Grade 10 English Unit 6, Reading I Strange Food from Around the World Exercise
Strange
Food from Around the World
There's nothing
like the feeling of challenging yourself and winning, of taking a risk and
having it succeed. That goes with so many things, and one of them is food.
You have to challenge yourself with food when you
travel. You have to take chances on things you wouldn't normally even think of
eating. This is what it's all about, experiencing the way other people do
things, trusting that they know what they are doing. The food stuff that seems
so strange to you is actually so delicious to many others. It doesn't always
work out. Sometimes the fermented horse milk in
Mongolia that sounds so bad really is so bad. However, if you take a chance on
the following dishes, you won't be disappointed.
Haggis,
Scotland
Oddly enough, when you
take all of the parts of a sheep that no one else wants - the heart, the liver
and the lungs - grind it up. And, mix it with mutton fat, oatmeal and spices. Then pack it in a sheep's stomach
and boil it for a few hours. It tastes.... really good. Scotland isn't exactly
known for its cooking and eating skills, but give me "haggis, neeps and tats" (haggis with turnips and
potatoes) any day of the week.
Shiokara,
Japan
Most Japanese food is simple: it sounds delicious, and it is delicious. But how about raw squid mixed with salty, fermented squid belly? This is shiokara, a Japanese staple, and one I used to hate. However, I'm slowly coming around. Once you get used to it and you have it with good conversation, this food takes on a whole new beauty.
Jellyfish,
China
This dish can
appear challenging to those of us who only associate jellyfish with the scary
nature of some species of them. There's also a rubbery texture to jellyfish
that some find a little challenging. However, the Chinese know what they're
doing with these things. They mix jellyfish into salads, pair it with chicken,
stir it through sesame oil… it's all tasty, and
it's all low-fat.
Green
ants, Australia
You can keep your
witchetty foods, as far as I'm concerned: too
soft, too many guts. If I'm going for bush food,
it's definitely green ants, little insects that are pulled from trees, lightly
crushed between your hands, and then eaten. They're lemony, peppery, and
delicious. Local producers are even putting them on top of goat's cheeses now,
with lemon myrtle, for extra energy. Seriously
good.
Crickets,
Thailand
You hear,
occasionally, that insects are the protein source of the future, and to that I
say: no problem. In northern Thailand, deep-fried crickets are a staple, and
they're delicious. They're nutty and crunchy, perfect with salt. I still struggle, however,
with the larger insects. Anything that requires more than one bite is a bridge
too far for this guy.
Snails,
France
Snails aren't
unusual - you'll find them on the menu at most French restaurants, even in
Australia. However, some people are still ner- vous about eating garden snails,
even though they needn't be. Fried up with plenty of garlic and butter, snail
is yummy. Snails, in fact, are eaten in many
countries, particularly Vietnam, where fried snails are a very tasty staple
dish.
Bun
rien, Vietnam
Everything about bun rieu, a traditional Vietnamese
soup, sounds good; well, almost everything. It's a crab-based soup mixed with
noodles. So far, so delicious. It's then topped with roasted tomatoes, crab
meat, stewed pork, lime juice, chilli, fresh herbs, banana flower and bean
sprouts. Also, extremely good. Then, however, you drop in a large piece of congealed pig's blood, which is a serious challenge
for the unsuspecting diner. My advice: give it a
try. You won't regret it.
-
Ben Groundwater (Adapted from https://www.traveller.com.au/)
Glossary:
Fermented: Breaking down
substances through microorganisms, creating unique flavors.
Disappointed: Feeling let down
or unsatisfied.
Oddly: In a peculiar or
unusual manner.
Oatmeal: Ground oats
cooked to create a porridge-like cereal.
Neeps
and tats: Mashed turnips and potatoes, a Scottish dish.
Squid: Marine mollusk
with ten tentacles, used in various cuisines.
Sesame: Plant with small
seeds used for oil and flavoring.
Witchetty: Larvae of
certain moths eaten as bush food in Australia.
Guts: Internal organs,
metaphorically denoting courage.
Myrtle: Aromatic shrub
with culinary and fragrance uses.
Nutty: Flavor or aroma
reminiscent of nuts.
Crunchy: Firm texture
that produces a sound when bitten.
Yummy: Informal term
for delicious or tasty.
Congealed: Liquid
solidifying or thickening.
Unsuspecting: Not aware or
prepared for something.
A.
Match the words in 'Column A' with their meanings in 'Column B'.
Column A |
Column B |
a. ferment b. squid c. witchetty d. myrtle e. congeal f. nutty |
i. a large whitish wood-eating larva of a beetle
or moth ii. to go through a chemical change iii. a sea creature that has a long soft body,
eight arms and two tentacles around its mouth iv. to change from a fluid to a solid state v. having a flavor like that of nuts vi. a bush with shiny leaves, pink or white
flowers and blue-black berries |
a. ferment -
ii. to go through a chemical change
b. squid - iii. a sea
creature that has a long soft body, eight arms and two tentacles around its
mouth
c. witchetty -
i. a large whitish wood-eating larva of a beetle or moth
d. myrtle - vi. a bush
with shiny leaves, pink or white flowers and blue-black berries
e. congeal -
iv. to change from a fluid to a solid state
f. nutty -
v. having a flavor like that of nuts
B. The
idiom 'a bridge too far' in the text means 'something that is too extreme'.
Match the following idioms with their meanings.
a. get out of hand b. miss the boat c. break the ice d. cry over spilt milk e. look before you leap |
i. to say or do something to make people feel
comfortable ii. to think about the possi- ble bad results of
an action before doing it iii. to worry over past events which cannot be
changed iv. to become difficult to control v. to be too late to get what you want |
Answer:
a. get out of hand -
iv. to become difficult to control
b. miss the boat -
v. to be too late to get what you want
c. break the ice -
i. to say or do something to make people feel comfortable
d. cry over spilt milk -
iii. to worry over past events which cannot be changed
e. look before you leap - ii. to think about the
possible bad results of an action before
doing it
C.
Complete the sentences below with the correct information from the text in not
more than four words.
a. Sometimes even having a food can give us the
feeling of ……………. when it is like taking a risk.
b. When we travel we have the chance to ………… which
we even do not think of eating.
c. The writer became disappointed .......... which
was really bad.
d. The writer's impression of the Japanese food is
…………………..
e. Many people think ………………….. as scary ones which Chinese
turn into food.
f. Snails become very tasty when they are fried with
…………..
Answer:
a. Sometimes even having a food can give us the
feeling of winning
when it is like taking a risk.
b. When we travel we have the chance to try things
which we even do not think of eating.
c. The writer became disappointed with the fermented
horse milk which was really bad.
d. The writer's impression of the Japanese food is simple and
delicious.
e. Many people think of jellyfish as scary ones which
Chinese turn into food.
f. Snails become very tasty when they are fried with
garlic and
butter.
D.
Answer the following questions.
a. Why does food
become a challenge for people when they travel?
Food becomes a challenge for people when they travel
because they are often exposed to unfamiliar cuisines, ingredients, and
culinary traditions, requiring them to step out of their comfort zones and try
new things.
b. How is haggis prepared?
Haggis is prepared by taking parts of a sheep that
are typically not consumed, such as the heart, liver, and lungs. These parts
are ground up and mixed with mutton fat, oatmeal, and spices. The mixture is
then packed into a sheep's stomach and boiled for a few hours.
c. When do you
feel that you like shiokara?
I feel that I like shiokara when I get used to it
and have it with good conversation. The food adds a new beauty in that context.
d. Where can
people enjoy the bush food?
People can enjoy bush food in Australia.
e. Why does the
writer find it difficult to eat larger insects?
The writer finds it difficult to eat larger insects
because they may not be as tasty as the smaller ones.
f. Name the
country where snails are served as the main dish.
Snails are served as the main dish in France.
g. What kind of
food is bun rieu?
Bun rieu is a traditional Vietnamese soup made with
a crab-based broth mixed with noodles. It is typically topped with various
ingredients such as roasted tomatoes, crab meat, stewed pork, lime juice,
chili, fresh herbs, banana flower, and bean sprouts.
h. If you have to
choose one of the foods from the list above, which one do you choose? Why?
If I have to choose one of the foods from the list
above I would choose crickets because it tasts nutty and crunchy.
E. Which of the dishes mentioned in the text did you
find the strangest of all? Give reasons.
The dish that
may be perceived as the strangest for me is "Shiokara" from Japan. It
is a traditional Japanese dish made from raw squid mixed with salty, fermented
squid belly. The combination of raw squid and fermented ingredients might be
unusual and challenging for those who are not accustomed to strong flavors or
unfamiliar with this particular culinary tradition.
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