Brain建议：(如果有机会，试着聊一聊各自的衣食住行，这是每个人必须面对的问题，也许在某些方面，大家都有相同经历，也是彼此极能产生共鸣的地方。)

　　例如：先谈租房问题，打工族都面临的问题。

　　Nikky：(01-8-29) 13:34 do u live in apt? (有没有人被这个缩写词弄糊涂？一次在上海举办的韩国2001年IT智能小区展示博览会上我就被apt弄糊涂了，后来才知道是"apartment")

　　Brian：(01-8-29) 13:36 u bet(口语习惯用法，表示说的很对，下次遇见老外，碰到她说的对或者你想表示认可的话，就用"u bet"), but totally a lodger and i got to pay the rent , in shanghai, to find somewhere good enough is harder than ever(太困难了)!

　　Nikky：(01-8-29) 13:36 it is hard here too, rent is so very high(纽约房租也很贵的，这句话以我们学过的语法来看，肯定会被挑毛病的，"so"和"very"连用是什么意思？可是没有办法，这可是从地地道道的老外嘴里吐出来的。)

　　Brian (01-8-29) 13:38 the rent here in shanghai used to be very cheap(以前房租很便宜的), but now it's hard to rent a apt with 20squre meter for 800RMB, put in that will be around 100$

　　Nikky：(01-8-29) 13:40 wow here it is a couple of hundreds sometimes thousands to rent.

　　Brian：(01-8-29) 13:40 I can still recall my terrible experience when I first try to find a apt for myself, exhausted almost each day after a long time search and went back to the poor little restaurant I stay, for really a long time I just don't want to do anything and look impassivelysintosthe mirror to dream if only I was a local shanghainese(上海人), maybe things will be better.

　　Nikky：(01-8-29) 13:40 cool, it's lucky u've overcome it, u know, this kind of things happened very frequently in united states too.

　　Brian：(01-8-29) 13:41 so you got to pay the rent too? but on one side , with the apt, you can cook for yourself , right? that will be cheaper than to eating out and will save you a lot of money (在外面吃费钱)and to eat the food u cook alone is wonderful enough.

　　Nikky：(01-8-29) 13:42 yes true but i do like to go out and eat on occasion(偶尔).

　　Brian：(01-8-29) 13:43 that's understandable for a bad cook(可能是橱艺不咋的吧).

　　Brian的小结：外国人对吃一般都比较感兴趣，特别是中国的吃法，要和他们老外在吃的方面有所切磋的话，你不一定要记得很多个菜名。说实话，每次在大型的外事场合总会遇到陪老外吃饭的情况，很多所谓的翻译预先紧张的不得不把一个个菜名背的滚瓜烂熟，生怕到时候遇到翻不出来的东西却不一定派的上用场。我不这样做，因为很多宾馆的菜名除非把厨子喊来，否则根本不知道是用什么做的。我就曾经遇到过"白鹤晾翅"实际上就是"豆腐加酸白菜"，所以我只需要简单对他们说"enjoy your dinner, u know, I am asked by my superior to give u what hell those courses(这些菜) are made of, I know u have experienced many occasions and been tired of telling those names, so just enjoy it, and if u think it's tasting, please let me know!"这句话一说，老外一定会觉得你不一样。很多老外吃的场合见的很多，已经厌烦了半瓶子水的翻译在一旁词不达意介绍菜名，所以你还是让他先吃吧。