Certain foods and dishes are associated with specific cultures and countries. Cases in point are pizza, which reminds people of Italy; tacos, which __1__ Mexico; and xiaolongbao, which instantly make people think of Chinese cuisine. Not so famous internationally as the above dishes is Nasi Tumpeng — Tumpeng for short. However, Indonesians not only know what it is, but their mouths water as soon as they hear its name.
Rice is the __2__ grain consumed in Indonesian culture, so different kinds of rice appeared to satisfy various tastes. Three kinds of rice are most commonly used: plain white rice, uduk rice (cooked with coconut milk), and yellow rice (uduk rice colored with turmeric). All of them can be made into Tumpeng.
The cooked rice, formed into a cone, occupies the center of a plate. This __3__ the many mountains found throughout Java, the dish’s homeland. Moreover, the cone points straight up to the god in Heaven worshipped by nearly all Indonesians. It is often topped with a small piece of banana leaf. Around the rice centerpiece __4__ varied dishes such as shrimps, eggs, fish, mushrooms, chicken, and a wide range of green vegetables.
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Tumpeng is thus a special ceremonial dish that is served to __5__, such as birthdays, housewarming parties, and weddings. It is also featured in the main course of Indonesian Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 17. Nasi Tumpeng is more than just a meal. It stands for the traditional beliefs and customs of the Indonesians.
特定的食物和菜餚會與特定的文化和國家聯想在一起。典型的例子有：讓人想到義大利的披薩；令人想起墨西哥的塔可餅；和馬上讓人想到中式料理的小籠包。國際上較不如上述餐點一樣那麼知名的是印尼薑黃飯（Nasi Tumpeng──簡稱Tumpeng）。然而，印尼人不僅很清楚這是什麼，而且一聽到薑黃飯就會口水直流。
米飯在印尼文化中是主要食用的穀類，不同種類的米飯也因而出現以滿足不同人的口味。有三種米飯最常被使用：單純的白飯、烏督飯（用椰漿煮過的飯）和金黃米飯（被薑黃染色的烏督飯）。這些都可以被製成印尼薑黃飯。
煮過的米飯會被形塑成圓錐體，占據盤子的中心。這代表爪哇島（這道料理的發源地）上的許多山。此外，這個圓錐體向上直指天堂裡、幾乎受所有印尼人崇拜的上帝。圓錐尖端通常會擺上一小片香蕉葉。位於中心的米飯周圍是各式菜色，像是蝦子、蛋、魚、香菇、雞肉和各種各樣的綠色蔬菜。
薑黃飯也因此是一道慶祝生日、喬遷派對和婚禮等重要場合的特殊儀式性菜餚。這道菜也是在慶祝印尼獨立紀念日（八月十七日）時主菜中的重要角色。印尼薑黃飯不僅是一頓飯。其代表著印尼人傳統的信仰和習俗。
What Did You Learn?
1. (A) call for attention (B) take for example (C) bring to mind (D) keep in touch
2. (A) primary (B) scarce (C) flexible (D) relative
3. (A) demands (B) pretends (C) suspects (D) represents
4. (A) have (B) are (C) has (D) is
5. (A) discover natural resources (B) show cooking skills (C) celebrate important occasions (D) present famous awards
參考答案：
1. (C) 2. (A) 3. (D) 4. (B) 5. (C)
Words in Use
1. associate vt. 聯想，聯繫
associate A with B 將A和B聯想在一起
The reason red is used in traffic lights is that it is often associated with danger.
紅色被用在交通號誌中是因為它常和危險聯想在一起。
2. cuisine n. 料理，菜餚
You must try beef noodles if you like Taiwanese cuisine.
你喜歡台式料理的話一定要嚐嚐牛肉麵。
3. consume vt. 吃，喝
Gabby consumed a huge bucket of popcorn while watching the movie.
蓋比在看電影時吃掉了一大桶爆米花。
4. occupy vt. 占據，占領
The teenager occupied two seats on the subway with his personal belongings.
那個年輕人在地鐵上用個人物品占了兩個位子。
5. homeland n. 家鄉，祖國
The couple left their homeland to settle in the US.
那對夫妻離開祖國到美國定居。
Practical Phrases
1. a case in point 典型／恰當的例子
Many cartoon characters have become world-famous. Snoopy is a case in point.
有很多卡通人物已經聞名全球。史努比就是一個例子。
2. remind sb of. . . 使某人想起…
remind vt. 使想起
Rereading my diary reminds me of the good times I had in college.
重讀這本日記讓我想起了大學的美好時光。
3. not so. . . as. . . 不像…一樣…
= not as. . . as. . .
As a basketball player, Johnny is not as good as Peter, but he still enjoys the sport.
身為籃球員，強尼不像彼得那麼厲害，但他還是很喜歡這項運動。
聽文章朗讀及講解: https://ivy.pse.is/455bfu
本文出自常春藤解析英語雜誌: www.ivy.com.tw
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