單人桌，謝謝！獨(dú)自就餐的中國(guó)人越來越多

In late 2017, a topic about Haidilao, the Chinese hotpot chain known for its exceptional service, trended on social networks: a Teddy bear was seated in front of a solo diner to keep them company.

2017年底，關(guān)于海底撈(一家以優(yōu)質(zhì)服務(wù)著稱的火鍋連鎖店)的一個(gè)話題在社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)上走紅：一只泰迪熊毛絨玩具坐在獨(dú)自就餐的客人面前陪他們用餐。

But how "considerate" was this move? Many people argued that eating alone is an enjoyable moment of solitude and even a fact of life in today’s China, rather than something to be pitied.

但是，這個(gè)行為又有多“貼心”呢?許多人認(rèn)為獨(dú)自吃飯是一個(gè)令人享受的時(shí)刻，并且也是如今中國(guó)生活的現(xiàn)實(shí)寫照，而不是什么可憐事。

A recent report by market research group Kantar echoed the argument. Some 46 percent of the interviewees said they had eaten alone in the past 24 hours, up 9 percent from 2017.

市場(chǎng)研究集團(tuán)凱度最近發(fā)布的一份報(bào)告呼應(yīng)了該觀點(diǎn)。大約46%的受訪者表示在過去24小時(shí)內(nèi)曾獨(dú)自用餐，(這一數(shù)據(jù))相比2017年增加了9%。

Around 16 percent of respondents said they preferred to eat out alone.

大約有16%的受訪者表示，他們更喜歡獨(dú)自在外用餐。

One reason for eating alone could be the rise of the single person Chinese household.

獨(dú)自用餐的原因之一可能是中國(guó)獨(dú)居人士比例的上升。

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, marriage registrations have dropped in China every year since 2014, while the divorce rate has risen for 16 straight years.

據(jù)民政局報(bào)道，結(jié)婚登記率從2014年就一直在下降，而離婚率連續(xù)16年增長(zhǎng)。

Another reason for eating alone is time - or the lack of it. Commuters, strapped for time, grab breakfast on the go at food outlets near subway and bus stations.

另一個(gè)獨(dú)自吃飯的原因是時(shí)間，或者說時(shí)間不足。時(shí)間緊張的上班族在地鐵站和公交車站附近的食品店邊吃早餐邊趕著上班。

And more people are having their lunch delivered from one of the many food delivery firms and choosing to eat it at their desks.

越來越多的人選擇在自己的辦公桌上吃外賣公司配送的午餐。

Ele.me, which means "Hungry?" in Chinese, is a popular Chinese app that offers online food delivery. The company noted the trend of "meals for one" in its market research report.

Ele.me，中文里意思是“餓了嗎?”是目前在國(guó)內(nèi)流行的在線送餐服務(wù)應(yīng)用程序。該公司在其市場(chǎng)調(diào)查報(bào)告中指出了“一人一餐”的趨勢(shì)。

Lunchtime is the rush hour for food deliveries and "lunch for one" is the most common choice. Cooperating with Ele.me, Pizza Hut changed its menu for solo diners. The 9-inch pizza once was the smallest pizza, but 6-inch is now.

午餐時(shí)間是送餐的高峰期，“一人一餐”是最常見的選擇。和餓了么合作的必勝客也改變了其單人餐的菜單。把曾經(jīng)披薩最小尺寸由9英寸改至6英寸。

Harvest Festival, a Chinese catering company, has also benefited from solo diners. Data from Ele.me shows sales of Harvest Festival on Ele.me rose by 63.1 percent in January after it rolled meals for one.

中國(guó)餐飲公司Harvest Festival也從單人用餐中受益。餓了么數(shù)據(jù)顯示，自從推出了單人套餐，1月份Harvest Festival的銷售額上升了63.1%。