Chapter 27 test potatoes

Potatoes and sweet potatoes, one root and one stem, were not found in China, but were introduced from outside the region during the Five Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, and belonged to the early "hushi". At present, potatoes have become the main food crop in my country. In important production areas such as Heilongjiang Province, the planting area has reached 320,000 hectares, which is equivalent to one-fifth of the local rice planting area.If it weren't for the fact that the potatoes are hidden in the ground, they are both inconspicuous and ugly, "soybean sorghum all over the mountains and plains" might have to be changed to "potato sorghum all over the mountains and plains".

Located in the Andes in Peru and Bolivia, it is believed to be the birthplace of the potato.Today, potatoes are grown in more than 100 countries around the world, with an annual output of 2.9 million tons, ranking alongside wheat and rice in importance.This veritable "grass root" food has tenacious adaptability, high yield, rich nutrition and starch, easy to fill, easy to store for a long time, quick to cook, and grows underground, so it is not easy to be damaged or stolen. Sexual superiority, since it was introduced to Spain from the Americas in the mid-16th century, it has helped Europeans survive several major famines and wars in the world in the following two hundred years, and at the same time caused a population explosion.In high-potato-producing areas such as England and Wales, the population tripled from 1750 to 1850. As for the growth of the poor class was faster than other classes, it is believed to be related to the cheapness of potatoes.In any case, this is the material basis of the Industrial Revolution.

The exact date when the potato was introduced to China is unknown, but it is believed that the potato and sorghum were brought to China from Ethiopia via Burma in the 16th century, and the corn and sweet potato introduced by the Portuguese via Macau at the same time played a role in China’s population growth. Decisive "under the bed" action.From the 16th century to the 17th century, China's population began to surge from the base of 80 million. In the sixth year of Qianlong, it was 143.41 million, and in the 60th year of Qianlong, it doubled to 297,000. Ten thousand. Lord Macartney therefore wrote: "The discovery and navigation of America has brought perhaps as many benefits to China as Europe." Looking at it today, it is really a bit ironic.

The potato, which has made great contributions to all mankind, has always been burdened with bad meanings in different cultures in the East and the West. It is a pig among plants. Radiocarbon dating of pottery soil from America, where the potato originated, shows that the potato was domesticated at least 7,000 years ago.In pre-Columbian Peru and Bolivia, potatoes were not only a staple food for the local population, but also an important element of culture and religion.The goddess Aro-Mamma worshiped by the Incas was revered as the "mother of the potato", and the Incas used potatoes as burial objects.

With such a cultural background completely alien to European settlers, the potato was first introduced to Europe in 1565 as a gift to King Philip II of Spain.In the years that followed, the potato was exhibited mainly as an exotic plant in botanical gardens across Europe.Before the eighteenth century, Europeans generally felt that the shape of potatoes was weird, scary and ominous, and they didn't know how to eat potatoes and which parts could be eaten.Of course, some people have made brave attempts: because potatoes and tomatoes belong to the same family of Solanaceae, and they look like erect penises, they were once used as aphrodisiacs by Europeans.

Larry Zuckerman writes in "The Potato: The Poor Dish That Changed History": "For more than four hundred years, the potato has suffered from the contempt of the Western world. Western society has feared, suspected, despised and ridiculed Potatoes. Even today we use negative terms like 'couch potato' or 'potato head'." Curiously, even the Chinese culture has not restored the potato's reputation. The three Chinese characters "potato" are usually just a written term, and "potato" is the commonly used Chinese name for potatoes.Although "potato" is not used directly to convey derogatory connotations, in some contexts, it does have obvious connotations of "dumb", "stupid" and "negative".

If it is said that the extensive planting of potatoes indirectly contributed to the Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism, then two hundred years later, potatoes once again played a subtle role in the wave of capitalist globalization. Take off the coat and transform, and the potatoes are transformed into French fries and potato chips. French fries, the golden wand army that has conquered every corner of the world with McDonald's, is said to have been founded by the Belgians in the early nineteenth century, and became very popular after it spread to France, so it was named French Fries for nearly two hundred years After that, the Americans completed its localization and globalization one after another.McDonald's started by selling hamburgers and has always been the main business. However, its trademark is not a hamburger, but an M-shaped French fries.

McDonald's once filmed an advertisement in Hong Kong. The protagonists in the film were a child and a soldier dressed very much like a soldier of the Hong Kong Garrison of the People's Liberation Army.At first, the soldier standing guard at the gate of the barracks was tense and serious, but when the cheerful kid handed him a pack of hot French fries, he smiled brightly. Although the Hong Kong Garrison of the People's Liberation Army later stated that it would not pursue the matter because the soldiers in the film were not real People's Liberation Army, McDonald's believed in the beauty of French fries and did not hesitate to take risks to challenge the sensitive restricted area. People squeezed a sweat.

The fight between the "noodle clan" and the "baozi clan" in China is an old joke, and the joining of French fries is a recent thing: it is said that the barbecued pork buns that were ordered one day were once again beaten by the "noodle clan" , Looking back, the entangled clansman sought revenge from the "noodle clan", and saw French fries alone wandering leisurely on the road, and the other group of people beat the French fries violently without saying a word. The boss of the "Baozi Clan", Rou Bao, was still angry, he mended his feet with French fries, and cursed: "You dare to wear a shiny gold dress to go shopping after hitting someone! You owe me! Keep beating me."

It can be seen that French fries have successfully completed the naturalization of immigration and joined the "noodle" camp, although this was actually the result of a misunderstanding. Many years later, the humble potato may not have imagined that one day he would be transformed into a light and thin flaky stunner with graceful curves and elegant arcs. The global dissemination of French fries and potato chips has its own dedicated media. The media of the former is McDonald's, and the media of the latter is more sharp, using TV.Potato chips, packaged or boxed, are undoubtedly the most popular TV food in the world. In this sense, it seems necessary to update the term "couch potato" to "couch potato chips".At the same time, potato chips have also strongly divided the movie theater market that has been monopolized by popcorn for a long time.

The relationship between potatoes and the film and television industry is really unfathomable. For example, the "potato chips" referred to by Hong Kong and Taiwan film circles are actually "summer blockbusters". The inventor of potato chips was George Crum, an Indian chef working in a high-end restaurant in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1853. At that time, some customers complained that the French fries were fried too thickly. When Geoge got angry, he simply cut the potatoes into thin slices, and then deep-fried the potatoes until they were transparent. The result was greatly appreciated by the customers, and the French fries became famous all over the world. And developed into an industry.Since then, the appearance of potatoes has not only become unbelievable, but also has been added with cheese, onion, chicken sauce, and even the taste of pizza, curry and seaweed. Potatoes after frying have a surge in energy and calories. A medium-sized oil-free "French Baked Potato" has only a few thousand calories. After being fried into French fries or potato chips, the calories contained in it are as high as two More than 100 kcal.The frying and "slicing" transformation of potatoes is a historic self-added value in the process of capitalist development. French fries and potato chips are representatives of American culture. In fact, it is only natural for Americans to promote potatoes.In 1845, a fungus that causes potato blight first struck Ireland, turning the potatoes black and dying, leading to a five-year famine that killed nearly two million people and drove an equal number to North American migration.In a sense, America would not be what it is today without potatoes. Although french fries and potato chips have gained a firm foothold in the Chinese market, there is still a huge gap between China's potato consumption and the record of 140 pounds per capita in the United States. Potatoes are still regarded as a dish in China, and they don’t want to be regarded as a natural staple food in Europe and the United States, a kind of natural bread that grows in the soil.If potatoes were once ridiculed and hated by people in both the East and the West because of their appearance and status as a "tuber", then potatoes still cannot become a staple food in China today because of the traditional diet. Potatoes are not only a dish on the Chinese table, but also a "not so good" dish.Not only is the south not a potato-producing area, but southerners have never been interested in potatoes.Although the chance of Tudou playing in the North is much higher than that in the South, the possibility of becoming a famous delicacy and becoming a regular pick is still zero.Among the home-cooked dishes in the north, the only one that can be called delicious is "vinegar shredded potato". As for the "shredded potato" in Shandong and the stew in the Northeast casserole, it is generally not good. Eastern Europeans are good at "roasted beef with potatoes", which was originally very compatible with Chinese cuisine. Unfortunately, Chinese people have always kept beef at a distance. Besides, "goulash with potatoes" later became ideologically related to "farting". There is no way to eliminate the deep or shallow sense of guilt even for a while. The situation of potatoes in our country may also be related to the fact that they have not been able to obtain some positive cultural significance.Although sorghum, which also has the identity of an outsider, has not been able to enter the main table, it is more respected than potatoes because of its culturally unique symbolism.It is generally believed that the current Chinese sorghum was introduced from equatorial Africa, but historians still insist that there is an independent lineage of Chinese sorghum on the Loess Plateau, and the evidence is the Neolithic site in the west.I don't know how many emotional factors are involved here, but as far as football is concerned, although it is internationally recognized that the Chinese played a similar game two hundred years before the birth of Christ, it is not modern football after all, and it is impossible to leave it for us. A football club with a long history and outstanding record named "Royal Gao Taiwei".