Several cultures have traditions for serving large numbers of people from a common table laden with festive food. In the Netherlands it's called Rijstaffel, in Sweden it's Smorgasbord, Spain has Tapas and Denmark offers Smorrebrod. The French invented Buffet.
好幾種文化中都有宴會時將食物放在一張公用的桌子上供眾多食客享用的傳統。在荷蘭，這被稱作"Rijstaffel"，在瑞典則是"Smorgasbord"，西班牙叫做"Tapas"，丹麥叫"Smorrebrod"，而法國人發明了"Buffet"。
It is difficult to acertain the exact history of buffet because this word has several meanings relating to food. Food historians tell us the word "buffet"appears first in France, then England, soon spreading throughout Europe, in the 18th century.
要弄清buffet一詞的確切來歷並不容易，因為這個詞有好幾個和食物有關的意思。食物歷史學家告訴人們，該詞18世紀時首先出現在法國，然後在英國，不久就傳遍歐洲。
The term originally referred to the sideboard where the food was served, but eventually became applied to the form. The buffet became popular in the English-speaking world in the second half of the nineteenth century.
buffet一詞原先指的是擺放這種食物的餐具櫃，但最終用於指代這種就餐形式。這個詞於19世紀後半期在英語國家中流行起來。
Buffet Forms
自助餐的不同形式
One form of buffet is to have a line of food serving stalls where customers take food they require as they walk along and pay at the end. This form is most commonly seen in cafeterias. Another form known as the "all you can eat"buffet has a set fee and customers can help themselves to as much food as they wish to eat. This form is found often in restaurants, especially in hotels;virtually every casino in North America includes one, with some being very elaborate.
自助餐的一種形式是，顧客沿著一排擺放食物的攤位邊走邊取用他們所需要的食物，最後再付錢。這種形式在自助餐廳中最為常見。另一種形式是”任君取用“，這種自助餐有固定的價格，顧客可以想吃多少就吃多少，這種形式通常在飯店中，特別是在酒店中比較常見。事實上，北美的每家賭場中都有這樣的自助餐，有些還十分精緻。
In North America, buffets specializing in Chinese cuisine are common, as are ones for other ethnic foods.
在北美，中餐自助十分常見，其他一些有異域風味的自助餐也很盛行。
Buffets are effective for serving large numbers of people. They are also popular in that they give customers a great deal of choice and the ability to closely inspect food before selecting
it. Since a buffet involves people serving themselves, it is generally viewed as a less elegant form of dining. However, it's the preferred serving arrangement on holidays and similar occasions to minimize the required number of staff.
在食客人數眾多的情況下，自助餐會是很有效的招待方式。它們之所以如此盛行，另一個原因是，它們給顧客提供了多種選擇，他們在挑選前還能近距離地檢視食物。由於自助餐是由顧客自行取食，因此通常被視為一種不怎麼上檔次的用餐形式。然而，在假日裡或是在類似的場合，它卻是首選的就餐安排，因為這樣可以儘量減少服務人員。
歡迎學習交流：
出國旅遊口語 Cafeteria自助餐
1. Let's get a bit to eat in the cafeteria. 咱們再自助餐廳隨便吃點東西吧。
2. Let's find a buffet with moderate prices. 我們找一家價格適中的自助餐館吧。
3. The food in the cafeteria is abominable . 這家自助餐廳的膳食糟糕透了。
4. It's not polite to waste any food in the buffet. 吃自助餐時浪費食物是失禮的。
5. The cafeteria is short-handed so we'll have to wait in line. 自助餐廳人手不夠，所以我們不得不排隊等候。
6. There used to be a variety of foods at choice in that cafeteria. 那家自助餐館以前有各種各樣的食物可供選擇。
7. When you go to a cafeteria, you may help yourself to the food. 在自助餐館，你可以隨意夾取食物。
8. I'm not surprised to hear that the cafeteria food isn't that great. 聽說自助餐廳的食物不夠好，我並不驚訝。
9. That's the problem about buffet. People are always over-eating . 這就是自助餐廳的問題，人們總是吃得太多。
10. In a cafeteria, you walk through a line selecting your meals as you go along. 在自助餐館，你排隊向前走，邊走邊選取想吃的`東西。
重點註釋：
abominable: 討厭的；令人憎惡的；（口語）糟透的
例句：As piano-playing, it was perhaps abominable, but as music it was something real. 作為鋼琴演奏，也許是可厭的，但作為音樂，卻是真實的。
over- prep. 表示“在......上面,優越”之義
例如：overeat吃得過多 overdress 過度裝飾 oversleep 睡得太久，睡過頭
short-handed 缺乏人手的，我們還可以這樣表達“short of hands”
例句：They were short-handed at work today. 他們今天工作人手不夠。
重點延伸：
buffet, just at a popular price, is a high-grade enjoyment for you. 本店的自助餐，大眾化的價格，讓您得到高品位的享受。
2. Meats, salads, spaghetti, and hot rolls… Oh! They make my mouth water. 肉、沙拉、義大利麵條和熱麵包…… 哎呀，這些東西都讓我流口水了。
3. It looks yummy indeed. Now pick up a dessert. 看起來確實很可口的，現在來選甜點吧。
