VOA标准英语2012--US Tourists Treated to True Taste of Tuscany

US Tourists Treated to True Taste of Tuscany

 

Antoinette Mazzaglia knows where to find all of the best food in her adopted city of Florence, Italy, and she's helping¹ fellow Americans find it.

After hearing repeated tourist complaints about the local cuisine², the food and wine expert launched Taste Florence four years ago, to give tourists a true taste of the Tuscan capital.

The petite woman with flowing black hair and high-heeled sandals stands on a church’s steps, looking more Italian than Sophia Loren. She hands out an Italian breakfast staple³ - cornetti - pastries⁴ filled with custard - to a half-dozen Americans. As they nibble⁵, Mazzaglia, Toni for short, introduces herself.

“Basically, all my great-grandparents were born all over Italy, mostly in the South. And so I like to say that I’m 100 percent Italian. I was just assembled in America. Kind of like a Volkswagen, actually like a Fiat⁶ now.”

She’s been parked in Florence for about a decade. The University of North Carolina graduate spent a semester abroad here, studying Italian culture and cuisine. She fell in love with a Tuscan man and decided⁷ to return. But she soon realized that her amore for Florence’s food was stronger than for the fellow.

Good taste

Antoinette Mazzaglia, of Taste Florence, shows tourists how to read a wine label at the Golden View Open Bar overlooking Florence’s Ponte Vecchio.

Mazzaglia launched Taste Florence with a simple goal.

“For visitors, when they come to the city to not go away with a bad taste in their mouth.”

She says tourists often fall into a bad-food trap after a long day of museum-hopping.

“They’re starving and they get a really bad sandwich in one of those little tourist trap places that has everything," she says. "If a place has panini, gelato, waffles and pizza - there’s a place like that right near the Uffizi - it’s probably going to be really bad. Because if you have time to make all that, you really didn’t make it yourself.”

Mazzaglia has to start from scratch in describing Tuscan cuisine, particularly to Americans who imagine they’ll be eating pizza and spaghetti. The bilingual Mazzaglia offers guided visits of markets and specialty⁸ shops.

Her clients see and savor⁹ this so-called “poor man’s food” based on beans, vegetables and wild game. Today, a group of six Americans has already sampled Tuscan cheeses, meats, oils. Next up: gelato.

Pennie DiMartino digs in. “It almost tastes like liquor. Like if you put rum on ice cream. But better. It doesn’t have a liquor aftertaste."

The Long Islander came to Italy to eat the Italian food that her half-Italian husband doesn’t know how to make. She and the others dine on spelt salad, stuffed zucchini and are encouraged to try salted cod¹⁰ on Friday.

Learning curve

Frequent traveler William Moore says Mazzaglia has helped them sink their teeth into Florence’s and Italy’s true art - cuisine.

“You may not be able to appreciate every detail in every work of art at the Uffizi but you surely can appreciate a fantastic carbonara or what have you. We all come equipped with basic equipment - the taste buds for that. You don’t need a degree in art history to see the sort of subtle layers of this dish versus¹¹ that."

Mazzaglia's clients won’t get duped when selecting wines for dinner or gifts. They’ll also make sure their extra virgin¹² olive oil isn’t more than a year old and won’t judge it by its color. Italians learn these lessons as children; Americans need a guide to this varied¹³ culinary culture.

However, according to Mazzaglia, Americans are becoming more familiar with Italian cuisine thanks to cooking shows on television.

“Now we're starting to watch the Food Network and other fantastic networks that are giving us a wealth of chefs and programs where they travel to Italy, to all parts of Italy, and helping people understand there is a difference," Mazzaglia says. "Each region has its own food, each town has its own food. Even across town in Florence, you have two different plates."

With each glass, it becomes clearer Mazzaglia has shown these Americans how to eat and drink like Italians. They linger over the Tuscan reds and nibble on tomato-topped bruschette. Strangers this morning exchange email addresses and promise to keep in touch.

On this day, Taste Florence has taught them what Italians have known for centuries - that the time you spend eating is never wasted.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

3 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

4 pastries   

n.面粉制的糕点

参考例句：

• He gave a dry laugh, then sat down and started on the pastries. 杜新箨说着干笑一声，坐下去就吃点心。 来自子夜部分
• Mike: So many! I like Xijiang raisins, beef jerky, and local pastries. 麦克：太多了。我最喜欢吃新疆葡萄干、牛肉干和风味点心。

5 nibble   

n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵

参考例句：

• Inflation began to nibble away at their savings.通货膨胀开始蚕食他们的存款。
• The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.鸟儿们紧贴在墙上，啄着砖缝。

6 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

9 savor   

vt.品尝，欣赏；n.味道，风味；情趣，趣味

参考例句：

• The soup has a savor of onion.这汤有洋葱味。
• His humorous remarks added a savor to our conversation.他幽默的话语给谈话增添了风趣。

10 cod   

n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗

参考例句：

• They salt down cod for winter use.他们腌鳕鱼留着冬天吃。
• Cod are found in the North Atlantic and the North Sea.北大西洋和北海有鳕鱼。

11 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

12 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

13 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。