ceremonies of food essays

ceremonies of food essays That the consumption of food is an essential part of the chemical process we call life, is obvious. But food is more than just vital to our continued physical existence. Food comforts, as well as sustains us, and there are few events or situations marking a persons life that fail to involve eating. In most cultures, food is pivotal to ceremonies involving the living and the dead; birth and death are often accompanied by food rituals and superstitions. For the Chinese, these particular events are marked with the preparation and consumption of special foods with symbolic, and often punning, meanings. Food semantics offer a fruitful inquiry into the Chinese social system. Even before the birth of a child, the celebration of his life begins. In many western cultures, a party or baby shower is given to help the new family. Gifts for the baby are given in order to assist the parents in clothing, protecting, and caring for the newborn infant. After the birth of the child, relatives and friends often prepare and deliver meals while the parents adapt to the routine of an infant. In China, numerous special foods and dishes attended confinement and childbirth. Most frequently friends would send stalks of grain called man-tou which meant share the pain. During the month following the babys birth, the mother will traditionally eat at least 1 poached egg a day, as well as some chicken or chicken soup with her meals. A variety of other internal animal organs, such as liver, kidney, brain, stomach and intestines are valued and desirable foods. After the birth of the baby, especially a son, the mothers family will send over gifts of expensive foods such as wheat flour, wheat flour noodles, chickens and eggs. These are primarily intended for the new mother in order for her to regain her strength. The fathers family makes a number of red-dyed eggs and distributes them ...

Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill

Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill By Maeve Maddox One of our readers used this expression in a recent comment: make a mountain out of a mole hole I assumed that the writer had intended to write the common expression make a mountain out of a molehill. I was about to shrug it off as a typo and move on when I thought Id just Google the unfamiliar version. I found enough examples to indicate that the readers version is in fairly common use. I found the mole hole version in headlines, subject lines, comments and serious articles. Here are a few examples: The media paints the picture of a mountainous recession, but it may simply be a mole hole of slow growth that we must conquer. The Fed is creative and seemingly cogent enough to get the economy through its current stress. New N Economics However, Mr. Dubad gave us the impression that the sky is falling apart and a civil war is in the offing. He made a mountain out of mole hole. The Somaliland Times Think too hard and you’ll over think the problem. Consider the size of the problem too much and you’ll make a mountain out of a mole hole. Quest Venture Partners The English word mole has various meanings: 1. a spot on the skin 2. a burrowing animal 3. a wall or other barrier built in the sea to hold back water 4. a unit of molecular quantity 5. a spy (figurative use because, like a mole, a spy burrows in darkness) It is the second sense that gives us molehill. The word mole may come from mouldwarp, lit. earth-thrower. Moles tunnel beneath the earth. A surface opening to a tunnel is often marked by a little pile of earth, a molehill. A molehill is not very large, but it is shaped like a mountain. A person who makes a big fuss over a small matter is said to be making a mountain out of a molehill. Heres an example of the expression from over 400 years ago: To much amplifying thinges yt. be but small, makyng mountaines of Molehils. [John Foxe, Acts and Monuments, 1570] Its not clear to me why molehills should have morphed into mole holes. I can see an immediate connection between a molehill and a mountain, but not between a mole hole and a mountain. Wouldnt an exaggerated hole be more like a crater or a lake than a mountain? In researching the expression I came across numerous tourist retreats called The Mole Hole. Perhaps their existence has contributed to the shift. I know. Im just making a mountain of a mole-. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Words with More Than One Spelling15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their SynonymsForming the Comparative of One-syllable Adjectives