Episode 4

　　[At an upscale restaurant “Paris Orchid,” which features “French-Asian” fusion cuisine. TJ Liu is hosting a formal dinner for VIP guest Bob Randall. Also invited is the famous feng shui consultant, Hong Kong native C.C. Yip.]

　　Bob: T.J., this restaurant has an amazingly eclectic menu. I’m having a hard time deciding what to order.

　　T.J.: I think you’ll enjoy the food. The chef is French, but he’s lived in Asia for years.

　　Cindy: It’s not easy to book a table here. Fortunately, we have connections. This is your last night in Shanghai.

　　T.J.: And we wanted to introduce you and C.C. Yip to each other. C.C. is one of the top feng shui masters working in interior design.

　　Bob: Mr. Yip, it’s really a pleasure to meet you. T.J. and Cindy have told me about you. They’ve been trying to educate me about the ways of feng shui, but…

　　C.C.: Nice to meet you, Bob. Are you planning to visit Hong Kong any time soon? Maybe put a Diamondback Grille there?

　　Bob: It’s not out of the question.

　　Waiter: [to T.J.] Sir, would you care to order wine this evening?

　　T.J.: [to the others] What do you think, Bob—would you prefer a white or a red? Maybe you could suggest a light white, say a wine from Alsace…

　　Bob: Well, how about either a Pinot blanc or a Riesling? Either would go nicely with the tuna steak.

　　T.J.: [raising his glass, after the food has been served and the wine poured] I’d like to propose a toast to Bob and the entire management team of Diamondback Grille in New York. It’s been a great week, and we’ve worked hard. May this be the first of many dinners we share together in a long and successful partnership! Cheers!

　　Bob, Cindy, C.C.: Cheers!

　　Cindy: Bob, we have been consulting with C.C. to make sure the locations of the Diamondback kitchen and stoves are OK. The energy flow is important for the business, you know?

　　Bob: Energy flow? I guess I’m not familiar with that term.

　　C.C.: Chi. If you know how to place the things—including kitchens—you can cause predictable outcomes.

　　Bob.: So, Mr. Yip, you think our layout at the Shanghai Diamondback Grille has good chi?

　　C.C.: Absolutely.

　　Bob: Well, I’d like to drink to that! [raising his glass] To good “energy,” to friendship, and to the success of the Shanghai Diamondback Grille!

　　T.J., Cindy, C.C.: [toasting] Cheers! To the Diamondback Grille!

　　Language Use (用法)

　　1. I’m having a hard time deciding what to order.

　　我决定不了要点什么。

　　2. It’s not easy to book a table here.

　　这里要预定座位不容易。

　　3. We have connections.

　　我们有关系。

　　4. It’s really a pleasure to meet you.

　　见到你真高兴。

　　5. Nice to meet you.

　　幸会。

　　6. It’s not out of the question.

　　这不是不可能。

　　7. I’d like to propose a toast to…

　　我提议为…举杯祝贺

　　Cultural Notes (文化点)

　　1. 西式餐宴该如何进行？

　　在正式的西餐场合，完整的流程如下：餐前酒(cocktail/before dinner drink)，开胃菜(starter/ appetizer)，沙拉(也可以在主菜之后)，汤，主菜，甜点与水果，咖啡，餐后酒。你可以根据自己的需要略过其中的任何一道，或是多要一份开胃菜也可以。

　　西式的商业餐宴里，通常在用餐之前会有15到30分钟的和餐前酒闲聊的时间，可能在餐厅的酒吧区，或是就在用餐的地方。

　　用餐时，主人习惯先行敬酒(toasting)：举起酒杯，环视餐桌上所有人并说一段简短的开场白之后，邀请大家举杯共饮。

　　西餐与中餐最大的不同点之一是，每个人都有一份自己的餐点，通常不会和别人共享自己盘内的食物。偶有例外，也只限于开胃菜的部分。你可以要求服务员把每个人点的开胃菜并在一起，大家一起享用。不过在正式场合里，应该避免这么做。

　　2. 如何邀请重要人物吃饭？

　　当你需要邀请重要人物吃饭时，最好是采取当面邀请的方式，但是情况不允许时，电话或电子邮件要约也可以。除了告知时间与地点之外，一定别忘了告诉对方你计划的餐馆的穿着要求。例如：We’d like to host you on Friday night at Paris Orchid. It’s a French restaurant. The dress code is suit and tie. 我们邀请您在星期五晚上吃晚饭，在巴黎兰，一个法式餐厅。请着正式西服领带。

　　3. 如何点酒？

　　在西式餐宴上，绝对少不了葡萄酒，但是该如何点才是正确的？你可以先问宾客想喝红酒或白酒，如果不确定，最好各点一瓶。

　　一般的搭配原则是：红葡萄酒配红肉，白葡萄酒配白肉。红肉包括牛肉、羊肉、鸭肉等等；白肉则有鸡肉、猪肉、和海鲜。

　　以下是几点简单的建议：味道较重的食物，例如牛排等，适合搭配较为浓郁的红酒。如果是比较咸的食物，如熏鱼或鱼子酱，可搭配酒精浓度较高或带有酸味的白酒。如果是油炸类的，可以选择口味较清新、年份较新的白葡萄酒。

　　4. 如何介绍一个人的职务？

　　在介绍某位重要的宾客时，一般会需要简单说明他的工作经历，你可以这么说：This is Mark Lane, our chief financial officer. He was with Northridge Pharmaceutical before he joined us. (马克连恩是我们公司的财务长。之前曾在北岭药业工作。)或者说：T.J., Have you met Sarah Tang yet? She’s responsible for our call center operations.(T.J.,您见过唐小姐了吗？他目前负责我们的客服中心。)

　　5. 如何要求对方进一步说明？

　　当对方在介绍新的信息时，你想进一步了解的话，可以这么问：Energy flow? Is that a feng shui term?(能量流？这是风水的一个术语吗？)或者说：Fusion cuisine? I’m not sure I know what that means. Is that a new trend?(无国界料理？我不明白它指的是什么。这是个新流行吗？)注：无国界料理是最近流行的新型菜系，指的是不明确属于任何地域或国家的菜系，而是厨师发挥创作，结合各国美食特色，自创出来的新菜式。