"There is no love which is more sincere than the love of food," said Anglo Irish writer George Bernard Shaw. Like Bernard Shaw, many writers e{#blank#}1{#/blank#}food very much, and they say and write interesting things about it.

    British poet Owen Meredith (1831- 1891) learnt a lot about food when he lived in Paris. He famously said, "We may live without friends, we may live without books, but civilized(文明的) men cannot live without c{#blank#}2{#/blank#}."

    American writer Mark Twain also wrote a lot about food. "When you have t{#blank#}3{#/blank#}watermelon," he wrote, "you know what angels eat."

    American cookbook writer Alice May Brock has some simple rules about food from different c{#blank#}4{#/blank#}. "If you want to cook international food, it's easy," she wrote. "Put tomatoes on the plate and it's Italian. Use soy sauce and it's Chinese. A{#blank#}5{#/blank#}wine to the recipe(食谱) and it's French. Sour cream makes it Russian and lemon makes it Greek. But garlic makes it good! Cheers!" Tea and coffee are even more I{#blank#}6{#/blank#}for some people. There is a Chinese saying, "It is better to go without food for three days, than tea for one."

    The former American President Abraham Lincoln was often rude about the tea and coffee which was served to him. For example, he was in a Washington restaurant one day, and when the main meal was over, a cup of hot I{#blank#}7{#/blank#}was placed in front of him. He drank a bit and was clearly angry. "Waiter," he said, "if this is coffee, please bring me some tea; and if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."