美国国家公共电台 NPR How One Pop-Up Restaurant Is Fighting Stigma Against HIV/AIDS

 

ELISE HU, HOST:

This month, diners in Toronto were treated to a four-course meal at a pop-up restaurant called June's. In addition to the food, the chefs at June's also served a message which they wore on their shirts - break bread, smash stigma¹. The two-day event was a fundraiser put on by Casey House, Canada's only HIV/AIDS treatment hospital, and everyone in the kitchen was HIV-positive. The hospital's CEO, Joanne Simons, says the point of the project was to get people talking about the stigma that still surrounds HIV.

JOANNE SIMONS: We ran a Smash Stigma survey that polled Canadians, and 50 percent of Canadians said that they wouldn't knowingly eat a meal prepared by somebody with HIV. So hence the concept of the pop-up restaurants and June's HIV-positive eatery.

HU: What about the people who work there at the restaurant? What was it like for the staff to wear their HIV-positive status on their shirts, on their aprons²?

SIMONS: There were 14 people who are HIV-positive. They were led by head chef Matt Basile, who is very popular in Toronto, owns a restaurant, has food trucks. And he worked with the chefs to co-create the menu. I think that they felt very empowered to be able to speak up and to be able to offer a meal that was absolutely divine.

HU: Did they have to have any conversations with customers who might have not - who might have needed education?

SIMONS: Yes, we were receiving many questions about, well, can I get HIV through food? What happens if a chef cuts their finger in the kitchen? I mean, the answer is absolutely not. There is no way to contract HIV through the preparation of food. And if a chef did cut themselves during the preparation of a meal we would treat it just like we would anybody whether they were HIV-positive or not. You know, you obviously apply first aid, you sanitize the area, you throw out any food that may have had blood on it. And also, the virus has a very limited lifespan outside of the body, and with the heat and the light within a kitchen environment the virus would not survive.

HU: Joanne, worldwide there are still more than 30 million people living with HIV/AIDS, including more than a million here in the U.S. How have things changed when it comes to stigmas³ and understanding of the disease since it first came to light in the 1980s?

SIMONS: Well, because the treatment and medication support over the past decade has become a lot more effective, people can live well with this disease and live into, you know, very ripe old age. But I think that there is - there's still a lot of myth, and education is required. So unfortunately for our clients, who are some of the most vulnerable in the community, they experience stigma on a day-to-day basis from their friends, family, co-workers, their health care professionals. So it's still a very real issue.

HU: Because you believe that there is so much myth-busting and stigma-busting that's still needed, will you expand this pop-up concept?

SIMONS: So certainly we will make sure it happens again in Toronto. But because we've had interest globally, we are starting to work on a plan to roll it out elsewhere. So fingers crossed, you'll be able to taste our food soon.

HU: So finally, tell us about the food. What did you serve that stood out?

SIMONS: It was absolutely brilliant. So the first course was northern Thai leek⁴ and potato soup with a hint of curry⁵. It was just delicious. The second course that I really enjoyed as well was a pasta with smoked arctic char⁶ followed by garlic rapini and flank steak, and then a boozy tiramisu to finish off. So I don't know that I could pick my favorite of the four dishes. It was all quite delicious.

HU: It sure sounds like it. That's Joanne Simons. She's the CEO of Casey House, a hospital for people with HIV/AIDS in Toronto. Joanne, thanks for joining us.

SIMONS: Thank you very much.

1 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

2 aprons   

围裙( apron的名词复数 )； 停机坪，台口（舞台幕前的部份）

参考例句：

• Many people like to wear aprons while they are cooking. 许多人做饭时喜欢系一条围裙。
• The chambermaid in our corridor wears blue checked gingham aprons. 给我们扫走廊的清洁女工围蓝格围裙。

3 stigmas   

n.耻辱的标记，瑕疵( stigma的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wind may affect the set of fruit by desiccating the stigmas. 风可影响座果，因为风吹干了柱头。 来自辞典例句
• Monterey's transpiration of pistils and stigmas are lowest. Monterey的柱头和雌蕊的失水速率均较低。 来自互联网

4 leek   

n.韭葱

参考例句：

• He is always confusing wheat with leek.他对麦苗和韭菜总是辨别不清。
• He said the dumplings with the stuffing of pork and leek were his favourite.他说他喜欢吃猪肉韭菜馅的饺子。

5 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

6 char   

v.烧焦；使...燃烧成焦炭

参考例句：

• Without a drenching rain,the forest fire will char everything.如果没有一场透地雨，森林大火将烧尽一切。
• The immediate batch will require deodorization to char the protein material to facilitate removal in bleaching.脱臭烧焦的蛋白质原料易在脱色中去除。