18 Unit 01 | Healthy and happy The four protagonists of the story, Arthur and Trillian from Earth as well as the two aliens Ford and Zaphod, have just travelled through time and space to have dinner at a very exclusive restaurant. The gang has settled down for dinner at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. […] The waiter approached. “Would you like to see the menu?” he said, “or would you like to meet the Dish of the Day?” “Huh?” said Ford. “Huh?” said Arthur. “Huh?” said Trillian. “That’s cool,” said Zaphod, “we’ll meet the meat.” […] A large dairy animal approached Zaphod Beeblebrox’s table, a large fat meaty quadruped of the bovine type5 with large watery eyes, small horns and what might almost have been an ingratiating smile on its lips. “Good evening,” it lowed and sat back heavily on its haunches, “I am the main Dish of the Day. May I interest you in the parts of my body?” It harrumphed and gurgled a bit, wriggled its hind quarters into a more comfortable position and gazed peacefully at them. Its gaze was met by looks of startled bewilderment from Arthur and Trillian, a resigned shrug from Ford Prefect and naked hunger from Zaphod Beeblebrox. “Something off the shoulder perhaps?” suggested the animal, “braised6 in a white wine sauce?” “Er, your shoulder?” said Arthur in a horrified whisper. “But naturally my shoulder, sir,” mooed the animal contentedly, “nobody else’s is mine to offer.” Zaphod leapt to his feet and started prodding and feeling the animal’s shoulder appreciatively. “Or the rump is very good,” murmured the animal. “I’ve been exercising it and eating plenty of grain, so there’s a lot of good meat there.” It gave a mellow grunt, gurgled again and started to chew the cud7. It swallowed the cud again. “Or a casserole of me perhaps?” it added. “You mean this animal actually wants us to eat it?” whispered Trillian to Ford. 5 quadruped of the bovine type: kuhartiger Vierbeiner 6 braised: langsam gekocht 7 chew the cud: wiederkäuen Do you have other ideas about future foods that haven’t been mentioned? Write a statement like the one in 25, including your opinion. Write around 120 words. A growing number of young people consider themselves ‘ethical vegans’. They don’t eat animal products because they believe it’s ethically wrong to do so. Discuss this idea in pairs. Give reasons for your answers. 1 Why do people think it’s OK/not OK to eat animals? 2 Should people see how the animals live and how they are killed before they eat them? 3 Would it change anything if animals could talk? Read the following extract from the science-fiction novel The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams. What is its main idea? WRITING 26 SPEAKING 27 READING 28 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – E ge tum des V rlags öbv
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