【英语趣味课堂】素食主义-Veggies

Todd: So, Ruth, now, you are a vegetarian¹.

 

Ruth: That's right.

 

Todd: So what is a good vegetarian dish that you cook?

 

Ruth: Well, actually, I'm not a very good cook, so that would be difficult to say. I quite like to make, like a vegetable stew² with tofu in it. Things like that, but it's not very exciting.

 

Todd: Well, how do you make the stew?

 

Ruth: Well, firstly, you get all of the vegetable ready and so you chop them up and the potatoes and you boil the potatoes and then you boil the other vegetables, and you fry the tofu with onions and then I think you just put it all together in a pan and stick it in the oven, I think.

 

Todd: Sounds pretty good.

 

Ruth: It's very easy.

 

Todd: What vegetables do you usually put inside the stew?

 

Ruth: Oh, thinks like carrots and leaks and courgettes sometimes, mushrooms, and really any vegetables that are in season that I can get hold of.

 

Todd: Courgettes? Is that squash? Zucchini?

 

Ruth: I think it might be squash. No, I think it's zucchini.

 

Todd: Zucchini.

 

Ruth: I think it's zucchini.

 

Todd: OK, yeah, I think in the states we call it zucchini.

 

Ruth: And you would call aubergine, eggplant.

 

Todd: Yes. What do you call eggplant?

 

Ruth: Aubergine.

 

Todd: Aubergine.

 

Ruth: Yeah.

 

Todd: How do you spell it?

 

Ruth: Good question. A-U-B-E-R-G-I-N-E.

 

Todd: Wow. How do you spell courgettes?

 

Ruth: C-O-U-R-G-E-T-T-E

 

Todd: That's pretty good. Now can you spell Zucchini?

 

Ruth: Probably not. Z-U-C-C-H-I-N-I.

 

Todd: Yeah, maybe that's it. One more time.

 

Ruth: Z-U-C-C-H-I-N-I.

 

Todd: Yeah, I think that's it. Zucchini. I'm not even sure.

 

Ruth: I'm not either.

 

Todd: Yeah, what's your favorite vegetable?

 

Ruth: Ah, it has to be broccoli³.

 

Todd: Oh, yeah?

 

Ruth: I really like broccoli. They look like little trees, there that's nice.

 

Todd: Yeah, that's true. Yeah, if you just get one broccoli and start eating it, you can't even finish it. It's just so big.

 

Ruth: Oh, you can. You definitely can.

 

Todd: Well, how do you cook your broccoli?

 

Ruth: Just very briefly⁴ really because there's nothing worse than soggy broccoli. You cook it. You boil it in a pan with water only for a three or four minutes. What's your favorite vegetable?

 

Todd: That's a good question. I would have to go with the eggplant and the "aubergine"?

 

Ruth: Aubergine.

 

Todd: Aubergine. So the aubergine as you call it, yeah.

 

Ruth: I think eggplant's the best. Really, don't you think they're sometimes a bit soggy?

 

Todd: Actually I kind of like them that way.

 

Ruth: Really.

 

Todd: Yeah. I like them any way. Although the bad thing about the eggplant is you can't eat it raw.

 

Ruth: Yeah, that's true. It takes effort.

 

学习内容：

 

vegetarian

 

Being a vegetarian, what is a good vegetarian dish that you cook? 

 

A 'vegetarian' is a person who doesn't eat meat or meat products.  Notice the following:

 

It's not easy to be a vegetarian when you are traveling.

I've been a vegetarian for about 10 years.

cook

 

Well, actually, I'm not a very good cook, so that would be difficult to say. 

 

Used like this, 'cook' is a person who prepares food. Notice the following:

 

His mother isn't a very good cook, but she makes amazing pies.

I think I'm an excellent cook, but not many other people like my food

stew

 

I quite like to make a vegetable stew with tofu in it, but it's not very exciting. 

 

A 'stew' is very similar to soup, but usually has larger pieces of meat and vegetables in it.  Notice the following:

 

Beef stew always smells so good when it's cooking.

Stew always sounds so delicious on cold days.

get hold of

 

I just put any vegetables that are in season that I can get hold of. 

 

In this case, 'get hold of' means 'find' or 'buy.' Notice the following:

 

I need to see if I can get hold of a tent to go camping this weekend.

 

soggy

 

You should cook broccoli very briefly because there's nothing worse than soggy broccoli. 

 

If something is 'soggy,' it has more liquid in it than it should and doesn't maintain it's form or texture⁵. Notice the following:

 

This broccoli was cooked too long.  It's soggy.

I forgot about my cereal, and now it is soggy and disgusting.

1 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

2 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

3 broccoli   

n.绿菜花，花椰菜

参考例句：

• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
• They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的，而菜花都是白色的。

4 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

5 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。