VOA慢速英语2019--The History of American Breakfast

 

Since the earliest days of the United States, Americans began their days by eating whatever was most easily available. These foods often included bread, eggs or leftovers¹ – food left over from the night before.

Today, ease is still an important factor when it comes to breakfast. However, what people eat has changed over time. And some of today’s common breakfast foods, such as cereal, are the result of very effective marketing².

“Advertising³ was practically invented to sell cereal,” says Heather Arndt Anderson. She is the writer of the book "Breakfast: A History."

Arndt Anderson adds, “One of the first ways advertising was successfully or effectively used was to convince mothers that it was okay for their children to eat these instant cereals. It sort of offered working mothers a chance to let kids take care of themselves in the morning.”

As women entered the workforce⁴ to help support their families, cereal was a food kids could make on their own.

“That's still sort of the power, really the lasting⁵ effect of breakfast as being the first meal that kids do learn how to prepare themselves,” Arndt Anderson says.

Advertising also played an important part in orange juice becoming a morning drink. In 1916, farmers grew more oranges than usual, so advertisers began saying, “Drink an orange.” They aimed to persuade people that drinking orange juice was a healthy way to start the day.

Two years later, a worldwide flu epidemic⁶ caused people to drink more orange juice for its health benefits.

As for coffee, it might have the 1773 Boston Tea Party to thank for its popularity in the United States. In that year, American colonists⁷ protested British taxation⁸ by throwing tea into Boston Harbor. In time, coffee became so popular that people traveling to the American West in the 1830s made sure to carry coffee beans on the journey.

Pancakes have also been around for a very long time. Researchers believe the world's oldest naturally preserved human mummy ate a pancake-like food as one of his last meals.

Researchers think pancakes may have been made in the morning because they are much quicker to prepare than bread. Cooks could then have to time to make fresh bread for dinner.

Americans still eat breakfast foods like bread and eggs that their ancestors did. Writer Heather Arndt Anderson notes that people’s concerns about healthy food choices have also stayed the same.

She says the idea of clean eating and healthy eating has been around for hundreds of years. She adds, “The only thing that’s changed has been the details with which we define what these things are — what clean eating is, and being healthy.”

Arndt Anderson hopes more Americans will see leftovers as a breakfast food. She adds that leftovers taste good and are a great way to reduce waste.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

cereal – n. a breakfast food made from grain

convince – v. to cause someone to believe that something is true

flu epidemic – n. an occurrence in which the influenza⁹ disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people

instant – adj. able to be made very quickly; partially¹⁰ prepared by the manufacturer so that final preparation is quick and easy.

prepare – v. to make someone or something ready for some activity, purpose, use, etc.

1 leftovers   

n.剩余物，残留物，剩菜

参考例句：

• He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
• She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。

2 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

3 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

4 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

7 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

9 influenza   

n.流行性感冒，流感

参考例句：

• They took steps to prevent the spread of influenza.他们采取措施
• Influenza is an infectious disease.流感是一种传染病。

10 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。