英语博客(A cup of English):073 A family tradition.

　　Beginners.
Today I thought about tomatoes. You know when you have one of those days when you simply have to eat something in particular. I went out to my vegetable patch¹ this morning to see if there had been any progress with my tomato plants. Not much. They were still alive, green, and standing² up. That's okay; it could be worse. Spring in Wenatchee is quite windy, so if you put out your store-bought plants too early, often they get blown over. But mine were fine, ever so slightly bigger than a couple of days ago. I can be patient. I planned my tomato crop carefully this year. Last year I grew several kinds of tomato plants from seed, and it was a disaster. The plants that grew the best were the Cherry tomatoes. They grew abundantly and everywhere. My children weren't keen³ on them. They gave some to the neighbors, threw some around the yard, and ended up playing tennis with them. My husband and I ate as many as we could, but we prefer the huge Beef tomatoes. They are not only huge, heavy and fleshy, but they also have a rich flavor⁴. Eating one is like having a meal. I remember going to the open markets in Spain and buying kilos of these large, odd⁵ shaped vegetables, taking them home, cutting them in half, and eating them with salt. Mmm, I can't wait for Summer.
Grammar notes.
Vocabulary: vegetable patch, store-bought, to be keen on something, fleshy.
Exs:
Everyone in our neighborhood has a vegetable patch; we hardly need to go to the shops for food!
My brother is a carpenter. He doesn't like store-bought furniture, so he makes his own.
I'm really keen on gardening, but my favorite hobby is traveling.
Her baby is so fleshy! Look how chubby⁶ and cute he is!
Advanced.
My obsession⁷ with tomatoes led me to become creative in the kitchen. I think the good weather has made me reminisce about eating fabulous⁸ food in Spain. My mother 'invented' a recipe that is tomato based. We ate it often growing up in England. She is a spaniard, and so her cooking is very spanish. She uses garlic, onion, tomatoes, and red peppers as often as she can. Thank God for spanish mothers! It makes my mouth water, just thinking about her cooking. This recipe of hers is called 'Pisto'. If she is asked about it, she makes sure that you understand that it is spelled with an 'i'. "It's nothing to do with Italy. It's not Pesto," she will say. "Anyway, this kind of sauce could only come from Spain," she will add. She has every right to be proud of her creation⁹. I even suggested to her that she market it. It would sell like hot cakes, I'm sure. You can use it as a pasta sauce, a dip (hot or cold), or a side dish for meat or fish. We could be rich and famous....or should we keep it as a family tradition, and pass the secret recipe down from generation to generation instead? Well, that's up to her; she's the boss. Anyway, I have had lots of practice making it, and tonight it turned out very well. I got the thumbs up from everyone at home. My kids even asked for seconds at the dinner table. It is made from onions, garlic, tomatoes, a little olive¹⁰ oil, and a few other things that I won't tell you. If you're not part of the family, then you're not privy¹¹ to that all important information.
Grammar notes.
Common sayings: to sell like hot cakes; to be privy to ...,  to get the thumbs up.
Exs:
The new tennis shoes were so popular, they sold like hot cakes.
I don't know what will happen with the family's gold mine; I am not privy to that information.
The union worker got the thumbs up from everyone who heard his speech.

1 patch   

n.补丁；斑；一小块地；vt.补，修补

参考例句：

• This patch looks a bit unprofessional.这块补丁有点像出自外行之手。
• We managed to patch our quarrel.我们设法平息争吵。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 keen   

adj.热心的；敏锐的；激烈的；锋利的

参考例句：

• There is keen competition between the two motorcar firms.两家汽车公司之间存在着激烈的竞争。
• The children are mad keen to go to the zoo.孩子们非常想去动物园。

4 flavor   

n.味，滋味，味道；风味；vt.调味，加味于

参考例句：

• I like the flavor of chocolate.我喜欢巧克力的味道。
• Each flavor was totally unique.每一种味道都是独一无二的。

5 odd   

adj.奇特的；临时的；奇数的；n.[pl.]机会

参考例句：

• She looks a bit odd.I wonder what has happened to her.她的神色有些异样，不知出了什么事。
• He's an odd character and no mistake!他的确是个怪人！

6 chubby   

adj.丰满的，圆胖的

参考例句：

• He is stocky though not chubby.他长得敦实，可并不发胖。
• The short and chubby gentleman over there is our new director.那个既矮又胖的绅士是我们的新主任。

7 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

8 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

9 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

10 olive   

n.橄榄，橄榄树，橄榄色；adj.黄绿色的，黄褐色的，橄榄色的

参考例句：

• Have you eaten a kind of fruit called olive?你吃过橄榄这种水果吗？
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace.她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。

11 privy   

adj.私用的；隐密的

参考例句：

• Only three people,including a policeman,will be privy to the facts.只会允许3个人，其中包括一名警察，了解这些内情。
• Very few of them were privy to the details of the conspiracy.他们中很少有人知道这一阴谋的详情。