店內(nèi)無童
Nippers not wanted
孩子禁入
The rights and wrongs of banning babies
禁止孩子入內(nèi)的是與非
IT IS a familiar sound. You are enjoying a quiet beer in your local watering-hole when someone starts crying. Unlike (most) adults, babies cannot seem to order a refreshing bottle without howling.
這個場景似曾相識:你在當?shù)氐木瓢衫锇察o的喝著啤酒,突然有人開始大哭。與(多數(shù)的)成年人不同,好像孩子們不使勁兒哭就點不到酒一樣。
Those who visit bars to seek refuge from rugrats are fighting back. Last month Hot Bird, a craft-beer bar in Brooklyn, barred children. Its owner was fed up with parents who thought their brats were entitled to VIP service despite drinking only milk. One pair of parents asked for the music to be turned down because their five-month-old was trying to sleep. Unattended sprogs have fallen after climbing on bar-stools. A dog bit one little girl after she petted it. The dog-owner and the dog fled. The parents blamed the bartender.
那些為了躲避孩子而光顧酒吧的人開始回擊。上個月,位于布魯克林的一家名為熱鳥的工藝酒吧禁止孩子進入。熱鳥酒吧的老板受夠了那些父母,他們的孩子在酒吧只喝牛奶卻認為孩子有權(quán)力享受VIP的服務(wù)。一對父母曾因為他們五個月大的孩子要睡覺,而要求酒吧把音樂聲音調(diào)小。無人看管的孩子爬上吧椅后跌落下來。一個小女孩摸了摸狗之后被狗咬傷,而狗主人帶著狗逃跑了,父母則責備酒保。

Hot Bird is not alone. Other pubs plagued by prams have taken to excluding children. Double Windsor bans tots after 5pm. Union Hall, a hipster hot-spot, put a “No Strollers, Please” sign on its door in 2008 (though it does allow kiddies in a few afternoons a week). Greenwood Park, which has a lovely beer garden and pitches itself as “family friendly”, closes its doors on kids under 21 after 7pm.
熱鳥并不是個例。其他受孩子困擾的酒吧也已經(jīng)禁止孩子進入。雙溫莎在17點后禁止孩子進入。一家名為公會大廳的時尚人氣酒吧,2008年再他們門口掛了一張寫著“禁止手推車,謝謝合作”的牌子(盡管他們在一周中的某幾天下午也是允許孩子進入的)。綠木公園擁有啤酒花園和場地,并標榜自己是“關(guān)注家庭”型酒吧,他們也在19點后禁止21歲以下的孩子進入。
Bratophobia is not confined to New York. In January Grant Achatz, a Michelin-rated chef, complained about a crying baby in his Chicago restaurant. He could hear it crying even in the noisy kitchen. Via Twitter, he wondered if he should ban children. Last year a Virginia sushi bar banned all diners under 18. Olde Salty, a restaurant in North Carolina, allows kiddies, but has a no-tolerance policy for screamers.
孩子恐懼癥并不只在紐約。一月,一名為Grant Achatz的米其林星級廚師,抱怨一個孩子在他芝加哥的飯店里大哭。他在嘈雜的廚房里都能聽到哭聲。他在推特上發(fā)聲,說他是否可以禁止孩子進入。去年,弗吉尼亞州的壽司店禁止18歲以下客人進入。一家位于北卡羅來納名為Olde Salty的飯店允許孩子進入,但是不允許孩子哭鬧。
Businesses that shut out children argue that parents have plenty of other places to go. In New York Parkslopeparents.com lists lots of kid-friendly bars and restaurants. Cinemas are usually accommodating. The “cry baby matinee” at the East 86th Street Cinema, for instance, shows grown-up movies but welcomes babies. The lights are dimmed just a little bit and the volume is not very loud. There is even a nappy-changing table near the back.
將孩子拒之門外的商家認為,父母們有很多地方可以去。在New York Parkslopeparents.com的網(wǎng)站上列出了很多允許孩子進入的酒吧和餐館。電影院通常也都是可以的。例如,在東86街電影院的“哭泣的寶貝專場”上播放給大人們看的電影,但也歡迎寶貝們?nèi)タ础?/div>
Balancing the interests of parents and non-parents is hard. Families like to travel, but others on long-haul flights want to sleep in peace. The Economist once published a wry leader advocating child-free zones on planes and trains. Malaysian Airlines has taken our advice: it bans infants from its first-class cabins and offers child-free zones in economy in some planes. No American airline has followed suit.
為人父母和非父母之間的利益很難平衡。家庭喜歡出行,但其他長途航班上的旅客想要安靜的睡眠。《經(jīng)濟學(xué)人》曾刊登過一位提出在飛機和火車上設(shè)立無孩子區(qū)的激進的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者。馬來西亞航空已經(jīng)接受了本刊的建議:頭等艙禁止孩子進入,并且在某些航班的經(jīng)濟艙設(shè)立無孩子區(qū)。但美國沒有航空公司效仿。
Parents, by and large, think non-parents should grin and bear it when a wailing infant briefly disturbs their tranquil, responsibility-free existence. It is not as if non-parents had to get up and feed the little horror four times last night. A cramped Brooklyn outlet of Barnes & Noble, a book chain, requires strollers to be left in a designated parking space on the second floor. Many mums are furious. Have you ever tried to hold a baby, sip a latte and read “The Gruffalo”, all at once? It's not easy.
總體而言,父母們認為非父母應(yīng)當在孩子的哭鬧擾亂他們安寧的時候逆來順受,認為自己不應(yīng)當承擔責任。這又不是讓沒孩子的人晚上爬起來四次,給小壞蛋喂奶。一家位于布魯克林狹窄道路上名為Barnes & Noble的連鎖書店要求手推車需要放在二樓指定的停放區(qū)域內(nèi)。許多母親為此大發(fā)雷霆到:你們有沒有試過同時抱著孩子,喝口拿鐵,還要讀《咕嚕牛》?這太難了。譯者:蕭毛毛
來源:可可英語 http://www.ccdyzl.cn/menu/201601/420542.shtml