China's new rich crave the rare hairy crab

[영어도우미]

China's new rich crave the rare hairy crab

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20061122/ts_csm/ohairycrab

Food in modern China is of enormous cultural importance. Seafood is at the top of the hierarchy - something with status to share with friends or on special occasions.

Technically, crab exists in the middle of the seafood hierarchy. It doesn't carry the same status as lobster, or shark fin. But for ordinary Chinese, the crab is special. In the popular imagination of an aspiring middle class, crab reflects prosperity in a way that elite dishes like shark fin probably never will.

Few families would countenance a crab dinner, for example, without the father or mother present. Nor is the delight in the experience of wolfing down chunks of meat, as per the lobster; in fact, a hairy crab has precious little meat. Lake crab is all about savoring the flavor.

Unsurprisingly, the five-year crab craze has spawned a huge industry of fakes. Perhaps only one of every 70 crabs sold as Yangcheng is the genuine article, studies show. The local Jiangsu area is pockmarked with similar lakes, and the crab species is virtually the same, so impostors are easy to produce. The difference in taste is roughly akin to that between cage-raised and free-range chickens. The meat is grainier and sweeter. Yet without tests, even many Yangcheng residents can't always judge a crab by its spiny cover.

VOCABULARY:

hierarchy-Categorization of a group of things according to ability or status

prosperity-success

countenance-express approval to

spawned-To produce

QUESTIONS:

What is at the top of Korean food hierarchy?

What rare Korean dish do you wish to enjoy with family and friends on special occasions?Why?

Is there a custom to observe when having this special dish?

Are crabs popular in Korea? How do you enjoy it?

Can you tell by the taste of the food if it is of good quality? How?