📘 Part 3: Food, culture, and social interaction

This episode's vocabulary

Socially acceptable (adj) – considered correct or proper by most people in a society. → Using your phone while someone is talking to you is not socially acceptable.

Rarity (n) – something that is very uncommon. → A handwritten letter is a rarity these days.

Lose touch with (idiom) – to stop communicating with someone or being aware of recent developments. → After moving abroad, I started to lose touch with my old friends.

Social bonds (n) – the connections and relationships between individuals or groups. → Team-building activities are designed to strengthen social bonds among colleagues.

Readily available (adj) – easy to obtain or access. → Information on almost any topic is readily available on the internet.

Go out of one's way (idiom) – to make a special effort to do something helpful. → She really went out of her way to make us feel welcome in her home.

Shell out (phrasal verb) – to pay a specified amount of money, especially unwillingly. → We had to shell out a lot of money for the concert tickets.

Fork out (phrasal verb) – to spend a lot of money on something, especially when you do not want to. → I had to fork out for a new laptop after my old one broke.

Off the top of my head (idiom) – from memory, without careful thought or checking facts. → I can't tell you the exact number off the top of my head.

Coincide with (v) – to happen at or near the same time as something else. → The festival is timed to coincide with the spring equinox.

Off-putting (adj) – slightly unpleasant or worrying, making you not want to engage with it. → I found the smell of the dish quite off-putting, even though it tasted good.

Homogeneous (adj) – consisting of parts or people that are all of the same type. → Globalization can lead to a more homogeneous global culture.

Stand out (phrasal verb) – to be very noticeable or different from others. → His innovative ideas made him stand out from the other candidates.

Height of bad manners (idiom) – extremely rude behaviour. → Arriving an hour late without an apology is the height of bad manners.

Questions and Answers

Maria: What do you think of people using their mobile phones during a meal?

Rory: Well, I don't think that's socially acceptable really, is it? Or I should say it shouldn't be so. It's quite rude to have them out on the table where they could just distract you from the people you're meant to be spending time with. Obviously, there are some exceptions when this doesn't apply, like an emergency or something, but that's a rarity.

Maria: And can you explain it further?

Rory: Yeah, I think people are kind of losing touch with each other and social bonds are becoming weaker, which isn't something that's helpful to have in any society. So, we should be actively trying to avoid things that might damage that further.

Maria: In your country, do people cook at home now as frequently as people did in the past?

Rory: I'm not sure to be honest. I suppose with the rise of fast and readily available food, there might not be as much of a need for it as before, but I don't know if that's translated to people doing things less. Although it could do.

Maria: And what evidence do you have for that?

Rory: Well, when things are readily available, few people go out of their way to do more under normal circumstances. It's just easier not to, isn't it?

Maria: Do you think it's good to communicate when you eat with your family?

Rory: It's pretty much unavoidable, isn't it? But yeah, it's usually a good idea. We already talked about social bonding and that has various psychological and physical benefits. So, yes, it is a good idea.

Maria: Has that always been true?

Rory: Probably for as long as we've been a social species, I'd certainly say so. I'm sure there are times when it's not been a good idea, like if there's conflict in a family, but that's not the norm, is it?

Maria: Why are some people willing to spend a lot of money on meals on special days?

Rory: Well, I suppose the logic is that by investing money in something, you show how much it means to you. Plus lots of people usually show up to these things and they demand some extravagance. So, that means that you have to shell out more than usual.

Maria: Is there any food in your country that is eaten at special times or on special occasions?

Rory: I can't think of any off the top of my head. Oh, wait, that's not true, actually. We usually eat something called Haggis on Burns night, which is a celebration of our national poet and culture. The food itself is basically awful, but lots of people like it since it coincides with the spirit of the evening.

Maria: Do you think that can change?

Rory: I think so. There are more vegans and vegetarians these days. So, vegan and vegetarian Haggis is probably going to be increasingly offered as an option.

Maria: What are the differences between special food in your country and other countries?

Rory: I'm not sure since I haven't actually sampled many of them. Although the ones I have tried generally involve something that might be traditionally considered off-putting, like offal or fermented animal parts. It's just been the animal used that's been different. So in Sweden they have fermented fish dishes, for example, instead of Haggis, which is more sheep organs.

Maria: Do you think that will also be true in the future?

Rory: I think that depends on the direction of globalization. On one hand, things could become increasingly homogeneous as countries and cultures come together, but there could also be a backlash to that that might encourage people to try and stand out more in terms of their food.