B1U1 Food matters
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Whenever I feel lonely, I have a secret recipe that never fails: rice, milk and sugar, cooked low and slow. No matter how bad my mood is, that perfect combination is always enough to lift my spirits. Sometimes the smell alone can do the trick, not to mention the lovely creamy flavour, which works like a time machine immediately transporting me back to my sunny childhood. With pleasure, I remember the lazy Sunday afternoons I used to spend in the warmth of my grandma's flat, listening to her wonderful stories and greedily eating bowl after bowl of her delicious rice pudding. I take my time over every spoonful, gently rolling the silky dessert around my mouth and enjoying the perfect marriage of rice and milk. Before I know it, I'm happy again.
My experience with rice pudding illustrates the unique power of "comfort food". In its broadest sense, comfort food refers to any food that makes us feel better. In this article, we will talk about a particular type of comfort food whose power mainly lies in the associations it calls to mind. It often makes up for bad feelings by helping us recall happy memories of the people, things or places we love.
Our comfort foods are highly individual. They vary from person to person, depending on our own unique experiences that have shaped our lives. If we grow up eating certain foods in our family, then those foods tend to be linked with positive emotions. For example, we often connect chicken soup with a happy childhood and its flavour becomes tied up with the feeling of being taken care of. When we eat it again, we unlock memories of a time when we were loved and looked after, and this cheers us up.
The feeling of happiness and sense of belonging can become particularly important for people who move away from their home country. According to some food experts, there are some aspects of culture that people will lose right away, but with food, there are more opportunities to connect to memory, family and place. It is hardest to give up the food that you grow up with. Of course, each person's comfort food largely depends on where they come from 一for a Chinese it might be a plate of dumplings with a saucer of vinegar, and for a native of the UK it might be the classic fish and chips, served hot, salty and sour. One mouthful of comfort food takes us back to our cultural roots, giving us the "taste of home" that we cry out for and relieving feelings of homesickness.
That's certainly true for me. Comfort food tastes good and by building an emotional bond with our happy memories, always makes us feel good. It isn't just a bowl of noodles or chicken soup. It's food
高中英语课文for the soul.
Extended reading
7 March, Sichuan hot pot
The mouth-watering hot pots of Sichuan are as famous overseas as they are in China, and the hot flavour is enough to heat up a cold midwinter evening or to let loose rivers of sweat on a summer afternoon. I gave it my first try last night, together with a few local friends. As the soup bubbled slowly over a gas burner in the middle of the table, its surface was covered with a beautiful layer of chillies, Sichuan peppers, spring onions and red oil. Slowly at first, and then faster and faster, we tipped plates of fresh meat, fish and vegetables into the pot. The hot flavour quickened our laughter and conversation, making the meal the perfect way to relax with friends.
Sichuan hot pots are perfect for the damp, foggy climate in which they were invented. They are believed to have started off in the late Qing Dynasty as a way for boatmen on the Yangtze River to keep warm during the cold and wet winters. In the beginning, the delicious dish was made simply by boiling vegetables, chillies and Sichuan peppers in water. Over time, it has expanded to include multiple options of soups, vegetables, meats and sauces, appealing to people of different tastes. Wh
at I love best about Sichuan hot pots is that they offer a great opportunity to socialize with friends since a meal can last for hours. I instantly became a big fan of Sichuan hot pots and I’ll soon be back for more!
12 August, Nanjing salted duck
Salted duck is Nanjing's most famous food export. Served plain in thin, white slices, the meat is juicy and salty. Each Nanjing salted duck takes several days to prepare, and the process includes salting, drying, boiling and cooling. As I finished my first helping on a recent afternoon in Nanjing, my host, Chef Zhang, told me a little more about the dish.
The countryside around Nanjing has been famous for its ducks for centuries; its countless waterways make the area perfect for raising waterbirds. A local history book from the late Qing Dynasty praised salted duck in particular, saying it was without equal. Traditionally, duck is considered to have cooling properties, so it is appropriate for the hot summer months. Nowadays, people eat salted duck all year round and it is estimated that tens of thousands of ducks are consumed every day in Nanjing! It definitely hit the spot when I tried it, and it has become one of my personal favourites.
8 December, Cantonese dim sum
In Guangzhou, morning tea is such an essential part of the daily routine that "Have you had your tea?”has become the local version of "Good morning." Though teahouses have been common in China since the Tang Dynasty, the Cantonese innovation of the mid-19th century was to serve tea together with a variety of light dishes, or dim sum. The concept took off, and today Guangzhou's restaurants stimulate customers' appetite with over a thousand offerings, each more delicate and delicious than the last.
The Cantonese do not hurry over their breakfasts, as I found when I visited a restaurant in Guangzhou's old city centre this morning. The emphasis is rather on conversation about business, family or pleasure, and locals can spend hours together chatting, drinking tea and working their
way through the menu. From beef balls to rice noodle rolls, there are various dishes that have been baked, boiled, steamed or fried. A single visit is not enough to appreciate everything, and I have a long list of dim sum I still need to try.