foodie

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本篇阅读材料“过分追求美食享受的孩子是末日标志吗？”选自《时代》（原文标题：

AreFoodieKidstheSignofEndTimes?20××.4.4）。如果大家觉得比较简单，就当作

泛读材料了解了解，认识几个新单词或新表达方式也不错。如果大家觉得这些材料理解上有

难度，不妨当做挑战自己的拔高训练，希望大家都有进步^^

Beingachildlessmisanthropeandeverything,itpleadmetoetwonewbooks

addressingoneofmypetpeeves:kidsandallthethingstheydon’

Druckerman’sbest-llingBringingUpBébéandtheforthingFrenchKidsEat

EverythingbyKarenLeBillonbothaddressthebizarrelystiltedtasteofAmerican

’veallbeenaroundkidswho“onlylike”chickenfingersandareso

he

books,particularlyDruckerman’s,wegetalonglookatoneofthemostunnatural

anddisturbingofcontemporarybeings:thechildfoodie.“Cateringtopickykids

isalotofwork,”Druckermanwrites,tellingofamotherwhomakesfourbreakfasts

forfourdifferentchildren,andafatherwhotellsher“inreverenttonesthat

hisven-year-oldisveryparticularabouttextures.”

AmItheonlyonewhoshuddersatthiskindofthing?Certainly,I’mnotthe

stenceofchildfoodiesisn’tanythingespecially

new;twoyearagotheTimesdidanawfulpieceon“FineDiningWhereStrollersDon’

tInviteSneers”;ayearagotheNewYorkPostweighedinon“Tweezine,”orfine

trend,sadly,

wasn’tlimitedtoNewYork:ChicagoMagazinecalledthesnootyspawn“koodies”

andforecasted“anemergingsocietyofpintsizegourmands.”Andtheyaren’tgoing

rthisweekIreadastoryintheDailyNewsabouta12-year-oldcritic

ticsarethelatest

trend;eofmyfriends

wrotetotellmeabouthis8-year-oldnephew.“He’ssuchafoodsnob,”hewrites,

thathe“won’’sgivenbottledtomatosauce

hespitsitout.”Now,we’veallenbadkids;they’reevenaformofentertainment,

intheformofviralvideonjoyedbythoofuswhodon’tactuallyhavefamilies.

Childfoodiesaren’tbad—buttheprecociousdispleasuretheydisplaytowardsfoods

beneaththemismostunnatural.

I’mnotagainstkidnjoyinggoodfood,evengrown-upfoodlikesushiorgoat

cheerisottoballs(fedtoatwo-yearold,atoneofthebestrestaurantsin

Manhattan,intheTimespiece.)Butbeingafoodiemeanshavinganaroudand

rarefiedinterestinunusualfoods;andthat,inevitably,meansanimplicit

detestationofregular,theonlyprofessionalfoodwriter

IknowwhoeatsGo-GoTaquitosat7-11aspartofhisregulardiet;andIwouldget

bouncedoutoftheprofessionifpeopleknewwhatIdidbehindcloddoors.

Idon’twanttobetheonetosuggestthatit’swrongtoencourageprepubescent

epicureanisminacountrywhere46millionpeopleareonfoodstamps…butitiswrong.

IknownokidismovedbywarningsthatchildrenarestarvinginBiafra;butthey

ickonthe

Timespiece,whichisbotholdandludicrous,butIcan’tstopthinkingofthe

photograph,ofthreeprincelingsbeingwaiteduponbywhatappeartobehispanic

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geisonewithmorethanawhiffoffeudalprivilege,inthe

contextofwhichthechildren’schoicesemtotallygrossandun-American.

Happily,there’sanotherwaythatkidsarebeingcaughtupinthecountry’

’sonewhichIthinkshouldbeencouragedattheexpenof

’ekthe

FoodNetworkMagazineannouncedthatitwouldbecreatinganewtitleforchildren,

Sries,HeyKids,Let’sCook!is

headingintoitscondason,andoverthelastfewyearssomeoftheleading

cookbookauthors,suchasRachaelRayandRozanneGoldhavereleadcookbooksaimed

gisbetterforkidsthaneating;

itmakesthemawareofhowmuchworkgoesintomakingsomethinggoodtoeat,and

itwillinevitablygivethemstandardsthatwillmakejunkfoodlookbad.(Delicious,

yes,butbad–oratleast,recognizableasjunkfood,ratherthan,“food,”which

iswhatitisformanykids.)It’salsoakindofemergencyhomeeconomicsforan

Colonel

Sanderslearnedtocookattheageof7,makingfoodforhisyoungsiblingswhile

hismotherworkedinafactory;sadly,therearealotofkidslikehimoutthere.

Whoknows?Oncethekidslearntocook,maybethey’llbeegoodeaterstoo,and

skipbeing“foodies”entirely.

【重点单词及短语】

petpeeve不能忍受的事；经常抱怨的问题

forthingadj.即将来临的

indulgentadj.放纵的

helicopterparents直升机父母，指某些“望子成龙”、“望女成凤”心切的父母，就

像直升机一样盘旋在孩子的上空，时时刻刻监控孩子的一举一动。

caterto迎合；为……服务

texturen.质地；纹理；结构

prepubescentadj.青春期前的

epicureanism享乐主义，又叫伊壁鸠鲁主义，认为享乐是人类最重要追求的哲学思

想。

foodstamps食品救济券

waitupon伺候；服侍

feudalprivilege封建特权

getbehind支持；支援

siblingn.兄弟姐妹；家庭成员

Questiontime:

’stheattitudeoftheauthortowards"foodiekids"?

’sanotherwaythatkidsarebeingcaughtupinthecountry’sfoodmania?