2 . Do you enjoy eating a nice piece of a cow? Or pig back meat? Chances are that you do, though you’re more likely to call these dishes beef and bacon. But why do the words for these animals change after they’re killed and served? And why does this change only happen with certain meats?

To answer these questions, we have to step back almost 1,000 years into the past, as the current saying is that this linguistic phenomenon (语言现象) results from the Norman invasion (侵略) of England.

In 1066, the Old French-speaking Normans took control of the Anglo-Saxons, who spoke Old English. The Norman rulers used different measures of oppression (压迫的措施), but they also introduced their language. They used French words for the meat that appeared on their tables. Meanwhile, the Old English words were still used by the Anglo-Saxons who farmed and raised the animals. Such was the Norman influence on England that their terms for meat have always been there as part of the modern English language for cuisine (烹饪).

It’s not just adult cows that got a new name after they were killed and prepared for Norman dinners. A young cow is called a “calf”, and this word comes from Old English. However, the animal is changed into “veal” after it is cooked.

Besides the word pig, which, like cow, has Old English origins (来源), the Anglo-Saxons used to use the word “swine” for these animals. Both became pork when the Normans ate their meat, though.

Chicken is one of several exceptions. While the Normans used the French word poulet for chicken meat, this became “pullet” in English. This word is only really used by chicken farmers. No one is quite sure why this happened! Here’s another exception, as fish is fish regardless of whether it’s swimming in a river or appearing on a dinner table. One possibility for why the French word poisson has never entered the English language is that it’s too close to “poison” — something no one wants to eat!

4 . Do Lobsters Feel Pain?

The traditional method for cooking a lobster (龙虾) — boiling it alive — raises the question of whether or not lobsters feel pain.     1    . Lobsters go bad very quickly after they die, and eating a dead lobster increases the risk of illness and reduces the quality of its flavor. However, if lobsters are capable of feeling pain, the method and others, such as storing the live lobster on ice, raise moral questions for chefs and lobster eaters alike.

    2    . Lobsters have a peripheral system like humans, but instead of a single brain, they possess nerve cluster (神经簇). Because of this difference, some researchers argue lobsters are too dissimilar to vertebrates (脊椎动物) to feel pain. Nonetheless, lobsters do satisfy all of the standard for a pain response. Lobsters guard their injuries, learn to avoid dangerous situations, respond to anesthetics, and are believed to possess some level of consciousness. So most scientists believe that injuring a lobster causes physical pain.

    3    , so it is now becoming illegal to boil lobsters alive or keep them on ice. Currently, boiling lobsters alive is illegal in Switzerland, New Zealand, and the Italian city Reggio Emilia.

The most humane tool for cooking a lobster is the CrustaStun. This device electrocutes a lobster, making it unconscious in less than half a second or killing it in 5 to 10 seconds.     4    .

Unfortunately, the CrustaStun is too expensive for most restaurants and people to afford. Some restaurants place a lobster in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer for a couple of hours, during which time it loses consciousness and dies.     5    , but it is probably the most humane option for killing a lobster before cooking and eating it.

6 . Children like playing make-believe and enjoy inventing a variety of characters while immersed (沉浸) in imaginative play. Cooking games are a fantastic way to stimulate imaginative play. Children can act out real-life situations and behaviors through pretend play. There are various online cooking games for children as well. For children, they are more than just a fun pastime activity. They also provide a number of developmental and educational benefits.

Free online cooking games encourage kids to try new things and think outside the box by letting them experiment with ingredients, recipes, and preparation methods. Such games can help kids develop a growth mindset, creativity, and the freedom to make their own choices.

The act of cooking, whether virtual or in the real world, requires a lot of counting and measuring, which promotes the development of fundamental mathematical abilities such as counting and adding. Additionally, many free cooking games online require kids to perform various kitchen tasks or read the recipes or lists of ingredients and then follow the directions, teaching them to read, improving their vocabulary, and boosting their confidence.

Most cooking games offer an in-built social space. For example, playing multiplayer or two-player games allows children to interact with others, help each other, laugh together, solve problems in cooperation, and so on. This is especially convenient for timid or introverted kids who have difficulty reaching out to others in the real world. Online games can help these kids develop self-esteem and practice their communication skills, so they eventually feel more confident making friends in real life.

However, young children can have difficulty finding age-appropriate games, using trustworthy and safe platforms, or setting limits on their screen time. Therefore, as adults, we must prioritize the kids’ online safety and well-being by helping them select the appropriate games and get the most out of the free cooking games online.