20090615 -- Some Spell Delicious I-N-S-E-C-T (2)

Some Spell Delicious I-N-S-E-C-T

Years ago in China, imperial menus included insects -- silkworms and scorpions. Today many Chinese still enjoy them on the menu. Most are deep-fried with a little salt -- favorites include scorpions, cicadas, locusts, grasshoppers and bean or silkworms.

Upscale restaurants serve them, and street vendors offer them roasted on a stick. In Mexico, people consume fried grasshoppers. In cities, fried grasshoppers can be bought in cans in supermarket. Mexicans also eat agave worms cooked inside a tortilla.

Some experts hope entomophagy -- the eating of insects -- will become more widespread in the Western world. Raising insects is cheaper and takes far less space than raising regular farm animals. As a food source, insects in general pack in the nutrients: A termite contains 36 mg of iron compared with beef only 4 mg. Those looking to strengthen their bones should try crickets. One cricket contains 76 mg of calcium. Considering that insects on Earth number about 10 quintillion, eating lots won't endanger them. So go ahead and try that ant larva taco!


deep-fry v. 把食物放在油裡面油炸
deep-fried adj. 油炸的
stir-fry v. (炒菜的)炒
-> put it into oil or fat
eg: Chicken tastes delicious when it is deep-fried.
eg: Deep-fry the chicken wings for 6 minutes.
eg: deep-fried potato chips
eg: Stir-fry the beef and then the vegetables.

upscale adj. 高檔的
-> high class, luxurious
eg: When you have dinner at that upscale restaurant, expect to spend at least $60 apiece.
eg: This upscale brand of fine linens(床單) is very popular in England.
eg: The house in the upscale neighborhood cost at least a million dollars.

imperial adj. 特優的

vendor n. 小販
-> selling food

scorpion n. 蠍子
cicada n. 蟬/知了
locust n. 蝗蟲
grasshopper n. 蚱蜢
silkworm n. 蠶
termite n. 白蟻

tortilla n. (墨西哥)玉米粉薄烙餅

wide-spread adj. 普遍的
-> spread over a wide space
eg: The heavy rains caused widespread flooding in the countryside.
eg: The equal-rights compaign (平權運動) received widespread support in this area.
eg: There is no cure for this widespread disease.

endanger v. 危及/使遭到危險
-> put something in danger
eg: If you drive a car adn don't wear a seatbelt, you endanger yourself.

entomophagy n. 食蟲性
-> eating of insects

nutrient n. 營養

quintillion n. 百萬的三次方


larva n. 幼蟲
calcium n. (化學)鈣

//== Chat room ==//

a fly on the wall (牆上的蒼蠅就)偷看到/偷聽到
eg: I wish I could be a fly on the wall too see what's going on in the company.

You wouldn't hurt a fly! 仁慈
open up a can of worms 一發不可收拾
a can of worms 棘手的問題

ants in your pants 熱鍋上的螞蟻
have butterflies in one's stomach (持續不斷地恐懼)七上八下