Page 4 - BOOK V Unit 3

Our travels then took us to South China, and then on to central China. In each place we went, we
experienced wonderful local dishes, from Guangdong’s elegant dim sum—small servings of food in
bamboo steamers—to the exceptional stewed noodles in Henan. Everywhere, the food was as varied
as the people. However, one thing is always true: Through food, Chinese people everywhere show
friendship and kindness.
At a minimum, the kinds of food local people consume tell us what they grow in their region, what
kinds of lives they lead, and what they like and do not like. Could we also say, for example, that those
who like bold flavours are bold themselves? Or, that those who like spicy food tend to have a hot
temper? Maybe. Maybe not. What we can say, however, is that culture and cuisine go hand in hand, and
if you do not experience one, you can never really know the other.

3 Use the information from the text to complete the table below.

Place Kind of Chinese food Typical dish People or culture

America

Beijing
Shandong

Northwest China

South China
Central China

4 Match the
causes to the Understand cause and effect
effects below. Sometimes two ideas are related to each other by cause and effect. That is, one thing
Then find more causes something else to happen. Cause-and-effect relationships can be direct. For
examples from example, “It was raining, so I took my umbrella.” However, some cause-and-effect
relationships are not direct, and some may also have more than one cause or effect.
the text.

Cause Effect
1 The flavour preferences of Americans A The chef just began filling our table
often differ from those of the Chinese. with the best food we had ever eaten.
2 We had no idea how to order food. B Their traditional foods are what you
3 These groups traditionally wandered can cook over an open fire.
the open range on horses. C Chinese food in America is changed to
suit American tastes.

5 Discuss the following questions in groups.

1 Do you think “culture and cuisine go hand in hand”? Give your reasons.
2 Imagine that it is true that people’s personalities are closely linked to the foods they eat.
What does eating the following foods tell you about a person?

spicy food vegetarian food junk food seafood sweets chocolate rice noodles
onion garlic bacon ham sausage cabbage mushroom bean curd

UNIT 3 FOOD AND CULTURE 27