環(huán)球英語 — 330：Food Taboos

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Voice 1

Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m Joshua Leo.

Voice 2

And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

The Fugu fish is one of the most deadly fish in the sea. When something attacks the Fugu fish, the Fugu fish fills with air, like a balloon. So people also call it the blow fish or puffer fish.

Voice 2

There is enough poison in one Fugu fish to kill thirty [30] people. But people still eat it! However it must be prepared correctly. If a person eats a piece of incorrectly prepared Fugu fish, he will die.

Voice 1

Preparing Fugu is a difficult job. Before a person can prepare Fugu, she spends two years studying under a master cook. She must pass a special Fugu test. The test is very difficult. Only one out of every three people pass.

Voice 2

Fugu is unsafe to prepare and eat. It costs a lot of money. And it can have a weak taste. But Fugu is very popular. So why would so many people want to eat it? Fugu is taboo.

Voice 1

Today, on Spotlight we will look at foods that are taboo. In any culture, taboos are very important. A taboo describes something that is set apart - it is held away from other things. A taboo food is a food that most people will not eat. But a food that is taboo in one culture may be acceptable in another.

Voice 2

People have strong opinions about what is good to eat. People also have strong opinions about what is not good to eat. This is true in every country. Fugu comes from Japan, but food taboos exist all around the world.

Voice 1

For example, in some countries people do not eat dogs. This is because people keep dogs as pets - as their animal friends. Or it may be for religious reasons. This is not the case in many countries. For example, in some parts of China, people eat dog meat. In these places, eating a dog would not be a taboo.

Voice 2

So where do food taboos come from? Some food taboos come from religion. What we eat is connected to what we believe. People eat cows in many parts of the world. But to Hindus in India, cows are taboo. They choose not to eat these important animals.

Voice 1

But not all food taboos come from religion. Some develop out of tradition. Food taboos can celebrate a common history and bring people together.

Voice 2

Every February, the people of Iceland hold a celebration, called Thorrablot. This is a celebration of Iceland’s history and culture. And food is an important part of Thorrablot - especially taboo food. Usually, decaying food is an important taboo. Decayed food can have dangerous bacteria. But at Thorrablot, one of the important foods is decaying shark meat.

Voice 1

These large fish eat other fish. Sometimes they even attack people! Sharks are found in many places around the world. But in Iceland, the sharks contain many particular chemicals to protect them from the freezing water. These chemicals would be harmful to people. So, to eat the shark meat, cooks must use an unusual method.

Voice 2

First the cooks cut the shark into pieces. Then, they put the pieces in boxes. The pieces begin to decay. As the chemicals leak from the meat, the meat starts to smell like human liquid waste. After several months, the cooks hang the pieces of shark in the air. This speeds the decaying process. After months of decay, the shark is ready to be served and eaten. Even then, it does not smell good.

Voice 1

But the people eating the shark say it is a way to remember their history and culture. One cook said,

Voice 3

“The point is to take care of this tradition. We have fun with it. We know what it is and we do not forget it. We will not forget where we come from.”

Voice 1

Another reason people eat taboo foods is for the supposed medical effects. For example, in Asian countries, some people eat the male sex organ of a bull, a male cow. This food taboo has a special effect. People believe it will give them a strong desire for sex.

Voice 2

This thinking is not always based on modern medicine. Instead, it is part of a long tradition that connects eating well to good health. After all, food was the first medicine.

Voice 1

Not all food taboos have a tradition that goes back many hundred years. Until 1947, India was under British rule. During this time, children with one British parent and one Indian parent were rejected by both cultures. These rejected people formed a separate culture. It has its own rules about food. One special food is kutti pi.

Voice 2

Kutti pi is made from a taboo food - a fetus. A fetus is an unborn animal, taken from the body of its mother. Usually, people make kutti pi using a sheep fetus. Eating it is supposed to help pregnant women stay healthy. But people do not eat kutti pi often. It can only be made when a pregnant animal is killed.

Voice 1

Would you eat kutti pi? What about decaying shark meat? There is an English saying: “You are what you eat.” Food is important to us. It is easy to react to taboo foods with emotion. New or strange foods may be the most difficult thing to accept about a new culture. When we hear what other people eat it is easy to judge them. It is easy to believe that since they eat strange things, they must be strange people.

Voice 2

There is a story in the Bible about food choices. Some people were arguing about the correct way to prepare for a meal. They were concerned about being unclean. So they asked Jesus what he thought. Jesus told them:

Voice 1

“Nothing outside of you can make you dirty by going into you. It is what comes out of you that makes you dirty. What is outside does not go into the heart. It goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body.”

[Bible - Mark 7:15-22]

Voice 2

What comes out of people makes them dirty. Evil thinking comes from the inside, from people’s hearts. So do wrong actions. Food taboos help people understand each other. But, we should remember that what people do is more important than what they eat. How they love is more important than what they cook. And the food they put in their mouth is not as important as the words that come out.