About 80 years of White Rabbit candy“大白兔”走过近80年

2022-05-30潘建根

疯狂英语·爱英语 2022年11期

潘建根

“大白兔”奶糖是一个拥有近80年历史的品牌，承载了无数人的甜蜜童年回忆。时光流逝，人们对“大白兔”的热情从未减弱。

主题语境：文化篇幅：338词建议用时：6分钟

When ice cream maker Adrienne Borlongan first experimented with a White Rabbit flavor， she thought it tasted like “cheap vanilla（香草）”. A few weeks after adding it to the ice cream lineup at her Los Angeles shop， Wanderlust Creamery， visitors were about as uninterested in it as she was. But when Borlongan posted a photo of an ice cream cone wrapped in White Rabbit?branded paper， word quickly spread on social media.

The candy， first manufactured in Shanghai in the 1940s， is known for its iconic packaging with the colors of red，white and blue and beloved by kids all over China. And when Chinese people began travelling all over the world， their love for the white， creamy candy went with them.

Soon after Borlongan posted that photo， people were driving to Wanderlust from all over California. And that's when she realized she had a phenomenon on her hands. Since then， White Rabbit has been the mainstay of Wanderlust Creamery and is regularly sold out in their webshop.

But the story of a best?selling ice cream is more than taste—it's about the power of nostalgia（怀旧） and adorable eye?catching branding. White Rabbit's origin dates back to a business called ABC Company， founded in Shanghai in 1943. It was later sold to Guan Sheng Yuan Food Group， which owns it to this day. Originally， the candies had a picture of Mickey Mouse on their wrappers，which was perfect for appealing to children. But as Chinese national pride soared and it became less fashionable to use Western images， the company put a cartoon rabbit on the packaging instead.

The mix of colorful， easy?to?spot wrappers and the sweet milky taste proved a winner. Kids throughout the country loved the sweets. As for the flavor？ The creamy consistency comes from actual milk， and there's an edible piece of rice paper between the candy and the wrapper to prevent melting.

Over the years， White Rabbit tried out other flavors， including red bean and peanut flavors. But it's the original version that has the most nostalgia connected to it.

Reading Check

1. What made Borlongan's new ice cream product appealing？

A. Its flavor. B. Its price.

C. Its smell. D. Its packaging.

2. How many colors could be found on White Rabbit's packaging？

A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four.

3. Which factor drove Guan Sheng Yuan to use the image of a rabbit on its products？

A. Showing national pride. B. Attracting young customers.

C. Encouraging a nostalgic feeling. D. Making the products fashionable.

4. What does paragraph 5 intend to tell us？

A. The White Rabbit food series.

B. The skills used in White Rabbit.