Do you know "Toastmaster" is really related to "toast"?

Hi dear all,
I find one article on toastmaster website.
It's translated by 吳載奇 FROM 台灣客家TM CLUB.
It's an interesting article.
After reading this article, there is a thought coming out from deep of my heart.
We can throw one piece of toast in a large cup of drink and share it with everyone.
Every the meeting, we will choose a MVP for that meeting and the MVP can keep and enjoy that toast.
The toastmaster will announce at the beginnig of the meeting,
"Dear all, try your best to win the toast!"
It sounds great and terrible also!
Forget it!

But there are really many great information on TM website.
You can go visiting the website-http://www.toastmasters.org.tw

Amanda.

「吐司」知多少？ 吳載奇 台灣客家

筵席上,每次舉杯均須針對某人敬酒；否則就會被認為嗜酒成性或是傲慢無禮,

彷彿滿座賓客沒有一個值得與之共飲似的.

“Every glass during dinner had to be dedicated to someone.

It was thought sottish and rude to take wine without this,

as if forsooth there was nobody present worth drinking with.”

LORD HENRY THOMAS COCKBURN

「吐司」知多少？
The Toast in History

烘烤的麪包 ＋ 葡萄酒 ＋毒藥 ＝ 演講協會

Burned Bread＋Wine＋Poison＝Toastmasters

烘烤的麪包、葡萄酒和毒藥這三種東西，跟演講協會到底會有什麼關連？乍看之下，似乎毫無瓜葛。如果你也這麼認為，那就表示你對以下事實的瞭解可能還不很透徹：（一）吐司麪包在歷史進程中曾經扮演舉足輕重的角色（二）吐司對演講協會這類組織與演講術的演進有過重大的影響。

What do burned bread, wine and poison have to do with Toastmasters? At first glance, nothing. But that's because you may not understand the sometimes-crucial role toast has played throughout history and it's influence on the Toastmasters organization and public speaking in general.


我們都知道，吐司不過是一片片略加烘烤、或者因為技術欠佳而變得十分焦黑的麪包而已。雖然吐司真正的起源已不可考，不過研究食品的歷史學家相信，大約在紀元前 3000年埃及人就已經懂得用火烘乾麪包可以預防長霉。

We know toast is nothing more than lightly burned bread – or if you're bad at it, very burned bread. The toast's actual history is unclear: some food historians believe that in 3000 B.C., the Egyptians dried their bread in front of open fires to keep it mold-free longer.


這麼說來吐司又有什麼值得大書特書之處？為什麼老祖宗們在紀元前2100年，也就是美索不達米亞人發明塑膠套袋（plastic baggie）的時候，沒有中止這種烘烤的傳統技術？

So what's so great about toast? Why didn't we stop toasting bread in 2100B.C., when the Mesopotamians invented the plastic baggie?
　

根據英國作家Nick Parker（尼可派克）在他所著 ”Toast: Homage to a Superfood”（令人崇敬的超級食品－－吐司）一書中的描述，一片經過烘烤的吐司遠較未曾加工的普通麪包更為香酥可口；因為在攝氏154度高溫的烘烤下，麪包裏的糖份和澱粉就會因為糖化而變得風味絕佳。

According to English writer Nick Parker, author of Toast: Homage to a Superfood, “… a single slice of plain toast is tastier than a single slice of plain bread.” This is because “ at 154 degrees Celsius, the sugars and starches in the bread start to caramelize, intensifying the flavor.”


接下來，土司又怎麼會跟葡萄酒有所牽連？原來紀元前600年的時候，希臘人就風行在宴飲時用葡萄酒來作為祝福友人健康的象徵。這個習俗其實只有部份是表示對朋友的尊敬和摯愛，更重要的理由是要証明自己沒有毒害賓客的意圖（當時的希臘社會已有用毒酒謀害敵人、竊賊和配偶的惡習）。

So what does toast have to do with wine? In the 6th century B.C., the Greeks began the practice of saluting their friends' health with wine during dinner parties. They did it partly to show they respected and loved their friends, but mostly to show they weren't trying to poison them. (The Greeks had a nasty habit of using poisoned wine to eliminate their enemies, thieves and spouses. )


在正式筵席中，主人會從全體共用的酒壺中先為自己斟上一杯，並且當眾一飲而盡。等待片刻，如果沒有毒發倒地，他就會高舉酒杯邀請滿座賓客開懷暢飲。這也就是我們今日舉杯祝酒的濫觴。

At dinner parties, the host would pour wine from a shared pitcher and take a drink in front of the guests. Then, if he didn't collapse in a heap, he would raise his glass to his friends and ask them to drink – the first incarnation of our present-day toast.


另外，由於羅馬人沿襲了希臘時代的所有習俗，其中包括處理社會與政治問題的一切作為，所以舉杯祝酒也就自然而然成了羅馬時代的習尚。事實上，「祝酒」（toast）一詞是羅馬人發明的。為了中和酒裏的酸度，好讓原本難以下嚥的葡萄酒變得比較香醇，羅馬人將烘乾的麪包（toasted bread）碎屑投入杯中。後來拉丁文裏原本表示「乾燥」或「燒焦」的「tostus」，就轉意成為「飲酒」的意思。

And since the Romans borrowed everything from the Greeks – including how they dealt with social and political problems – they, too, adopted the practice of toasting. In fact, the Romans gave us the term “toast.” To reduce the acidity of bad wines and make them more pleasant to drink, they dropped toasted bread crumbs into their cups. Eventually the Latin term tostus, which means “to dry up” or “scorch,” came to refer to the drink itself.

　

這種敬酒祈福的習俗後來逐漸傳進英國。有歷史可考的首次敬酒紀錄發生在英皇Vortigern款待撒克遜盟友的宴席上，時間大約在公元450年。當時撒克遜頭目Hengist的女兒，Rowena，也在席上。她除了向英皇敬獻葡萄美酒之外，還親口說了”Louerd King, waes hael”（吾皇政躬康泰）這句祝詞。英皇龍心大悅之餘，當晚就娶她為妃，使得皇后萬分惱怒。

The practice of drinking to one's health eventually made its way to England, where the first recorded toast was at a feast between British King Vortigern and his Saxon allies around 450 A.D. Rowena, the daughter of the Saxon leader Hengist, offered spiced wine to the king, and the words “Louerd King, waes hael!” (Lord King, be of health). Vortigern was so impressed with Rowena's toast, he married her that night, much to the dismay of Mrs. Vortigern.

Rowena的經典之作（waes hael）後來變成現代人聚飲時競相模仿的模式；例如聖誕節的時候，將加糖或添加香料的葡萄酒盛裝在一個大盆子裏，由賓客自由取用。不過Rowena也在後來毒害了她新婚的夫婿；好在這種在酒裏下毒的行為只在當時盛行而沒有流傳至今。

Rowena's “waes hael” eventually became the modern wassail, the practice of drinking mulled or spiced wine from a large bowl at Christmas time. However, she also poisoned her new husband. Fortunately the wassail is Rowena's only habit that lasted over the years.


舉杯祝頌友人健康的儀節，在往後的一千兩百年裏迭有更異。到了公元1600年間才轉變為今日所熟知的單純祝酒（toasting）。為了保留羅馬傳統習俗，參與宴飲的人會將一片吐司投入「公杯」裏面而由大家共飲此杯。最後一位喝乾杯酒的人有權取得杯底的吐司，但是他必須設法不去想那吐司中可能殘存眾人的口沫。

The ritual of drinking to a companion's health evolved over the next 12 centuries, until it became known simply as “toasting” in the 1600s. Remaining true to the Roman custom, partygoers would drop a piece of toast into a shared glass. The last person who drank the wine claimed the toast at the bottom, trying desperately not to think of the backwash.
　

到了1700年代，一種新興的角色－”祝酒人（toastmaster）”－誕生了。這個角色在正式宴會中「主持」敬酒，介紹其它敬酒人的姓名、同時安排每一位有意祝頌的人都有機會舉杯向貴賓舉杯致敬。

The 1700s saw the creation of the position of “toastmaster.” This person was responsible for proposing toast, announcing other toasts and making sure all toasters were given the chance to make a contribution to the festivities.
　

在那個年代，宴席上頻頻舉杯祝頌友朋的做法非常風行，只是他們已經揚棄希臘時代在酒中下毒的劣習了。基於餐前祝酒已是宴飲時一種必要的社交禮儀，一旦有人想在酒裏下毒，倒是一件易如反掌的事情。

By this time, wine drinkers were always toasting to the health of their companions, although unlike their ancient Greek counterparts, they weren't trying to poison anyone. However, the pre-drink well wishes soon became such a strict social obligation that poisoning may have been considered a less painful alternative.
　

進入19世紀初葉，「舉杯祝頌」已經不僅僅是時尚和禮儀而已。一旦不肯主動敬酒或是拒絕接受敬酒就會被看成嚴重的輕蔑和侮辱。蘇格蘭的檢察總長柯克本勛爵（Lord Henry Thomas Cockburn）在一本名為Memorials of His Time的書中寫道：「舉杯祝頌在當時已經成為一種專橫霸道的社會規範，筵席上每次舉杯均須針對某人敬酒，否則就會被認為嗜酒成性或是傲慢無禮，彷彿滿座賓客沒有一個值得與之共飲似的。」

By the early 1800s, toasting was not only fashionable and polite, but refusing to toast or drink with another was considered a grave insult. Lord Henry Thomas Cockburn, Scotland's Solicitor General, wrote in Memorials of His Time that the drinking of toasts were “a perfect social tyranny. Every glass during dinner had to be dedicated to someone. It was thought sottish and rude to take wine without this, as if forsooth there was nobody present worth drinking with.”
　

就在祝酒儀節隨著時代遞嬗的同時，祝酒時所使用的頌詞也在取材和含意上有着明顯的改變。最後竟然形成某種形式的演講比賽；所有舉杯敬頌的人都會使出渾身解數，以期贏得最佳演講與創意的美譽。

As the ritual of toasting evolved, so did the quality and profundity of the toasts. As a result, the competition between toasters grew. Everyone tried to give the perfect toast, thus earning a reputation for being well-spoken and intelligent.
　

這類頌詞的取材範圍可說是五花八門不一而足。任何狀況、事件或是當時所發生的問題，都可以成為演講者盡情發揮的題材；例如，”here's mud in your eye”（意譯：這是你眼裏的污泥）便是這個時期風行一時代表祝福和喝采的祝詞。之後這類敬語才逐漸被一些稍許文雅的語彙所取代，例如：”through the teeth / over the gums / look out stomach / here it comes”等等。

Toasts would cover every possible topic, and any situation, incident or current event was considered fair game. It's during this time that the famous “here's mud in your eye” was delivered to critical acclaim, before being replaced by the much more poetic “ through the teeth / over the gums / look out stomach / here it comes.”


回顧過去 2700多年來敬酒祝頌的演進歷程，我們不難理解這一段歷史長河是如何既深又廣地形朔塑了我們今日的飲宴禮儀（舉杯之前殷殷祝頌來賓是一種禮節）、演講術（許多膾炙人口的作家也同時是出色的祝酒人和演說家）以及國際演講會的定期例會。在演講會例會的場合裏，每位會員都有機會上台，或是發表演說，或是即席致詞；而且還可以在友好的氣氛下跟其他同台演講的會友們一較高下，

As we examine toasting history over the last 2,700 years, it's easy to see how it has shaped dining etiquette (it's polite to offer well-wishes before the first drink), public speaking (many acclaimed writers were also notable toast makers and speakers), and even our own Toastmasters meetings. The Toastmaster makes sure everyone has the opportunity to deliver their speech, that speeches cover a variety of topics, and that there's even a sense of friendly competition among the speakers.
　

「友好」是我們對這類活動最起碼的要求。萬一你連這個都有懷疑的話，就千萬不要輕易喝下對方端過來的酒，一定要等對方喝了再說。

At least we hope it's friendly. If you're not sure, don't drink anything offered to you until someone else drinks it first.
　

作者簡介：艾力克。戴克斯，CTM，是美國印第安那州「華沙午間俱樂部」的會員。除了其他種種頭銜之外，他還是幽默專欄的作家。他表示本篇內容除了「美索不達米亞和塑膠套袋」這段之外，其他情節都是信而可徵的論述。

譯自The Toastmaster月刊，2003年12月號

台灣客家演講會 教育副會長 以及 Premiun TMC, Thomas Wu, CTM 吳載奇會兄翻譯。