爱语导读:麦当劳正在尝试改变其日本下滑的市场，用本周推出的新菜品：巧克力薯条。

McDonald’s is attempting to reverse its sagging fortunes in Japan with the launch this week of a new menu item: french fries smothered in chocolate sauce.

麦当劳正在尝试改变其日本下滑的市场，用本周推出的新菜品：巧克力薯条。

While the combination of deep-fried potato and sugary condiment is unlikely to impress dieticians, the fast-food chain’s Japan unit is hoping the arrival of McChoco Potatoes will counteract a slew of bad news about its performance in the world’s third-biggest economy.

尽管这个油炸土豆和甜味调料的混合物不一定能够吸引食客，这家快餐连锁的日本分部希望麦巧巧土豆系列的推出能够抵消该公司在世界第三大经济体经营不善所带来的大量坏消息。

While McDonald’s reported a 5.7% rise in US in the last three months of 2015, as well as plans to open another 60 stores in Russia this year, its Japanese sales have been hit by a series of food scandals and supply issues.

2015年最后一季度，当麦当劳在美国利润上涨5.7%，也计划今年在俄罗斯新增60家门店时，其日本销售却因为一系列食品丑闻和供应问题受到打击。

In late 2014, the firm was forced to restrict sales of fries after industrial action at US ports affected shipments of thousands of tonnes of the chain’s staple accompaniment to a burger to Japan.

2014年末，美国港口的工业行动（译者注：指美国西海岸港口劳资纠纷引发的工人罢工行动）影响了该连锁店数千吨这种汉堡主要配菜的货运供应，该公司被迫限制其在日本的薯条销售。

Earlier the same year, officials in China closed down the firm’s poultry supplier amid allegations that it had deliberately mixed fresh chicken with expired produce.

同年早些时候，中国官方因该公司被指控故意将新鲜鸡肉与过期产品混合而关闭其家禽供应商。

Last year, its Japan operation was hit by reports of foreign objects –a piece of plastic and what appeared to be a human tooth – in McDonald’s chicken nuggets and french fries.

去年，该公司在日本的运营因发现了食物异物而受到打击——在麦当劳的炸鸡块和炸薯条里发现了一块塑料制品和类似人类牙齿的东西。

McDonald’s Japan, which operates almost 3,000 stores, reported a group net loss of ?29 billion for the first nine months of 2015. It was expected to suffer a ?38 billion ($318 million) net loss for the full year, with sales forecast to drop 10%. Last year, the firm said it would close about 130 stores in Japan and refurbish 2,000 others in the next four years.

经营近3000家门店的麦当劳日本分公司，据报道2015前九个月净亏损290亿日元。据推测，它将遭受380亿日元（3亿1800万美元）的全年净亏损，销售额预计下降10%。去年，该公司表示将关闭日本约130家门店，并在接下来的四年里整修2000家店面。

The Nikkei business newspaper recently reported that the burger chain had reached out to investors about selling a part of its stake in its Japan business for 100 billion yen.

近日，日经商业报报道称，这家汉堡连锁店已经以1000亿日元向投资者出售了其日本业务中的一部分股份。

The sweet-and-salty fries, which come with two types of chocolate sauce – milk and white – cost 330 yen (2.77 US dollars), compared with 270 yen for a medium-sized portion of the regular version.

这种甜咸薯条有2种巧克力酱——牛奶巧克力和白巧克力，定价330日元（2.77美元），相比之下，普通版中薯一份270日元。

“Customers will find McChoco Potatoes enjoyable for different occasions, as it also makes for a great dessert. The combination creates a wonderful salty and sweet harmonious taste,” the company said in a press release.

“顾客会发现麦巧巧土豆系列可以在不同的场合享受，它也可以是一个不错的甜点。这样的组合创造了一个美妙的咸甜皆宜的口味，”该公司在新闻稿中说。

Early reviews suggest the combination, while perhaps not to everyone’s taste, works surprisingly well. “Salt and chocolate complement each other quite well,” Brian Ashcraft wrote on the Kotaku website.

早期的评论称尽管这个菜品也许不符合每个人的味道，但出来的效果却出奇的好。“盐和巧克力相互补充得很好，”布瑞恩·阿什克拉夫特在Kotaku网站上写道。

“Since the fries are served hot, when you squirt on the sauce, the warm fries heat up the sauce. This causes the chocolate smell to become even stronger and more noticeable.”

“热薯条喷上巧克力酱后，薯条的温热使得酱汁受热。这会使得巧克力味变得更加浓烈，更吸引人。”

Japanese consumers won’t be able to indulge their sweet tooth for long, however: the chocolate fries will only be available until around mid-February, according to Rocket News.

据火箭新闻报道，日本消费者将不会长时间地受这种甜食吸引，但是这种巧克力薯条只有在二月中旬才会供应。（声明：文为爱语吧原创翻译，转载请注明来源，否则追究法律责任！）

来源:The Guardian

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