It is Friday, a day from the Dragon Boat Festival. People from the office at Hujiang I work in are rushing to the kitchen, with the word zongzi radiating through their dialogue. My co-worker Sophia explains to me that zongzi is a traditional Chinese dish that consists of rice stuffed with different pieces of food or pastes, all wrapped together in a bundle of leaves. I make my way to the kitchen and there on the table I find myself face to face with two boxes full of zongzi, one filled with dates, the other filled with pork.

　　周五距离端午节还有1天，我所实习的公司沪江的同事们正涌入公司的厨房，从他们的对话中我听到一个高频词“粽子”。我的同事索菲亚告诉我，粽子是端午节的传统食物，由粽叶包裹的米和馅儿组成。随着人流，我也走到了厨房，发现面前摆了两箱粽子：一箱是蜜枣馅的，另一箱是猪肉馅的。

　　My fellow international worker Sekou and I both look at the triangle shaped leaf bundles with questioning expressions, each waiting for the other to make the first move. I pick a pork zongzi up in my hand and untie the small strings that keep the leaves, containing the ricey contents within, tightly pressed together. I have never been more unfamiliar with a piece of food in my life, and neither Sekou nor I knew the proper way to go about eating it.

　　我和另一位国外实习生Sekou看着这些被绿叶包裹、被线绳困扎好的三角食物，面面相觑，我们俩都在等着对方先做尝试。我挑了一个鲜肉粽，解开粽叶外面的线绳，这些线绳紧紧地系在叶子外、帮助保持形状，粽叶里面是米。我人生中从没见过如此陌生的食物，Sekou和我都不知道怎样吃粽子。

　　“Do I just bite into the leaf?” I ask.

　　我问他，“我应该直接在叶子上咬一口吗?”

　　Sekou shrugs.

　　Sekou耸耸肩表示他也不知道。

　　“I was a little skeptical about eating it because of it’s presentation being wrapped in bamboo leaves and not being fully aware of what’s on the inside”, said Sekou at the end of the day.

　　Sekou在下班闲聊的时候说，“当时我有点怀疑到底该怎么吃粽子，因为从外形上你只能看出外面包裹着竹叶，根本不知道里面是什么。”

　　“I assumed that you just take the strings off from around it and eat it all together with the bamboo leaves, which looked edible. Apparently that’s all wrong so don’t be the uninformed American that everybody laughs at." Sekou explained, "The proper way to eat it is by unwrapping the strings, removing the bamboo leaves and eating what’s on the inside.”

　　Sekou解释说：“竹叶看上去好像是可以吃的，所以一开始我还以为只要把线绳解开，就可以直接从竹叶下口了呢。显然这是完全不对的，所以(你要知道粽子的正确吃法，)不要让大家嘲笑无知的美国人。正确的吃法是把线绳解开，然后剥开竹叶、吃里面的东西。”

　　I finally determine that I must unwrap the leaves, which reveals a piece of the rice beneath, which I boldly bite into. The rice is sticky, tastes somewhat like oatmeal, but with the chewy consistency of a gummy bear. The flavor is noticeable, but not overbearing. Finally I reach the middle and bite into the pork filling, which gives the zongzi an overall savory taste. Content with my snack but craving more I pick up one of the date filled ones. This time I confidently unwrap it like a pro and look around with asmug smile on my face for anyone who might of taken notice in admiration, which I suppose, in retrospect, was no greatfeat at all.

　　最后我发现，我得把叶子剥开，然后里面的米就可以大胆地直接吃啦。粽子里的米黏黏的，尝起来有点像燕麦片、但是软软黏黏的。粽子的味道很明显，但也不是很过。最后我吃到了粽子里面的猪肉馅，感觉整个粽子好吃极了。我对粽子的味道很满意，但是我想再吃点，于是我又拿了一个蜜枣粽。这一次我像内行一样信心十足地剥开粽叶，然后脸上带着一种自鸣得意的笑容看着周围的人，我想如果有人注意到的话他一定是带着钦佩的目光看我，虽然这其实也没什么大不了的。

　　I bite away at this zongzi until I reach the middle and am met with an entirely new palate of flavors, this time sweet and savory. I have concluded that I do in fact like zongzi and the rice makes for an excellent counterpart for various different fillings. With the Dragon Boat Festival upon us, I look forward to eating many more.

　　我享受着粽子的美味，突然发现了中间和刚才完全不同的味道，蜜枣粽甜甜的很可口。我觉得我真的很喜欢粽子，以及粽子米里面不同的馅料和口味。端午节马上就要到了，我想多吃点粽子。

　　Sekou also loves Zongzi. He told Josh, "It was so good I could not help myself but to eat three of them while others where still trying to unwrap their first one. I’m glad to have been able to experience this celebration in Shanghai and can’t wait to blow my friends mind when I tell them about Zongzi."

　　Sekou也很喜欢吃粽子，他告诉Josh：“粽子真好吃，我忍不住吃了3个、而别人还在剥第一个粽子的皮。我很开心可以在上海体验到端午节，迫不及待想把粽子告诉给我的朋友们。”

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（编辑：杨帆）