(^14) • VOCABLE Du 11 juillet au 4 septembre 2019 facile A2-B1 / moyen B2-C1 / difficile C1-C
Société
GIFT TO EUROPE
- Despite its occasionally unappealing image,
the doner kebab has found enthusiastic support
among an immense number of European resi-
dents. For them it’s not only a reasonably priced
and tasty meal, but also a vibrant example of the
value of cultural exchange. In her 1999 research
article “McDoener: Döner Kebab and the social
positioning struggle of German Turks”, research-
er Ayşe Çağlar explored the often positive asso-
ciations between the doner kebab and Turkish
immigrants in Germany. “The doner kebab has
become part of the discourse surrounding the
‘issue of foreigners’ in Germany”, Ayşe wrote,
citing slogans shouted at demonstrations in sup-
port of foreigners in 1980s Berlin: “Without for-
eigners, no doner kebabs!” - This cultural and political association far from
being specific just to Germany. For a Los Angeles
Times reporter, the doner kebab is nothing less
than the “Turkish immigrant’s gift to Germany”.
S TA S H THAT KEBAB...
- But this point of view does not find favour with
everyone. In January 2009, the Tu s c a n city of
Lucca kicked off the hostilities. The town council
by names such as gyro (Greek), shawarma (Ara-
bic) and al pastor (Spanish), with endless local
variations. - It wasn’t until the 1980s and 1990s that the
doner kebab really took off in Western Europe. As
deindustrialisation hit, many laid-off workers, in
particular those originally from Turkey, decided
to try their hand at food service. With no extensive
culinary knowledge and little capital, many of
these new entrepreneurs turned to the doner
kebab. Their inexpensive restaurants chiefly
targeted workers, students and immigrants look-
ing for an unpretentious place to grab a meal day
or night. The doner kebab proved to be unexpect-
edly popular and gradually carved out a place in
European cities’ culinary and social landscapes.
MILLIONS OF DONER KEBABS
E V E R Y D AY- The rise in popularity of the doner kebab has
been staggering. In Paris alone, there are now over
550 doner kebab shops. In the United Kingdom,
they’re reportedly sold in 17,000 businesses. And
in Germany, the European heartland of the doner
kebab, 2 million were eaten daily in 2017. This
success is even more surprising given that it
doesn’t depend on a monopoly by a globe-span-
ning food conglomerate, but on the (partly sub-
conscious) “genius” of tens of thousands of inde-
pendent food sellers. - Success has come at a price, however. As its
popularity has grown, the doner kebab has faced
increasing wariness. There has been a myriad of
articles and reports about the unsanitary condi-
tions of some shops, associating the doner kebab
in the minds of the public as a fatty, unappetising
meal made with dubious meat.
decided to ban “establishments whose activities
can be tracked to different ethnicities”, arguing
the need to safeguard “culinary traditions and the
authenticity of our architecture, culture and his-
tory”. Similar measures were put in place in Italian
towns such as Forte dei Marmi, Padua, Capriate
San Gervasio and Verona.- A culinary symbol of successful multicultural-
ism for some, a supposed proof of rampant Is-
lamisation for others, the doner kebab is a social
phenomenon and a revealing mirror for issues of
identity and political divisions in today’s Euro-
pean societies. l
endless infinite, countless.- to hit, hit, hit to strike, to happen, to have an impact /
laid-off redundant, here, who has lost one’s job /
originally from initially from / to try one’s hand at to try
sth new for the first time / extensive great / to turn to to
direct one’s attention towards / chiefly principally, mainly
/ to target to focus on as the objective potential customer
/ unpretentious simple / to grab to quickly obtain / to
prove to be to reveal to be / to carve out a place to
establish a place for oneself / landscape scene,
environment. - rise increase / staggering astonishing, incredible /
over more than / shop here, restaurant / reportedly
according to certain sources / business commercial
establishment / heartland centre / daily every day /
given that due to the fact that / globe-spanning
multinational / conglomerate corporation / seller
vendor. - to come, came, come at a price to bring negative
consequences as well / wariness caution, suspicion /
unsanitary insalubrious, unhygienic / fatty greasy /
unappetising unpalatable / dubious questionable,
suspect.
10. occasionally sometimes / unappealing unattractive
/ immense large, huge / tasty delicious / positioning
status / struggle difficulty, battle / surrounding with
regards to, concerning / to cite to quote / to shout to cry
out / demonstration public protest.
11. reporter journalist / nothing less than essentially.
12. to stash to hide / to find, found, found favour with
sb to be appreciated by sb / Tu s c a n in Tuscany, Italy / to
kick off to begin, to start / town council local
government /
to track to to associate with / to argue to assert, to
affirm / to safeguard to protect.- some certain people / rampant uncontrolled /
division difference in opinion, schism, rift.
Notez les différents
sens de "issue" :
a political issue (§ 1) une question,
un problème
the issue of a book la publication,
parution, sortie
in this issue of Vocable dans ce
numéro
issue of stamps, coins émission,
mise en circulation
he died without issue sans
progéniture
the final issue of the discussions le
résultat finalSUR LE BOUT DE LA LANGUEAméliorez votre prononciation en écoutant tous les articles sur le supplément audio de lecture.A chef carves kebab meat off a rotating spit at a Turkish restaurant in Montreuil, outside Paris. (Guia Besana/
The New York Times)AA 13-14-806-Isa.indd 14 27/06/2019 16: