Lesson 6 A Lily in the Kitchen

Long ago in Egypt, workmen stopped work on the Great Pyramid of Cheops when they did not get enough garlic to eat.

The food the Egyptians liked so much belongs to the lily family. It is a bulb made up of small cloves①.

The cloves are shaped like narrow spoons. They may be white, green, or pale purple. Their thin skins give no hint of the strength inside. Garlic is not as mild as its cousins, the onion and the leek.It has one of the strongest flavors known to man.

From early times man has used garlic. The Bible speaks of it. The Israelites were once far from home. They cried out to Moses, their leader, for the foods they loved:leeks, onions, and garlic.

The Romans, like the Israelites, loved to eat garlic. And they hung pouches of garlic around their necks. They hoped it would ward off ② the evil eye. They also thought it would keep them from getting sick.

A similar idea is still held. Many people take garlic thinking it will prevent or cure disease. Most doctors say it does no such thing. They say it may help in one way, though. Its smell may force people to stay far apart. At least then they can’t pass bacteria on to each other.

But keeping your distance can be hard at times. What if you’re in a play, for instance? Actors have been known to forget their lines because they couldn’t stand the garlic fumes③ on a fellow actor’s breath. Some have even made up new lines and actions that kept them far away from the offender④.

Through the years man has tried to cope with the smell of garlic. But no herb,mouth wash, chewing gum, or toothpaste seems to help much. We now know why. It’s been found that the oils of the garlic do not cling to the teeth, tongue, or gums. They go into the lungs instead. From there they are breathed out. They pass out through the pores of the skin too.

Strange as it seems, food may have a great deal of garlic in it without smelling or tasting strong. It all depends on how it is cooked.

French cooks make a good soup with whole cloves of garlic. They use more than thirty cloves in one kettle of soup. But they take care not to crush⑤ or bruise them and they cook them whole. As a result, the strong oils stay in the cloves. And as the cloves cook they change in some strange way. The soup turns out to be delicious. It’s not strong at all.

Garlic is being used in more and more foods. It can now be bought in dried form. This makes it easier to use. But most good cooks still say fresh garlic is better than dried.

There is dried garlic in many of the prepared foods we buy. Soups, pickles⑥, salad dressings, and tinned meats all have a great deal of garlic in them. Most of these foods don’t taste like garlic. But if the garlic were left out, they would lose much of their flavor. Dried garlic is even used in dog foods. Dogs seem to like garlic. At least, like most people, they appreciate what it does for the foods they eat.

(551 words)

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Note the fact.] Garlic belongs to the same family as the___________ .

A. onion B. lily C. both A and B

2. [See the likeness.] The story says that both the Romans and the Israelites___________ .

A. liked to eat garlic

B. thought garlic would keep them well C. both A and B

3. [Draw a conclusion.] The writer probably thinks actors shouldn’t___________ .

A. care if they pass germs on to others

B. eat garlic before taking part in a play

C. talk about garlic with their friends

4. [Understand the reason.] Mouthwashes don’t take away the smell of garlic because garlic ___________.

A. get down into a person’s lungs

B. cling to the teeth and tongue

C. taste as strong as garlic does

5. [Judge from details.] Food with a strong taste of garlic has probably been made with___________ .

A. whole cloves of garlic

B. fresh, crushed garlic

C. garlic salt

6. [Note the details.] Dried garlic is___________ .

A. hard to find B. quick to spoil C. easy to use

7. [Draw a conclusion.] The best thing about garlic is that it___________ .

A. wards off the evil eye

B. can be used in place of onions

C. makes other foods taste better

Ⅱ. Read for words.

Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

1. It is a bulb made up of small cloves. (Para. 2)

A. lower part of the brain

B. a root shaped like an onion

C. the glass part of an electric light

2. Through the years man has tried to cope with the smell of garlic. (Para. 7)

A. 处理，应付 B. 喜爱 C. 与……抗争

3. It’s been found that the oils of the garlic do not cling to the teeth, tongue, or gums.(Para. 7)

A. come in close contact with

B. stay close

C. hold on tightly

4. They pass out through the pores of the skin too. (Para.7)

A. hair B. black dots C. tiny openings

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

What food do you like best? Tell where it comes from, how it is cooked or prepared, and why you like it.

LANGUAGE BOX