新編大學(xué)英語第二冊unit1 Text B: The Menu

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UNIT 1 AFTER-CLASS READING 1; New College English (II)

The Menu

1 Food history tells us that in early restaurants the recitation of the available food dishes became an increasingly time-consuming chore; therefore, written menus were developed to help guide diners in their eating choices. This list of dishes was commonly handwritten on a chalkboard or listed on a board that could be easily seen by the customers. Developments in printing finally led to a change and the larger restaurants' floor plans made a single handwritten menu impractical, so printed menus were introduced.

2 Delmonico's restaurant in New York City is often given credit for introducing the first printed menu in the United States in 1834. That menu, as well as others of the period, was simple in design and offered specific information. Special occasions led to a call for unique designs and eventually led to more highly decorated menus.

3 For the most part, however, menu decoration followed the art movements of the time. The highly decorated late 19th century menus, which were influenced by Victorian art, gave way to modern art in the 20th century. Developments with graphics and printing allowed distinctive menu cover art.

4 By the 1930s, the menu was seen as a part of the restaurant's plan to create a memorable meal. It could develop an appetite, tell a joke, explain a food item, create a mood, tell something of the history of the restaurant, and, above all, sell some food. Restaurant trade publications encouraged the use of the menu as part of the business strategy, and the National Restaurant Association promoted effective menu graphics in its annual competition of best menus in the nation. Its guidelines for judging included (1) originality, (2) legibility, (3) ease of handling, and (4) sales effectiveness. Restaurant Management magazine in its November 1935 issue stated that most restaurant owners considerably underestimated the importance of the appearance of the menu. The magazine went on to say that the menu really has two important functions: (1) to sell food; and (2) to repeat and emphasize the unique atmosphere of that restaurant.

5 In spite of the Depression of the 1930s, restaurants did well and menu design became important. There were increasing numbers of many different types of restaurants during this decade, including cafeterias, drive-ins, and lunch counters in stores, as well as the traditional, more formal restaurants. Many of the restaurants developed themes in food, decoration and menu styles.

6 Progress in printing, photography, and especially color photography opened up more opportunities for creative expression. During the Second World War food rationing often hurt the business of restaurants, but as soon as victory was achieved, eating out became very popular again.

7 In spite of the rise of casual dining and fast-food restaurants, the mid-20th century provided many new opportunities for creative menu design. By the end of the 1960s, the increasingly popular coffee shops and restaurants that featured a singular item such as pizza, steak, or pancakes used new menu graphics. The 1970s brought a decline in eating out, but the 1980s, especially in homes where both parents were working, brought a big increase in the demand for many types of restaurants. Since then, menu design has provided the American public with a pleasing prelude to the dining experience.

8 Some popular historians are studying menus as a very special kind of documentation of America's love of eating out. For many generations of diners, taking a restaurant menu has been a way of preserving a memory or documenting a trip or a voyage. Many restaurants have provided customers with souvenir versions of their menus. The restaurant owners believe that this is a good way of advertising. Thus the menu now serves a new, but also important function.