VOA标准英语2012--Global Foods Vie for US Market

 

Global Foods Vie for US Market

Mame Diene remembers the ancient baobab tree in the courtyard of her family home. As a child, she was not allowed to climb it or cut its branches. Now, she honors these trees of Senegal by selling their powder as a natural dietary supplement. "It’s wonderful for the heart. You have twice as more anti-oxidants in this fruit than goji berries, six times more than in blueberries,” she said.

It is one of 180,000 items at the Fancy Food Show where food producers sell their trendiest goods to specialty¹ shops and markets. Countries here sponsor a complete row of booths. The Korean Pavilion, featured spice noodles and beef. The Indonesian Pavilion -- healthy dried noodles and coconut² products. And, the Chilean Pavilion with its own food truck. Trade commissioner³ Alejandro Buvinic says Chile has plenty to offer the American market.

“We have the huge range of mountains Los Andes [The Andes Mountain Range]. We have the driest desert in the north, the Pacific Ocean, and in the south we have the ice. So that means what we produce is a huge quality and good for the health,“ said Buvinic.

More than 50 different countries are participating. That number has held steady for the past several years. What is changing is that Americans are demanding more international food.

Sapore Oils & Vinegar caters⁴ to consumers in Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood -- many from different countries. Owner Renee Farr shops at the food show for global olive oils from small producers.

"The beauty is I can meet them one-on-one, talk to them how the products are made, how they are manufactured, about their family, how long the orchard⁵ has been in their family and that means a lot to me and then in turn, I can share that with my customers," Farr stated.

And, Diene has a story of her own. She was making cosmetics⁶ from the baobab tree oil but had no use for the powder from the tree fruit. Now that powder supplement supports her female workforce⁷ of 2500. "It’s a multiplication⁸ of their revenue by 4.5. It’s wonderful,"she explained. "It means for them, [their] children don’t have to work, they can go to school.” 

Baobab -- "The Tree of Life" in Africa -- providing a livelihood⁹ for African women and trying like so many international foods to catch on in the United States. 

1 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。

2 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 caters   

提供饮食及服务( cater的第三人称单数 )； 满足需要，适合

参考例句：

• That shop caters exclusively to the weaker sex. 那家商店专供妇女需要的商品。
• The boutique caters for a rather select clientele. 这家精品店为特定的顾客群服务。

5 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

6 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

7 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

8 multiplication   

n.增加，增多，倍增；增殖，繁殖；乘法

参考例句：

• Our teacher used to drum our multiplication tables into us.我们老师过去老是让我们反覆背诵乘法表。
• The multiplication of numbers has made our club building too small.会员的增加使得我们的俱乐部拥挤不堪。

9 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。