Russia to launch its own national fast food chain

Who needs McDonald’s when you can have your own national fast food chain?

如果本国有了快餐连锁店，谁还会去吃麦当劳？

Russia is betting on a national network of restaurants that will rival fast food brands of the West by investing nearly 1 billion rubles ($19 million) in a restaurant project started an Oscar-winning Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov.

俄罗斯目前投资了将近10亿卢布（1900万美元）给俄罗斯奥斯卡导演奖得主Nikita Mikhalkov发起的餐厅计划，目前俄正筹备建立本土快餐网，或可与西方快餐品牌一决高下。

The director met Russia’s deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich on Thursday, and secured a state-backed loan to cover 70% of the initial 1 billion rubles investment, Russian media reported.

据俄媒报道，此导演本周四会见了俄罗斯副总理达沃科维奇，得到了最初10亿卢布的70%的政府投资。

Mikhalkov also sent a letter to President Vladimir Putin asking him to support his patriotic project, which is called "Let’s eat at home!" In the letter, cited by Russian state media, Mikhalkov said the venture will create alternatives to western fast food.

Mikhalkov同时向总统佛拉基米尔?普京致信，请求他支持自己的爱国计划，项目名称是“在本国吃本国餐！”。据俄罗斯官媒报道，Mikhalkov在信中表示，这个项目能与西方快餐食品形成竞争。

The network of 41 restaurants and 91 food stands will use local products, which will boost Russian agriculture, the letter said. Roughly one-third of the menu will be feature local specialties.

信中说，快餐网络包含41家餐厅，91个小吃摊，并且都会使用本土原料，这会刺激俄罗斯农业。基本上菜单里三分之一的菜品都是本土特色菜。

The acclaimed director, who won an Oscar for his film "Burnt by the Sun" in 1995, is an outspoken supporter of Putin and the two men are said to be friends.

此颇受欢迎的导演在1995年因电影《烈日灼人》获得奥斯卡奖，并公开表示自己支持普京，据说两人是好朋友。

But the project has already been criticized by Russia’s former finance minister Alexei Kudrin, who said state support for the network could harm small and medium businesses.

但此项目却受到俄罗斯前财政部长Alexei Kudrin的指责，他表示国家支持快餐网络会损害中小企业的利益。

Russia has banned most western food imports in response to economic sanctions imposed by the West over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis.

因为俄罗斯插手乌克兰事物，西方国家已对俄进行经济制裁，为应对经济制裁，俄罗斯禁止了大部分西方食品的进口。

McDonald’s (MCD) is among many western companies that’s taken a hit in Russia.

很多西方企业在俄罗斯遭到打压。麦当劳就是其中之一。

Russia’s consumer watchdog agency shut down several McDonald’s outlets in Russia, including its flagship restaurant in Moscow last year. Officially, the outlets were shut down over sanitary concerns, although political reasons were widely blamed for the crackdown.

俄罗斯消费者监督机构已关闭俄境内数家麦当劳，包括去年关闭的莫斯科的麦当劳旗舰店。据称，此店虽是因为卫生原因遭到关闭，但很多人谴责这是政治原因。

McDonald’s pulled out from Crimea after the region was annexed by Russia last spring.

去年春天俄罗斯兼并克里米亚后，麦当劳就退出了克里米亚市场。

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来源:BBC英语爱语吧作者:Sunmore