F2F Class Notes (Nemo) [R]
Vocabulary
edible (adj): 1- suitable or safe for eating:
E.g.: Only the leaves of the plant are edible.
inedible (adj): 1- not suitable as food:
E.g.: The meat was inedible.
eatable (adj): 1-Food that is eatable is good enough to eat, but not excellent.
technique (n): 1- a way of doing an activity that needs skill:
E.g.: We have developed a new technique for detecting errors in the manufacturing process.
E.g.: She’s a wonderfully creative dancer but she doesn’t have the technique of a truly great performer.
replant (v): 1-to transfer (a plant) from one soil or container to another.
mature (v): 1- to become more developed mentally and emotionally and behave in a responsible way:
E.g.: Girls are said to mature faster than boys.
E.g.: He matured a lot while he was in college.
topical (adj): 1-A topical medical product is used on the outside of the body:
E.g.: This lotion is for topical application only.
nutrient (n): 1-any substance that plants or animals need in order to live and grow:
E.g.: It’s good soil – full of nutrients.
E.g.: A healthy diet should provide all your essential nutrients.
essential (adj): 1-necessarry or needed
E.g.: Water is essential for/to living things.
E.g.: It is essential (that) our prices remain competitive.
essential (n): 1-a basic thing that you cannot live without:
E.g.: Because I live in a remote village, I regard my car as an essential.
E.g.: When we go on holiday, we only take the bare essentials.
Pronunciation
Celsius-/ˈsel.si.əs/
Reading
It almost seems too hard to believe, but there is now a banana that has an edible peel. Most people would never think of eating the peel of a banana. However, banana farmers in Japan have created a special technique for growing bananas with a peel we can eat. The new banana-growing method is called the “freeze-thaw awakening” technique. Farmers in Okayama, in the west of Japan, keep their banana trees at a freezing cold temperature of -60° Celsius. The farmers then replant the trees in 27ºC temperatures. The huge change in temperature makes the tree suddenly grow too quickly for the peel to fully mature. This makes the skin thin, soft and sweet enough to eat.
The new variety of banana is called the “Mongee”. Farmers are now selling it in small bunches of 10 bananas. They are not cheap. One Mongee banana costs yen 650 (about six dollars). The farmers have not grown a lot of Mongee bananas, so the price is high. They want to grow more so they can sell them all over the world. This means the price will come down. Bananas are the most popular fruit in Japan. Similar to other countries, Japan imports most of its bananas. About 99% of bananas in Japanese stores are imported. The Mongee could mean Japanese people eat more home-grown bananas. The Mongee banana skin is sweet and contains nutrients such as vitamin B6 and magnesium.
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