VOA慢速英语--What Should We Make for Dinner?

 

Most of us might only begin to think about dinner in the late afternoon: What should I make today?

But Jelena Petrovic begins to think about her big meal early each morning.

After morning tea, she and her husband, Milan, begin their plans for a traditional Serbian dish. The cooking method they use probably comes from Jelena’s mother or grandmother. Each recipe¹ uses local foods found in Serbian markets.

Milan goes to the market to get the food they need. And the 69-year-old Jelena makes plans for how she will explain the cooking process to her 150,000 followers² on YouTube.

Once she is ready, Jelena films her cooking show from a small kitchen table. Milan holds the camera. Online, she is known³ as “Granny Jela.” And her popular YouTube channel is called “Bakina Kuhinja” – or “Granny’s Kitchen” in the Serbian language.

Jelena has many years of experience cooking at home. Ten years ago, she started an online forum⁴, where she shared recipes⁵ and cooking suggestions for meat, soup, bread, sweet treats and more.

Her number of followers grew over time. She decided⁶ to start a blog and began also making videos she filmed with her mobile⁷ phone.

Today, her videos on YouTube have over 50 million views. Last year, “Granny’s Kitchen” was named one of the Top 50 YouTube channels in Serbia.

“All you need is love, the will and desire to do something,” Jelena told Associated⁸ Press reporters. “Anything can be done only if you really want to do it.”

Before she became a social media⁹ star, Jelena first had to teach herself how to use a computer. “I didn’t even know how to use a computer mouse at first,” she said. “But I Googled a lot and read hundreds of tutorials.”

Now her YouTube channel takes up much of her day. She works¹⁰ from her small kitchen and home office. Colorful plants and flowers fill the room. A bright cloth covers the table where she works. She says she gets tired from working long hours each day.

But, she said, “my viewers¹¹ wait for a new recipe every morning. If I am late, they ask if I am well and what is happening.”

Often, her viewers write that the recipes bring back happy memories of their childhood.

“My recipes are all local, traditional home-food recipes,” Jelena said. “I make things my mother or grandmother used to make.”

But, who eats all the tasty food?

“Oh, I give some of it to the neighbors and friends, but I pack the sweets for my grandchildren,” Jelena says with a smile.

I’m Jill Robbins.

Words in This Story

afternoon – n. the part of the day between noon and evening

dish – n. food that is prepared in a particular way

recipe – n. a set of instructions for making food

desire – n. the feeling of wanting something

tutorial – n. a book, or computer program that teaches someone how to do something by explaining each stage of a process

1 recipe   

n.食谱，处方，秘诀

参考例句：

• What is your recipe for success?你取得成功有什麽窍门？
• This recipe is certainly interesting and different.这种烹饪法的确很有意思而且与众不同。

2 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

3 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 recipes   

n.烹饪法( recipe的名词复数 )；食谱；方法；秘诀

参考例句：

• recipes that make imaginative use of seasonal vegetables 妙用时令蔬菜的菜谱
• recipes for people who are gluten intolerant 谷蛋白过敏人士的食谱

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。

8 associated   

adj.联合的

参考例句：

• the risks associated with taking drugs 与吸毒有关的危险
• I don't want to be associated with your scheme; I'm contracting out. 我不想参与你们的计划，我要退出。

9 media   

n.(medium的复数)媒体，新闻媒介，传播媒介

参考例句：

• The local media reported rioting across the country.当地媒体报道了全国范围的骚乱。
• His latest movie is being hyped up by the media.他新近的电影正被媒体大肆炒作。

10 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

11 viewers   

n.电视观众( viewer的名词复数 )；观看者；勘查孔；看片机（把幻灯片等放大观看的装置）

参考例句：

• The programme attracted millions of viewers. 这个节目吸引了数百万电视观众。
• Television allows viewers to experience an event without any loss of immediacy. 电视让观众可以即时经历某一事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》