題。A wine connoisseur是對酒品知之甚詳的鑑賞家。A newbie則是缺乏經驗的新手剛剛開始接觸新事物，例如開展新的工作又或開始品嘗葡萄酒。

　　香港一般喝葡萄酒的人，外出吃飯時多數會喝紅酒，我就很少見他們喝白酒。但品酒師（wine connoisseur）會為他們吃的佳餚搭配適合的葡萄酒（pair their wine）。Wine pairing是根據食物的味道，搭配味道相宜的葡萄酒。紅酒就最適合配紅肉如牛肉，白酒跟海鮮則最為匹配（pair）。但到底是白酒還是紅酒更健康？這條問題也可以是個難題（brainteaser）。我就讀到《華爾街日報》新近一篇文章說，美國葡萄酒業的數據顯示，上年白酒銷售比紅酒銷售增長更快。

　　一個原因可能是，美國人現在吃海鮮和雞肉多於牛肉；還有另一個原因可能是，白酒比紅酒的酒精含量要少。但Mediterranean diet，就是以健康食物例如蔬菜、果仁、生果、橄欖油和海鮮為主的地中海飲食，則推薦紅酒，因為它能促進心臟健康，降低膽固醇。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻