Say NO to Food Waste
Respect what you’re eating
We all love food. But when you can’t finish your meal, how do you feel? You might think that wasting a little bit of food isn’t a big meal.
But when a whole school started to save food in their cafeteria (食堂), there was a big change. At Hengyang No 1 Middle School in Hunan province, students are told to take no more food than they need. “There used to be 100kg of food waste (浪费) every day. But now, the amount of waste is down by 75 percent,” said the cafeteria’s manager.
In China, people waste 35 million (百万) tons of food each year. That is enough to feed the entire country of South Korea (韩国) for a year.
Food waste is a big problem around the world. According to the United Nations (UN, 联合国), there are 820 million people living in hunger (饥饿) today. But every year, the world wastes 1.3 billion (十亿) tons (吨) of food. That’s one-third of all the food we have.
Share food, save more
When you can't finish your school lunch, will you throw away the leftovers?
At Tianshan No 1 Primary School in Shanghai, students don't want to waste food like this. This semester (学期), they started a "Clear Your Plate" campaign (光盘行动) at school.
Liu Zizhao, 11, Tianshan No 1 Primary School
Our school gives a set meal to everyone for lunch. In my class, when we have lunch, we often "share" to save food. For example, if I don't feel like eating or there is one dish I don't like, I can give some of my food to a classmate who has a bigger appetite (胃口). We tell our head teacher and she uses serving chopsticks (公筷) to help us with the food. We are happy to reduce food waste this way. Every day, our teacher eats lunch with us in our classroom.
She says, "Treasuring food is a good eating habit." Now, all of us students can finish our lunches.
What else can we do to help save foods?
Don’t buy more than you need.
Tell your parents not to cook more than your family is going to eat.
Finish your food before it goes bad.
Ways to reduce food waste
If you open your fridge, you may see some leftovers (剩菜剩饭), and it’s very likely you will throw them away in the end. If the food in a supermarket is not fresh anymore or is near the “sell-by” date (保质期), it goes into trash bins too.
A new law in France
France passed a new law (法律) in 2016. France is the first nation to make a law that forbids (阻止) wasting food. It forbids (禁止) supermarket to throw away or destroy unsold food. They must give it to charities. For food that isn’t safe for people to eat, it can be used as animal food. If not, the supermarkets will face fines of up to 75,000 euros (around 542,200 yuan) or two years in prison (监狱).
Food bank in Spain
Galdakao, Spain, put a public fridge in the center of the town. Anyone can put the food or leftovers into the fridge and anyone can come and take them. But there are some rules. They can’t donate (捐赠) raw (生的) fish, meat or eggs. This fridge has saved 300 kg of food in just two months.
Ugly food for sale
A supermarket in Canada, Loblaws, encourages(鼓励) people to buy “ugly food” by selling them at lower prices.
Clear your plate
In China, we also have the “Clear your plate” campaign(光盘行动). This means you should eat everything on your plate or take away the leftovers.
Where does food come from?
It is not only food that we waste. There are also resources (资源) for growing, transporting (运输) and cooking the food. These all take energy (能源), time and water. Wasting food also creates greenhouse gases (温室气体). So food waste is also bad for the environment (环境).
Story of a tomato:
1. Farmers buy seeds and plant them. They water and take care of the tomatoes every day. It takes 13 liters (升) of water to grow one tomato.
2.
3. When the tomatoes are ready to eat, farmers pick them, put them in a box, and then on a truck (卡车).
4.
5. The truck may take the tomatoes to a supermarket hundreds of kilometers away. Every 100 kilometers of travel takes about 15 liters of fuel (燃料).
Silly Old Stories
Are left-handed people smarter?
DO you know any left-handers? Their special day is on August 13. It is International Left-Handers Day! Did you know? Only about 10 percent of people are left-handers. Some people say left-handers are smarter than right-handers. Is it true?
The answer is …
Scientists say that left-handers don’t have higher IQs(智商) than right-handers. Left-handers and right-handers just use different sides of their brain. They are good at different things.
|
|
Right-handers
|
Left-handers
|
|
Which side do they use?
|
They use the left side of their brain more often.
|
They use both sides more evenly (平均地).
|
|
What are they good at?
|
Some right-handers are good at communicating with others.
|
Some left-handers are good at music, art and science.
|
Why are some people left-handed?
Scientists are still looking for the answer. Genes (基因) might be one reason.
How do you hold and throw things at an early age? This can also affect your later hand use.
Some people might hurt their right hand. Then they begin to use their left hand more often.
Silly old stories
“If you eat watermelon seeds (籽), a watermelon will grow in your stomach (肚子)!” “If you open an umbrella indoors, you will stop growing!” Have you heard things like these before? They are called “Old wives’ tales (无稽之谈)”.
Parents tell their children these tales, whatever country they are in. It’s to remind (提醒) kids not to do some things.
In China, parents tell children that if they play with fire, they will wet their bed (床). This is to stop kids from playing with fire.
In the west, parents tell children that if they make silly faces, their faces will “stay that way”. This is mostly to remind kids not to make faces at other people.
When I was a kid, my mom told me that if I ever broke a mirror (镜子), I would have seven years of bad luck. So I was always very careful around mirrors. Of course, she told me this because the pieces of a broken mirror can be sharp and dangerous (危险的).
Most of these tales are silly and just for fun. But children often believe them. Have you ever been fooled by old wives’ tales before?
But some tales are true …
Crazy cheese dreams
If you eat cheese before going to bed, you might have crazy dreams. In 2005, the British Cheese Board (英国奶酪委员会) asked women to eat Stilton cheese (斯蒂尔顿奶酪) before bed. Around 85 percent of them had strange dreams. Maybe there are chemicals (化学物质) in the cheese that can influence (影响) the brain.
No mirror facing your bed
A mirror facing your bed will not steal your soul (灵魂). But you will probably wake up scared. When you are just waking up, your mind is unclear. You will be scared by your reflection (倒影) in the mirror. “Who’s there?” you might shout.
Tales from different parts of the world
Let’s take a look at some famous old wives’ tales from around the world. Can you see why parents tell them?
The UK, Spain, France
Don’t spill salt (洒落盐) or you will start crying. Why? Salt used to be (曾经) expensive.
Italy
Putting a hat on the bed will bring your family bad luck. Why? In early times, when people were very sick, doctors would come to their houses. They would rush (赶去) to see the patients and throw their hats on the bed.
France
Don’t place a baguette (法棍面包) upside-down (上下颠倒). It will kill you. Why? In ancient times, only prisoners (犯人) got their bread upside-down.
Japan
Don’t lie down right after eating or you will turn into an ox. Why? Oxen like to lie down after eating. But this is bad for your stomach.
Superheroes
Born to be ‘superheroes’
Superheroes in movies always have special abilities. For example, Spider-Man can stick (贴) to walls and the Hulk (绿巨人浩克) can stop a spaceship (宇宙飞船) with one punch (拳击). In real life, there are also some people with special abilities. Their “superpowers” sound even cooler!
Super eyesight
The Maasai people (马赛人) from Africa live on the grassland. There are many dangerous animals there, such as lions. The Maasai have good eyesight (视力) to avoid danger. Some Maasai people can see things clearly from 800 meters away!
Not afraid of the cold
The temperature （温度） is below -40 C. Oh, that's so cold! Well, the Inuit (因纽特人) would think it's no trouble at all.
The Inuit people live in the Arctic. Ice and snow cover the land there. The Inuit people eat fish and meat. They sometimes eat them raw. These foods are rich in fat. The fat can create heat for their bodies.
Sea life in DNA
How long can you hold your breath (憋气)? Maybe a few seconds? The Bajau people (巴瑶人) can hold their breath underwater for more than 10 minutes. The Bajau are from Malaysia (马来西亚). They live in boats. They have larger spleens (脾脏) than people who live on land. Their larger spleens can make more oxygen (氧气) for them so they can stay underwater for a long time.
Strong as ‘The Rock’
Look, this is the famous movie star Dwayne Johnson (道恩·强森).People call him “The Rock (巨石)”，He looks huge and strong.
Johnson is a Samoan (萨摩亚人). The Samoans live in islands in the Pacific Ocean (太平洋).They are the strongest people in the world. No one knows why they can grow taller and bigger than others. Some scientists believe it has to do with (与.....有关系) their food. The Samoans eat breadfruits (面包果). They are quite nutritious (有营养的).
What’s your special ability?
In different places, you can find people with different special abilities. Maybe you cannot dive (潜水) or live in coldness. But, believe it or not, everyone can be a “superhero”. For example, some people can eat very spicy food. Some people are good at making others laugh. Some people never sing out of tune (跑调). What’s your special ability?
Making the right choice
Did you watch the movie Ne Zha last summer? In that movie, a young boy has to choose between good and evil (邪恶). He became a hero (英雄) at the end. The film’s sequel (续集), Legend of Deification, is coming out on Oct 1.
This movie tells the story of Jiang Ziya, the top army leader (军队将领) of the heavens (天界). He has to kill (杀死) the Fox Demon to protect the heavens. But he later finds out that the Fox’s life has something to do with a young girl. Will he kill one to protect many?
While Ne Zha fights hard in the first movie, Jiang builds his beliefs (信仰) in this one. At first, he follows the will (意愿) of the heavens. But later, he learns that he needs to find his own way.
“Jiang is just like us,” said the movie’s director (导演) Cheng Teng. “He is once at a loss (迷失), but he finally finds a way out.”
About Jiang Ziya
Jiang Ziya is important both in Chinese history and pop culture. In history, he was a famous Chinese military strategist (军事战略家) who lived about 3,000 years ago during the Zhou Dynasty. In pop culture, Jiang is an important character (角色) in Creation of the Gods (《封神演义》).
Chinese superheroes on big screen
Legend of Deification is the second movie in the Fengshen Cinematic Universe. The series is based (基于) on Creation of the Gods. It’s about how people become gods.
The Fengshen Cinematic Universe (封神电影宇宙) is like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Chinese gods are the superheroes in this universe. Beside Ne Zha and Jiang Ziya, more heroes will come in the future.