飲食笑話：7、 A useful lesson 有益的經驗

7. A useful lesson

In England nobody under the age of eighteen is allowed1 to drink in a public bar. Mr. Thompson used to2 go to a bar near his house quite often, but he never took his son, Tom, because he was too young.

Then when Tom had his eighteenth birthday, Mr. Thompson took him to his usual bar for the first time. They drank for half an hour, and then Mr. Thompson said to his son, "Now, Tom, I want to teach you a useful lesson. You must always be careful not to drink too much. And how do you know when you've had enough? Well, I'll tell you. Do you see those two lights at the end of the bar? When they seem to have become four, you've had enough and should go home."

But, Dad, said Tom, "I can only see one light at the end of the bar."

Notes:

1. allow 允許

2. used to 過去常常

有益的經驗

在英國，十八歲以下的人不準進酒吧喝酒。湯普森先生以前常常去他家附近的一個酒吧喝酒，但從來不帶他的兒子湯姆去，因為他年紀太小。

后來，當湯姆年滿十八歲的時候，湯普森先生第一次帶他去他常去的那家酒吧。他們喝了半個小時，而后，湯普森先生對他兒子說：“湯姆，現在我要告訴你一個有益的經驗。你必須時時小心不要喝得太多。你怎么知道你喝夠了呢？好，我來告訴你。你看見酒吧那頭有兩盞燈嗎？當那兩盞燈看起來變成四盞的時候，你就喝得足夠多了，應該回家了?！?

“可是，爸爸。”湯姆說，“在酒吧那頭我只能看見一盞燈?！?

Useful link:

美國也好，歐洲也罷，到酒吧喝啤酒是一種文化，對他們來講，去那里喝酒好像喝水一樣普通。而在中國，即使是在大城市，很多人把去酒吧喝酒看成比較上檔次的消費，很有臉面。那么自然，酒吧如果價格太低，反而無法滿足這一類人的消費心理。中國人的消費行為和西方人不太一樣，越貴的有時賣得越好。