The United Magazine 《STC X SIS》 2020

UNITED MAGAZINE |

| STC X SIS

FOOD STC X SIS

EDITION VII

EDITION VII: FOOD

2020

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United Magazine 2020

United Magazine

7th Edition

Sha Tin College No. 3 Lai Wo Lane Fo Tan, Sha Tin Hong Kong 沙田穗禾路 麗禾里3號 (+852) 2699 1811 South Island School 50 Nam Fung Road Aberdeen Hong Kong 南風道50號 (+852) 2555 9313 instagram: @united.magazine contact: 19wongr5@stconline.edu.hk Copyright © 2020 United Magazine.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, reuploaded, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of United Magazine.

Printed by Permanent Printing Ltd www.permanent.com.hk typeset in Sofia Pro © typeset in Gilroy Family ©

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Words from the Editor-in-Chief The United Magazine (established in 2013) is Sha Tin College’s annual bilingual magazine. Central to the driving ethos of the magazine is the celebration of bilingualism and the provision of a platform to exhibit students’ literary or artistic flair - to this end, I believe the magazine will not disappoint.

Beyond that, the magazine has served as a nexus for the exploration of issues that enrapture the student body’s interest, often bearing great local relevance. As a team, we decided on this year’s theme: “Food” - a topic familiar to us all; yet beyond the surface level, offers unexpected insight.

This edition features an eclectic range of content from both Sha Tin College and South Island School, with writers interpreting the theme of ‘Food’ in various directions, both ‘serious’ and casual.

One article explores “Mukbangs” as a rising internet phenomenon, whereas another focuses on GMOs and its role in the future of agriculture. Instantiating the bilingual talents of our students, our Chinese articles cover topics such as the influence of food on physical wellbeing to the origin of ‘hotpot’. We also have a selection of rare and insightful interviews!

I express deep gratitude for all those who contributed to the production of the magazine - be it editing and writing articles, designing or organising publicity efforts. Each member - through his or her efforts - has contributed to the weaving of this rich tapestry of student work. United Magazine is a publication that instantiates the product of creativity, conscientiousness and cooperation. I also extend my thanks to Ms Yang, having acted assiduously as a point of guidance and liaison with the school. My last thanks extends to our sponsors for allowing us to bring this copy of the magazine to you, the reader.

Editor-in-Chief and President of the United Magazine Reese Wong

主编辑的話

建立于2013年的《联合报》是沙田学院年度的双语杂志。率领着我们 工作作风的核心力量是对应用双语的表扬和为学生提供机会以展示 自己文艺才能的使命。因此，我深信这一期杂志不会让您失望。

除此以外，本杂志一直担负着校内探讨本地论题的桥梁的地位，主题 也极具时代感 - 而今年集体决定的主题是「美食佳肴亅。它看似简单， 却能启发深入的见解。 本期杂志以来自沙田学院和南岛中学的文章为本，作者皆从严肃讨 论到闲谈主题的各种方向探讨时事：其中一篇趣谈韩国「吃播」的新 兴潮流，另一篇则论述基因改造对农业发展的影响。最能体现学生双 语能力的是我们的中文文章，包含着补身食品和火锅来源等广泛话 题。我们还为您精选了几篇采访文章！ 我在此衷心感谢所有参与过杂志从投稿、编辑、设计、推广、到最后出 版这个制造过程的学生。每一位成员都曾立下大功，以他们的每一滴 汗创造了永流不息的文学大河，矢志不渝地秉持着创意、尽责和合作 的价值观。最后，我还要感谢尽心竭力辅导我们并与校方沟通的杨老 师，和让我们能够把作品带给您的所有赞助商。

Supervisor Danielle Yang Directors Reese Wong Kylie Chan

- Editor-in-chief - SIS Site Director

Design Nicole Leung Jaclyn Solomon Justin Kim Hayley Kwok Gordon Wu Andrea Lee

Karissa Mak Abigail Yau Evelyn Hui Natalie Ng Justin Man Marcus Leung

Operations and Administration Riki Kobayashi Ian Mok Mavis Fu Mark Ng Michelle Li Dennis Zeng Editorial Zheng Yu Chow Todd Tsang Belle Ho Florence Wong Arthur Chan Jason Lo Marjovie Liu Samson Chan Solomon Lam Y.H. Cheng External Submissions Evan Yang Virginia Biffen Anthony Yau Typesetting Justin Kim Jaclyn Solomon

Rochelle Wong Gabbie Liu Abigail Yau Jennessa Liu Aurora Cen Elysia Tsang Michelle Li Charlton Sullivan Ronni Kwok Ernest Chan Michael Dai Valerie Shiu Cover Art Gordon Wu Jaclyn Solomon

United Magazine Launch Ivan Chiu - Project Leader Shaun Tejnani - Curator, Marketing Justin Kim - Scheduling, Creative Director Wai Kit Kong - Technical Mark Ng - Audio Visual Y.H. Cheng - Finance Michelle Li - Curator, Liaison Merchandising Gordon Wu Quinton Leung Social Media Gordon Wu - Design and Coordination Krishank Agarwal - Public Relations United Magazine 2020

STC x SIS

made possible by:

《联合报》主席 黄惟思

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES Food and Communication

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GMOs - the Future of Agriculture

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Sweet and Savory Delights

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Veganism: Fad or Forever?

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Benefits of Homemade Food

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Guns, Germs, and Hummus

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土豆 (马铃薯）小时候

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七分吃 三分練

誰知盤中飧，粒粒皆辛苦

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Why Canteen Foods affect Student Wellbeing

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Attitudes toward Food

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Mukbangs: The New Internet Craze

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Food and Systemic Oppression

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Hong Kong Cuisine and Street Food

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中国传统节日里的饮食文化

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米其林指南的秘密

现代人离不开的火锅美食

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INTERVIEWS An Economic Explanation of the World’s Food Problems

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Ms. Purves and Ms. Andrews

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Ms. Wang

45

Master Wong

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Dr. Reed

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Food and Communication

Abigail Yau (STC) Art by Marcus Leung

Earth is a breadbasket of different cultures, each unique in terms of art, language, and of course, food. Just as different cultures are diverse and unique, so too are personal tastes.

As a student in Hong Kong, known by the locals as ‘mei shi tian tang’, or ‘food heaven,’ I asked my peers about their favourite foods. Yet nothing could prepare me for the sheer diversity in the responses I received: British, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean, just to name a few. How did these countries’ food get introduced to us?

so it could preserve freshness, whereas fresh noodles had to be consumed in a short period from the time it was produced. My point is simple: food is constantly spread around and the bond surrounding it is infinite.

Food, in a sense, can be recognized as a source of health and happiness. One would be wrong to perceive food as a mere chore that is done for survival. Instead, it is something that is able to represent culture. Food is what dissolves the barriers between different cultures. Regardless of our identity, food fosters communication and sets aside our differences. Food is community.

We mark our celebrations with food, whether it be our birthdays or all the way to holiday celebrations. Food plays an important part of any celebration and cultural identity no matter where you are in the world. Referring back to my previous question, food from foreign countries are introduced to us by immigrants.

Immigrants bring the food from their country of origin with them or even wherever they go. Cooking traditional food is a great way of preserving their culture when they move to new places. Food never dies out. Take the popular story of the famous Italian merchant, explorer and writer Marco Polo as an example. It is said that Marco Polo brought noodles back home from China and helped introduce spaghetti to the world. However mythological this story may seem - there is still some truth to the legend.

The Chinese are indeed the first to have made noodles. Instead, the Italians were inspired by the Arabians. The difference was that Chinese noodles were fresh, and Arabian noodles were dried. The Italians seemed to favour the dryness as it was suitable for travelling long distances

And of course, eating meals together with friends and family gives us an opportunity to meet and talk with those that we care about.

This, axiomatically, carries benefits that are often overlooked. Furthermore, there have been studies made on the effects of family dinners.

According to the Family Dinner Project, family dinners lead to “better academic performance, higher self esteem, a greater sense of resilience, and lower risks of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, depression, developing eating disorders and obesity.”

To conclude, the power of food simply does not receive enough recognition.

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GMOs - The future of agriculture

Solomon Lam (STC) Art by Nicole and Marcus Leung

Genetics and the ability to modify the gene to give specific characteristics, an advent of the 1970s, is the next step in this progression of advancement in agriculture. Humans have long worked to change the characteristics of crops ever since humans first shifted from a nomadic lifestyle to one of settling down anywhere from 12,000 to 23,000 years ago.

One of the first examples of human ingenuity was in facilitating the cross pollination of diploid wheat - which had a higher nutritional content and hexaploid wheat - which had more grains on every stalk. Humans took the desirable traits of each and cross bred them for our own benefit.

Of course, one can not be so naive as to believe each and every attempt at breeding was successful. By the principle of the genetic cross, only twenty five percent of cross breeding would be successful, and in reality this number is often much lower. Yet this endeavour was a cornerstone of humanity’s development from a nomadic species no different to the apes into modern civilization. When agricultural production finally exceeded the basic needs of the individual farmer, societies were able to dedicate resources to dedicated scholars, soldiers and rulers, which provided for leaps in fields such as science, mathematics and art. The first great powers in recorded history were agricultural strongholds: China and Egypt come to mind.

What genetically modified organisms offers is the next evolutionary step in agricultural innovation. Instead of trial and error, risking mutations and unpredictable failure, humanity has developed a nearly foolproof way of changing the crops and livestock we have today to be better, in every sense of the word. Drought resistance, pest resistant, faster growing, better taste, more alluring. Farmers all across the world should be celebrating this development; they can now have peace of mind that they are safer

from natural disasters, that they will get paid at the end of the crop cycle - something that unfortunately is not the case for a majority of farmers today.

So what is the controversy regarding GMOs and why is there a strong movement against it?

Critics of genetically modified organisms would tell you that it is unnatural to modify the genome of crops and livestock, that it goes against nature. Furthermore, there are valid health concerns: that it could trigger allergy reactions, that it could cause cancer, and that it could help the mutation of drug resistant bacteria and virus.

The problem with addressing this is that there is little conclusive research ruling either in favour or against it. One single article in a student run magazine should hardly change your opinion, be it in favour or against, but with the current momentum against GMOs, here are some points to consider: In regards to allergens, GMOs (at this stage mostly crops) are held to strict standards by national food safety agencies, and must pass a multitude of stringent tests to be allowed for public consumption.

What is more concerning for some is drug resistance in bacteria and viruses. There is a certain risk that genomes for drug resistance in crops might be transferred to bacteria in the gut.

While the probability of this is low individually, critics have noted that were GMOs to become mainstream, statistically that such an incident would occur would be an inevitability. With the slowdown in antibiotic development and the rapid evolution of drug resistant diseases, some believe that a widespread introduction of GMOs would exacerbate the problem. Yet proponents of this theory forget that use of antibiotics in crops and livestock already do this. In China and India, overuse of antibiotics in pig, cattle

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and chicken farms has already led to antibiotic resistant bacteria. As a matter of fact, the most powerful and last line of defence Colistin has already failed against these bacteria, precisely because farmers were using it liberally in order to protect their livestock.

in impoverished countries often can’t access.

Even in regions where farmers can afford such tools, GMOs could prove vital in preventing abuse such as excessive antibiotic use.

While not risk free by any yardstick, if GMOs have the potential to give us breathing space in the race for antibiotics, is it worth trying?

The final point that needs to be addressed is that of outcrossing. There have been a small number of cases in which GMOs meant for feeding livestock have appeared in food for human consumption. While there are no recorded fatalities arising from this, a prerequisite of safely scaling up the use of GMOs would be to develop the infrastructure and procedures to mitigate such a risk - a step that producers are currently completely unprepared for. In most cases, this is completely harmless, but without more research it is understandable many would feel uncomfortable at GMOs becoming mainstream.

However, GMOs also bring tangible benefits to the global community. Foremost would be the potential increase in agricultural production - if crops could be modified to be well suited to different environments, even previously less productive agricultural land could become extremely viable.

GMOs are also often better able to withstand shocks such as drought, as well as pests and diseases, meaning less crops will perish. An increase in supply would reduce prices and increase food security. GMOs will be vital to improve the livelihood of impoverished agricultural workers in developing economies. GMOs reduce the need for expensive tools such as pesticide, antibiotic sprays, pest control measures and advanced irrigation, tools which those

So what’s the bottom line for all this? We can argue for the case of nature, we could argue for potential disaster in the realm of mutated viruses and diseases, yet should we worry about such things when so many nations still suffer from food insecurity?

I believe we can not bind ourselves to our perception of the world and our moral beliefs, because progress and technological advancement can not be halted if progress is to be achieved. The most vulnerable and at risk in the international community are the impoverished primary sector workers in developing nations, often in inhospitable climates with little funds to develop. The advent of GMOs provides a lifeline to these people, offering them the opportunity and freedom to prosper both individually and as a community. This is the smartphone revolution of the agricultural industry - an unstoppable tidal wave of progress that will forever shake the very roots of the world. You may choose to join the tide, you may choose to stand against it, but change is inevitable, so I say let us embrace it, temper it with reasonable legislation and scientific oversight so humanity can collectively benefit.

Bibliography: WHO (2014), ‘Frequently asked questions of genetically modified foods’, May. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-technology/faq-genetically-modified-food/en/ (Accessed: 16 October 2019) Broody, J.E. (2018), ‘Are GMO Foods Safe’, The New York Times, 23 April. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/well/eat/are-gmo-foods-safe.html (Accessed: 16 October 2019)

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Sweet and Savory Delights

Gabbie Liu (STC)

My small cold hands clutch my mother’s bigger and warmer ones as she leads me and my brother Felix to a street lit by brightly coloured neon signs. Before the glare of flashing signs even hits me the aroma of spicy curry mixed with deep-frying oil wafts through the crisp cold air, filling my nostrils. My mouth starts to salivate as I imagine all the beautiful sights, scents and tastes waiting for me.

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s we round the corner at Sai Yeung Choi street my nose is assaulted by savoury, sweet, spicy and salty aromas alike tangled together. The street teems with activity as happy shoppers chat amongst each other whilst haggling with shopkeepers for cheap Christmas gifts or trading in ten dollar bills for a tasty snack. My mother guides us through throngs of excited families to a small stall in the middle of the bustling street. We stare in awe at the display in front of us. Two shopkeepers tend to customers as the customers shout out their orders and wave bills in the air.

Smoke wafts from three big metal bins filled to the brim with soup and meat.

Mother hands me and Felix a twenty to share and instructs us to choose from the big text on the colourful signs in front of us. The paper feels light and fragile in my hands, almost as if it’ll be swept away by the harsh winds any second. I clutch the bill to my chest to shield it from the powerful winds and wandering hands as I peer up from under my late father’s woolly hat. I decide on a bowl of curry fish balls and shao mai as I’ve heard of both of those delicacies countless times, but have never had the privilege of trying them myself.

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Several shoppers push past me to the front and start shouting out long strings of orders as they present their coins to the shopkeeper.

I wait hesitantly, unsure of whether there is an ordering line in this disorderly crowd or if I have to shove and raise my voice higher than others for the shopkeeper to notice me.

Felix impatiently grabs the twenty dollar bill from my hands and thrusts it in front of the shopkeeper, loudly shouting out our order. Receiving the order proves to also be confusing as many people have also asked for bowls of shao mai and fish balls. It seems to be

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the most popular choice of snack in this shop along with deep-fried vegetables stuffed with minced fish.

The shopkeeper hands me a styrofoam bowl with long, thin wooden sticks protruding from it. The bowl is warm and my cold clammy hands eagerly grab it. Wispy smoke wafts into the air, bringing along with it the smell of curry and soy sauce. I jab at a fish ball and slowly bring it to my mouth. It tastes spicy and savoury and as I bite into it the taste explodes in my mouth. The shao mai is juicy as it has soaked up most of the soy sauce and I savour the taste as I roll it around my mouth with my tongue. There are so many rich-tasting foods in my mouth that I can barely even comprehend how good it all is. It’s a really nice upgrade from eating stale left-over bread from bakeries or convenience stores. Compared to the dry and hard bread that I usually eat, the explosion of tastes from the soft fish balls and shao mai makes me want to relive that moment over and over again.

Mother leads me and Felix to a small vendor selling bubble milk tea. “You can’t buy street food in Hong Kong without having some bubble tea,” she says. We use the change from the twenty dollar bill to buy a small cup of bubble tea. Even though the air is cold and we’re dressed our warmest in thin jackets and woolly hats we still choose to buy cold bubble tea as most people drink it cold. “Merry Christmas,” mother says as she hands us the cup. The tea is sweet and the tapioca pearls are soft and chewy. I slowly chew one in my mouth as I look up at the night sky. It’s surprisingly clear for Hong Kong and I take that as a Christmas gift from God. This has truly been the best Christmas ever.

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Valerie Shiu (SIS) Art by Nicole Leung

Veganism: Fad or Forever?

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owadays, veganism is all the rage. People are trying new diets left and right, all for different reasons: the environment, health, weight loss, etc.

Veganism is one of those lifestyles that seem like a miracle cure-all. In some aspects, that may be true, but in others? Not so much.

Currently, there seems to be a huge debate over going vegan - but firstly, what even is veganism? It’s quite simple, honestly.

Veganism is a way of living that attempts to exclude all forms of exploitation and cruelty of animals, including clothing, food or any other purpose. Vegans follow a diet that doesn’t consist of eggs, dairy, honey - any products originating from animals, on top of abstaining from meat. The only difference between vegans and vegetarians is that vegetarians may consume products that come from animals - just not the animals themselves.

But hey, I didn’t meet anyone like that! Yet..

Another reason is the environment. Some of those who feel responsible for the Earth and want to actively make a change tend to follow a vegan diet. There are severely detrimental environmental effects of animal agriculture. UN revealed that animal products release higher greenhouse gas emissions and require more resources than plant-based diets. Just one kilogram of meat requires 5, 000 to 20, 000 litres of water, in comparison to the 500 to 4,000 litres of water to produce one kilogram of wheat (according to the IME). Animal farming results in areas being deforested for cropland or pasture. As a direct consequence, various animal species can become extinct following the loss of their habitat.

The last significant reason people adopt a vegan lifestyle is due to health. It is proven that it can reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, premature death. It is also speculated that the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or cancer is lowered when following a plant-based diet. However, the key benefit of a plant-based diet is the increase in consumption of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-rich foods which obviously provides health benefits. One reason that veganism attracts so many people’s attention is weight loss. A vegan diet is much lower in calories since meat and protein are cut out, as well as high-fat dairy, making people drop the weight just like that.

It seems rather stressful, doesn’t it? Well, so why do people go vegan? It’s a myriad of reasons, really. For some, it’s ethics. Those who believe that animals have the right to life and freedom and hence choose alternatives to animal milk, fur or flesh. They are also opposed to the cruelty that animals in modern farming practices may face: living in small cages and pens for their whole life, only to be slaughtered. These vegans may raise awareness through protesting and social media, expressing their disapproval.

Though I completely understand where they’re coming from, sometimes, just sometimes, they do get somewhat excessive. But obviously, there are always two sides

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to the same coin. So what are the negatives to veganism? The first one that comes to many minds is how restrictive it is. On top of not eating any meat, you can’t consume products containing gelatine, whey, pepsin, etc. Many foods that include these ingredients are beer, candy and chewing gum.

For those who enjoy using makeup, you need to watch out for the ingredients list, as many cosmetics comprise of animal-based materials, ie. carmine.

In relation to the point above, those that first start on a vegan diet may find it frustrating to find foods that satisfy their cravings or hunger. This leads to them making unwise food choices – sugary, fatty foods, highly-processed carbohydrates – that makes them gain the weight that they had previously lost. This then impacts their weight and physical health - perhaps even their mental health, caused by the frustration of fluctuating numbers on the scale. However, in today’s times, there are varieties of healthy and vegan-friendly snacks that just may stop you from going on a binge next time.

Lastly, vegans can lack vital nutrients needed. The lacking nutrients are usually iron, calcium and omega 3, which are usually found in animal products. Over time, the continued deficiency can lead to loss of bone and muscle mass, which clearly doesn’t sound too good. The most significant is vitamin B12 –essential for the central nervous system to run properly and optimising metabolism. It is difficult for people to get enough vitamin B12 from fruits and vegetables alone. The good news is that there are many supplements that can

be taken instead, but admit it, who would prefer supplements over food?

So why is there a debate over veganism?

People just don’t see it as a long-term thing.

They see it as a fad that will blow over sometime soon. This is due to the difficulty people have maintaining a lifestyle that is somewhat restrictive. Some just crave the taste of meat too much; some find it too much work; some even experience health problems after a while. Perhaps some may find it fairly easy to adapt, but many may still struggle.

Surprisingly, many companies are investing in this: restaurants are creating special meals catered to vegans; groceries are supplying vegan-friendly foods; companies are beginning to invent new alternatives.

This is great news and all, until you realise that due to an increase in demand, prices will also rise, adding another reason as to why veganism may not last long individually. The cost is just too high! Of course, there’s no need to spend money on fancy ingredients, but it doesn’t hurt to explore your choices - it’s a matter of how long you can afford to.

On a positive note, if veganism does work out, the amount of money you’re saving through medical bills would definitely outweigh the amount spent on food.

However, at the end of the day, vegan or not, make sure you’re putting your health at the forefront of your concerns. Or at least somewhere near the top (a bar of chocolate won’t hurt).

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Benefits of Homemade Food

Charlton Sullivan (SIS)

And why we should eat at home rather than going out all the time

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othing is better than taking in something that is delicious and mouth- watering after an exhausting week of hard work. Many people choose to go out and have dinner with their family, friends or colleagues every Friday evening to spend some quality time together and have fun. But do you know what is better than eating outside? Just eat at home.

It saves money.

You heard that right, eating at home is a lot cheaper than eating in luxurious restaurants or fancy hotels. It saves you a lot of money, and your wallet will surely thank you by the end of the month. When going out for dinner, you’d usually have to pay an extra service charge of around 10% if you’re in Hong Kong, but you won’t have a service charge for eating at home, will you? Other than that, it also saves you time and transportation fees for your journey there and back home. If you are going to eat at home, you can buy food from local supermarkets which are far less expensive than dining at restaurants or hotels. Sure, the food served at restaurants may look more attractive, however, most of the time, the food portion is not enough to get yourself full and ultimately forces you to order more dishes, which increases the numbers on the receipt.

It’s healthier.

You will never know what exactly is in the dishes they serve you outside, so the chances of consuming junk food skyrocket which in turn contributes to possible weight gain and an unhealthy diet. According to Dr Stephan Guyenet in 2014, taking in a variety of junk food dramatically increases weight in only a span of 7 weeks. A client who takes in a variety of junk food experiences a 31% increase in weight while a client who follows a healthy diet only increased by 7% in weight. Moreover, the chances of taking in processed food are uncontrollable when we eat outside, foods that are high in trans- fat (which is artificially made by men) also increases the risk of

developing heart disease and strokes. If you choose to eat at home, you have the freedom and knowledge to choose and select foods that are high in nutrition, healthy and beneficial for your own body. For example, olive oil is a great substitute for cooking oil as it is widely considered a healthy fat because they contain monounsaturated fatty acids and therefore reducing the risk of getting a heart disease.

Your body will only thank you in the future.

It brings people closer together.

As you gather together at your friend’s (or your) home, you will feel more welcomed and included as you are invited into their personal space. This deepens the relationship and creates new bonds you have with the person.

Eating at home also brings the family together, as the home setting is much more private and quiet than restaurants, it gives you the opportunity to catch up with each other and you all can have a good time.

In conclusion, eating at home is far better than dining outside because it is less costly, healthier and brings people closer together.

Additionally, you can possibly discover new talents and passion for cooking. So, why not try to eat at home instead?

Reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp2p4TdLn_8 https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/trans-fat https://wholeu.uw.edu/2015/03/06/homemade-meals/ https://oureverydaylife.com/431238-coconut-oil-vsolive-oil-for-fat-loss.html

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土 豆 小 时 马 候 铃 薯

BY EVAN YANG (STC)

土豆可说是蔬菜家族里的丑小鸭。 它的外表与兄弟姐 妹们比起来，有着天渊之别。 你看，清江菜多健康多嫩 绿，土豆却黄得病恹恹的。 青辣椒弯弯的身材真完美， 土豆鼓鼓的大肚真反胃。 再看西红柿嫩滑的脸庞有多 红润，相比之下土豆充满斑点的脸蛋真粗糙。 不过，煮熟的土豆尝起来非常奇特，令人回味无穷。 把 它含在嘴里的感觉就像在抱着一个暖洋洋的婴儿，有 一种要化在你舌头上，沁到你心窝里，烙印在你记忆 中的暖绵绵的感觉。 闻起来，它独特而浓重的香味会 令人联想到润土的丰富与无限，大地的沉静与辽阔。 可是，人们总是喜欢按外表来判断事物的价值。 虽然 常言道：不要以貌取人，但这是人的天性，是无可厚 非的。 那么，外表令人不顺眼的土豆是怎么被我们的 祖先们发现是宝，流传下来呢？有可能是纯粹的好奇 心，不过也有可能是灵活的思想造成的，让我来分享 一个有趣的故事吧！

十八世纪的Prussia正处于饥荒之中。 贤明的国王 Frederick二世正在愁眉苦脸的思索解决方案，而忠 诚的大臣们都束手无策。 当时，土豆是从美洲大陆新 进国的食物，所以籍籍无名。 而国王听说时，立刻展颜 笑了起来。 不错，因为土豆可以储存很久并且营养丰 富，所以Frederick二世要想方设法让土豆成为国家 的主要食物! 这貌似简单的事情，其实很难做到。 一开 始，Frederick对农民们下命令叫他们大量的耕种土 豆，可是愚昧的农民们因为土豆乏味且看上去很脏所 以拒绝了Frederick。 Frederick为此又苦恼了数日，最 后灵机一触，想出了一个绝妙的方法。 他先把土豆封为一种贵族食品，然后命令大臣们向外 传播这个消息。 随后，他又把很多土豆种到了一个巨 大的王室的花园里并命令士兵们看守着，让路过的人 都眼睛发亮，想一探究竟 。 而最精妙的地方是：若有 人想要偷土豆的话，士兵们只能当作没看见。 很快，偷 土豆的人越来越多，而种土豆的习惯便这样在Prussia传开了，并解决了食物的问题。

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从国王解决问题的新颖方法之中可以看到随机应变 的重要性。 我们不能总是墨守成规，并过于呆板地去 对待困难。 相反，如果能学会看穿表面的假象，按照事 物的本质，针对人们的内心制定最佳的策略，这往往 会协助我们巧妙地绕过困难。 其次，我们做事要分轻 重，比如在饥荒的时刻，外表是最为不重要的，而生存 United Magazine 2020 才 是第一。 最后，我们都应该学会观察我们身边小 事与小人物，因为往往正是它们能给我们带来许多的 启发！

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Guns, Germs, and Hummus

Todd Tsang (STC)

Hummus is a dip made from chickpeas blended with lemon juice, garlic and other herbs. It is popular in the Middle East and Mediterranean, though enjoyed by all. Thus, when one thinks about Hummus, it doesn’t immediately inspire the thought about its political history. Unbeknownst to many, hummus, and what it represents, is at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The Israel-Palestine conflict first began to escalate in 2000 with the onslaught of the Second Intifada which, briefly put, is the Palestinian uprising against Israel. By 2007, with the fall of the Palestinian Authority, political power in Palestine[1] was split between Fatah and Hamas, the latter is regarded as a terrorist organization by countries including the US and Israel. Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip in the same year did not help the tensions between Israel and Palestine at all.

So why is hummus so important in this narrative? Religion and culture are one of the core aspects that have fuelled this conflict. As both nations are Jewish, both have fought to take control of Jerusalem which has significant religious ties and is regarded as a holy site by Jews, Christians and Muslims. In fact, both Palestine and Israel claim that Jerusalem is their capital, although neither claims are recognised by the international community. Due to the failure of reaching a peace agreement, both sides have built a mutual distrust for one another and have inane disagreements about basic issues, let alone important issues such as human rights, borders, and security.

The conflict of hummus, however do not reach the realms of warfare and terrorism, but instead within the realms of our tastebuds. Many different countries including Israel, Egypt, Palestine and Lebanon have their own type of hummus, and although the name of each dip is hummus, each country’s is distinct. Although the name of each dip is hummus, each country actually makes a distinct type of hummus.

Hummus is regarded as the unofficial “national dish” of Israel. The Israelian form of hummus are usually served as chickpeas that have been softened by baking soda, and often mixed with

garlic, olive oil, cumin and tahini. In Egypt, the popular dish is often eaten with pita bread and flavoured with cumin and other spices.

Palestinian hummus is generally eaten with bread available for all meals of the day. It is often flavoured with nana mint leaves[2], paprika, and parsley, and is often complemented with yogurt.

In 2008, the Association of Lebanese Industrialists requested that the European Commission recognise that hummus is a uniquely Lebanese food and that it should be protected as such.

This move was regarded as ridiculous by countries that eat hummus regularly. However, if the global hummus market with a revenue US $2 billion in 2017 was taken into account, Lebanon’s move to ‘patent this invention’ makes a lot more economic sense. As of now, hummus still isn’t protected by the European Commission as a Lebanese dish.

We don’t know what the future holds for the Israel-Palestine conflict, nor do we know what may happen to hummus. As Israel continues to fight Palestine, culture of both peoples’ have taken a toll as tourism has dwindled. Through these tough times, we can only hope that peace between these two war-driven nations can be achieved, and that it is achieved sooner rather than later. Hopefully, both countries’, and other countries’, mutual love for hummus, irrespective of their differences, could allow them to foster peace and embrace each other’s culture. The probability of this food item being the reason for peace seems infinitesimal, but, as said before, one can only hope.

[1] It is important to note that Palestine is not a recognised country. It is merely a region of Israel that has been occupied by the Palestinian people for a long time, namely the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and acts as the de jure sovereign state there.

[2] Also known as spearmint.

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photos by Man Kiu Cheng (STC) (left) photo by Michelle Li (SIS) (right) edited by Jaclyn Solomon (STC)

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BY ANTHONY YAU (STC) ART BY ANDREA LEE

健身行业里有一句名言—— “七分吃，三分练”，但 这到底是什么意思呢？在我解答这问题前，请容我 先带大家深入了解一下健身运动吧。

所谓的健身，是奥林匹克的一种体育项目，其中健 身的类型包括徒手健美操、韵律操、形体操以及各 种自抗力动作。 如果你身边的朋友时常去健身房举 重或者利用各种器械操练身体，那便可以归类为健 身运动。 健身运动拥有广大的市场，在香港与内地 等地方都能够轻而易举地报名参加健身运动的锻 这些运动能有效地增强人们的体质，增进 炼课程。 人们的健康，使你展现出强壮的形象，让你踌躇满 志。 健身运动带来的好处极为吸引，只可惜现实中 很多人都认为要达到目标困难重重，因此选择放 弃。

各个器官，为身体提供能量，帮助肌肉成长。 良好的 脂肪来源包括橄榄油、坚果、种子等等。 我本人最为 推荐的就是橄榄油，除了因为它价廉物美以外，它 还含有高达75%的单一不饱和脂肪酸，还有丰富的 维他命A、D、K。 有些人会喜欢能直接配蛋白粉喝的 橄榄油，不过我个人会更为建议用橄榄油为已烹调 的食物来做凉拌料理，因为这样能够催化消化吸收 的过程。 喜欢把沙拉当作小吃的朋友们，不妨给自己加些蛋 黄酱搭配蔬菜沙拉，因为它含有多种不饱和脂肪， 这样不但能有效降低低密度脂蛋白胆固醇（ 「坏」胆 固醇） ，还能增加高密度脂蛋白胆固醇（ 「好」胆固 醇）。 虽然蛋黄酱相比饱和脂肪健康，不过请注意每 一次的摄取量不能太多，否则会增加细胞老化的风 险哦。 我相信大家都应该吃过鱼吧！其实，我建议大家多 吃一点深海鱼，因为它含有我们身体不可或缺的脂 肪酸（Omega-3）。Omega-3 主要含有脂肪酸DHA 和EPA，而这种经常被俗称为「超级脂肪」的物质中 富含不饱和脂肪酸，一种维持身体机能的必需脂 肪酸。 不过因为我不太喜欢吃鱼，所以偷懒买了鱼 油（fish oil）和比较昂贵的DHA 与 EPA omega 的健 康鱼丸。

接下来我要讲解的​​营养素就是碳水化合物（Carbohydrate）。 它能在我们运动时提供能量，使在健身 我希望大家决定把金钱奉献给健身公司的课程之 房的你身强力壮。 那些能量是怎么来的呢？其实大 前，先再考虑一下是否真的有这个必要，因为当你 多数来自于淀粉，而这些淀粉进入身体后便变成肌 阅读完这篇文章后，或许你会认为自己有足够的能 糖原，储存到我们的肌肉细胞里面，训练时我们的 接下来就让我向大家详细地讲 身体就会释放出这些储存已久的能量。 力充当自己的教练。 平常的碳水 解关于健身的知识，让大家能够成为一个合格的健 食品有粗米，薯类，燕麦等，而高淀粉食物包括炒 身教练吧！ 饭、炒面、炒粉等。 在增肌减脂时就尽量少吃点高淀 粉食品，不然影响消化系统。 当你在做运动前需要 “七分吃” - 饮食。 格外留意，因为吃完高淀粉食物说不定会有肚子不 舒服的感觉。 首先，对于健身的我们来讲，具备良好的饮食习惯 是必须的，因此我会向大家讲解一些关于饮食的 蔬菜严格来讲也属于碳水化合物的一类，可提供人 必备知识。 谈起食物类型不可不提所谓的三大营养 体所必需的多种维生素和营养素。 菠菜，蘑菇，花椰 素：脂肪、碳水化合物和蛋白质。 那我们从脂肪开始 菜这些都是高纤维蔬菜，它们除了能够加强人体的 讲起吧！虽然我不知道大家在减肥时是否对脂肪恨 免疫系统，吃的时候更不用担心热量超标。 之入骨，但我身边的朋友健身时都会以减脂为主要 目的，导致他们上课后变得疲惫不堪。 那为什么他 大多数想减肥的人都放弃主食，把水果当饭吃，这 们会感到如此的累呢？其实很多人会误以为这和 却是完全错的。 原因是水果本身就没饱腹感，导致 平常训练的次数有关，但这只不过是你忽略了均衡 进食热量不断提高。 还有水果中的果糖不会如葡萄 饮食的重要性而产生的误解而已。 糖般，储存为肌糖原，为肌肉提供能量, 所以我们只

应该吃适量的水果，而不应该将它当成主餐。 读过生物科的同学就知道了，实际上适当地摄取脂 肪不应该对身体有坏处，因为它能帮助你身体内的 既然说到碳水，我也简单介绍一下碳水循环法 6 United Magazine 2020

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（Carb cycling）。 碳水循环法指的是控制每天摄入 蛋白质是由成百上千个名为胺基酸（Amino acid） 多少低碳水和高碳水食物的一种消脂方法。 我们可 的分子组成，这些有机化合物它们以长链相互连 以按照个人的计划轮流进行，一般的计划都会是是 接，结合形成20种不同类型的胺基酸。 但最为重要 的胺基酸分为八到九种（想知道是哪些就上网查 呗） ，而这些必需胺基酸的来源（如鱼肉、肉类、禽 肉、乳制品和鸡蛋）都是组胺酸含量较多的优质食 物。

但也请各位保持平衡膳食，确保不要吸收过量的蛋 白质。 吃太多蛋白质对身体是会产生一定的副作 用，因为这意味摄入过多的卡路里，使肾脏承受过 度压力，严重的甚至导致脱水。 因此，请确保每天平 均分配的摄入量，我建议是每体重1kg补充0.8g蛋 白质的标准规则（身重 60kg = 60 x 0.8g = 大概48g） 。 除非你是经常运动，并需要多摄入蛋白质来帮助 肌肉修复和增益，不然不要吃太少（10g） ，也不要太 多（120g）。 “ 三分练 ”- 体能训练。

毕竟这篇文章的主题是关于食物，所以训练方面我 就略略带过吧。 除了从食物中控制自己要摄取多少 三大营养素以外，体能锻炼也是重要的因素。 我个 人而言是一名篮球运动员，在篮球这项运动中是非 常讲究个人的持久力, 所以我一般并不会太过于注 重对肌肉量的磨练。 当你更了解自己的运动体系时，我会建议大家去健 身房之前先给自己设立一个训练计划。 有时间的 话，我认为你们可以询问一下学校里的体育老师关 于你的训练计划，因为他们对健身体能的理解以及 肌肉锻炼的问题，都会比我讲的更加详细，所以请 希望了解更多这方面的知识的大家不用害羞啊。

最后不得不说的是我见过最经常被忽略的一个步 骤，每次训练或健身完后，一定要放松拉伸。 拉伸分 别有两种：一种是静态拉伸，另一种是动态拉伸。 两天专注于吃低碳食物，一天专注于吃含有高碳的 静态是固定身体某个肌肉伸展的姿势，维持时间 食物。 这个循环法的主要目的也是为了瘦身减脂， 大约20-30秒，动态也就是弹震式伸展，利用不同动 维持训练所需的营养以及增加肌肉。 （可以以下的 作，集中于个人运动的需求及特殊性的柔软度。 拉 图片为参考） 伸的好处多多，它能缓解肌肉，排除身体内的废物， 并且提高身体的柔韧性和协调性，还能扩大运动范 最后我要和大家分享的便是肌肉重要的伙伴—— 围，减低受伤的机率。 所以无论热身还是暖和阶段， 蛋白质（Protein）。 健康小常识；水份在人体占约 就算睡觉前做一下拉伸，感觉也能舒服点。 60 ~ 70%，那仅次于水分的呢？蛋白质占了其余的 20%啦！高蛋白粉顾名思义就是“蛋白质含量很高 总而言之，我就大概解说了七分饮食和三分运动的 的粉“。 它们身为人体必需的营养素，是人体组织 比例及重要性。 希望看到这里的同学们，能够从这 的重要部分之一，更被认为是生命的基础，并存在 篇文章得到对健身运动更深入的理解和概念，同时 于人体的每个细胞成长当中。 也期待你们努力奋斗和坚持的成果。 加油！

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Why Canteen foods affect student wellbeing

Ernest Chan (SIS)

A student’s wellbeing is an essential aspect of their learning experience at school. To enhance a student’s mental satisfaction with themselves through a positive mindset, the first step to take should be via the food they take on a daily basis.

When student wellbeing is not at its optimum, students can experience symptoms of depression, lack of sleep and belonging which may lead to a loss in appetite, and neglect for their health. As a result, their learning performance and experiences at school degrades, possibly even destroying the very purpose of education.

An important factor affecting student wellbeing is food. The HK government has established a series of guidelines known as the Healthy School policy to help students reach a state of physical, mental and social well-being with a focus on developing students’ healthy lifestyles, positive attitudes and values, practical life skills and refusal skills to resist temptation. Schools can help students achieve this by ensuring students have the highest quality food with essential nutrition that supports a healthy lifestyle. In adolescence between the ages 12-18, students are progressing through middle school and on to high school where they will have exams that determine their future successes.

Therefore, a healthy diet is crucial to educational success and peak performance at school.

An interview conducted by South China Morning Post shows that canteens are serving various cuisines, providing diversity which improves student wellbeing at school.“The menus are designed for ESF schools by our executive chef who is from Italy,” says Wendy Ho, operations manager of Compass Group, catering service provider of all ESF secondary schools except King George V. She has also stated the menus are sent to their nutritionists and food committees of the school to review.

Students who are adequately fed tend to have better nutrition, meaning they are usually healthier compared to others. Of course, overeating is another problem in and of itself. A study investigating child hunger in the United

States shows that a balanced diet helps improve learning performance and malnourished students are more likely to have behavioural problems such as causing tantrums, or disrupting other students. However, if students consume a balanced diet consisting of essential proteins, sugars and fats, then students will retain a happier mood which can create a better learning environment.

This brings us back to my main point: food being provided in the canteen. Although the diversification of food provided can bring change in student eating which helps students endure the relentless school day, canteen food may not be the healthiest choice for students.

In South Island School, students who regularly use the refectory or atrium as eating grounds lack access to fibre from fruits such as apples, bananas and oranges. In my personal experience, people who bring their own lunches usually bring fruits as well because of the lack of fruits at school. If students are available to such choices, their learning progress might see improvement. Most importantly, their health will definitely improve, which boosts their wellbeing.

Ultimately, canteen food affects student wellbeing as it is a key factor in determining their health. The widening of food ensures that students are being served with a variety of food which brings joy and satisfaction to their lives.

I believe that the school should introduce fruits to the refectory, atrium and the cafe to allow students access to fruits regardless of their location, considering that they aren’t available to them.

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誰知盤 中飧，粒粒 皆辛苦

BY MICHELLE LI (SIS) 暑假我跟父母回到家鄉 旅遊。 起初我十分反抗， 因為我覺得鄉下又髒 又無聊，可是看到了 這件事情以後我對 鄉下的看法有所改 變。

早上四點我被公雞 喚醒了。 因為天還 沒有亮起來所以 原本我會繼續睡覺 的，可是從外面傳來 了聲音令我好奇，從 窗外一看，不少農夫 已經開始他們的工作， 有些人在散播種子，有 些人在澆水，有些人在耕 田。 我很驚訝，農夫們竟然 那麼早就起來了。

突然，一聲雷聲‘轟隆’，嚇我一跳。 原本蔚藍的天空不知不覺慢慢被天上 灰濛濛像落幕一樣被遮住了，天空变的乌黑 一片。 天空開始下降，往下壓著；太陽也躲在一層 層厚厚的灰雲後，鳥都紛紛飛回他們的家裡，好像從即將發生的事逃避。 突然，不知從哪裡刮來狂風，把屋外的樹吹左吹右，幅度大得好像快要把樹折斷一樣。 風吹樹葉時沙沙 的聲音，加上風吹時呼呼聲加起來就好像大自然為我們演奏一曲交響樂一樣。 可是農田裡都是淡定農 夫們，也許他們已經習慣了變幻莫測的天氣，只是把一些防雨的東西拿出來準備，他們穿上雨衣，然後 繼續工作。 我想，農夫們為什麼不進室內的地方避雨呢？我很好奇接下來將會發生的事。

滴。 滴。 滴。 天上開始下微微細雨。 隨著雨的頻率越來越快，而雨的數量也越來越多，樹葉開始不能承受 雨的重量而往下瞧。 不久之後天上傾盆大雨傾瀉而下，打到玻璃的雨嗒嗒聲，大聲彷彿窗就快破一樣。 如果往窗外看的話，已經不能清楚看到農田所有的東西了。

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可是農夫們不受天氣的影響依然在工作，雖然我不是站在暴雨中間，我能幻想那暴雨刺涼地打到我皮 膚上，淋到我上。 可是農夫們都繼續默默耕耘，我真的深深佩服他們敬業的態度，為了能夠提供全國日 常食糧，農夫們不分風雨都在努力工作。 我深深體會到這句話： 「誰知盤中飧，粒粒皆辛苦」 ，原來我們平 常的米飯都是農夫們努力後的成果，突然我覺得羞愧，因為我小時候常常高估自己能吃的份量而多點 了食物，而完全沒有想過食物的來處。 United Magazine 2020 早上七點，雨已經停了，天空那灰濛濛的棉被被拿走了，天上呈現淺藍色和一道彩虹。 那場暴雨不但把 大地洗淨了，我也對在鄉下多了分尊重，以後一定會珍惜食物...這就是大家都說的‘雨過天晴’了嗎？

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30-Jan-20 12:27:00 AM

民以食为天，食以 安为先

BY BELLE HO (STC) ART BY JACLYN SOLOMON

食品，对于人们来说是必不可少，正所谓 “民以食 为天”。 人们努力奋斗地工作，动力的来源也不外乎 哪几个地方：家庭，社会，和安宁。 安宁源自生活质 素，而生活质素则源于食品。 一碗美味的饱饭吃进 势把人民带领到第一个时代转折点：转基因食品。 胃里的安心，是每位百姓对生活最基本的渴望。 很多人误会“转基因”之意，听到转基因生物这种食 品，人人避而不及，对只要经过化学改造的食品，带 前有民以食为天，后有食以安为先。 食品安全是一 有厌恶和歧视的色彩。 但真正了解这种新科技的百 个重大的公共卫生问题，直接关系到人民的身体健 姓却寥寥可数。 人们忽略了转基因生物作为增强全 康和社会稳定。 在许多发展中的国家里，这已经是 球粮食安全的催化剂的重要地位。 虽不常见m是能 高度关注的问题。 本文章將會探討兩大問題：一、食 够解决食物安全问题的救生技术。 物安全的问题从何而来；二、我们能够如何有系统， 有方法地解决或缓解食物安全的问题。 目前，地球上有60％的水果和蔬菜没有被食用。 问 题衍生于采集，收割，运输的技术不佳，以及它们在 危害食物安全的源头出自于百姓家庭多出的厨余。 人们食用之前就变质了。 已开启这种科技先河的先 大部分富裕国家资源充裕，导致了资源分配的不平 锋美国为例，转基因科技为社会带来的潜在益处并 等；生活指数过于饱和，自然地催化了浪费食物的 不难发现。 普遍来说，发达国家的食物品质有一定的保 文化。 证。 但也正因如此，人们不满足于只有在安全和味 经过十多年的发展，美国Simplot的Innate Potato 道上的保证，标准开始倾向过度强调外观，引发了 在2015年初获得了FDA的认证。 这种马铃薯不易瘀 严重的食物浪费问题。 富裕国家的消费者通常购买 伤或变黑，对晚疫病病原菌有抵抗力，可以保存更 超出所需数量的食物，并且无法正确计划其食物购 长的时间。 这是一个重大的发现：该行业中一些最 百姓对食物过量和不切实际的需求，令市场供 大的损失来自运输过程中的瘀伤。 买。 如果可以减少甚 不应求。 为解决庞大的索求，供应商开始寻找能够 至阻止这现象，将对人们有所帮助。 但基因改造的 扩大生产规模的方法，甚至不择手段，对食品进行 好处不仅如此，利用转基因的技术，害虫控制和平 既不安全，又不合规的加工和改造；食物安全的问 衡温度上的研究能很快地得到突破。 在土壤中发现 题一触即发。 过量的消费，不合理的标准，奢侈的生 一种木霉属木霉，其用途的实施可以大大延长农作 活方式，无一不是问题衍生的的始作俑者。 物在种植阶段的寿命。 在与农作物形成共生关系 后，它可以延缓或预防疾病，或增加农作物的生长 近年来，由于食品污染和不幸事件的增加，食品安 和产量。 由此可见，人们在不了解事实的情况下无 全的意识日益普及。 中国和印度等第三世界国家及 理谴责并妖魔化了转基因生物。或许人们难以想 富裕国家正在制定新法规，以确保食品安全。 现今 象，但无论是减少染病后植物的死亡率，还是为每 社会的解决方法有两种。 第一是在现有的营销和科 一块相同的农地增加生产量，这种人人避之不及的 技基础上提高业务效率。 例如，提高食品加工工厂、 霉都是养活世界上无数饥饿人口的一种办法。 零售商和消费者对如何利用食物废弃物的认识。 对 于安全性和营养价值仍然良好的食品，建议不要在 民以食为天，食以安为先，食物安全问题是经过一 超市购买，而是建议商业和慈善组织在零售商处收 种顽固而又经历了长时间累积后出现的社会现象。 集食品，并在社会企业下属店铺出售或分发给有需 要改变这种现象，单靠封建的思想和单纯的纸上 要人士。 谈兵是远远不够的。 人们不但要减少不良的消费习 惯，也应该要开明地考虑解决方法不同的可能性。 第二的缓解政策，就是通过发展新类型的科技而满 在百姓们的努力下，两种政策双管齐下，相信困难 足大众的需求一种新趋向。 二十一世纪的市场趋 将在不久的将来将迎刃而解。

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United Magazine 2020 07-Feb-20 10:25:10 PM

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20/1/2020 8:53:39 PM

Attitudes toward food

Ronni Kwok (SIS)

An analysis of factors affecting food choice: Convenience vs Health

According to a study published by The Lancet, bad diets are responsible for more deaths than smoking: one in five deaths are caused merely by the irresponsibility and lack of consideration for one’s diet.

The author of the study, Ashkan Afshin from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington has also stated that poor diet is the leading risk factor for deaths in the majority of the countries of the world. In 1997, the World Health Organization classified obesity as a global epidemic. With this information, it is clear that one’s health, one’s physical wellbeing, should be prioritized over unhealthy but quick and convenient junk food. Unfortunately, therein lies the dilemma.

Is the threat of terminal illness, such as cancer and diabetes, simply not enough to stop us from knowingly and frequently endangering our very own lives?

When conducting a verbal survey among my peers, almost every single one of them said that convenience and low prices mattered more than health. This is likely due to the environmental influence created by the fast-paced society with a nearly obsessive attachment to efficiency and work ethic in Hong Kong.

However, this phenomenon is not exclusive to the city. Urban, metropolitan areas emulate a similar pattern, what with convenience foods being the largest growing food market sector in the US. Additionally, there are more obese people than underweight people, a trend observed originally in high-income countries but is now palpable in almost every region in the world. To many students and members of the working class, the task or tasks at hand greatly outweigh the consequences of one decision that seem faraway or insignificant. Therefore, unhealthy, MSG-loaded food items become a frequent staple incorporated into a generation, and a world without the minute-meals and fast food chains become completely unthinkable.

It is an easy trap of one decision, soon piling into many, until it is no longer a decision, it is a habitual unhealthy lifestyle.

Recently, I purchased my lunch at McDonald’s, one of the biggest culprits of unhealthy diets

(responsible for 60% of American obesity). It only took ten minutes for a two-person repast to be served and taken away, whereas when my mother makes a home-cooked meal for the two of us, a minimum of thirty minutes is required. Therefore, it is easy to understand why convenience overpowers health when the simple question of “what should I eat today” arises. It is simply quicker and better to fit a bite into our busy and even overpacked schedules.

I have grown to realize that the key factor leading to poor food choice is not the ignorance of health, but instead, an emphasis placed on what is the most tangible and obvious - perhaps being late to a class would lead an individual to purchase quickly made, cheap, but extremely damaging junk food. An involuntary short-sightedness is experienced globally by many, what with 85% of countries consuming more packaged food than fresh food. It is the lack of an immediate consequence, the speed of ordering and consuming, the accessibility of fast-food chains, and the urgency of the work one has to finish that places so many of us in a near inescapable mindset stating that the best and perhaps only type of food on most days, especially workdays, has to quickly prepared and quickly served.

However, we must then ask ourselves - is it possible for a compromise to be established?

Are we able to incorporate quick, convenient yet healthy meals into our everyday lives?

According to an article by Harvard Medical School, the strategy of batch cooking is recommended - cooking a meal in large quantities and freezing in small portions.

Bringing a home-cooked meal regularly feels achievable and sustainable, but there must first be a willingness to place health as the utmost priority and a genuine desire to improve one’s eating habits and overall wellbeing.

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30/01/2020 02:35:18

Mukbangs: The New Internet Craze

Rochelle Wong (STC) Art by Nicole Leung

W

hen I first came across the concept of mukbang, I was beyond baffled. How anyone would find pleasure in watching hour-long videos of people stuffing their faces, I could not understand. This was why I refused to click on the recurrently-popping-up video recommendations boasting ‘ASMR EXTRA CHEESY PIZZA & FRIED CHICKEN’ binge-eating episodes.

One day however, I caved. I had to see, once and for all, what was so good about these mukbang videos.

And, alright - it was kind of satisfying.

(The crunch of the fried chicken… and the cheese pulls!!!)

I now understood the hype.

For those who are wondering, a mukbang is an eating show in which the host eats an enormous amount of food while chatting with their audience. This trend originated in South Korea in 2010, but has since become a global phenomenon, popular with YouTubers from all over the world.

It’s kind of unbelievable how much money these mukbang stars make. Imagine being paid six figures to eat.

The thing that intrigued me though wasn’t the mukbangers - it was their viewers.

Their millions of viewers. I was shocked by the unwavering devotion of the mukbang fan base towards this peculiar art and was

determined to find an explanation.

I found several reasons mukbangs have grown so much in popularity: not only do they provide entertainment, but they also offer a virtual fulfilment of food cravings, as well as company when eating alone.

In South Korea, eating is seen as a social activity; so for those who live alone, they are provided with the pleasure to eat in front of a mukbanger as if with a friend.

Mukbangs, I think, essentially replicate social interaction.

Eating, however, is not only functional; it also very much involves the senses. An important aspect of mukbang is the ASMR, a response in which the receiver experiences a relaxing, brain-tingling sensation as a result of hearing pleasurable, soothing noises. Not only do viewers enjoy watching the physical process of eating, but many also crave the crunching, slurping and chewing noises mukbangers make into the microphone. I know how extremely unsettling that may sound; I, for one, despise chewing noises, and was horribly put off by the idea of it. But for some strange reason, I found myself sitting comfortably in front of my laptop, completely unperturbed by the plethora of noises coming out of the mukbanger’s mouth. Perhaps it was the fact that the noises were deliberately exaggerated that made it an almost… soothing experience?

Despite all these reasons to love mukbangs, though, they do come at a cost - for both 27

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the professional eaters and their viewers. It goes without saying that shovelling piles of junk food down your throat once a week isn’t being very nice to your body - even if you are a ‘health god’ the rest of the time.

Obesity is probably the largest impending issue for mukbangers, but there are also other health risks, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attack and frequent diarrhoea, just to name a few.

As for me, I’m going to keep watching my Extra Cheesy Pizza & Fried Chicken.

It’s also important to consider the potential effects of these videos on viewers. Although the mukbangers may not be binge eating themselves, footage of them devouring food item after food item could potentially normalise binge eating in viewers’ eyes.

And as for those who are dieting or engaging in restrictive eating, the desire to satisfy or suppress food cravings could lead to a dangerous reliance on virtual eating as a substitute for actual eating, thus contributing to disordered eating in a different way.

Yikes… so mukbangs aren’t as wholesome as I’d thought.

Yet some criticise these arguments, claiming that there is ‘no correlation between mukbangs and binge eating’. This I partially agree with - we can’t just blindly place the blame on mukbangs as if the multitude of factors playing into disordered eating don’t exist. Still, we have to be careful of the risk that this viral trend poses on the health and wellbeing of our generation.

Mukbangs, all in all, are a great way to enjoy the act of eating in its pure, authentic essence, and for some it can be a pleasant (albeit lonely) way of sharing a meal.

Whether the benefits or health hazards are applicable really depends on the person.

And, ultimately, whether mukbangs are nasty or immensely satisfying is up to you.`

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30/01/2020 03:00:09

Gordon Wu (STC) United Magazine 2020_1 (1) (1) (1).indd 53

30/01/2020 01:24:53

中国传 统节日 里的饮 食文化

BY VIRGINIA BIFFEN (STC) ART BY GORDON WU

我的爸爸是英国人，妈妈是中国人。 但是，在饮食 上他们却 “过界”了—— 爸爸喜欢中餐，妈妈喜欢 西餐。 我问爸爸：why? 爸爸先是笑了笑，然后一 本正经地说：“因为西餐吃的是美味，而中餐吃的 是美味和文化。 ”我接着问：“何以见得？” 爸爸 说：“且听我慢慢道来。 比如说，中国八大主要传统 节日中，有五个是以具有特色的饮食文化为主题 的。今天，我来跟你说说这五个传统节日里的饮 食和文化吧—— 第一个是春节。春节是中国民间最隆重的传统节 日。 春节的历史很悠久，而中国南北方的饮食传 统不尽相同。 北方人吃饺子，取“更岁交子”之意； 在南方，人们吃年糕、汤圆以及鱼、肉等。 人们还

一定会吃鱼，但不能吃光，所谓“年年有鱼(余)”，就 是一年到头食物充足，吃不完意思。

第二个是元宵节。一年中第一个月圆之夜、正月十 五称为元宵节，是中国和海外华人的传统节日之 一。 元宵节的主角是元宵，即“汤圆”。 吃了汤圆有团 圆美满的意思。 最具特色的是陕西的汤圆不是包 的，而是在 糯米粉中“滚”成的，放到油里去炸，寓意 红红火火，团团圆圆。 第三个是端午节。 每年的农历五月五日，是中国的 传统节日—— 端午节。 这一天，人们吃粽子、赛龙 舟，非常热闹。 这个节日是为了纪念中国古代的伟 大爱国诗人屈原的。 屈原看到自己的国家被侵略， 惨不忍睹，就跳江自杀了。 人们纷纷划船去找屈原 的尸体，但是找不到，又怕江里的鱼虾吃他，于是把 一些米饭扔到江里去喂饱鱼虾。 后来，演变成今天 的样子——吃粽子，赛龙舟。 第四个是中秋节。 每年的农历八月十五日是中国的 中秋节。 “中秋佳节吃月饼”，是中国流传已久的传 统风俗。 月饼形如圆月，内含蛋黄、莲蓉等陷，味道 很甜。 中秋之夜人们还喝桂花酒。 这一天晚上，人们 举杯邀月，家家尝月饼、赏月亮，喜庆团圆，别有风 味。

第五个是腊八节。 在中国农历最后一个月的第八天 是 腊八节，人们会吃腊八粥，纪念和分享秋天收获 的成果。 不同地区腊八粥的用料虽有不同，但基本 上都包括大米、小米等谷类，红豆、绿豆等豆类，红 枣、花生、莲子等干果。 腊八粥不仅是时令美食，更 是养生佳品，尤其适合在寒冷的天气里保养脾胃。 ” 听完爸爸的解释，我似有所悟，连连点头：在中国， 人们吃进嘴里的是食物，吞到肚里的皆是文化。 差点儿忘了告诉你，我爸爸是“老复旦”，他年青的 时候留学中国的复旦大学，是个如假包换的高材

United Magazine 2020

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30-Jan-20 12:27:22 AM

米其林指 南的秘密

BY FLORENCE WONG (STC)

大家旅游或想找高质素的餐厅时经常会查看不同 的美食点评网站。 在香港, 有开饭喇（Openrice） ，日本有Tabelog，国际性的有 TripAdviser，其中 米其林指南（Michelin Guide）更是最具代表性 的，有100多年的历史。 名厨戈登拉姆齐（Gordon Ramsay）称米其林的颁奖典礼为“饮食界的奥斯 卡”。

米其林的历史 1889年，在法国中部城市克莱蒙费朗（Clermont-Ferrand） ，一对兄弟安德烈.米其林（ Andre Michelin）和爱德华·米其林（Edouard Michelin） 创立了同名轮胎公司。 他们想增加轮胎的销售量。 为了鼓励有钱人买车及多换几条轮胎，兄弟俩设 法“协助”公路驾驶者计划行程，让他们跟着指南 上路。 他们着手制作一本小册子，纳入各种实用的 资讯例如如何换轮胎、哪里添油、可在哪里歇脚和 用餐，甚至是到哪里借宿等。 小册子初期是免费 的，后来要付钱才买到，及后设立了评分系统，由 神秘食客试吃评分给予一颗星。 如何成为米其林神秘食客？ 米其林评审员看起来是份好工作，整天就是吃，但 其实并不简单。 首先，成为秘探的门槛很高，需要 拥有超过10年的餐饮经验，最理想的人选是主厨， 最重要能够鉴别经营一间餐厅的一切事务，还要 有国际视野。 入职后需接受6个月实习训练。 每年 为指南在不同餐厅用餐250次；入住约150间酒店 和旅馆；出差超过800次，并就所造访的餐厅和酒 店撰写约1,100份报告，平均为工作开车约30,000 公里，每个月出差3周；参与指南编务，处理45,000 封读者来函... 由此可见评审员行程从年头排到年 尾。 评审员一星期内有5天要到不同地方品尝食 物；每天吃两餐，一年吃足300餐。 真的要有绝佳 的描述菜式能力和不厌倦外食才能胜任。 为保公 平，他们用餐后会像正常人一样付钱，以免获得特 别待遇。

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和旅游体验的使命不变。 米其林指南横跨三大洲 24个地区，评价的餐馆超过4万家，在全球卖出超 过3000万本。 米其林于约十年前转战亚洲市场。 评 分制度也改变了不少，一共分三个等级，三星为最 高水平。 一颗星代表是值得停下来的好餐厅，两颗 是极佳的厨艺与美酒，值得绕道前行，三颗是完美 的菜肴，搭配毫无缺点的服务与环境，值得专程前 往。 可以拿到三星的餐厅微乎其微，不少厨师视它 为终生成就。 米其林指南更对榜上有名的餐厅的营 业额有着直接的正面影响。 得到一颗星你会有多 20%生意额，二颗就多40%，三颗就多100%。 有米 其林的认受就是质素的保证，游客必定慕名而来。 摘星很难，但要保持就更难，因为米其林的评分准 则是很模糊的。 曾夺该美誉的名厨们的共识就是不 要改变，不论是因为得奖或想获奖。 得奖后不要提 高售价，要忠于自己的看法，勿忘初衷。

退回米其林和为此自杀的厨师 奇怪的是，虽然获奖带来庞大的收入和知名度，但 竟然还有退回米其林三星的主厨，甚至有为指南而 自杀的人。 Marco Pierre White，史上最年轻的米其 林三星得奖者，Gordon Ramsay的师傅，五年后退 回荣衔。 他指他不需要让比自己懂得少的人给予赞 赏，米其林的肯定对他来说是没有意义的。 此外，拥 有米其林荣衔代表餐厅今后要背负着沉重的压力， 时时担忧会被降星，无时无刻担心神秘顾客正在 用餐及审评。 其中一个例子就是法国厨师Bernard Loiseau。 夺得米其林三星后，有传言指他的评分会 降低，他当时说如果失去任何一颗星他会自杀。 尽 管指南当年没有把他的评分降低，在结果公布的前 夕，他还是自杀了。 米其林的争议与挑战 米其林在亚洲的准确性备受质疑。 以香港为例，首 先，评审团只有3位是常驻的香港华人，其他是各国 评审员远道而来评分。 让以欧洲人为主的评审评价 对他们来说比较陌生的亚洲菜式，实在难以令人信 服。 加上受本地人赞赏或认为正宗的餐厅却奖项落 空。 2017年，港人地道美食白粥才首次上榜，至今 仍未有茶餐厅入选，可是茶餐厅文化可谓本地饮食 文化的代表。

米其林面对的最大挑战是点评讨论风气和网络资 讯太多。 在部落格文化下，人人也可以是食神，想知 道餐厅的水平，有太多其他的途径，不一定要看指 南。 受到如此挑战，消费者对象转移至政府。 台北米 United Magazine 2020 其林指南今年首次推出， 台湾媒体却爆出台湾政府 为拯救旅游业，付300万美元请米其林进驻，震惊 台湾人。

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Food and Systemic Oppression

Yui Hang Cheng (STC)

Anthropological Stratification and the Disaster of the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution

The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of struggle. A struggle for food. Even after a century of unprecedented industrialisation and automation, we can’t afford to forget the wasted millennia of our past: the rise and fall of the first human societies, Graeco-Roman civilisation, Turco-Mongol expansionism, and the various plagues that wiped out swathes of the human population.

The Revolution Unbeknownst to them, nomadic hunter-gatherers of ten thousand years ago were witnessing a silent revolution whose repercussions are still felt today. Tired of uncertainty and the lingering fear of carnivorous predators jumping out of nowhere, they had one thing in mind: the pursuit of abundance and stability, or so they thought. Since nature didn’t give them much of a choice, they came to the conclusion that harnessing it was the only option. Domestication and careful selection soon followed: modern iterations of carrots, watermelons, wheat, rice and whatnot are often unrecognisable next to their wild predecessors. And thus the first fixed agrarian settlements came into existence - “innovations” which historians call the Neolithic package.

Although this process of artificial selection that persisted throughout the generations did lead to a general increase in food yield, nutritional diversity was forsaken; and so was their independence. As only certain crops were chosen, this meant that their main food supply became dependent on the fixed factors that dictate the quantity and quality of harvest. If one staple crop failed during the autumn’s harvest, starvation followed. Expectedly, droughts, locusts and natural disasters hit the newly agrarian societies much heavier than ever.

Not only this: the reduced nutritional diversity produced a society characterised

by malnutrition, even when grain was relatively abundant. As observed by archaeologists, a significant decrease in the average human height stands as a testament to this indelible stain on human history, and it wasn’t until the 19th century that it returned to pre-Neolithic levels.

Summarised quite ironically, our attempts to harness nature made us more dependent on the volatilities of nature.

Admittedly, the non-itinerant lifestyle, emphasis on nutrition-deprived foods and the manual labour demanded by agrarianism met all the criteria for a population boom: just as low-income countries nowadays have high fertility rates, Neolithic society did as well. And voila, the population increased. When a malnourished gang of a hundred farmers expectedly defeats a handful of hunters, you know that these transformations were inevitable. Unity is strength. Only numbers matter. But it doesn’t stop here: the rapidly expanding population needed food, more farmland, more territory. Territorial expansion and appropriating the wilderness for farming uses meant encroaching upon the natural environments hunter-gatherers thrived upon. And just as gradually as the revolution came, hunter-gatherers virtually disappeared altogether from the centers of civilisation: by numerical superiority, they were defeated.

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The Ramifications The worst forms of oppression are always subtle. What Kropotkin realised when writing about pragmatic biological mutualism was that mutual aid was eventually de-emphasized when the notion of environmental abundance was dismissed from public memory. Even to this day, the antiquated adage persists, that “we reap what we sow”. Society was taught to be patient when it couldn’t, taught that social structures are even-handed when they were not. This struggle of frequent food shortages that couldn’t keep up with the population led to a mindset of zero-sum competition, to hoard supplies in a finite world. Hence the large-scale, violent battles that were scattered throughout pre-classical antiquity.

Although food shortages existed, harvests meant that food could be stored for a period of time. And whilst agriculture encouraged people to live in settlements due to the amount of manual labour needed, food production was decentralised in the hands of different farmers. When some produced more while some produced less (as was inevitably the case), unilateral dependence happened, the first signs of social stratification. Fair enough, as today’s right-wing libertarians would argue, but then the sociological charismatic authority that Weber neatly delineated arose from these primitive societies.

class. In derogatory terms, the parasitic nobility that didn’t necessarily have to work. Yet even when farmers realised these exploitative, stratified structures, they couldn’t escape as it was society itself that agriculture needed in order to survive, and they couldn’t return to their former ways due to the reasons enumerated above. Woe betide them!

The Rectification When they exist for long enough, social structures are internalised, and systemic changes are either impossible or infeasible.

A few millennia is more than enough, and we only regained a lost consciousness after the Enlightenment. When the Industrial Revolution finally came to an end, whether virtuous or vicious, things finally turned around. The big question is, what if our ancestors never planted that first seed? Would we have ever developed the commodities that we enjoy for granted on a daily basis?

Just as Kropotkin envisioned an anarcho-primitivist future while musing about conquering bread and decentralised forms of habitation, it seems absurd to let our fate be dictated by food. Other forms of social organisation exist, and whether we will persist with our internalised Smithian/Darwinist views doesn’t seem too predictable.

Predictably, when faced with common uncertainties, they turned to the same things as their itinerant predecessors did: religion and authority. But this time it was much larger, and because food wasn’t acquired on an on-demand basis in the form of hunting, it meant that the stockpiled food from harvests could be used to feed a sedentary

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Hong Kong Cuisine and Street Food

Marjovie Liu (STC) Elysia Tsang (STC)

During the Song dynasty, five clans - Hau (侯), Tang (鄧), Pang (彭), Liu (廖), and Man (文), settled in Hong Kong to escape from the war and famine caused by the invasion of Mongols. Within the very walls of their villages which protected them from pirates and wild beasts, a unique and hearty cuisine was nurtured.

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o this day, the fortifications and traditions of these indigenous inhabitants still prevail, featuring particularly in larger New Territoriesbased locations such as Kat Hing Wai, Tsang Tai Uk, Sheung Shui Wai, Fanling Wai, and Nga Tsin Wai Tsuen. However, due to changing consumer preferences and increasing variety of foods available, there has been a gradual disappearance of traditional snacks. These foods are falling into an ever-distant memory.

One of the most iconic walled-village dishes is poon choi (盆菜), which roughly translates to ‘big bowl feast’. The big bowl contains 9-12 meticulously prepared layers of pork, beef, lamb, abalone, chicken, duck, shrimp, crab, various mushrooms, chinese radish and tofu. Usually, the most valuable items such as roast duck, prawns, dried mushrooms are placed on top, while lowprofile ingredients, such as turnip and taro, are placed at the bottom. Legend has it that poon choi was invented when a Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279) emperor took refuge in the New Territories when the empire was invaded by Mongol forces.

The local villagers took all the best food that was available to them and sent it to the emperor in large washbasins. Now, it is often served as a mainstream dish during celebrations including rituals, weddings, festivals, ancestor worship and other local events as an expression of village dining culture.

Behind the Liu Man Shek Tong Ancestral Hall in Sheung Shui Wai, nostalgic treats such as Chau Mai Beng (炒米餅) and Chau Mai Tung (炒米通) are hand-crafted with love by the old Liu ladies. The first snack only requires 3 scrupulous steps.

Firstly, flour is produced by crushing dry fried rice and then combined with peanut crumbles and brown sugar syrup. Then, the batter is placed in a wooden mould with traditional Chinese inscription. The Chau Mai Tung, however, involves the labour of four separate families within the villages to efficiently produce each batch, which is why these snacks are usually only found during the Lunar New Year. Each of the families is responsible for one of the following roles: frying the glutinous rice and grinding it to powder once it is golden brown and crispy, producing the fried peanuts and mixing it with the brown sugar, moulding the snacks, and finally, baking the snacks.

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Another notable snack is the Cha Gor (茶粿), an important part of indigenous festivities. It is usually made of glutinous dough which contains either savoury ingredients such a radish, dried shrimp, mushrooms, green beans and catjangs or sweet ingredients, such as peanuts and brown sugar. Villagers like to pair these traditional snacks with tea, which is why its Chinese name literally translates to ‘tea cakes’.

Dating back to the 50s, vendors sold these a-la-carte noodles with an assortment of toppings and styles such as pigskin, curdled pig’s blood, pig intestine, fishballs, vegetables and more.

If you look beyond the typical must-tries on tourist guides, you will realize that there is way more to Hong Kong local cuisine than just dim sum and bubble tea. There is a plethora of other delicacies you can find in this city which can accommodate And of course, the well known “Bowl everyone’s preferences. This is the perfect Pudding” is notable street food. In opportunity to take a leap of faith and try Cantonese, the “Bowl Pudding” is known new things. as the “Put Chai Ko” (砵仔糕) - meaning rice pudding inside a small bowl.It is a palm-sized pudding cake made from white or brown sugar, long-grain rice flour with a little wheat starch or cornstarch, and occasionally red beans. Traditionally, the snack was sold in “pushcarts” in the 1980s and enjoyed a lot of popularity. These “Bowl Puddings” are sweet glutinous rice puddings with red beans. The popular snacks can be served at room temperature and are turned out from porcelain bowls with bamboo skewers.

Last but not least, the cart noodles (車仔 麵) is a very popular dish in Hong Kong.

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现代人 离不 开 的火 锅美食 “没有什么是一顿 火锅解决不了的， 如果有，那就两顿!”

BY MICHAEL DAI (SIS) 引言

中华民族饮食文化博大精深，从古至今对美食都有 着独到的研究。 说起来，中国的美食在世界舞台上 久负盛名，由鲁菜、川菜、粤菜、苏菜、浙菜、闽菜、湘 菜和徽菜所组成的八大菜系更是成为了象征着中 华美食的标志。 然而，要说起最具代表性的中国美 食，却始终绕不开这位大”boss”——火锅。 火锅的历史悠久、变化多样，在不同的地区“入乡随 俗”，进而演变出了各种各样的风味。 而随着时代的发展，来到了火锅行业盛行的今天，

它在现代人——尤其是年轻人的心中已经成为了 不可被替代的美食。

火锅的历史

谈起火锅，即不得不提一提它源远流长的历史了。 其实关于火锅的起源众说纷纭，我们至今都还没 有定论。 然而，流传得最广的是这两种说法：一种 说火锅起源于三国时期，也就是公元220~280年 左右。 据考证，那时候的”铜鼎”就是火锅的前身； 至于另一种说法，则认为火锅在更早的东汉时期 就已 经存在了(公元25~220年间)——出土的汉朝文物 中，“斗”指的就是火锅。 其实，不论说法如何，火锅 在中国已经有将近2000年的历史了。

火锅的发展

随着历史的进程，火锅和不少古代的帝王结下了 不解之缘。 比如元朝的元世祖忽必烈，一 次在军队出征前饥饿难忍，于是命令随行的厨师 将羊肉切成薄片，用开水烫熟，配上葱花 和调料食用。 这种简朴的做法却搭配出了出人意 料的美味，令忽必烈赞不绝口。 从此，著名的“涮羊 肉”便诞生了。 清朝的乾隆皇帝据说也是一位“火锅迷”：相传，他 时时游江南，每到一处，都为他准备了火锅。 他甚 至在嘉庆元年正月，在宫中大摆“千叟宴”，摆出了 1500多个火锅，而品尝者多达5000余人，成为历 史上最盛大的一次火锅盛宴。

放眼现代社会，火锅经历了2000年的沉淀，逐渐 在全国各地衍生出了各种不同的形式和风味，而 随着科技日趋发展，火锅在材质上也变得不少。 反 正啊，现在的火锅有着五花八门的分类方式：有按 照汤料分的，如番茄汤、菌汤、麻辣汤、清汤等；有 按照锅的材质分的，如锡制锅、铜制锅、不锈钢锅 等；当然，也有按照食材分的：像是云南的火锅必 放蘑菇和火腿，四川的火锅必点毛肚，潮汕火锅必 吃牛肉等等。

川渝火锅

要说起受欢迎的火锅种类，那么注重麻、辣、鲜、香 的川渝火锅必然是其中的佼佼者。 在“川渝”一词 当中，“川”指四川，“渝”指重庆。 这两地的火锅虽 是一个类型，却在细节上颇有不同。 要说最老式、 最正宗的红锅(辣锅)，那非重庆火锅莫属了。 重庆 火锅的汤底以老火的牛油汤为主，为了增加回味， United Magazine 2020 因而加入大量的海椒和花椒，追求“大麻大辣”的 快感。

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对于重庆人来说，图中的“九宫格”火锅是他们的“ 本命”，而无论如何，不辣的锅底是不能被接受的。 甚至有许多重庆的火锅店打趣地写道:我们不卖鸳 鸯锅，微辣是最后的妥协。 其实重庆人对于“九宫 格”的执着追求并不是没有理由的——九宫格形的 设计其实非常完美地契合了下菜品的逻辑：最中间 的格子里温度最高，适合把肉类食物快速烫熟；中 心格的四边，也就是呈十字的四个格子温度居中， 适合煮蔬 菜把肉丸等；最后，四个角的小格子温度最低，适合 放最耐煮的食物，而这种文火慢熬被当地人称为“ 酣”。 四川的火锅有些不同。 相对于重庆火锅反复使用 的牛油，四川火锅的清油(也就是菜籽油)更加能吸 收掉花椒的鲜麻，让口感相对地温和，在吃的时候 更加能够体会到事物本身的滋味。 况且，清油的锅 底不宜凝固，相对重庆火锅，口感也更清爽。 应了那 句四川的老话：“菜当三分粮，辣椒当衣裳”，对于麻 辣、厚重没那么执着的四川火锅，让它比起 重庆火锅受外地人的青睐——当然这 也是因为一个很重要的原因：四川 火锅并不排斥鸳鸯锅。

大的特点，就是只用最新鲜的牛肉。 在潮汕，一家地 道的牛肉火锅是要求牛肉在屠宰后2~3个小时之 内上桌，这样才能够保证肉质的新鲜。 为了应付这 么严格的时间要求，潮汕火锅对于屠宰场的牛肉供 应效率非常依赖:屠宰场的屠宰时间必须严丝合缝 地配合火锅店的饭点进行供应牛肉，才能应付的了 每天大量的消耗。 也正因为这样，潮汕地区才形成 了发达而独特的产业链，在其他地区也很难体验到 像潮汕火锅一样的特殊风味。

总结

读到这里相信大家都已经看饿了吧，是不是想赶紧 找一家火锅店去大快朵颐呢?其实啊，这还只是火 锅美食里的冰山一角。 除了上述的两种最著名的火 锅类型之外，还有云南的滇锅、北方的铜锅、浙江的 菊花火锅......等等等等。 当然了，种种的独 特风味我就不一一细说了，诸位看客自己去行万里 路、品万里美食吧。 ART BY MARCUS LEUNG

潮汕火锅

即然讲到火锅，又怎么 能不提大名鼎鼎的潮 汕火锅呢?不同于川 渝火锅的食材繁 多、口味厚重，潮 汕的火锅以牛肉 为主要食材，它 的汤底也是以 牛骨和白萝卜 等简单、清淡的 食材熬制而成。 据说最传统的 潮汕火锅做法 用的是沙茶酱熬 成的浓汤，但由 于潮汕美食讲究“ 大味至淡”，所以后 世便将其化繁为简， 用清汤作底，从而更 好地尝出牛肉的原汁 原味。 潮汕火锅能够驰名于天 下，自然是讲究的很的。 它最

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TEACHER INTERVIEWS

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an economic explanation

BY SOLOMON LAM (STC) Why, despite food supply outstripping demand, does world hunger still exist?

Mr Jackson: Food wastage is the largest factor1. The logistics network and supply chains.

Ms Ducie: The example that comes to my mind is in India when people died in famine prior to independence from Britain (1947), in particular the Bengal famine in 1943, when there was more than enough food for everyone but many people were unable to afford food2. After independence, there has been no major famine, because there has been political motivation for the government to ensure the civilian population was fed.

Would the solution to combating food insecurity be to increase food production or reduce food waste?

J: Reducing food waste, definitely. Especially in the richer, more developed portions of the world there is unsustainable amounts of food waste. Living in Hong Kong, I dread to think how much fresh produce is thrown away from supermarkets, and much of North America and Europe face the same issues. Education around valuing food in more developed countries is lacking, which needs to be addressed.

D: And how businesses have taken over food. Why do people rely on food banks and handouts by groups such as Food Angels? It comes back to the question of why people cannot afford a basic standard of living, which illustrates the problems of free markets and inequality.

Everyone should be able to afford to eat.

Given the externalities of meat production, could and should the government regulate the industry?

J: It’s a difficult question for the government because the meat industry creates a lot of jobs3, so I doubt we will see any aggressive legislation, though from an environmental perspective they probably should. The government’s policy will be nudging-subsidizing alternatives such as the fake meat or promoting vegetarian diets.

D: I agree, how can the government intervene or regulate to make sure the private businesses incorporate sustainable practices when corporate interests have such large influence on governments? And we also have to keep in mind that the food industry as a whole creates a lot of waste, not only in terms of actual foodstuff, but also plastic packaging for instance. I think as consumers we have a role to play, it may be the case that we just stop buying processed food and food products which use a lot of packaging. Education and awareness raising should be the focus of the government to make us change our habits.

Given a projected decrease of over 5% in food productivity in the regions which produce 90% of the food on Earth today, how do you think the world can prepare for this?

1 A government report found that 38% of all solid waste in landfills is food waste

J: Well it’s the simple case that we have to start diversifying into other areas, I suppose that is where the economics and business theories hinder us. Clearly the area currently producing the majority of the world’s food supply is specialized in doing that, while other areas have focused development onto heavy industry, real estate or web-based industries.

2 The problem was exacerbated when despite a drought Britain shipped away millions of tonnes of grain in preparation for a German blockade and demanded American ships which offered to take grain from Asia and Oceania to the Indians instead be diverted to Britain

3 The meat industry was worth 945.7 billion dollars in 2018 and is projected to reach 1.14 trillion dollars by 2023, and in 2018 contributed to 14% of all carbon emissions

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for the world’s problems Mr Jackson (STC), Ms Ducie (STC) If we’re talking about changing the whole food industry, I suppose you’d want to see more small farms, urban farming, more people growing food in their back gardens, difficult as it may be in places like Hong Kong. It doesn’t surprise me, even if it is worrying.

D: And from a business perspective, you’re going to see businesses move into those areas , encouraging us to have window boxes, even looking into alternate foods such as insects.4

In recent news, a Dutch farming company has come under fire for patenting technology that has the potential to massively reduce water and fertilizer use for agriculture. What do you think of the conflict between private interest in maintaining a competitive advantage compared to the public interest of making this technology widespread?

J: I think in a situation like that, a capitalist would argue the firm has done nothing wrong. The firm has put lots of money and time into it, so the argument exists that they deserve the profit. I suppose the government needs to put more investment into state universities as well as subsidizing private firms and in particular research institutions so that they are the ones to bring forward those technologies (to be available for widespread use without worries of patents).

D: I think we can see a parallel in the pharmaceutical industry, where there is an ethical dilemma with lives at stake. I agree profit drives innovation, but open source information is the future. More public investment in R and D in fields such as hydroponics is sorely needed.

J: Perhaps a shorter patent period, or making them more expensive?

4 Crickets have a feed conversion ratio of 2.1, compared to 4.5 for chicken, 9.1 for pork and 25 for beef

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D: But this hurts businesses, according to economic theory. Then again, corporations are run by people, hopefully they will have operate with some corporate social responsibility.

J: With food being a necessity, hopefully it will be the case that there is more public pressure for corporate social responsibility, so maybe it is a cultural shift. If one country has an economy that is run more ethically, doesn’t mean that other countries will follow suit.

D: With food production, there are extremes like Monsanto (A US firm that supplies farmers with genetically modified seeds) that destroy entire ecosystems with their genetic modifications. I think the starting point is to regulate the food industry and stop production of food with unknown effects on humans, and to prevent large corporations from buying up smaller farms and monopolising industries. It comes back to the issues of controlling monopolies and preventing them acting against the interests of the public and creating welfare losses to society.

Food aid has recently come under fire for hurting the economies of its recipients rather than helping, making the case that local businesses in the food and agricultural industry simply can’t compete with a product that is free, especially in LEDCs where consumers are very price sensitive.

Given the dilemma between the supposed moral responsibility of supplying aid compared to the economic reality that it hurts, should the governments of MEDCs continue supplying food aid?

J: I understand the issue, and the issue is really a hot potato at the moment. There are several arms to consider. There’s of course the moral argument, where if someone desperately needs food, after a disaster, or say a refugee crisis, then they need food, you can’t argue with that, the free market simply doesn’t work in that

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case. I think that’s a different case from say in an urban area, where you could still have food aid, but perhaps sold to reduce damage to the local economy. I suppose ultimately if someone can produce food and distribute it then that’s what they should do. In the past and even today, food aid has been used as a political bargaining chip, perhaps even creating dependency and debt. It is a complex issue that needs to be discussed more, there’s a moral element and an economic element, and they can be blurred very easily.

D: Only in terms of acute disasters, I think that food aid is a solution. In other cases, handouts create more issues than they solve because gifts of food and other products disrupts the local food markets. People need to be able to be independent and produce what they need. Now I’m thinking of Dambisa Moyo’s ‘Dead Aid’ argument1: aid should be temporary; everyone wants and needs to stand on their own two feet in the long term. There is a more sinister angle-why is, for instance, the US dumping its grain on a less developed country, is it because they want to get rid of it? Without a doubt, when there has been a natural disaster or a refugee crisis definitely (food aid should be supplied), but in day-to-day existence, countries needs trade and not aid.

There are chronic shortages and therefore it provides citizens with a monthly ration of rice, oil, beans etc. which are in short supply. There are other food products available at higher prices which only higher income Cubans can afford. This seems to mirror the predicament that exists in many countries that some people cannot afford to buy enough food. Private businesses will soon move in to fill in the gaps in markets but, those businesses have to be regulated, because they don’t necessarily act in the interest of society at large. My last point is food safety. What is ‘Impossible Meat’ made of? It’s a fad and a trend at the moment, but is it healthy and safe? Is it produced sustainably and ethically?

J: I think it’s often well intended, especially by small NGOs and charity groups, but the negative effects make it unsustainable in the long term. Looking at STC, our CAS projects won’t be around forever, so will it be the case that projects and donations end when that CAS project or ngo dies off? It’s not sustainable.

D: There’s a similar case in clothing aid. You dump clothing on a nation, what happens to the local business which is making clothing? If you offload your grain in an LEDC, it hurts the local agricultural sector of the economy because you have reduced prices artificially by increasing the supply of that product.

Going back to the first question in the interview there is enough food to feed everybody. In a planned economy, like in Cuba, there are shortages of basic foodstuffs due to lack of Wproduction, difficulties of trade. The government runs food stores and sets prices of basic foodstuffs.

1 Dambisa Moyo argues that overreliance on aid has trapped developing nations in a vicious circle of aid dependency, corruption, market distortion and further poverty, leaving them with nothing but the “need” for more aid

The interview has been edited and is a condensed version of the conversation.

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“请问您对武汉食品有多少理解呢?” 老师谦虚地表达：

“我对武汉的食品谈不上有很独特的理解，只是以前生活在武汉的时候， 每天的生活都要吃这些东西。其实并没有太多的在意，只是觉得啊我早 上喜欢吃什么，中午吃什么，晚上吃什么“ 在家里解决饮食的问题，可以 比较随心所欲。 有趣的是，老师认为，能真正对家乡美食有更浓的兴趣以及更全面的认 知是在离开武汉后，旅行或在香港定居时所得到的契机。老师对家乡的 思念，以食物的形态展现了- 是在异地他乡寻找到的一丝温存。

2 Ms Wang (STC)

Zheng Yu Chow (STC)

“对，会想念，会想一想【这些食物】有什么特点”

“那能跟我们说一下，武汉食品有些什么样的特点呢？”

老师解释道，“在被誉为早餐之都的武汉，过早是一种早餐文化的统称， 早餐在武汉人的生活之中是特别特别重要的。百分之九十五的武汉人不 会在家里吃早餐，都在外面吃，所以它的早餐小食特别发达。”

众多的早餐小吃当中，老师为我们介绍了闻名遐迩全中国的 “热干面”。 沁入碱水的面在滚烫的水里轻轻的一烫，九成的熟度，不硬如谷粒，不 轻易软断，讲究的是时间的把控。再加上芝麻酱，卤水，葱花，萝卜丁等等 令人眼花缭乱的配料，一碗暖入心扉的面条就完成了。吃的，就是那小街 的味道，酸咸辣爽，四味皆具。

“早餐就已经如此的丰富了吗？” “是的，早餐非常非常的丰富。”

在武汉，有超过一百多种的早餐种类，甚至22天都能够不重复地吃不一 样的早餐。 所谓一年之计在于春，一日之计在于晨，丰盛的早餐才能带来元气满满 的一天吧！ 为解释如此有趣的风俗，老师为同学上了一节小小的历史课。

“老师认为一个省份或城市的地理位置会对他的饮食文化产生什 么样的影响呢？”

老师认为，地理位置和一个地区最原始的饮食文化的形成有着密不可分 的联系。

“ 以武汉为一个例子。长江和汉水的交汇，是武汉的地理优势，并让它成

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为了中国罕见九省通衢的地标。因水上航运的发达，武汉发展成了码头 城市。码头产业蒸蒸日上，为许多的人们提供了工作。但因码头工作对体 力的苛刻需求，人们需要从食物中提取大量的热能，像热干面这种好热 量的食物是最合适不过的了。”

“另外，武汉的湖北省是千湖之省，成百上千的湖泊为当地的水产，渔农 业带来了可观的收益。所以在武汉，我们喜欢喝藕汤，喜欢吃鱼的食品。” “因为是在中国的中部，武汉也受中国其他地区的影响。例如四川辣吃也 为武汉人们的食品加上一股香，麻，辣，的风味。”

对武汉的认知有了深入的了解，我们接下来问了老师对食物的一些个人 爱好。

“酸甜苦辣之中哪一个味道最适合您个人” 老师说这个问题有点难度。

“小的时候都爱吃甜的，特别不喜欢苦瓜，有苦味的东西。但好像越长大 越能吃苦。”

人生中的经历也是如出一辙，生活中甜只能占据小小的部分，更多的可 能是酸，苦，又或是咸，但经过时间的历练，我们变得习惯了，变得更能 吃苦了。 访谈很快来到尾声了。

“生活中，食物中所包含的意义这些对你来说很重要吗？”

老师给出了她作为中国人独特的见解：“民以食为天这一点对于中国人 来说真的太重要， 【比起外国的朋友】虽然对他们而言食物也是非常的 重要，但中国人对于食物的那种钟情 ，热情是不一样的。不如说我去一 个地方旅行，一定要吃一些当地的食物，又或者是回家乡，一定会想要尝 尝心心念念的特产，这种情感特别的浓烈。而且如果早中晚餐有时间的 话，我都会很认真的安排，不可能会随随便便的蒙混过关。” “总的来说，食物对人们来说虽然是很基本的条件，但也是人们生活品质 的象征。“ 古今中外，能吃得好，能吃得健康，能吃的均衡，都是人们最基本的追 求。

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Reasons for being a food science teacher, educational background, interests, inspirations The reason I enjoy learning about food and being a food teacher as it involves both creativity and scientific understanding. A chef like Heston Blumenthal demonstrates this really well, as do many chefs because designing successful new recipes requires being inquisitive about the effects on the sensory and nutritional characteristics of the finished product.

How did you become a food science teacher?

I studied food at school and then decided to a BSc. in Food and later a PGCE. Although I thought I wanted to be a teacher from Year 9 onwards, I decided to do a few other things after my degree so I had experience of other types of work and this has helped me realize what a great job teaching can be.

3

food, science, and us Dr Reed (STC)

Florence Wong (STC)

People often relate studying food science to the career pathway of a chef. Even on Google, when I type ‘food’ the only search results I get are links to recipes or restaurant reviews. What do you think?

Many careers in the food industry such as food journalist and stylist, product development, events organiser, the marketing and advertising of food all benefit from a knowledge of food and nutrition. The food sector is one of the world’s main employers and so I think, just linking food to one small aspect of this in terms of a career as a chef misses a lot of other possibilities and interesting careers.

Interest in food is obviously very strong. Just think of how Instagram has changed how we eat and when people eat out, they often Instagram the food as soon as it arrives.

This has led to careers in food styling and design for some creative people who are passionate about food.

Application of food science theory in real life There are some recipes out there that do not work. How do you determine whether a recipe works when you have never cooked the dish before?

Knowing how ingredients function and looking at the ingredient quantities and the method helps determine the reliability of a recipe. Also looking at the reliability of the website and whether the recipe is testing and reviewed is useful.

Keto diet (drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat) is a very popular dieting method nowadays. Since there are so many different diets, what is the safest method of dieting in your opinion?

If a diet promises too much too fast, then it is probably not very reliable. The energy balance, of energy in versus energy out, and the quality of the food energy sources is

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important. There is a lot of misrepresented and not very reliable information about diets and a lot of vested interests of food industry companies. Looking at the reliability of the scientific evidence and who wrote the information is crucial.

In what ways does food science and technology contribute to the food we consume everyday on the table? (most people are unaware of the involvement of food tech behind what they eat, you can mention farming, cooking methods, etc.)

With a growing population and the impacts of climate change, the security of the food supply is extremely important. Food provenance and new ways to obtain nutrients such as protein, will become even more important. In the last few years veganism has become more popular.

4 Ms Yang (STC) Jason Lo (STC)

杨老师，你好，今天我想代表 <<United Magazine>> 做一个访 问。在这个访问里，我会问一下关于食物的问题。第一道问题，中午 的时候，你通常会吃什么样的食物呢？

中午的时候，我会吃自己带的饭。我通常会吃西红柿炒蛋。这是我最常吃 的中饭。

那你吃西红柿炒蛋背后会不会有一些与健康有关的原因呢?

有，因为西红柿炒蛋就是我们中国人传统的菜。以前呢，别人告诉我这西 红柿炒蛋令女孩子更年轻、更漂亮，所以我很喜欢吃西红柿炒蛋因为它 对皮肤好。而且它也很美味。做西红柿炒蛋也很方便。

好，下一道问题，你最喜欢的中国菜系是什么和那一道菜有什么特 色呢？

其实，我是北京人所以我很喜欢吃饺子。这也不是一种菜，但是饺子里面 可以有不同的馅儿、不同的风味。

如果一个外国人到中国，而他想吃中国菜里最有特色的几道菜，你 会建议他吃什么呢？

以我的生活背景来说，其实中国有太多的菜可以尝试。我最喜欢吃的呢 就是火锅。你可以把不同的东西放在里面。大家也可以一边聊天一边吃。 然后呢，当然烤鸭啦。我在北京的时候，我们经常出去吃北京烤鸭。这个 鸭子很脆又很香。可以把不同的佐料放在一起再包一包，所以我觉得烤 鸭很好吃。当然，还有饺子和我们中国人喜欢吃的面其实都很好吃。但是 南方也有很多好吃的菜，但是因为我是来自北方所以我可能更了解一些

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北方的菜式。

谢谢。在现代的社会当中，很多人也认为中国人会吃狗或其他像蛇 或者昆虫的食物。你对这个观点会有什么看法呢？

我觉得呢中国人喜欢吃这些可能是因为和以前的生活背景有关。因为以 前人们比较贫穷，而人们为了在这种情况下求生所以他们需要什么都 吃。但是现在生活改善了而且又有更多的教育，其实我觉得现在应该很 少有人吃狗肉。我自己也从来没有吃过也没有听说有任何朋友吃过，而 且我觉得有很多人也开始不接受这种饮食。另外，我们北方人很少吃蛇， 但是我知道南方有一些药会用到蛇，因为认为吃蛇肉会对身体有一些好 处。从保护动物的角度来说呢，我们应尽量地避免吃这些动物。有时侯， 一些传统的饮食习惯也要慢慢地改变。

谢谢，那你认为中国人可以怎样去改变这个观点呢？

其实呢，对于中国人来说呢，中国有很深厚的饮食文化。但是不是所有的 饮食文化习俗都要去保留。可能有些文化我们要随着社会的进步去调整 和改变，而当我们生活水平提高的时候我们应该教人怎么爱护动物。中 国以前会用动物的器官来做中药，但现在我们可以用其他东西来替代这 些成分。我觉得教育很重要。另外，我认为媒体应该更客观地宣传。其实， 我觉得中国人很多时候饮食非常健康。

其外，你对有机食物有什么看法？有机食物值不值得买呢？

我觉得有机食物有好的地方。但毕竟人口众多，种有机食物需要更多土 地与资源才能够制造很少的食物，满足不了大量的人的需求。所以虽然 有机食物有它的价值所在，但是我也了解现代社会的责任就是要满足大 部分的人的需求。所以呢，有机食物发展也不会是一个主要的趋势。

好，你在家里煮菜给自己吃的时候，你通常会煮什么样的食物呢?

其实我也比较传统，我喜欢吃中餐。西餐我也喜欢吃但是在家里还是吃 中餐多一点。我们每天也会吃鱼、肉、蔬菜。我们家的菜大部分也是蒸的。

其实中国人很多时候也喜欢吃蔬菜，你认为这背后的原因是文化 的原因或者经济原因呢？

我觉得最早也是经济原因，因为中国人多，而有一段历史中国经济不好、 United Magazine 2020 人们贫穷，而且中国农地少人多，所以中国人养动物也不太可能。我觉得 这个习惯也是因地理环境的背景而养成的，但其实现在想想多吃蔬菜也 43434343 是一个健康的习惯。 43434343 4343 49 edited umag.indd 22

07-Feb-20 9:27:42 PM

5 Ms Purves (SIS) Michelle Li (SIS)

Do you think we should focus on reducing food waste or increasing food production?

There is a huge amount of food waste. It is astonishing that one third of all food produced globally is wasted and in most developed countries, over half of all food waste takes place in the home. When you realise that the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one billion hungry people could be fed on less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the US, UK and Europe, this statistic should encourage us all to make more conscious choices. I think there should be an increase in environmental campaigns to raise awareness of this issue. I also think we should focus on changing our diets to more plant based. This will help in the production of food and reduce greenhouse gases. I hope that supermarkets will reduce the amount of plastics used in packaging their food. I try and shop where packaging is minimal. Some countries have been really inventive in trying to improve this. Thailand is using banana leaves in place of plastic.

Are farming subsidies worth it? How effective are they?

Subsidies to encourage responsible and sustainable food production could make a difference.

Who do you think plays the most important part in changing the food industry? The consumer, the government, small farmers or large farming corporations?

The consumer can have huge power. Reducing plastics, use of organic food - much of this is driven by market pressures. However governments have a responsibility to ensure they protect citizens with food standards.

What is your opinion on organic food?

6 Ms Andrews (SIS)

In a time of global environmental problems, organic food makes a lot of sense. Organic farming reduces pollution and uses less energy. Farming without pesticides is also healthier and more sustainable. I try to buy organic where possible. The term â&#x20AC;&#x153;organicâ&#x20AC;? can mean different things in different countries as regulations are different and so this can be misleading.

How conscious are you of your own food waste?

Personally I do not take nor serve more than what is nutritionally necessary. Going for seconds in small portions is much better than taking/giving too much that could potentially be wasted. I cook fresh and use as much of the food as possible in the meal - choosing to serve and cook as close to the original food as possible (raw vegetables vs cooked). I bring my own food to school and choose not to receive meals at conventions to reduce the possibility of waste. In Canada I compost - not here in HK unfortunately.

Todd Tsang (SIS)

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In your opinion, is food waste an issue in SIS? If so, what solution or policy could be implemented to lower food waste?

Yes, portion sizes are the same for all (small or large) it is not self-serve. Also, I have seen children take more than they need (cookies, muffins + meal) and discard much of the meal because they are full. I would like to see a day where the children take their own food (one day/week or month) This would potentially reduce rubbish as well!

What is your opinion on school catering?

I do not eat the food at school. I have allergies and am very wary of how food is prepared

The meat industry is worth 945.7 billion dollars in 2018. It contributes to about 14.5% of carbon emissions. Are you vegan or do you oppose the overconsumption of meat?

I am a meat eater. I balance my diet with vegetables, grains and protein. For my meat intake, I eat beef, poultry and fish - more fish than others.

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7

特写——采訪王锐勋師傅

相信读者听到鼎鼎大名的武术，都会想起驰名 中外的武侠片；中国武学会会长王师傅口中的 国艺却比想像中更具丰富的历史，巧妙的含义， 让人赞叹不已！师傅如今每个星期二的三点半 到五点都会在本校传授武功，而我非常荣幸地 有机会采访他。武术班是三个月前在杨老师的 不懈努力和安排下开始的，每星期都会准时在 学校活动室进行。但基于安排比较仓卒，很遗憾 开班的消息没有让同学们发现。 鄙人没修养，不知情地随便问了一下跆拳道与 武术有没有冲突。开始有点尴尬时，师傅露出笑 脸，耐心而详尽地向我讲述了武术在历史长流 中的沧桑......

“跆拳道、柔道或其他都是运动，而中国武术在 香港50、60年代已经非常之盛行了。多数是由 私人教练传授。他们很多时候没有地方开班授 徒，可能要在家里的天台或者公园之里的地方 去教。当时的政府的政策对运动不太重视，这直 接限制了武术更上一层楼。其实，武术早在民初 （1920到1928年）已经非常流行。甚至被定为 国术，与绘画、舞蹈、音乐等齐名，当时的发展更 是由官方推动，成立了南京中武术馆。 在二战时期，日军侵华和内战持续，中国武术被 迫停止发展，许多的武术师傅都选择移居到香 港，从而把习武风气带到香港。在这陌生的环境 里，因为缺乏当地政府的支持，他们的生活变得 很艰苦。不仅如此，许多机构并不承认他们的存 在，武术师傅们只能靠自己的力量传承武术的 精神。武术的发展因而慢了下来。幸好，在八十 年代，武术因流行的武侠动作片而再次盛行起 来，因而备受关注，发展蓬勃。” 我问：“也就是说李小龙吧”

“没错。电影的崛起让我们中国人能够把中国功 夫混合到电影里，全世界得以认识中国武术的 神秘和独特之处。其实啊，武术在渊远流长的历 史里也以各种不同形式出现，我也谈一下吧。 武术中的「武亅代表教育，是中国古代春秋战国 23 edited umag.indd 23

的重要技能，当时贵族教育必须要学到我们统 称的六艺：礼、乐、射、御(骑马)、书、数，武术也 因此重视敎育多元。射和御这两项也直接代表 了武艺在古代的重要性。当然这并不是普通老 百姓能够轻易学到的，当时的阶级制度使教育 仅限于富家子弟。

秦朝时，武术已经变成百戏的一种，也就是一 种流行娱乐和消闲的活动，如舞蹈、杂技等。 唐朝则出现了一些私人的教坊，像现今的学校 一样，也就是说平民百姓也有权接受武术的训 练，实践了春秋时期孔子主张的「有教无类亅。 宋、明朝时，武术则分了两种途径，第一种是官 方，为国家服务的一种方式，称之为武状元，状 元也是当时的皇帝亲自挑选后为国家服务的 一些尖子、人才，彰显了武术高尚的社会地位。 也正是科举制度的盛行让老百姓有上游空间， 开辟了进入官场的途径，改写他们的命运。 到了清末，虽然仍有科举制度，武术却因科技 和火器的发展而失去为国家服务的作用，逐渐 进入不受军方重视和衰落的阶段。这也让武术 的文化流落民间乡村，但许多人还是会邀请一 些武术高强的人来当护院，也就是现在俗称的 保镖。武术因此很侥幸地能够保留一个栖身之 所，时代的角色。

剛才说到的是二战。當時百姓的生活非常悲 慘，在这个时候生命财产当然对每个人来说是 最重要的。至于学武啊，变得非常不重要，无人 问津。生活战争以后恢复平静，人们开始拾起 他们过往的习惯和爱好，有一些在心里还燃着 一把武术的火，还保留一些技能，便把它传承 了下去。” 我默然点头，似乎被啥震惊似的。这么庞大的 信息量我怎能消化呢？王师傅滔滔不绝，即 曰： “现今的武术分为两大派系，分别是少林体系 和武当体系， 北崇少林 ，南尊武当。” “那咏春是属于哪一派呢？”

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BY YUI HANG CHENG (STC) “咏春属于少林派，是新武术。少林武术派堪称 为北方武术之祖的原因是许多武术名家都慕名 到河南嵩山少林寺交流武功，是武界汇聚的地 方。所以少林功夫是北方武术的统称。 武当则是以道教传承下来的。道士张三丰结集 了所有南方武术的精妙之处形成一套非常高深 而全面的功夫，这就是当时的武当功夫” “北方的武术跟南方的武术有什么不同之处？”

“形式来说，少林武术是属于刚性猛烈的。而武 当是属于柔和自然的。练习当中，武当入手以 养气养生为主，气质是身体里的重要元素，若要 保持身体平衡健康是不能消耗太多精力的。相 反少林的功夫是以锻炼体能和锻炼意志为目 标，拥有快和刚猛的节奏。 虽不一样但殊途同归，旨在锻炼人的精神、勇气 魄力和自省。习武之人，不只是看身体，更是看 修养。功夫不只是技术，修养更重要，正所谓德 术兼备，才稱得上武林高手。” 听完王师傅的一番言论，不得不佩服他学识渊 博，便又点头叫好。但自己也对不同门派感兴趣 嘛，便随后询问了一下师傅有何高见。

“咏春的起源？清末的时候，政府忙于封杀少年 寺，原因是因为少林寺聚居了许多反清复明的 人士。我们常听到的火烧少林寺全是真的。庙没 了，但人会走嘛，少林寺的人逃难时向南移，避 难的和尚在福建创造了咏春，再传到去广东佛 山，透过对少林功夫的改良，成为了另一种的派 系，并将其传承下去。香港流行的咏春、洪拳、白 眉拳、蔡李佛拳等都是异派同源的。少林功夫总 是多变，经历过不断的改良，派系之间的交流才 带来武艺文化的日渐精通。河北河南，山东，湖 南湖北都是武术的起源地，而广西广东武术是 后来才崛起的。 中国单是拳种啊，就有超过一百三十种。中国武 术的困难可能就是选择学习派系的一些困难。“

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咦，好奇啦。“不同的门派会产生竞争吗？” 我 问。 “肯定是有，一定会的，同行里十分激烈”

“竞争激烈的武艺江湖里，有一些的门派有可 能会没落吗?”

“有的。以当年的香港为例，竞争是以比武方式 进行的，就是说请公证人做搏斗时不偏不倚的 评审员。” “是跟《叶问》一样的吗？”

王师傅盈盈欲笑，打趣地说道： “那都只是电 影，纯属虚构。

这也只是香港。在中国大陆以当时武术精英 聚集之地——上海为例，当时候上海市军管时 期，洋溢着竞争、矛盾的气氛，门派之间会为了 自身利益而比武。当时比武必须得签生死状， 状况十分激烈，比起香港简直是不可同日而 语。香港的比武充其量也不过是文斗，点到即 止。上海当时的社会还更加混乱，政府管不了， 所以生命是没有什么保障的，比武之后的死 伤居多。“ “功夫会太危险吗？有些小孩子会否不适合接 触它？“

“武术教导我们要认清并兼顾社会多方面的须 要。社会不像古代须要我们训练斗士，而是要 强身健体、培养健全的人格。在正确和健全的 教育制度之下，人多数都是安全的。如今，人 之所以需要武术的训练是它对身体和道德的 帮助。传统武术也应该转型，必须跟上时代的 脚步了，与时并进。

如果人们学习武术专注在意志力和修养上的 发展，武术对人们生活上有许多的益处。打个 比方，练武的人往往忍受压力的能力比较高， 因为练习多数对处事和应付困难的要求非常 高：套路里有许多拳、步法，须要以和谐的节奏 United Magazine 2020 07-Feb-20 9:27:44 PM

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去组合。武术练习如舞蹈体操，规律应该有虚有 实，有刚有柔，有静有动，有攻有守，而多变的环 境使学生必须时常警惕，从而磨练他们的心智。 总而言之，武术锻炼最重要的就是平衡、平庸之 道，讲究刚柔并济，这让我们在日常处事时也懂 得怎么取得一个平衡点。“ 能够和威风凛々的王师傅谈话，实在是刻骨铭 心。谈到这里也不妨问一下师傅的一些个人经 厉吧。

“自己的学习是比较特别的。一般的武术老师 可能只会教一两种武术派系，我却能教十几种 的武术。我八岁开始学习武术，十八岁就成为教 练，但这并不代表学习的路程已终止。正所谓学 到老，用到老。我能教十多种武术的原因，是因 为这么多年来我一直到访中国的地方去拜师学 艺，学习他们每一种拳的特点或者有趣的地方。 武术是我的理想，之前我已经提到了现今社会 对武术似乎抱有放弃的一种态度，没有任何政 府的支持或者没有在社会上引起大的回响。我 十八岁时看通了这一点，所以在我的有生之年， 我立志想要竭尽全力去推广武术的发展。传统 不应放弃，但为了应付时代的变迁，为了让武术 的文化继续传承下去，变化和灵活的变通可能 会为这种文化带来更多的益处。” 师傅的一番言论，让听者为之动容，访问也到此 告一段落了。我连忙道谢了几声后，在残阳下独 自斟酌刚才的话...... 愿我们后会有期！

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