China's restaurant chain serving Shaxian County cuisine¹ has opened its first eatery in the United States in October but closed three hours after it was officially opened to the public as all the dishes on the menu were sold out.

中国的餐饮连锁沙县小吃今年10月在美国开张了第一家分店，但在正式对外营业仅3小时后就关门了，因为所有餐食都已售罄。

Originating in Shaxian County, east China's Fujian province, the Shaxian Delicacies² restaurant chain has already become a great success in China, presenting customers with traditional snacks, such as peanut butter noodles and pork wontons. Their recipes originated from more than 1,000 years ago, and spread as locals left their hometown afar for work.

餐饮连锁店沙县小吃起源于中国东部福建省沙县，已经在中国大获成功，经营花生酱拌面和猪肉馄饨等传统小吃。沙县小吃的制作工艺已有1000多年历史，随着当地人离开家乡远赴外地工作而传播开来。

Now, these snacks have hit the streets of New York City and captured local taste buds.

如今，沙县小吃来到了纽约，深受当地人的喜爱。

The newly opened restaurant located at 818, 60th St. Brooklyn. In the past month, the restaurant has received an order every two minutes during busy hours.

最新开张的这家分店坐落于美国纽约布鲁克林第八大道（818 60th St Brooklyn），过去一个月里，在用餐高峰期，每两分钟就有一份订单。

"It is amazing that the Shaxian Delicacies can open its eatery near my house in America. The flavors of the food here are just the same as I remember," said Ms Zheng, who was born in Fuzhou City, the capital of Fujian province.

出生于福建省福州市的郑女士说：“故乡的小吃能在美国的家附近开店，真是太棒了！这儿的菜品跟我记忆里味道的一样。”

To create a clean and brightly-lit environment, the owner of the Shaxian Delicacies eatery in New York, Shao Binfang, a 34-year-old Chinese American born in Fuzhou, designed an open kitchen in her restaurant.

为了打造清洁明亮的就餐环境，店长邵彬芳在店里设计了开放式厨房。34岁的邵彬芳是一名华裔美国人，出生在福州。

"When the customers can see the cooking process, it puts them at ease over food safety," said Shao.

她说：“当顾客能看到烹饪过程时，他们会对食品安全感到放心。”

Early this year, the company set up its first overseas chain-eatery at Takadanobaba Station in Tokyo, Japan. And the store reportedly made 200,000 yen³ (about 11,950 yuan) in just five hours after its opening. As of the end of September, the 80-square-meter restaurant has sold around 5 million yen monthly.

今年早些时候，沙县小吃在日本东京的高田马场站开张了首家海外分店。据报道，开店的前5个小时营业额就达到了20万日元（约合11950元人民币）。截至9月底，这家80平米的店月均营业额已达大约500万日元。

The industry development center of the brand claimed that over 10 countries including the United States, Britain, Argentina, Australia and Canada, have shown interest in having the chain.

沙县小吃集团的产业发展中心称，未来或将在美国、英国、阿根廷、澳大利亚和加拿大等10多个国家开设分店。

To adapt to the taste of foreigners, the Shaxian Delicacies has not only maintained the traditional production skills, but also made improvements.

为了迎合外国顾客的口味，沙县小吃不仅仅保持了传统制作工艺，还进行了改良。

Wu Shaohua, owner of the Shaxian Delicacies eatery in Bordeaux, Portugal, specially⁴ prepares "fried meat" and "fried spring rolls" for local residents who like fried food.

葡萄牙波尔多沙县小吃分店的店长吴绍华介绍说，这家分店还专门为当地爱吃油炸食品的顾客准备了“油炸扁肉”和“油炸春卷”。

And to distribute semi-finished products to its franchises⁵ worldwide, the Shaxian County is building a "central kitchen."

为了能将半成品配送给全球分店，沙县小吃集团还打造了“中央厨房”。

"A basket of steamed dumplings for 50 cents, delicious but not expensive, that's my childhood memories of the Shaxian snacks. After I grew up, these snacks represent the diligent⁶ spirit of people from Fujian Province," said Lin Liju, investor⁷ of the Shaxian Delicacies.

沙县小吃投资人林里举说：“一笼蒸饺五角钱，好吃而不贵，是我童年时期对沙县小吃的记忆。成年后，沙县小吃对我来说代表了福建人的拼搏精神。”

With its good quality and competitive price, the Shaxian Delicacies has become a local pillar industry which creates a turnover⁸ of over 10 billion yuan annually⁹.

高质低价的沙县小吃已成为当地的支柱产业，年营业额超过100亿元人民币。

"In my childhood, food stalls could be seen everywhere in my hometown in Fuzhou. But this is just a small step for the company, the Shaxian Delicacies, in going global," said Ms Shao.

邵彬芳说：“在我小时候，我的家乡福州到处都是小吃摊。但对沙县小吃公司走向全球来说，这只是一小步。”

The Shaxian Delicacies is not the only case where cheap and quick Chinese snacks are loved by foreigners.

除了沙县小吃，还有很多廉价的中式快餐也受到了外国顾客的青睐。

Brian Goldberg, the owner of Mr. Bing's, one of the first Jianbing stands in New York City, ate Jianbing for breakfast when he studied Mandarin¹⁰ in China 20 years ago. Goldberg loved this flap Chinese crepe so much that he brought it to America.

“老金煎饼”的老板布赖恩·戈德堡在纽约开设了第一家煎饼摊。20年前，他在中国学习汉语时，早餐就常吃煎饼。戈德堡太爱吃煎饼了，还把它带到了美国。

And a traditional dish of central China's Wuhan City, the hot-dry noodle, has been taken to Italy by a couple who opened a restaurant in Florence. The dish has become very popular to have attracted many local diners.

还有一对夫妇把武汉的传统美食热干面带到了意大利，他们在佛罗伦萨开了一家热干面餐馆，吸引了很多当地食客，非常受欢迎。