Bamboo grows all over China, and, despite its height, it is actually a grass. It is quick-growing and covers large tracts of land all over southern China.
竹子遍布我国各地，尽管竹子长得挺拔高大，但它实际上属草类。竹子的生长速度很快，在我国南部地区，常常能见到成片的竹林。
It is a versatile material that is used in everything ranging from houses to baskets, or even to objects as small as toothpicks. Bamboo is made into furniture, such as complete sets of tables and chairs, as well as ladders, hoes, trays and mats. Its uses are legion and sometimes unexpected, and actually contribute a large portion to Chinese culture.
竹子是一种用途很广的制作材料，可用于搭建竹楼，编制竹篮，甚至用于制作小小的牙签。竹子也可以被制成各种家具（比如整套桌椅）以及梯子、锄头、托盘、席子等各类生活用具。竹子拥有多种多样且有时令人出其不意的用途，且竹子已经成为了中华文化中不可或缺的组成部分。
Apart from its vast range of utilitarian purposes, bamboo also produces bamboo shoots, a unique Chinese ingredient seldom seen in other cuisines. Though Korean and Japanese cooking use them as well, no one prepares bamboo shoots like the Chinese chef.
除了能制造各种实用器具，竹子的幼苗，竹笋，亦是中餐中一味独特的食材，在其他菜系中极为少见。尽管日本和韩国也烹调竹笋，但中国厨师处理笋的方法是独一无二的。
When the spring thunderstorms come, the bamboo forests wake. As the rain soaks into the earth, dormant shoots that have lain underground all winter start swelling and poking their tips through the ground.
阵阵春雨唤醒了竹林。当雨水浸润泥土，蛰伏地下一整个冬天的笋芽便开始纷纷蓬勃生长，从地底下探出头来。
Bamboo shoots must be processed as soon as they are harvested, or they will quickly deteriorate once out of the ground. In Southwest China, the mountains of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region produce slender bamboo shoots that are harvested when they are only about 10 centimeters long. This is the famous suansun, the tangy pickled bamboo shoots that go into every bowl of noodles in that region.
一旦采摘，竹笋便要立即加工，否则就会因脱离泥土而迅速开始变质。在我国西南地区，广西壮族自治区的绵绵山峦中盛产一种纤细的竹笋品种，在其仅长至10厘米左右高时，就会被采摘。这就是制作酸笋的原料，酸笋味道浓郁，由这种竹笋腌制而成，是当地人吃面时的必备佐料。
In Jiangsu province and Zhejiang province, equally tender shoots are pickled whole in sugar and salt for the famous "hand-stripped bamboo shoots", or shoubosun. They are delicious eaten as a chilled snack or as an accompaniment to millet or bean porridge.
而在江浙一带，人们会用盐和糖腌渍整颗细嫩竹笋，制成著名的手剥笋。手剥笋味道鲜美，除了可以直接食用当作零嘴，也可作为喝小米粥或豆粥时的小菜。
The Cantonese, however, eat bamboo shoots all year round, from the fresh winter shoots to brined chunks to young fresh shoots cooked in a savory liqueur and served on a bed of shaved ice. Bamboo shoots are finely diced and used in classic dumplings to add tactile crunch and sweetness. They are also widely used in Cantonese dim sum, playing a crucial background role.
广东人一年到头都会吃笋，无论是冬笋，卤水春笋，还是酱香嫩笋（这道菜往往会被放在刨冰上端上餐桌）。笋还常被细细地切成笋丁，包入云吞之中，从而打造爽脆香甜的口感。在粤式点心中，竹笋也常常作为重要的辅料得以广泛运用。
It takes an excellent chef to coax so many flavors from the bland little bamboo shoot, but then the Chinese chef has always had talent for creating ambrosia out of the most ordinary ingredients.
只有一位优秀的中餐厨师，才能用这平淡无奇的小小竹笋，造就多种多样的风味；但中餐厨师似乎总是拥有将最普通的食材化腐朽为神奇的天赋。
Vocabulary
hoe: n. 锄头
dormant: adj. 蛰伏的
tangy: adj. 味道浓烈的
millet: n. 小米
ambrosia: n. 美味佳肴