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HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC — VOA’s radio magazine in SpecialEnglish.
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This is Steve Ember. On our program today:
We play some music by the rock group Nirvana …
Answer a listener’s question about superstitions …
And report about a famous kitchen in a museum in Washington, D.C.
Julia Child’s Kitchen
HOST:
People who love to cook are enjoying a new exhibit at theSmithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History inWashington, D.C. The exhibit shows the cooking center, or kitchen,of Julia Child, one of America’s most famous cooks. Shep O’Nealtells us more.
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Julia Child entered the cooking profession after World War Two.She took a six-month training class at the famous Cordon Bleucooking school in Paris, France. Then, in nineteen-fifty-one, sheand two friends started a private cooking school in Julia’s ownkitchen. The three teachers later wrote a cookbook called “Masteringthe Art of French Cooking.” The way Julia Child wrote showedAmericans more than just how to cook French food. She also taughtreaders how to re-create the food.
Julia Child became known tomillions of Americans when she started her television program “TheFrench Chef” almost forty years ago. During each program, Mizz Childexplained simple cooking skills and methods. She also showed how toprepare special foods that were later included in many of herthirteen published cookbooks. “The French Chef” was America’s firsttelevision cooking show. It was broadcast for more than thirty-fiveyears.
Mizz Child is now ninety years old. She recently moved from theeastern state of Massachusetts to her home state of California.Before retiring, Mizz Child gave her famous kitchen to the NationalMuseum of American History. This room was the main place where hertelevision shows were recorded.
Julia Child’s husband Paul designed the kitchen innineteen-sixty-one. He wanted the room to be a useful area where twoor three cooks could work together. Also, because Mizz Child is verytall, many of her cooking tools and equipment hung on boards fromthe floor to the top of the room. She could easily reach everythingshe needed.
Visitors to the American History Museum in Washington can seeexactly how Mizz Child’s kitchen was organized. They can see morethan one-thousand of her cooking tools. They can also enjoy watchinga video of her cooking shows. The exhibit will be open throughFebruary, two-thousand-four.
Superstitions
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes from China. Zhou Fanasks about superstitions.
That is a good question to answer today, on Friday theThirteenth. Many people believe it is a very unlucky day. Theybelieve bad things happen on Friday the Thirteenth. There is no goodreason for them to feel that way. Their belief is not based on fact.It is a superstition.
History experts say superstitionshave existed in many different times and places. Many peoplebelieved some methods would bring good luck, tell the future andheal or prevent sickness and accidents. Today, many people say theydo not believe in bad luck. But they are extra careful on Friday theThirteenth.
Why? Because Friday the Thirteenth mixes two of the strongestsuperstitions — the day Friday and the number thirteen.
Some say these superstitions began because Jesus was killed on aFriday and ate his last meal with twelve other people. Others tellabout an old Scandinavian story of twelve gods who were invited todinner. Thirteen came. One of the thirteen was killed. So, if youare superstitious, you do not eat at a table with twelve otherpeople. Superstition says the first or the last person to leave thetable will die within a year.
Americans do not often say that they believe in things like badluck or that they fear the number thirteen. But there is evidencethat they do. For example, there is no thirteenth floor in mostAmerican buildings. And there is no gate number thirteen at manyAmerican airports. The numbers go from twelve to fourteen.
There are many popular superstitions. One says that spilling saltmeans that you will soon get sick. Another superstition says thatbreaking a mirror will bring seven years of bad luck. Some peoplebelieve it is bad luck to walk under a ladder or permit a black catto cross your path.
Many superstitions concern cats that are black or any othercolor. In ancient times, people believed that witches turnedthemselves into black cats. So the animals were considered to beevil. However, some cats were thought to bring good luck, especiallyto men who worked at sea. That is why cats were often kept on shipsto bring the voyage good luck.
Nirvana
HOST:
The band Nirvana released a new album in late October. Itincludes one song never heard publicly before. Mary Tillotson tellsabout the new album and about the band.
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The band Nirvana now is drummer Dave Grohl and bass guitaristKrist Novoselic. The band’s lead singer and lead guitar player KurtCobain died in nineteen-ninety-four. Cobain shot himself at his homein Seattle, Washington.
Kurt Cobain wrote most of Nirvana’s songs. However, all threemembers of the band wrote this huge hit song, “Smells Like TeenSpirit.”
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Nirvana was formed in the late nineteen-eighties. Music criticssay the group was responsible for making popular a kind of musiccalled “grunge.” The sound is rough. The songs are about mostlyserious subjects. The music was not like most songs on popular radioat the time. Here Kurt Cobain sings “Sliver” about a child whoseparents will no longer care for him.
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Nirvana recorded its last song about a month before Cobain died.His wife, musician Courtney Love, sought legal action to block itsrelease. She said she should control the recording because herhusband wrote the song. The legal action was settled recently, andthe song became part of Nirvana’s new album. We leave you now withthat song, “You Know You’re Right.”
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HOST:
This is Steve Ember. I hope you enjoyed our program today. And Ihope you will join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC — VOA’sradio magazine in Special English.
This AMERICAN MOSAIC program was written by Jill Moss, NancySteinbach and Caty Weaver. Our studio engineer was Glen Matlock. Andour producer was Paul Thompson.