LET'S READ ABOUT COOKING AND BAKING

A PANDEMIC HOBBY
Reading: Why was baking sourdough bread a pandemic hobby?

Adapted from an article by Stella Em

^[1] 2020 was the year of the coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic. This made everybody stay home in order to stay healthy. And so everybody started new hobbies. They needed a way to stay busy. They did not want to worry about the pandemic. One of the most popular hobbies during the pandemic was making sourdough bread. Baking sourdough bread became popular during the pandemic for several reasons.

^[2] First, sourdough takes a long time. In the past, people did not have a lot of time to make their own bread. They were very busy with work, school, and family. But many people had to stay home during the pandemic. They could not go to work. They could not go to restaurants. They could not travel. So they had a lot of time. They finally had time to make their own bread at home.

^[3] Second, sourdough bread does not require anything special. The recipe is simple. The ingredients are only flour, salt, and water. Regular bread usually requires yeast, but sourdough does not. And that was a good thing because yeast was not always available in 2020.

^[4] Third, baking bread at home helped people to feel better. The pandemic was not easy. Things felt out of control. Baking bread is a challenge. However, making your own food made a person feel good — and it tasted good, too!

^[5] In conclusion, sourdough bread is nothing new. Bakers have been making sourdough bread for many years. But the COVID-19 pandemic gave people many reasons to try making it at home. Now they know how to do it, and they will probably continue to make sourdough bread in the future.

Reading Skill: Summarizing

Kỹ năng đọc: Tóm tắt

What is summarizing?

A summary is a short description of a longer article or story. A summary gives only the main facts or ideas. It does not repeat every small detail. We write summaries in our own words.

Tóm tắt là mô tả ngắn gọn về một bài viết hoặc câu chuyện dài hơn. Tóm tắt chỉ cung cấp các sự kiện hoặc ý tưởng chính. Nó không lặp lại mọi chi tiết nhỏ. Chúng ta viết tóm tắt bằng từ ngữ của mình.

How do I summarize an article?

1. Read the article carefully. Make sure that you understand it.
2. Identify the main idea (topic + claim).
3. Identify the most important supporting details that explain or prove the main idea.
4. Write in complete sentences. Use your own words.

Examples / Ví dụ

Read these summaries. Identify the original text. Write the unit number and title below the summary.

Summary	Unit and Title
1. The author wanted to choose the best place to work out. So he compared 2 places for exercise: home and gym. The author described pros and cons of both places. Then he decided to keep going to the gym. He chose, however, a special program. He pays only when he goes.	Unit: 6 Title: Weighing the pros and cons of working out at a gym
2. In this article, the author says some plants are called weeds for different reasons. Sometimes the plant is invasive. Sometimes the plant spreads pollen or seeds. Roots and sap can also be problems. In general, the author says that a weed is any plant in the wrong place.	Unit: 1 Title: Should I keep or compost this plant?
3. The author says some board games are more than just fun. They require a combination of luck, skill, and critical thinking. Chess, backgammon, and Monopoly are three examples. In these games, players need to use good strategies and make wise choices if they want to win.	Unit: 3 Title: Three board games for your brain