吃肉规矩

Red Tape for Red Meat1

Some restaurants in Britain are forcing customers who like their meat rare to sign a disclaimer form before eating due to fears of the risk of E-coli and salmonella poisoning, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. It said that restaurants including food chains Planet Hollywood, All Bar One and Shoeless Joe's2 were prepared to serve rare hamburgers, sausages or minced beef only if diners complete forms giving up rights to take legal action. The newspaper said that people eating minced beef which is pink in the middle are much more likely to be poisoned by E-coli or salmonella. The new practice has been blamed on advice from the government's food safety watchdog saying that minced meat should only be served when it is well-done. The warning does not apply to ordinary steaks, because they only carry bacteria on the outside and this is killed by cooking. Egon Ronay, the restaurant critic, attacked the disclaimers: "I don't know where it will all stop — soon you might have to fill in a huge form before setting foot in a restaurant."

1．red tape：繁琐手续，官样文章。以前英国的官方文件是用红带子来捆扎的，因此有这个短语；red meat：未煮时颜色是红色的肉，尤指牛、羊肉。
2．Planet Hollywood：行星好莱坞餐馆，由娱乐明星集资开办的连锁餐馆；All Bar One：英国连锁酒吧；Shoeless Joe's：以体育为主题的连锁餐馆，名字来源于20世纪初的美国职业棒球明星“无鞋乔”杰克逊（Shoeless Joe Jackson）。

《星期日泰晤士报》报道，因为担心发生大肠杆菌和沙门氏菌中毒事件，英国一些餐馆如今强迫那些喜欢吃半生不熟的肉的顾客在吃之前签署一份免责表格。报纸说，包括“行星好莱坞”、All Bar One以及“无鞋乔”等连锁店在内的一些餐馆都不供应半熟的汉堡包、香肠和牛肉馅，除非顾客先填好表格声明放弃诉讼的权利。报纸还说，吃里面还是粉红色的半生牛肉馅更容易引起大肠杆菌或沙门氏菌中毒。这种新措施被归因于政府食物安全监督机构关于肉馅必须熟透才可上桌的建议。这一警告不适用于普通的肉排，因为细菌只附在肉排的外表面，而且已在烹煮过程中被杀死。餐馆评论家埃贡·罗内对免责表格啧有烦言：“我不知道要怎样才算完——也许很快我们就必须填完一张大表才能进馆子了。”

Remarks：应该由政府统一制作印有“凡在此餐馆要求供应XX食品的顾客须自行承担由此引起的一切后果”字样的标牌并在各餐馆悬挂，这样至少省了填表的麻烦。