How do you usually decide where to go on vacation? Will you decide where to travel because of the local landmarks (地标)? 【小题1】 Recently, a new way of travelling—“food tourism” has become popular.

“Food tourism” means that people travel to new places to try the local food. 【小题2】 For example, you can try street food, visit food markets, or eat at local restaurants. And a 2023 survey from Hello Fresh found that 74% of Americans who have travelled in the last five years went for the food. The top four countries that Americans said they want to visit for their food are Italy, France, Spain and Japan.

【小题3】 A 2022 survey by Eurostar asked 2,000 people in Britain what their main reason was for choosing where to go on vacation. 61% of people said “the food” and 41% of people said they would travel hundreds of kilometers to find the perfect meal. Some people even like to take part in the cooking themselves. 46% of people said they have taken part in cooking lessons when travelling.

The survey also found that British people like to try new and different foods when they are travelling. Nearly half of people believe that they are more adventurous (大胆的) with what they eat when they are away from home. 【小题4】 Another survey from 2023 said that Italy, Spain and France are the top three European countries that they’d like to choose.

Some Chinese dishes have become popular during the Beijing 2022 Olympics, after athletes (运动员) shared them on TikTok (抖音) and in media interviews.

※ Red bean bun (红豆包)

Snowboarder Jenise Spiteri, the only athlete standing for Malta, is a big fan of Chinese food. “One morning I was too nervous to eat any food. So I put some red bean buns in my backpack. I didn’t realize that I still had one in my pocket when I did the run, so I was like ‘Oh okay! Now I can finally eat’,” she recalled.

※ Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)

American snowboarder Tessa Maud bas become popular in China for sharing all kinds of delicious Chinese food such as Kung Pao Chicken. Beijing 2022 was a new and enjoyable experience for Maud. What to eat was a daily hard choice for her in China.

※ Chinese dumplings

American athlete Julia Marino, who won a silver medal in women’s snowboard slopestyle, told NBC News that her favorite food in the Winter Olympics village was dumplings.

※ Spicy hotchpotch (麻辣烫)

Jutta Leerdam posted her favorite spicy hotchpotch on social media. “This is the famous Chinese snack spicy hotchpotch, which is healthier than burgers and fries,” said Leerdam.

When it comes to winter food, no dish can beats hotpot, especially mutton hotpot. It has great taste and is good for health.

According to the legend, the dish was invented during a battle (战争) led by KublaiKhan. The emperor wanted to eat mutton during the battle. Just as the cook was preparing to cook the mutton, the enemy was coming. Then the cook came up with a good idea. He cut the mutton into thin pieces and threw them into a boiling pot. When the color changed, he put the thin pieces into a bowl and mixed them with salt. Kublai Khan ate up the mutton and succeeded in beating the enemy.

At the celebration party, Kublai Khan ordered the boiled mutton again, and named it “shuan yang rou” in Chinese. After that, mutton hotpot became an imperial (皇室的) Chinese dish. It is said that Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong served mutton hotpot to important people.

The dish became more popular during the Qing Dynasty. Later, the dish spread to the ordinary people, turning it into what it is today—a popular treat for everyone!