Bulgarian Yogurt, two
Vocabulary
| air | spread | except for |
| clear | delight | know/known/known |
| brand | firm (2) | buy/bought/bought |
| local | bacteria | find/found/found |
| mass | authentic | commercial |
| folk | costume | bucket list |
| inn | soar (2) | speak/spoke/spoken |
| bit (2) | massive | grow/grew/grown |
| expect | advertise | come/came/come |
| region | suffer (2) | sell/sold/sold (2) |
| attract | spectacle | infrastructure |
| typical | festival | get/got/got |
| fame | across (2) | investment |
| hope | stay (2) | innkeeper |
| join | maintain | stay the same |
Video: Bulgarian Yogurt in China
Transcript
Clear air. High mountains and no industry. Momchilovtsi is a typical Bulgarian village.
Except for the tourists.
Momchilovtsi attracts many from China, where it’s much better known than in Bulgaria itself.
Chinese Visitor: “It’s yogurt brand. Many people don’t know where Momchilovtsi is, but they know it is in Bulgaria.”
Ten years ago, a Chinese firm bought the bacteria found in local yogurt to develop a mass-market brand. Commercials like this have put the village on the bucket list for Chinese traveling to Europe.
Maria Tsetkova may not dress in folk costume like a typical Bulgarian innkeeper, but she does speak a bit of Chinese. And the yogurt’s growing popularity means visitor numbers are soaring.
Maria Tsvetkova, Innkeeper: “They do massive amounts of advertising because of the yogurt. So we expect a lot more people to come here.”
There may not be many sheep or cows, but Momchilovtsi sells itself on yogurt. Tourism is now more important for the local economy than agriculture.
The region suffers from poor infrastructure, and gets more help from China than the European Union. A big, new, yogurt factory is planned.
The yogurt festival is a colorful spectacle for the delighted visitors and their cameras.
Maria says the festival is spreading Momchilovtsi’s fame across China. Bulgarians have also started coming.
Local Resident: “We hope others will join the Chinese visitors here: everyone is welcome.
Maria Tsvetkova, Innkeeper: “Of course we welcome foreign investment. But we don’t want too much. The village has to stay authentic.”
China is helping the village maintain its traditions. And there are some things the locals want to stay the same.
Questions
1. Momchilovtsi is a large city like Vienna and Barcelona. True or false?
2. Is Momchilovtsi famous throughout Bulgaria? Why is it well-known (in China)?
3. Has the economy of the village changed over the years?
4. There are celebrations in the village. Is this right or wrong?
5. Would Bulgarians be interested in Momchilovtsi if there were no Chinese tourism?
6. Do the locals want their region to be like Las Vegas or Miami?
7. What might happen in the future?
A. Yogurt is a popular food where I live. Yes or no?
B. What foreign foods are popular in your city or country?
C. What are some unique or special tourist destinations?
D. Are there local products that could be marketed internationally?
E. What might happen in the future?
