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Unit 1
Food
In-Class Reading
Food and Culture
I. Word List
Directions: Memorize the words and phrases before class. You will benefit from your effort when you get the passage from your teacher and read it in class.
Proper Names
Fiji
(地名)斐济
Israelite
犹太人，希伯莱人；古以色列人
Muhammad Ali
(男子名)穆罕默德.阿里
The Fiji Islands
斐济群岛(位于南太平洋)
New Words
anthropologist
n. a person who specializes in the study of people, their societies, cultures, etc. 人类学家
apparently *
adv. according to appearances, seemingly 看来，显然地
e.g. I wasn't there, but apparently it was a good party.
appropriate *
adj. correct or suitable for a particular time, situation, or purpose 适当的，恰当的
e.g. The children were given tasks appropriate to their abilities.
bark *
v. make the short, loud sound that dogs and some other animals make 吠叫
e.g. He shouldn't bark at me; I'm one of the family.
broccoli
n. 花椰菜
butterfly *
n. a type of insect that has large wings, often with beautiful colors 蝴蝶
calorie *
n. a unit for measuring the amount of energy that food will produce 卡(路里)
disgusting *
adj. extremely unpleasant and making someone feel sick 令人作呕的，令人恶心的
e.g. That fish smells disgusting.
fertilize *
v. add manure or chemical substances to soil to make crops grow well 使肥沃
e.g. The farmers fertilize their farmlands.
fertilizer *
n. 肥料
forbid
v. (forbade, forbidden) order somebody not to do something 禁止
e.g. She was shut away and forbidden to read.
gram *
n. a unit of weight 克
hamburger
n. 汉堡包
manure
n. 粪便
nauseating
adj. disgusting 使人恶心的
nomad
n. person without a fixed home 游牧部落的一员，流浪者
nomadic
adj. unsettled 游牧的，游牧生活的
nutritious *
adj. healthful 有营养的
e.g. Raw spinach (菠菜) is especially nutritious because it contains many of the substances needed for life and growth.
pork *
n. the meat from pigs 猪肉
protection *
n. the act of protecting from harm or being kept from harm 保护
e.g. I ) Their flimsy (轻而薄的) tent gave hardly any protection against the severe storm.
II) An umbrella offers some protection against the rain.
protein *
n. 蛋白质
e.g. Meat and nuts are good sources of protein.
rat *
n. 鼠
sacred *
adj. holy and deserving respect 神圣的
e.g. This box holds the sacred relics (遗物) of a saint.
sufficiently *
adv. enough or adequately 足够地
e.g. The food was fairly good and the portions were sufficiently large to please the men.
termite
n. 白蚁
trichinosis
n. 旋毛虫病，毛线虫病
Food and Culture
1 We all have ideas about what kinds of foods are good to eat. We also have ideas about what kinds of foods are bad to eat. As a result, people from one culture often think the foods that people from another culture eat are disgusting or nauseating. When the famous boxer Muhammad Ali visited Africa, for example, one member of his group became quite sick when he saw someone pick up a butterfly and eat it. Many people would find it disgusting to eat rats, but there are forty-two different cultures whose people regard rats as appropriate food.
2 Some people in Africa think African termites make a delicious meal. Many other people would probably be sick if they had to eat termites, but one hundred grams of termites contain more than twice as many calories and almost twice as much protein as one hundred grams of cooked hamburger.
3 However, food likes and dislikes do not always seem related to nutrition. For example, broccoli is first on a list of the most nutritious common vegetables, but it is twenty-first on a list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat. Tomatoes are sixteenth on the list of most nutritious vegetables, but they are first on the list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat.
4 But dislike is not the only reason why some cultures will not eat a certain food. In some cultures, certain foods are taboo. Taboo is a word from the language of the Fiji Islands that is used to describe something that is forbidden. Some foods are taboo in certain religions, but there are also other food taboos that are not connected to a religion. We do not usually think about why certain things are taboo in our culture. We may not even know why they are taboo. Anthropologists try to discover the hidden reasons for taboos. For example, the sacred cows of India are well-known. Cows can go wherever they want to in the streets of India, and they can eat anything they want from the supplies of the foodsellers on the street. As a result, the cows are a problem. However, no one in India will kill them or eat them. It is taboo to do so. This custom seems strange to other people, but anthropologists believe that there are reasons for it. First, cows are valuable because the farmers need them to help plow their fields. Second, cow manure is used as a fertilizer on the fields. In India, many farmers cannot afford to spend money on fertilizer. Third, the cow manure can be dried and burned to make cooking fires. Therefore, farmers that kill their cows for meat soon find that they cannot plow or fertilize their fields or make a cooking fire.
5 Another example is that Americans do not eat dogs, although people from some other cultures regard them as good food. In the United States, dogs are very important to people as pets. They are usually regarded as part of the family, almost like a child in some cases. In addition, dogs have value as protection against criminals. Thieves will not usually enter a house where there is a dog because the dog will bark and possibly attack a stranger who is trying to get into a house. Apparently, the dog's place in society as a companion and as a protection against criminals makes the dog taboo as food.
6 The taboo against eating pork occurs in more than one culture. There is some evidence that some ancient Egyptians did not eat pork. The ancient Israelites also regarded pork as taboo. One explanation for the pig-eating taboo is that pork that is not cooked sufficiently may spread a disease called trichinosis. However, most people no longer think that this is a good explanation for the pork taboo. Another explanation is that the Israelites were nomads-they were always moving from place to place. People have to stay in one place to raise pigs. The Israelites did not want to stay in one place because they did not want to change their culture. As a result, they did not eat pigs.
7 Anthropologists believe that most food likes and dislikes are a result of the ways of life of different people. Some people live in areas where there are both large animals and many insects. It is difficult for these people to kill large animals, and it requires a lot of energy. It is easier for them to use insects for food because it is not difficult to catch insects and it does not require a lot of energy. Nomadic people who move around will not want to keep pigs for food. People will not eat pets such as dogs. Americans eat a lot of beef because there is plenty of land for raising cattle and their meat can be shipped cheaply for long distances by railroads. (813 words)
Time taken: _____ minutes
Phrases and Expressions
be sick
bring food up from the stomach through the mouth, vomit 呕吐
e.g. You'll be sick if you eat any more of that chocolate.
be sick of... be very annoyed about...
对......感到厌烦的
e.g. I'm sick of the way you're behaving.
in addition besides 此外
e.g. She can sing, and, in addition, she can dance.
pick up
lift or take up 拿起
e.g. If you need advice, you have only to pick up the phone, or come to us.
regard...as... think of... as...
把......看成......
e.g. My mother still regards me as a child.
related to connected in some way
与......相关
e.g. You can't prove that violent crime is related to violence on television.
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