“白人餐”是中文网络上的一个调侃用语，主要用于形容一些在华人眼中看起来非常“清淡”甚至“没有味道”的西方餐食，尤其是欧美地区（主要是白人群体）习惯的食物。这个词语带有一点点戏谑的成分，并不是真正带有种族意义，而更多是对中西饮食文化差异的一种幽默表达。

常见“白人餐”的特点包括：

调味极少：比如只放盐和黑胡椒。
食材简单：烤鸡胸、水煮蔬菜、三明治、意面拌橄榄油等。
追求健康、低脂：很多“白人餐”注重

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The Chinese Slang “白人餐” (“White People Meal”) Explained

“白人餐” (pinyin: bái rén cān) literally translates to “white people’s meal” or “white people food.” It’s an internet slang term coined by Chinese netizens to describe a certain style of Western meals. The name pokes fun at the idea that these meals are what “white people” (Westerners) often eat. In Chinese online discussion, some even jokingly call it a “lunch of suffering,” implying that eating such food is a joyless experience zh.wikipedia.org. Despite the cheeky name, the term isn’t meant as an insult towards individuals, but rather a humorous label for a type of food perceived as exceedingly plain.

Cultural Context on the Chinese Internet

“白人餐” became popular on Chinese social media around 2023 as a viral meme and hashtag. It started when overseas Chinese began sharing photos and videos of their Western coworkers’ lunches, which struck them as oddly simple or bland. One early viral post on the platform Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) showed a European woman on a train assembling a lunch of nothing but a bag of lettuce and slices of hambuzzfeed.com. This post captioned “the locals’ tricks always shock me” sparked a wave of discussion. Soon, Chinese netizens on sites like Weibo, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu were tagging posts with #白人饭 (#whitepeoplefood) and sharing stories of Western colleagues eating meager lunches. Chinese news outlets even interviewed expats about these lunches, and social media filled with anecdotes of “rabbit food” meals spotted in officesbuzzfeed.com.

What made the term really take off was the mix of amusement and relatability. Many users jokingly expressed disbelief: “No wonder foreigners love Chinese food. If not for being too lazy, who would want to eat ‘white people meal’?” wainao.me. At the same time, another group of young Chinese (especially students and overworked office employees) started embracing the concept for themselves, finding these simple meals convenient and healthy. As a result, “白人餐” became both an online joke about Western eating habits and a trendy lifestyle hack for busy or health-conscious Chinese youth.

Characteristics of a “白人餐”

The foods labeled as “白人餐” tend to have a few key characteristics. In fact, Chinese netizens summarize the essence of a “white people meal” with three words: “cold, plain, and small (in portion)”wainao.me. In other words, these meals are the opposite of a hearty, hot Chinese lunch. Common traits include:

Raw or cold ingredients: Often nothing is cooked or heated. Salads with uncooked vegetables are typical, and dishes are served cold (straight from the fridge or room temperature).
Very minimal preparation: The meal usually involves little to no cooking – it might be just assembled from ready-to-eat items. It’s the kind of lunch that “requires no stove or microwave,” sometimes described as even simpler than what a rabbit would eatgeng.9letu.com.
Simple, bland flavors: Seasonings and sauces are sparse. These foods are often only lightly salted or not seasoned at all. There’s an obvious lack of strong spices, oil, or bold flavors that are common in Chinese cuisinenpr.org.
Small portions and few ingredients: A “白人餐” is not a feast – it’s usually just one or two items. The portions tend to be modest, aimed at satisfying basic hunger rather than indulging the palate. In Chinese, some joke that people who eat this way must have “evolved away their appetite” and no longer care about tastewainao.me.

These qualities make the meal quick to put together and easy to clean up, which is exactly why some busy people find it appealing (despite the joking disdain from others).

Common Examples of “White People Meal” Foods

A Chinese social media post showing an extreme example of “白人餐”: a coworker’s lunch consisting of a few raw baby carrots and spinach leaves. Netizens joked that such a meal implies the person has “evolved away their appetite,” humorously suggesting that only someone with no need for flavor could find this sufficient.

Chinese netizens have shared many eye-opening examples of what they call “白人餐.” Here are some typical meals that fall under this label:

Plain salad: For example, a bowl of lettuce (or spinach) with maybe a couple of cherry tomatoes or cucumber slices, often with very light dressing or no dressing at all. This is colloquially called “吃草,” meaning “eating grass,” since it’s basically raw greens.
Grilled or boiled chicken breast with veggies: A single piece of unseasoned chicken breast paired with steamed or raw vegetables like broccoli or carrot sticks. No sauce, no stir-fry – just protein and veggies in their simplest form (a staple for Western dieters that seems painfully bland to Chinese observers).
Simple sandwich: Two slices of plain white bread with a slice of ham and cheese (and maybe a leaf of lettuce). No toasting, minimal condiments. Essentially, a very basic ham sandwich that serves as a complete lunch.
Crackers and cold cuts: Some Western office workers might eat a few crackers topped with cheese or deli meat and raw veggies (e.g. a couple of crackers with pepperoni and raw mushroom slices) as a lunch npr.org. This pick-and-eat style lunch is unheard of in Chinese cuisine.
“One-item” meals: Extremely spartan choices like just a hard-boiled egg and an apple, or a single baked potato with no fixings, have been cited as examples npr.org. In online posts, Chinese employees shared tales of colleagues eating only a bell pepper or only a carrot for lunch, which they found both shocking and funnybuzzfeed.com.

These examples illustrate why “白人餐” is often seen as unimaginably plain by Chinese standards. Each of these meals is quick and functional, focusing on basic nutrition over taste.

Tone: Humorous and Lightly Mocking

The term “白人餐” is almost always used with a humorous or tongue-in-cheek tone. Chinese netizens use it to playfully mock the perceived blandness of certain Western foods. Online, you’ll see jokes like “Are they already photosynthesizing that they can eat so little?” alongside pictures of skimpy lunches. The tone is one of bemused incredulity: people are half-laughing, half-gawking at how anyone could consider such food a satisfying meal.

This humor is often accompanied by mild exaggeration. For instance, commenters say Westerners must have “no taste buds” or have “given up on flavor” to tolerate these meals wainao.me. As NPR reported, there’s “a touch of sarcasm” whenever the phrase comes up – many Chinese “don’t understand how foreigners can fill themselves with such food” and even joke that it’s “an insult to gastronomy”npr.org. Calling it the “lunch of suffering” further highlights the playful ridiculezh.wikipedia.org.

It’s worth noting that the mockery is generally light-hearted. It’s less about criticizing individual “white people” and more about the cultural differences in food. In fact, when Chinese folks themselves prepare a spartan lunch, they might self-deprecatingly say “I ate a 白人餐 today” to laugh at their own lackluster meal. There’s even a popular saying on Chinese social media: “白人餐也是饭,” meaning “white people meals are still meals,” indicating a humorous resignation that even if it’s not delicious, it counts as eating npr.org. Overall, the term carries a tone of gentle mockery mixed with ironic acceptance.

Contrast with Chinese Food Culture

Part of the reason “白人餐” is so joked about is because it stands in stark contrast to Chinese food culture. In traditional Chinese cuisine (and daily eating habits), a meal is expected to be hot, flavorful, and plentiful. Even a quick Chinese lunch often involves a warm dish or a hearty combination of rice or noodles with several toppings. Chinese cooking is known for its complex flavors and varied ingredients – a single dish might use a dozen spices and a mix of vegetables and meats, achieving a balance of savory, spicy, sweet, and sour elements npr.org. Meals are an occasion to enjoy taste and texture, not just to fill the stomach.

By comparison, a typical “白人餐” looks very simplistic. There’s no steaming wok or rich sauce; it might just be raw veggies and perhaps a protein, often eaten alone at one’s desk. For many Chinese, this kind of meal feels nutritionally and emotionally unsatisfying – where’s the warmth and comfort of a bowl of rice and stir-fry? Where are the fragrant herbs or the harmony of different dishes on the table? Chinese netizens often emphasize how “no-frills” the white people meal is, marveling at its lack of complexity npr.org.

This cultural difference in expectations leads to the comedic effect. Essentially, “白人餐” exaggerates the idea that Westerners only eat bland salads and sandwiches, whereas Chinese cuisine values depth of flavor and variety. Of course, in reality not all Western food is bland – and Chinese people know that – but the term deliberately spotlights the plainest Western fare to make a humorous point. It’s a way for Chinese people to express pride in their own vibrant food culture (with its rich tastes and cooking traditions) while playfully teasing the perceived austerity of some Western meals npr.org.

Conclusion

In summary, “白人餐” (the “white people meal”) is a recent Chinese internet slang that vividly captures cultural differences in food. It literally means a meal that white Westerners would eat, and in online usage it refers to ultra-simple Western-style foods like cold salads and sandwiches. The term arose in a joking context – Chinese netizens share these examples with a mix of curiosity and humor, often poking fun at how such meals seem flavorless and insubstantial compared to Chinese cuisine. Foods dubbed 白人餐 are typically cold, barely cooked, and just enough to stave off hunger, exemplified by things like plain chicken and raw veggies or a lone piece of fruit. The phrase is used in a light-hearted, mildly mocking tone (implying that surviving on these meals is a feat of self-denial). Crucially, the popularity of “白人餐” also reflects some young Chinese adopting these habits for convenience and health – even as they joke about it. For someone unfamiliar with Chinese internet slang, just remember: when you see “白人餐,” think of the most basic, bland Western lunch imaginable, and understand that it’s being mentioned with a cheeky sense of humor about cultural eating habits.

Sources: Chinese social media discussions and articles on the “白人餐” trend wainao.menpr.org npr.orgnpr.org, as well as coverage by NPR, BuzzFeed, and others describing this phenomenon in 2023buzzfeed.comwainao.me.