It tastes just like chicken
Away from home, eating is more than just a
way to keep your stomach full.It is a language all its own, and no words can say, "Glad to
meet you ...glad to be doing business with you ..." quite like sharing a meal offered by your host.
Clearly, mealtime is not the time for you to
say, "Thanks, but no thanks." Acceptance of the food on your plate means acceptance of
host, country, and company.So, no matter how difficult
it may be to swallow, swallow it.Or, as one experienced
traveler says, "Travel with a cast-iron stomach and eat everything
everywhere."
Often, the food offered represents proudly
your host country's eating culture.What would Ataiericans think of a French person who refused to take
a bite of homemade apple pie ? Our discomfort comes not so much from the thing
itself; it comes from our umamiliarity with it.After
all, an oyster has remarkably the same look as a sheep's eye; and a first look
at a lobster would remind almost anybody of a creature from a science fiction
movie, not something you dip in butter and eat.By the
way, in Saudi Arabia sheep's eyes are a famous dish and in parts of China it's
bear's paw soup.
Can you refuse such food without being rude?
Most experienced business travelers say no, at least not before taking at least
a few bites.It helps,
though, to cut any item very thin.This way, you
minimize the taste and the reminder of where it came from.Or, " Swallow it quickly, " as one traveler recommends."I still can't tell you what sheep's eyeballs taste like." As for dealing with taste, the old line that "it tastes
just like chicken" is often thankfully true.Even
when the "it" is really rat or snake.
Another useful piece of advice is not knowing
what you are eating.What's
for dinner? Don't ask. Avoid glancing into the kitchen
or looking at English-language menus.Your host will be
pleased that you are eating the food he offers, and who knows? Maybe it really
is chicken in that soup.
1.The purpose of the article is to ____.
A.introduce unfamiliar food
B.share the writer's personal
experiences
C.suggest ways to overcome a cultural
barrier
D.advise on how to politely refuse to
eat foreign food
2.According to the writer, people hesitate at
strange food mainly due to ____.
A.the way it looks
B.safety worries
C.lack of information about it
D.the unfamiliar atmosphere
3.From the article we can infer that ____.
A.an American may feel comfortable with sirloin
B.one should refuse strange food after a few bites
C.English-language menus are not always dependable
D.one needs a cast-iron stomach to travel in other cultures
4.One may say "It tastes just like
chicken." when ____.
A.showing respect for chicken-loving nations
B.greeting people with different dieting habits
C.evaluating chefs at an international food festival
D.getting someone to try a visually unpleasant meal