都说“民以食为天”。据中国烹饪协会统计，在刚刚过去的2017年，全国餐饮收入超过3.9万亿元，同比增长10.7%。数据显示，过去一年，最受消费者喜爱的菜品种类前十位分别是：小龙虾、牛排、烤鸭、寿司、酸菜鱼、潮汕牛肉火锅、米线、拉面、麻辣香锅和炸鸡。
China's favorite dish in 2017 was crayfish, said a food consumption report by the China Cuisine Association (CCA).
据中国烹饪协会发布的《2017年度美食消费报告》称，小龙虾是去年最受国人喜爱的美食。
The report said sales revenue in China's catering industry surpassed 3.9 trillion yuan ($607 billion) last year.
报告称，2017年中国餐饮业销售收入超过3.9万亿元。
It said savory flavors were most popular among Chinese consumers in 2017, as they were favored by 23.3 percent. The spicy food ranked second, with 17.2 percent.
咸鲜口味是中国消费者2017年最喜爱的菜品味道，受欢迎程度达23.3%。麻辣口味的美食占据第二，受到17.2%的消费者青睐。
Crayfish, or "little lobster" in Chinese, was the most popular dish, based on a list of the top 10 most-ordered dishes on Chinese consumer app Meituan-Dianping.
根据消费者点评应用美团点评选出的最具人气十大菜品排行榜，小龙虾成为最受欢迎的菜品种类。
Other popular dishes that also made the list include steak, roast duck, sushi, pickled fish, Chaoshan beef hot pot, rice noodles, ramen, Spicy Incense Pot and fried chicken.
其他上榜人气菜肴包括：牛排、烤鸭、寿司、酸菜鱼、潮汕牛肉火锅、米线、拉面、麻辣香锅和炸鸡。
Crazy for China's crayfish
中国的“小龙虾热”
Crayfish were first brought to East China's Jiangsu province by a Japanese merchant in the 1920s. According to the Global Times, they appeared in the Jianghan Plain, where Qianjiang is located, about 30 years ago.
上世纪20年代，小龙虾经一位日本商人首次引入中国东部省份江苏省。据《环球时报》介绍，大约在30年前，小龙虾出现在江汉平原。潜江市就坐落于此。
They weren't always a welcome addition to the ecosystem, especially for local farmers.
对于生态系统，特别是当地农民来说，小龙虾这种外来物种起初并不受欢迎。
"They pinched off rice seedlings in the paddy fields, and made tunnels in ridges that caused water loss," said Liu Zhuquan from Baowan village in Qianjiang.
潜江市鲍湾村村民刘柱全（音译）说：“它们把水稻田里的稻秧掐断，在田垄里挖通道让水分都流失了。”
In the beginning, crayfish were little more than a nuisance for the rice farmers of eastern and central China, but now the invasive species has become big business for one city.
起初，小龙虾让中东部地区的稻农很伤脑筋，但是现在这种外来物种已经成为这座城市的一大产业。
China is the world's largest producer of crayfish, with annual output accounting for over 70 percent of the world's total.
中国是全球小龙虾产量最高的国家，年产量约占世界总产量的70%。
Around 80 percent of crayfish produced in Qianjiang were exported to Europe and the United States as pre-cooked food products.
潜江市生产的小龙虾约有80%被制成熟食产品出口到欧美。
Oddly enough, one of the largest US consumer's of China's crayfish is the state of Louisiana where crayfish originally came from.
奇怪的是，中国小龙虾在美国的最大客户之一——路易斯安那州正是小龙虾的原产地。
Crayfish same, same but different?
相同的小龙虾，不同的吃法
The Acadians arrived in Louisiana after the Great Expulsion in 1755. Hailing from the Canadian Maritime provinces, seafood had already been a staple of their diet. Upon arriving in Louisiana, the Acadians settled along the bayous of New Orleans and neighboring communities, where crayfish were abundant in the slow-moving water.
1755年“阿卡迪亚大驱逐”后，阿卡迪亚人来到路易斯安那州。他们来自加拿大沿海省份，海鲜是他们餐桌上的常客。阿卡迪亚人到达路易斯安那后，在新奥尔良市的小海港及附近社区定居，这里缓缓流淌的水面下盛产小龙虾。
According to the NewOrleans.me historical website, since the Acadians were familiar with lobster and had previous fishing experience, their contact with local Native Americans, led to the introduction of crayfish into the Acadian diet. And when the Acadians became the Cajuns, the tradition of eating crayfish continued, leading to the popular methods of consuming the crustaceans today.
据历史网站NewOrleans.me称，由于阿卡迪亚人对龙虾十分熟悉，且此前有打渔经验，融入当地后，小龙虾就成了他们的食物。阿卡迪亚人成为卡津人后，食用小龙虾的传统被保存下来，才有了如今流行的小龙虾吃法。
From late February to early June, one of New Orleans' most beloved native foods, crayfish, is in season, and abundant. With this comes the annual tradition of crayfish boils. This is when friends and family join together outdoors around newspaper-covered tables, peeling and eating crayfish.
小龙虾是新奥尔良最受欢迎的当地美食，每年2月下旬至6月初正是小龙虾上市的时节，产量丰富。这也是一年一度举办“小龙虾节”的时候。亲朋好友在户外相聚，围坐在铺着报纸的桌前，剥小龙虾吃。
美国人煮小龙虾时，会选用一口直筒的大汤锅，里面放上水和一大包卡疆粉，主要包括塔巴斯科辣椒、柠檬、胡椒、芹菜粉、月桂叶、姜粉、芫荽籽、芥末籽、洋葱以及盐。然后倒入满满一锅小龙虾，一边熬煮一边缓缓搅动，让调料和小龙虾充分的混合，期间放入一些蒜瓣提香，除了这些还可以加其它食物一起熬煮，比如玉米、红土豆、蘑菇等。
小龙虾煮熟后，很有仪式感的在长条桌上铺满报纸，把控干水的小龙虾们“Duang”的一下倾倒出来，顿时辛辣香气扑面而来。人们围坐在桌旁大快朵颐，吃小龙虾时还可以配上当地的玉米发糕。Cajunfood口味的小龙虾和我们熟悉的“麻小”有些许相似，辣味也十分劲爆。
Even though the crayfish boil wasn't always as popular as it is today, eating crayfish in Louisiana dates all the way back to pre-colonial times, according to NewOrleans.me website.
据NewOrleans.me网站称，虽然水煮小龙虾从前并不像现在这么受欢迎，但在路易斯安那州，吃小龙虾的传统可以追溯到前殖民时代。
While crayfish dishes in China and New Orleans each manifest distinct local flavors, both are steeped in savory spices that are pleasing to palates around the world.
虽说中国和新奥尔良的小龙虾美食各具独特的地方风味，但都加入了唤醒全世界味蕾的香辣调料。